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Castelli Ultra Rain Cape
Price: £240 / €229.95 / $260
Sizes: XS – 3XL
Weight: 147g / 5.18oz
Colours: Black and Electric Lime
Main fabric: Recycled Polyester
The Castelli Ultra Rain Cape aims to be the go-to waterproof in Castelli’s range by combining Polartec® Power Shield RPM waterproof material, the RPM moniker referring to the inclusion of greater stretch, so as to have the fit of a jersey and reduced material flapping. However, as with a lot of post-PFAS-ban waterproofs we have tested lately, the waterproofing performance is not what the old ShakeDry and other PFAS jackets were able to do.
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Design and specifications
Castelli has designed the Ultra Rain Cape to be packable waterproof jacket but without the usual compromises of flapping material. It has achieved this by using a Polartec® Power Shield RPM fabric which features a two-layer stretch fabric giving it more flexibility and stretch than most standard rain capes. This gives it what Castelli calls a form-fit, similar to a jersey.
Looking at Polartec’s website, it states that the Power Shield RPM fabric is waterproof, windproof, highly breathable, stretchy, and made of recycled materials. Waterproof rating is stated as 10,000mm water column, which is the physical height of a water column it can support before it penetrates the material. 10,000 is the minimum value usually necessary for something to be described as ‘waterproof’. Breathability is 30,000 g/m²/24h which essentially means how much moisture can transfer through a given area over a period of time. 30,000 is classed as incredibly breathable.
Externally the jacket uses a PFAS-free and PFC-free durable water repellent (DWR) treatment to displace water and bead it off the garment. Seams are then…
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