Looking for warmth when you ride, or for those cold morning starts? The Leatt Jacket MTB Trail 3.0 packs in plenty of cosy features.
Leatt Jacket MTB Trail 3.0
In addition to a good-quality waterproof jacket, it’s nice to have something like Leatt’s MTB 3.0 trail jacket in your armoury. A waterproof jacket is highly breathable and should be waterproof, but you often have to add extra layers to retain heat when cold and dry, and that balancing act can be hard to get right. Plus it’s also nice to have a more casual jacket you can wear down the pub after a ride.
The MTB 3.0 trail jacket is built from a lightweight fabric that’s rated 5,000mm/5,000g for water-resistant and breathability. These figures aren’t particularly high, and I’d only recommend this jacket for light showers, but it is fully padded down the front and even comes with a mesh liner, making it perfect for those early morning starts. Once things start to warm up you can vent a lot of heat by just opening the front zip and using Leatt’s connecting chest strap, which stops the jacket flapping open.
The back panel is 360º stretch fabric, which fits snug and moves when you do. There’s also a tacky material on the lower hem to stop it riding up and exposing this area to draughts or mud splatter.
Up top, you get Leatt’s Ride Adaptive Hood (RAhD) which apparently can be configured in four different ways using a combination of built-in magnets and elastic toggles. Some of the shapes you can make seem a bit odd, but the hood easily fits over a helmet. The jacket also has a high collar that fits really snugly at the neck, so if you run goggles, you can be literally cocooned in this one.
I always like plenty of storage, and the Leatt MTB 3.0 has two deep zipped side pockets, and a chest pocket. It also gets some nice detailing – like a fleecy zip gutter and collar, an internal storm flap and a water and stain resistant DWR coating.
Since you don’t really need to wear that many layers under this one, it is snug fitting. However, I found it’s a little too tight in the elbows, and it can ride up ever so slightly at the front, but for cold rides on the e-bike this is my go-to jacket.
Verdict
It deals easily with wind chill and even at the café stop it keeps plenty of heat in, so I never had to reach for another layer. I also really like the versatility – I can wear this jacket on the bike or on the bus. Two jackets in one, that’s a win/win in my book.