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@rusty
Rapha Softshell 4 week review.
I bought the Rapha Softshell just over 4 weeks ago in the Royles sale for £167.99. Here's me wearing it for the first time (note the happy face).
I've worn it as my daily jacket since then and i'd say that it's a fantastic jacket for using on the bike. The rear pockets are similar but slightly larger than Rapha jersey pockets for the same size. The headphone routing was tested out for the first time yesterday. Though I'll not use it often it works very well.
As a jacket for walking about, it's a little on the short side at the front (to be expected) and isn't actually that warm (I was told that it was a very warm jacket by a friend who owns). The main thing that makes this not an ideal walk around jacket is that there are no front hand warmer pockets. This means that gloves really need to be worn if walking about with this jacket on in the winter.
Living in Glasgow, the rain performance in various degrees of precipitation has been thoroughly tested. In a light shower, the water beads up nicely and can be brushed off easily once inside. In a heavy shower, the jacket absorbs quite a lot of water but provided the journey isn't too long, dryness under the jacket should be preserved. I have another jacket I use for heavy rain so this was only tested once when I was caught out.
All in all, a good jacket that I'd recommend (preferably bought with a 20% voucher or sale) for commuting, winter training and posing in anything up to light rain. I'd not really recommend it as a 'do everything' jacket or to be used in heavier rain.