Specialized Trail Wind Jacket review

The Specialized Trail Wind Jacket has become one of those cliché ‘goto’ garments. For what I appreciate in a 3-season jacket, this ticks all the boxes brilliantly.

• Price: £100.00
• From: Specialized
• Weight: 125g (Medium)
• Sizes: XS, S, M, L, XL, XXL (ditto in Women’s)

Pros

• Keeps wind chill at bay, dries super fast, packs down small enough 
• Impressively durable
• Hooded smock

Cons

• Expensive
• Boring black (in the UK at least)
• Hooded smock

Not-waterproof jackets (aka wind shells) are a total essential for mountain biking in the UK. If you can afford it, you should really try one. Stop dragging out that same bulky, sweaty, generally ‘orrible winter waterproof jacket and using as your just-in-case bad weather 3-season outer layer.

For something so ostensibly basic, a wind shell is hard to get right. And different riders have different needs and preferences when it comes to wind shells. The frequent issues I end up having with wind shells is that they’re flappy and fragile. Most wind shells I try end up being ‘repaired’ by Gorilla tape. Thin wind shells get ripped by bushes and trees and by bicycles themselves (flat pedal pin rippages when lifting your bike over things, for example).

I am also a bit odd in that I like minimalist wind shells but I also definitely absolutely want a hood. I don’t want cuff adjusters. Nor hood adjusters. Or hood detachment. Not hood stowage. I also want half-zip smock design. And a little pocket is always useful thanks.

And lo and behold! That’s what this jacket has.

It’s not flappy. It breathes the best of any outer layer I’ve ever tried. It has remained un-Gorilla taped after nine months semi permanent usage (touch wood). It has the hood/smock/cuff/pocket formula totally dialled.

It does stuff into its own zip pocket for stowage but I must confess to never having actually done that (apart from when writing this review, just to see if it did). I just scrunch it up and stuff in a rear jersey pocket or hip-pack.

In terms of wet conditions performance, it’s as good as wind shells get. It’s certainly better than most super-lightweight Rizla-thin shells. It’s totally fine for brief intermittent showers and copes alright in a bit of heavier stuff too. It dries perfectly swiftly, which is important. The other key thing is to pair it with a decent layer underneath to deal with temperature change.

What else? It’s made from 100% recycled polyester. Which is a good enough argument for its relative high price tag in itself for a lot of folk. The cut is cycling-specific enough to work on a bike but doesn’t restrict it to pure bike usage. I wear it all the time when off-the-bike too. It weighs not-a-lot. 125g for my Medium Men’s version.

Overall

Minimalist+ perfection. The Specialized Trail Wind Jacket does everything I’ve been looking for in a mountain biking wind shell. Yep, it’s on the pricey side (wait for the frequent sales!) and there are lighter shells out there but in terms of actual real-world usage, durability and performance, this is the best 3-season jacket I’ve ever used. Can I have one in a less boring colour please?

Review Info

Ben Haworth

Orange Switch 6er. Stif Squatcher. Schwalbe Magic Mary Purple Addix front. Maxxis DHR II 3C MaxxTerra rear. Coil fan. Ebikes are not evil. I have been a writer for nigh on 20 years, a photographer for 25 years and a mountain biker for 30 years. I have written countless magazine and website features and route guides for the UK mountain bike press, most notably for the esteemed and highly regarded Singletrackworld. Although I am a Lancastrian, I freely admit that West Yorkshire is my favourite place to ride. Rarely a week goes by without me riding and exploring the South Pennines.

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