Endura Stealth Jacket Review

I bought this jacket a couple of months ago based on the good reviews it has got. However I have bought other pricey items before based on good reviews and been a bit disappointed.

The Endura Stealth is a soft-shell water proof with pit zips and is fairly close fitting making it suitable for both road and mtb. This is its first plus point! I have an Assos Airjack which is road specific; obviously it can be worn on the mtb but one ‘off’ or a brush past a thorny hedge would do it some serious damage. The Endura fabric is a lot tougher.

The fit is good and the zips are good quality. A poor quality zip can be so annoying when riding and trying to undo / do up.

The pit zips are cleverly placed so they can be opened and closed with a rucksack / camelback on. There are two sets of pit-zips: large ones that open towards the hip and smaller ones under the arm itself.

I think pit zips are crucial when wearing a windproof as you can overheat so easily. I have a number of cheaper windproofs that I rarely wear because they feel like boil-in-a-bag items. Open the front zip and they just balloon at the back.

In the cold weather the jacket has been great. I would prefer a higher, softer collar but the use of a buff sorts out that issue.

Whilst the fit of my £200+ Assos Airjack is more snug and I love wearing it, I think the Endura is better value for money and more wearable in more situations. I have not tried it for hours in heavy rain but will update this review after another couple of months use. So far though I would give it an 85% score. It only really loses marks on the collar and because I have not had it for long enough to try it in all weathers for prolonged periods.

I have just bought the Stealth Lite bib-tights also and these fit well and should make wet weather riding much more fun… review also to follow. mph.