Endura MT500 jacket – 2016 v 2024

Contemplating a new jacket. My current 8ish year old MT50o wets out, has a really annoying hood, is too big, and doesn’t pack down small. Is the new incarnation really that different, despite having better waterproof and breathable properties, on paper at least – 20,00o and 40,000 respectively?
Seen at a good price and wondering if it’s going to be different enough. Other option is the GV500 which is lighter with some numbers but no pit zips. Also heard lots of ‘Endura are not what they used to be’ comments. Anyone offer any useful advice please as have the opportunity of trying one on tomorrow so need to decide soon! Cheers

There is a brand new version out now, the previous. Mt500 II jacket can be had for cieca £120, having had the jacket you have id say the II Is a solid evolution and will probably perform similarly. It a proper winter coat mind, not lightweight.

The lack of pit zips would be a huge thing for me. By my understanding there is no way for your skin to remain comfortably dry if you cannot move the vapour away from your body surface more rapidly than it forms. Whatever barrier you have between the weather and your skin must allow this to happen or else once the air by your skin’s surface reaches 100% saturation. The more breathable the better the vapor can leave. The temp has a large effect. The steeper the differential the greater the flow rate. So, for me at least, ventilation zips are always a good thing provided that they do not let precipitation into the jacket.

I have a current MT500 jacket and I rate it highly (based on a couple of outings only). It’s a good cut for me and at XXLwill allow me to wear warmer clothing underneath in colder weather. There is plenty of ventilation that can be controlled by zippers- front, pits, pockets. These are designed to make it such that water won’t run into them. Pit zips are notoriously difficult to use wearing a rucsac but these are at the better end of the scale.

I like a big hood, it’s preferable to one under my helmet or worse still, none at all. The hood can be cinched down. The cuffs are closeable by velcro tabs but have an elasticated baffle at wrist level. I’m not a fan of this at all but it looks very easy to remove, I’ve just not got around to it yet.

Compared to my other waterproofs which include some very high end mountaineering shells I’m very impressed.

“My current 8ish year old MT50o wets out, has a really annoying hood, is too big, and doesn’t pack down small”

The current version doesn’t pack down small, has a great over-helmet hood, and will wet out once it’s dirty enough. The sizing works for me.

If a jacket is wetting out it’s lost its DWR. Needs thorough cleaning and reproofing. Modern DWR is less effective but far less bad for the environment.

“The cuffs are closeable by velcro tabs but have an elasticated baffle at wrist level. I’m not a fan of this at all but it looks very easy to remove, I’ve just not got around to it yet.”

Snipped the stiches and they came out fine. Much better without, easier to vent when it’s hot.

I’ve got the latest incarnation of the MT500. The 40k breathable one.

Size wise it’s a bit weird. I’m a size small type of person. 5’7 with a 38 chest. Jacket is a small. The arm length and shoulder width are perfect, the hem drops to a sensible place. All good so far… But, the body of the jacket is massive. You might think that’s good because you can wear it over something warm but the arms are too tight to be able to fit anything bulky underneath. I ride with a rucksack so it’s not the end of the world, the straps keep it from billowing in the breeze but it just looks and feels a bit strange. The wrist cuffs are quite small too and I struggle to get them over my winter gloves. I have to sort of stuff the glove cuff into the jacket and it all feels a bit tight once it’s done.

Previous to the MT500, I was wearing an eVent jacket designed for hiking. I used the eVent rather than a 3l Goretex because the event packed down smaller. The MT500 is a similar size to the eVent when packed. I keep my jacket in a dry bag in my rucksack and they both fit in there fine (individually). The goretex jacket was a struggle to squeeze in.

The hood is an over helmet design. And it really is over the helmet or nothing. You can synch it down over your head without a helmet but it’s so big that it covers my eyes. I couldn’t ride with it under my helmet. When you have it over you helmet though, it does work quite well. It stays put while you ride and the shape of it means you still get decent visibility when you need to check over your shoulder. The zip and the neck could do being a bit longer/ taller. It doesn’t quite come up high enough for my liking. I like a neck/collar that you can hide your face behind when you need to but the MT500 doesn’t do this so while the hood works fairly well, it doesn’t quite offer as much protection as I’d like.

The 2 chest vents and 2 under arm vents are huge. The chest vents are fairly pointless if you ride with a pack though. Breathability of the material seems good. There’s a but though, it seems to breathe so well that it’s not a very warm jacket. I find myself having to have a thin layer underneath otherwise I get cold and generally, I run pretty warm when I’m riding.

