PEARL IZUMI Men’s Ultralight Water Repellent Cycling Jacket

I have used this jacket twice now and feel like I can adequately review it for everything except durability. Pearl Izumi is a brand I trust and I have several pieces of their kit. Durability has never been an issue so I will assume the same holds true here. Should I have an issue I will update my review to reflect this.

I’ll start with the use case. In cycling especially there are MANY products with a vague or extremely narrow use case. No matter how good the product, if you only need it on 1% of rides or less, do you really need it at all? I find a few decent uses for this jacket. For me, I think the early morning ride is where this jacket shines. If you have a long ride planned that is going to leave early (which for me is quite often as I like to finish without sucking away my whole day) this jacket is an auto-include. Generally, when you leave at around 6 or 7am you may be riding in temperature 10-15 degrees F cooler than by the time you finish. I like to start with this jacket on and peel it off after temps rise. Another use case is in a light rain. I took it outdoors (not on a ride) in a heavy rain and it’s not fit for that. In fairness, it doesn’t claim to be. The description literally says it “will carry you through light showers”. It does a more than fair job at blocking wind. Finally, if you are unsure as to weather you’re going to get cold at any point on a ride, this is an easy include in your jersey pocket or your pack.

On to the jacket itself. It is incredibly light. I weighed mine at 90.5 grams (size XL). I used the size chart in the description and it suggested XL. It fits comfortably. A large would have been skin tight but still wearable and and a XXL would have been a wind sail. If you are in between sizes it basically goes to your preference. If you are a “if it zips it fits” kind of rider than go for the smaller size but if you like a little breathing room go bigger. The orange is very vibrant and I feel like the pictures very fairly represent what it actually looks like. I love the dual zipper system. Essentially if you are using it for an early ride, as it warms up I tend to unzip the bottom zipper. Once the bottom zipper if almost completely open, I know I’m good to remove the jacket. It more than easily fits into my jersey pocket and again, it’s less than 100 grams added weight.

On to my only real complaint and the thing that kept me at 4 instead of 5 stars. While the jacket fold up very small and is extremely packable, I cannot keep it folded small on it’s own. I also need to lay it out on something flat to fold it up. Maybe I’m doing it wrong or maybe someone else has a better way to fold it but I find myself needing a rubber band to keep it folded extra small. This is fine for when I’m bringing it along as a “just in case” but if I’m starting with it on I will have to get off the bike, fold it up, rubber band it then carry on. I have a dedicated rain coat made by a different company that sew a small pocket on the inside of the coat. It allows you to just stuff the coat into the pocket and a plastic squeeze piece to keep it shut. It is much easier to do and I can actually accomplish it without getting off the bike. I doubt it adds much weight at all either. I think this jacket would be so much better if it had a similar feature. Given it’s cost I do think it needs to be “perfect” to warrant 5 stars so this is the reasoning behind my 4 star rating. Still a very good jacket, and IMO worth the cost, just not perfect.

I grew in Colorado and Pearl Izumi was a huge part of my outdoor wardrobe… This however is like wearing a garbage bag with sleeves. I don’t think I’ve every been more disappointed in a product with such a strong reputation until now.

Full stop, this is a No-Go

Jacket weights little over 1 oz and makes a nice wind breaker or light rain jacket. The jacket is very portable and can be stashed in a bike bag or rolled up underneath a seat. The ripstop fabric is very comfortable, but I really don’t like sweating while wearing this stuff. I also own a GORE jacket which is a lot thicker and inconvenient when riding, which is why I never use it. The Pearl Izumi jacket is a better alternative for those rides where you might need some light rain protection or cool wind during fall or spring.

Everything about this is great. It has grippy material at the waist and wrists, it has a little ventilation at the back, and is, as the description says, ultra-lightweight.

The only minor ding is no front pockets, but cycling clothing almost never does. (I commute more than distance rides, so I’m one of the rare ones who want pockets).