Lovers of the original lightweight Pertex fabric will be drawn to the Photon as it’s made with the Shield incarnation, which has a polyurethane film laminate to make it waterproof. The result is a very light (around 200g) jacket that packs into your pocket, but is much larger and with much more of a protected feel than most emergency styles. For us that makes it much more versatile.
Fit through the body is very good; relaxed but not baggy and we appreciated the drawcord at the hem to cinch it in to avoid cold draughts. There’s also a drawcord at the neck. We’re not used to these on cycling jackets and it’s great for inducing a properly battened down feeling in the face of horizontal rain. The zips are water resistant too, and with generous zip pulls we didn’t have any difficulty using them, even with gloved hands.
This is a bike-specific style and the breathability is good, even during sustained pedalling, but the more extreme mountain heritage of Montane is in evidence and inspires confidence. If only it wasn’t quite so noisy...
