Albion Ultralight Insulated Jacket review: So packable there’s no excuse not to take it with you

There’s a saying in photography that goes ‘the best camera is the one you have with you’. That doesn’t necessarily ring true the whole time with the best winter cycling jackets, but having a warm layer with you at all times, just in case, is never going to be a bad idea. I’ve been riding with the Albion Ultralight Insulated jacket for the last month or so and it’s taken me a bit of time to get my head around it. 

It looks, on paper, like a standard (if very thin) wind jacket, just with some added synthetic insulation, and so I initially consigned it to ‘emergency shell’ territory and simply stuffed it in my pocket and never really used it for the first few rides. I am happy to report that, after actually riding with it a fair bit, it’s far more than that. I’ve used it as an actual part of my riding wardrobe and kept it on all day in some cases.