Santini Adapt Shell Jacket
Price: $305 / €250 / £213
Weight: 242g (As measured size small – without arm warmers)
Size availability: XS-6XL
Colour Options: Black
Materials: Polartec Neoshell
As I wrote the best winter cycling jackets buyers guide, I generally focused on how to handle weather that lasted through a day. When people are looking for a winter cycling jacket, I expect it’s because they are looking to stay warm on cold rides. As I write this though, the Pacific Northwest has had a sudden temperature swing.
In the course of a week we’ve moved from an ice storm into sunny days and relatively warm weather. Things are moving and shifting every day, with winter sure to return any minute, but it’s given a glimpse of the impending shift in seasons. It also highlighted a need for a jacket that addresses the in-between and shoulder seasons. The Santini Adapt Shell jacket is one of a few options designed for exactly this use case.
This category of jacket is really only a jacket in the loosest of terms but it fills a need. When you’ve spent the last few days obsessively checking the weather app on your phone and you still aren’t sure what the weather will bring, that’s where it fits in. It’s also not unique in its design.
Castelli, Sportful, and Le Col all have competing options and the form is somewhat established. In most cases, it starts with a water-resistant and windproof fabric that’s then paired with short sleeves. Santini does have a small tweak to the formula though and the brand includes a pair of matching arm warmers. It’s a clever bit of packaging but is it the right choice for you? I’ve spent some time testing and now I’m ready to share what I’ve found. Keep reading if you require a solution for riding in cool, quickly changing, weather conditions.
Design and aesthetics
In some ways, the design of the Santini Adapt Shell jacket is pretty simple. Almost the entire jacket is Polartec Neoshell fabric. It might also be Polartec Power Shield but more on that later. Both Power Shield and Neoshell are highly stretchy, completely wind-blocking, and have 10,000 mm or 20,000 mm water column ratings. Without getting too technical about it, both are the Polartec answer to waterproof breathable fabrics which also makes both the leading options for softshell waterproof breathable fabrics.
In the case of Santini, the main fabric pairs with taped seams throughout and a tall cut….
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