The Summit jacket from Polaris is a solidly winter/early spring piece of kit, built more for warding off deluges of rain than meandering through light showers.
The 2.5-layer material and sealing around the zips hint at the jacket's intended use, and chunky velcro cuffs and a removable hood complete the effect.
It’s remarkably good in the wet, and kept us bone dry on rainy rides. The collar is cut close enough to the neck to avoid water-scooping, but isn’t overly tight. The fit is nice too; we’ve ridden in more snugly-cut outers but the Summit isn’t bin-bag billowy either. There’s still plenty of room for layers underneath, which we appreciated.
We’re big fans of the slightly rearward, offset side vents too. Due to the resolute ‘none shall pass’ nature of the material, it can get pretty warm on longer climbs and unzipping the vents offers a welcome blast of fresh air.
If you ride to the trails you may want a bit more reflective detailing or a brighter colour that's more visible to lorries – luckily this jacket is available in green and blue as well as the grey you see here.
The Summit comes in grey, green and blue colourways
The Polaris jacket performs really well, particularly if you ride in more northerly climes and will get greater use from a heavier grade of outer layer.