Alpinestars Denali 2 Vest review

Alpinestars has packed PrimaLoft insulation into the Denali 2 gilet, ensuring it can be worn when the temperature drops.

Stretch panels and a dropped rear hem are there to aid fit and performance, while there’s a pair of pockets to boost usefulness.

The Denali 2 is a warm gilet with some nice features, but there are small niggling problems in a number of areas, which limits its overall score.

Alpinestars Denali 2 Vest features and performance

Alpinestars has paired the PrimaLoft insulation, that’s packed into the front and back of the gilet, with a windproof shell fabric to ensure cold winds don’t cut through and rob you of your warmth.

It’s effective, too, because the Denali 2 is a warm mountain bike gilet, suitable to be worn even in sub-zero temperatures.

The neck comes up high and the arm holes are elasticated nicely, working together to help keep the warmth locked in.

While the main panels aren’t stretchy, the fit is kept flexible and comfortable thanks to broad stretch panels at the sides.

Though the rear hem is dropped, it’s not as low as on some other gilets, and so if you have a low, aggressive stance on the bike, you might find your lower back exposed to the cold and spray.

Water is kept at bay with a DWR coating on the fabric. In testing, it did a good job of repelling spray and light rain showers.

Fine details

The gilet is equipped with a pair of zipped pockets.

These are moderately deep and, sitting underneath the PrimaLoft insulation, are a good place to warm cold hands.

They extend down to the hem, though, which means when you’re pedalling with heavier items in your pockets, you can feel your thighs knocking on them.

The zip has chunky teeth that cope well with a coating of grip, and while the zipper pull tags have only a thin string to grab on to, it was easy enough to open and close with mountain bike gloves on.

That’s until the zip gets snagged in the storm flap, an unfortunately regular occurrence.

The stretch panels work well to ensure a good fit, but I’ve heard riders with a smaller frame can find the shoulder area a little boxy, which may encourage a little excess cool airflow into the main body.

Alpinestars Denali 2 Vest bottom line

Despite its flaws, this is a good gilet, if you’re concerned with keeping warm in cooler temperatures.

It’s comfortable and effective in its insulating properties.

However, the final touches aren’t as good as those found in some competitors.