Review: Brooks Element Jacket

[KnottedYet]

My new favorite jacket!
http://www.teamestrogen.com/prodBR2_WJ852.html

Generally I avoid rain jackets because I sweat so much the inside of the jacket ends up a lot moister than the outside. Living where it rains 160 days a year, that can be an awkward situation...

First impression: this jacket is soft! And cute! And bright! And PINK!

Fit: I bought an XL, figuring I'd want the room for sweaters underneath. I'm glad I bought XL rather than L. The length is good both in the body and the sleeves. The jacket hem sits very low on the hips, and the dropped tail covers the heinie nicely. Sleeves are great for walking and running, but hike up on the bike. They are also set in quite a bit, and a little snug around the biceps.

Look: Oh, man, this jacket is CUTE. The cut and fit are very flattering. The splices of darker fabric and reflective fabric add a lot of visual interest and look clean and elegant in a white-sided dolphin sort of way. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pacific...-sided_Dolphin It reflects well and is mighty visible without melting your eyes. The pink is a deep watermelon, a strong pink/light magenta.

Pockets: There are four. Two zippered front pockets, which are a bit small but will hold a tube of Clif Shot Blox and a set of keys. One Napoleon pocket set quite high on the chest, also rather small with a very small zipper (can't get my hand into the Napoleon pocket and have to fish for things with my fingertips). Will hold a cell phone, can just barely hold a wallet. One plasticized iPod pocket on the inside of the jacket, sewn onto the backside of the Napoleon pocket. It closes with a patch of velcro. It might hold a small cell phone or an iPod Nano. My cell phone doesn't quite fit.

Performance: I wore this on a run in a light rain, a bit longer run than I usually do. No sweat! The inside of the jacket was dry! Completely dry! This is unheard of in my corner of the universe! I could hardly believe it. Then I wore it on a couple of hour-long walks up and down hills on a chilly day (no rain). Again, no sweat. Today I wore it to work and it passed the "waiting at the bus stop" test with flying colors. No clammy ookie chills. My cell phone has been in the Napoleon pocket, and it has stayed dry. No problem with rain, no problem with wind, no sweat. I'm impressed.

How did they do that? It must be the fabric. There is a small vent on the back, but I've worn vented rain jackets before and sweltered miserably. It's not the vent. The fabric is soft and feels textured on the inside. Like a mini waffle-weave. I couldn't believe it would really keep the rain out, but it did. And it breathes. Even if you are working up a sweat and then stop and stand still, nothing condenses on the inside of the jacket. Haven't taken it on a good long bike ride yet, but I'm starting to think I may have finally found a jacket I can wear on the bike.