Review: Fox Downpour Jacket

The Downpour jacket from Fox is there top end offering from their line of waterproof MTB jackets which is aimed at the all mountain rider. We’ve been riding with the Fox Downpour jacket now since early November and the time has come to share our thoughts!

First Impressions...

First impressions you can obviously see that the Downpour jacket is crammed to the brim with features. It’s obviously very waterproof and weighs next to nothing and has a reasonably tight cut but those are all things you would expect to find from a trail jacket that comes in at £160 RRP.

It’s 10,000mm waterproof rating stacks up reasonably well against other jackets out there in the price range. There are cheaper options that offer more a greater waterproof factor such as the Madison Flux Storm jacket but they are nowhere near as lightweight or offer as much maneuverability as the Downpour.

Features...

The Downpour has a removable hood that is “fitted”. It comfortably fits underneath a trail helmet and would do a wonderful job of stopping nasty water droplets running down your neck but would completely zip off when not required.

In the ventilation stakes the jacket features a rear vent panel for increased airflow and temperature control as well as two good sized underarm vents for added comfort under both arms which all equates to a good all round ventilation solution and it even has two waterproof zippered hand pockets that are of decent enough size to keep at least.

As you find in most MTB focused jackets these days the Downpour features a media pocket with internal headphone routing.  The right hand pocket has a seperate orange pocket that can comfortably fit an iPod inside with a crafty hole to feed the headphones up to your ears tangle free!

The jacket most definitely isn't a thermal layer, neither does it ever claim to be that. It's a very lightweight and waterproof trail jacket. For an average ride in the British winter you should expect to need some kind of layering going on underneath but bare in mind that the jacket has a reasonably tight cut so if you’re a fan of layering up you may want to go one size bigger.

The Ride...

We’ve absolutely loved our time testing the downpour jacket and its proven to be absolutely spot on for trail riding. It's become the jacket of choice for MoreDirt big boss Carl and its most certainly the jacket he would pack if he was off out on the trail bike.

We love the fact that it's a jacket that doesn't necessarily look like a dedicated mountain bike jacket but has as many technical features as this one. It's even smart enough to wear off the bike down to the pub as long as you like your clothing on the slightly tighter cut side of things.

When riding in the Downpour we were surprised by how warm it would actually actually keep you despite its thickness and weight. Initially the thickness and feel of the material had left a doubt in our minds to its ruggedness and warmth but after some heavy crashes in it and plenty of cold winter miles we are 100% sold on the fabric that Fox have used in the downpour.

The main swing factor here though is without doubt the price. We likened it to that situation where you are browsing on a clothing rail at the bike shop. You would feel the material, look at the price and most probably run a mile. £160.00 is a lot to pay for what is essentially a one-purpose jacket but when that one single purpose is fulfilled so well maybe it is justified?

The Downpour jacket from Fox is lightweight, rugged and stylish. It’s without doubt our go to jacket when heading out on the trail bike but it certainly comes at a price.