Craft Performance Stretch Jacket

 
The inside of the jacket is very soft to the touch yet also wicks sweat away from the body. We wore short sleeve jerseys under the jacket for hours without feeling any chafing or binding from the sleeve stitches. Because the jacket is so light, yet so warm, we didn’t feel restricted or bound as we have with other thicker jackets, or less-insulated offerings that require multiple under layers. The fit is also very good. This 5’9″, 69 kilo racing cyclist found the small to be a comfortable slim fit with no excess fabric bunching, while the back of the jacket is generous enough in length to ensure the back was not exposed in the lowest crouch.
 

 
The rear pocket is zipped to protect anything inside from the elements and large enough to stow gloves, energy bars, and a phone in one go. Because this jacket can be worn with nothing more than a base layer, we loved the one additional small inner pocket that stowed credit cards and an MP3 player; this pocket even contained a small slit for feeding headphone cords.
 

 
The reflective piping also does its job. Standing in a dark field, the jacket picked up a cycling headlight beam from any angle while the bright red color made us very visible in mixed daylight conditions as well.
 

 
We found the jacket to be ideal when the weather was dry or showery and in temperatures from about 10 degrees celcius or below. When temperatures crept above 10 the jacket became very warm. At 15 degrees, the jacket was too warm to wear comfortably. As it offers no zipper vents, the Performance Stretch jacket offers no real cooling options, so we wouldn’t recommend it as the only long sleeve in the wardrobe.
 

 
When it started to rain, the waterproof fabric did keep us dry, but when it kept raining, we found the outer fabric became heavy with water increasing the jacket’s weight by a factor of two. As the jacket is so light to begin with this wasn’t a massive disadvantage, but it’s important to note that though the rider stays dry, the jacket definitely does not repel water in the way a plastic rain jacket does.
 

 
Final Thoughts
 
The Stretch Jacket became the do-everything winter jacket: We rode the bicycle in it, rowed the Thames wearing it, wore it on cool morning jogs and even took the dog for evening walks in it. Craft’s attention to detail and careful assembly comes to the fore as well: The jacket is attractive, immensely functional, well fitted and light weight. The only reason anyone might pause for thought before buying one for themselves, would be the mixed performance in very wet conditions as there are better rain-specific offerings out there. That said, for anyone looking for a cycling jacket that handles just about anything a British winter or spring can throw at them, this one fits the bill.

 
Craft