There’s a slight two-way stretch to the Giro Havoc H2O jacket’s material, so it doesn’t feel all stiff, and the jacket is also reinforced with a Cordura ripstop fabric on the lower sleeves. There’s DWR coating on top of the fabric, but on the first ride this didn’t seem to pool water that well, and there were several large patches on the front and the sleeves where there was very little beading.

Read more: The best waterproof mountain bike jackets for getting through winter

The Havoc H2O does come with a large hood and a high collar but the cord adjusters on the neck are literally in your face when you pull them tight. The neck isn’t very well shaped either and when you tighten the hood it actually lifts the back of the jacket at the lower hem.

There is a waterproof zip on the front and two zipped vents/ hand pockets. These do expel heat, but obviously you can’t use them as pockets at the same time because stuff is just going to fall out, and with no other storage space, we didn’t feel this feature was that practical.

We really like the large hood on this jacket and that extra reinforcing on the sleeves does offer lots of protection from cuts and scuffs, which can ruin most fancy waterproofs. Fit-wise, the Giro Havoc H2O isn’t particularly gure hugging and is pretty baggy in the sleeves and chest, and if the membrane doesn’t sit next to the skin it can’t wick moisture that well.

It’s reasonably priced for a three-layer jacket, but the DWR is patchy, the dual pocket vent arrangement is a compromise and the cord position at the collar needs a total re-think.