Assos Mille GT Hashoogi Winter Jacket S11 review: great rain protection but some notable flaws

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The Assos Mille GT Hashoogi Winter Jacket S11 is a great-performing jacket for deep-winter training at higher intensities.

It’s usefully water resistant and breathable (when it’s not raining), slim-fitting without being restrictive thanks to its stretchy fabric, and warm despite its relatively thin construction.

The arms feel curiously under-insulated compared to the body because they don’t have a thermal lining, and it’s notably pre-shaped for a riding position.

This may put off some who want to relax in their jacket at a café stop, but it isn’t necessarily a bad thing if you’re working hard and ride in a suitably aggressive position comfortably.

All-in, the Mille GT Hashoogi is a very impressive winter jacket, for the right rider.

Assos Mille GT Hashoogi Winter Jacket S11 details and specifications

The Assos Mille GT Hashoogi Winter Jacket S11 is designed to maximise comfort and protection on deep-winter rides. To that end, it has a more relaxed cut compared to the brand’s racier garments, according to the brand.

It’s still slim, though, which Assos intends to help reduce excess fabric flapping, and shaped in such a way as to best suit a riding position.

The brand has used its own fabrics, including the industrially named ‘Airblock-Evo.916’ for the outer. Assos claims this is the warmest softshell fabric it uses, and is “stormproof” and breathable, while “offering a more elastic, supple fit” compared to previous versions.

However, the brand doesn’t offer any waterproof or breathability ratings for the fabric.

The arms use a lighter softshell fabric on the front-facing parts, while the undersides are made of a thinner fabric. Both are also said to be wind and waterproof, although (presumably) to different degrees.

The back panel is made of a fourth fabric, which is claimed to be the most breathable – its main purpose is to enable excess heat and moisture to escape while maintaining essential rain protection.

All the fabrics have been treated with an “eco-friendly” DWR (durable water repellent) coating, but Assos doesn’t specifically claim this is PFC/PFAS-free.

The collar is especially stretchy and said to offer good breathability without having to unzip it to improve airflow. The full-length zip doesn’t have a zip garage or a draught-excluding tab on the underside.

There are three pockets on the rear, although the jacket misses out on a zipped security pocket.

Assos sells the jacket in four colours (including brighter purple and blue options) and in seven sizes (XS-3XL).

Assos Mille GT Hashoogi Winter Jacket S11 performance

Assos develops many of its own fabrics for its winter garments – there are four own-brand fabrics used in this jacket alone – which means they tend to feel a little different from the fare you’ll find from the likes of Gore and Polartec.

Performance levels are high here, too (as one would hope), but not necessarily notably better than the fabrics used by other brands.

The DWR treatment beads water very effectively and breathability was comparable to the best winter jackets I’ve tested.

The front and shoulder panels are very windproof, while the back is much stretchier and thinner, and aids heat dissipation.

The arms are curiously not thermally lined though. Most winter jackets I’ve ever tested carry some thermal protection here because the arms tend to need protection given they’re a little more exposed. When riding steadily in the Assos jacket, I found my arms got a little chilly.

That said, this choice makes more sense when you’re working hard – with no dedicated insulation here, it enables moisture and heat to escape much more easily. As someone who often finds his arms getting as damp as the rest of his body when putting down hard efforts, I appreciated it.

I also liked the raw-edge wrist cuffs. Most jackets have some kind of seam or overlap at the end of a cuff, but Assos’ simple design is great when you want to pair the jacket with winter gloves and prevents pressure points.

The pockets also have an internal flap, which (in theory) helps protect your belongings from rain, although I never bothered to fiddle with it long enough to ensure the contents were tucked in. Most ended up under the flap automatically.

There’s also some fleece on the underside, which insulates the area around your kidneys.

That said, given this is the only area of fleecing like this in the jacket (the front, shoulders and flanks have a towel-effect liner), it’s not the warmest-feeling in isolation. But this, of course, can be mitigated by employing a warmer baselayer.

Overall, the Mille GT Hashoogi Winter Jacket S11 feels as though it was designed to sit slimly on the body without feeling restrictive on the bike – the collar follows suit and the waist holds firm when riding.

It’s worth noting the jacket is somewhat pre-shaped, a bit like a time trial skinsuit, but without the really tight fit. If you stand up in it, it pulls your shoulders and arms forward, more so than any of the jackets I tested it alongside.

As a result, the Mille GT Hashoogi jacket is probably best for those riders who want to get on with their winter riding in focused, pacy rides without a prolonged cafe stop.

It also carries a high price tag, which is typical of the brand. For similar money, in a slightly more forgiving design, you could have the Santini Vega+ (£250 / $299 / €269.90), while the Rapha Men’s Pro Team Winter Jacket (£230 / $300 / €260) is an alternative featuring a racy cut without the aggressive shaping.

How we tested | winter jackets

I tested this group of winter jackets through November and December 2024. While these months have been unseasonably warmer than average, I chose the coldest days to test thermal insulation and the warmer days to assess breathability.

Testing temperatures ranged from -2ºC with freezing fog to a balmy 14ºC, and included the usual unpredictable mix of light drizzle and heavy showers. This put the DWR treatments and any waterproof membranes to the test.

I also assessed cut, overall fit and sizing, as well as details of the design such as cuffs, collars, and pocket size and access.

Jackets on test

• Rapha Men’s Pro Team Winter Jacket
• Gore Spinshift Thermo Jacket
• Sportful Total Comfort Jacket
• Santini Vega+ Winter Jacket
• Assos Mille GT Hashoogi Winter Jacket S11
• Van Rysel Men’s Winter Road Cycling Jacket Endurance
• Endura Men's Pro SL 3-Season Jacket
• Altura Men’s Endurance Blast Jacket

Assos Mille GT Hashoogi Winter Jacket S11 bottom line

Although the Assos Mille GT Hashoogi Winter Jacket S11 features a pre-shape that won’t suit everyone, the cut is acceptably forgiving and it's comfortable to wear when riding ‘with a purpose’.

The fabrics perform very well – on a par with those from big-brand names, although there are others with more plentiful thermal insulation if that’s a priority.

For the right rider, the Mille GT Hashoogi jacket could be the perfect match. However, there are enough quibbles to make it a qualified purchase.

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