Scott normally has a vast array of jackets in its range, but this year it seems to have pared back its offerings. Aside from insulated outerwear, there are three MTB jackets in its range; a three-layer, a cheap windproof for £90 and this, the 2.5 layer Explorair Light Dryo.

Living up to its name, the Scott Explorair Light Dryo 2.5 is the most minimal 2.5 layer jacket in our best mountain bike jackets group test at only 244g. It can also be stuffed into its own hip pocket as there are zip pulls on both the outside and the inside. At this point it’s about the size of a small loaf of bread – 14cm x 22cm x 9cm – which is hardly small, but does make it easier to organise in a pack. The styling is simple but a little more modern than the Endura GV500, and the cut is neither too baggy or too tight.

Scott boasts some impressive figures for the in-house ripstop polyester Dryosphere 2.5 fabric – 30,000mm for waterproofing and 30,000g for breathability. Additionally coated with a PFC-free DWR, the waterproofing is certainly on par with the best here, but the breathability figures seem optimistic at best. In our riding tests it didn’t perform anywhere near as well as the best jackets – the Endura GV500 and 7Mesh Skypilot – with moisture visible on the liner before the top of our 10 minute test climb. Scott offers some additional mechanical ventilation on the Explorair Light Dryo, in the shape of small armpit vents and a pop-stud strap that lets you undo the main zip without the jacket coming completely open, but these didn’t seem to help that much.

Keeping the weight low is the lack of any drawcords; instead Scott uses simple elasticated openings. This works fine for the most part, but there’s no way of getting the hood (complete with a unique integrated sweatband) over a helmet.

We like the styling and fit of the Scott Explorair Light Dryo 2.5, it’s also light and feels nicer against bare skin than the other 2.5 layer jackets, but it doesn’t have the breathability to challenge the best jackets here.