Review: Fox Draft Jacket

Fox’s Draft Jacket is a soft shell type jacket that much like the Downpour jacket we reviewed recently is aimed at the all mountain rider. We’ve been riding with the Draft jacket since the beginning of winter and here are some of our thoughts…

First Impressions

The first thing that hits you with the Draft jacket is the styling… It wouldn’t look out of place in an 80’s roller disco with it’s tight cut fit and charcoal and fluro orange colour way that we have but if your more of a stealth character it is available in black!

On first inspection the jacket feels really soft and comfortable to the touch and like it will fit like a glove and will really work well out on the trail bike when the weather starts to warm up a little as spring approaches

Ventilation wise the Draft jacket only has 2 exhaust ports on the rear. It doesn’t feature any under arm, pit ventilation but I don’t think that is a feature you would expect to see on a soft shell stlye jacket with an RRP of £70

The Draft Jacket on paper can allegedly “repel both wind and rain”… On our first impression we would 100% agree with repelling wind but it doesn’t feel like it would repel rain at all. I would say the Draft is waterproof in the same way your favourite hoody or jumper is… Initially it will keep the rain from you as it absorbs then you will have a saturated layer that will give you hypothermia.

There’s no shame in making a jacket that isn’t waterproof when it is designed to fulfill a different purpose entirely and that purpose it serves pretty damn well…

The Ride

We’ve got some good miles in while wearing the Draft but admittedly they were predominantly on either side of the depths of winter.

The Draft jacket seemed to excel in the transition between seasons. First the change from autumn to winter and then winter into spring, which isn’t something a lot of jackets have in their armory. It fits in the bracket of that jacket you look for when it’s a bit nippy outside but you are fairly sure its going to stay dry.

The Draft offers a great amount of warmth yet is thin enough to fit under a rain jacket or stow away in a bag and get it out when the sun goes behind the clouds. The gridded pattern on the inside of the fleece also provides good airflow around the jacket and will keep you feeling fresh.

On the bike the jacket isn’t at all restrictive and the cut is bang on the money for a hammering it round the trails with its tight sleeves and a good length in the body. Once again much like the Downpour jacket we reviewed prior to this found the sizing to be a little on the smaller side of things so take that into account if your going to take the plunge and make a purchase.

Conclusion

Its proven hard to pick out one part of the jacket that has either blown me away or disappointed me. Maybe I’ve missed the point a little. It just works. No specific features stand out but as a whole it certainly makes for a cracking additional layer to have in your wardrobe for little over the cost of a top end jersey.

As for the colours… the colours shown here on our test model aren’t going to be to everyone’s taste but remember its available in black and that sits well with even the most picky colour pallet.

If your looking for a comfy and practical layer for trail riding that works fantastically in the transition between seasons and that you can be seen at night in… Your in luck. The Draft jacket is the one for you!

RRP £70.00

The Draft jacket is available from Small all the way to XXL and is distributed by Fox Head Europe.