Disclaimer is that I’m a lazy, cheating ebiker so clearly I don’t make any effort when I ride any more though.

The vents do work but the zips are tiny and really difficult to grab with gloves on. The adjusters for the good are inside the material too which makes it really difficult to adjust without taking you gloves off.

It wets out fairly easily but it’s kept me dry and comfortable in some fairly miserable weather over the last couple of months. Sideways rain and knee deep puddle kind of days. Those days where when I discovered that an over the helmet hood is actually quite a good idea. It’s been through the wash a few times and I’ve found that ironing it through a tea towel brings back the beading.

It’s certainly not my idea of perfect but I only paid £60 for it. If I’d have paid anywhere near full price, I’d have sent it straight back because of the weird fit and thin feeling material. Having ridden it in, I’m happy with how well it works but there’s no way it’s a £250 jacket. I wouldn’t class it as a proper winter coat. It’s not warm enough and lacks that protective, sheltered feeling you get from something more heavy duty.

I was looking at the Madison DTE jacket at the same time as the MT500. They seem quite similar on paper and are a similar price. If it wasn’t for the fact I managed to pick up the Endura so cheaply, I would have gone for the Madison. All of the stuff I’ve got from them (which is a lot) is really nice quality fits really well.

Going cheap at Leisure Lakes atm…

https://www.leisurelakesbikes.com/clothing/jackets/endura-mt500-waterproof-jacket-ii-black__345170

I’ve been idly searching for a mountain biking hard-shell recently, but honestly the segment fells like a catastrophe. The choice seems to be either one of two styles. 1. Roadie super tight, super thin, super short perfetto/gabba copies, that are going to tear when you brush past a bush, and 2. or overcoats cut off at the waist with storm baffle collars and massive hoods- the single most annoying design feature when not being used, in weird sizing with insufficient venting for anything over Z2 type riding.

They either fit where they touch- generous in the body (for ‘layering’, I can’t begin to explain how this is such a stupid idea, clearly stolen from the walking crowd), but super tight on the arms or vice versa, to really drive home the point that the folks that ‘design’ them have clearly never ever worn one in anger. Oh, and they’re all north of £150.

A better option is the Fox 3l waterproof. Currently on offer at Wheelbase

Fox Defend 3L Water Jacket | Black

I’m looking for similar to the OP. Any experience/views on the Decathlon waterproof?

https://www.decathlon.co.uk/p/all-mountain-mtb-waterproof-jacket-grey/_/R-p-309673

@nickc Last time I looked concluded the same.  I’m still wearing a hardshell Endura road jacket from before they went ‘lightweight’.   I still think its perfect for off road

– tough ripstop 3 layer fabric (branded PTFE)

– no hood

– slim-ish but not skintight fit.

– pitzips

– dropped hem at rear

– Napoleon pocket big enough for a smartphone

– central rear pocket big enough for a phone/gloves thats low enough to sit under a backpack if you’re wearing one.

With Black Friday kicking off, any more suggestions for a hard-wearing MTB waterproof?

There are several threads on here going the Endura MT500 a hard time. Well, most Endura kit actually.

If you can get it at a sale price like at leisure lakes I reckon it’s a good option for those really wet days. Worn mine on a few wet outings and it has been fine.

But blimey that hood is huge. It just about cinches down if you want to wear it with no helmet.

I’ve always thought helmet hoods were goofy but never actually tried one until I got a nukeproof softshell in the crc demise. Tried it once and I think it’s a revelation. Well, when it’s up. When not in use it’s a massive airbrake

There are several threads on here going the Endura MT500 a hard time. Well, most Endura kit actually.

I wouldn’t say it’s necessarily just giving them a hard time. They have obvious issues with QC and random sizes of their clothes. Not sure what goes wrong or how it goes wrong but there’s definitely something funky going on.

They also like to keep themselves at a premium price point in the market and what they cobble together these days doesn’t always live up to the prices that they command. I think that’s why there are a few user reviews floating around that aren’t necessarily glowing with praise.

The jacket that I’ve got isn’t a bad jacket. Not at all. The sizing is weird though and there’s no way its worth £250 when you compare what you’re getting to other stuff that available.

As above, for the price on Leisure Lakes I’d say it’s reasonable value if the fit works for you.

I wouldn’t describe it as hard wearing though. The material is quite thin and not terribly warm which I guess comes from their desire to offer something highly breathable. There must be a trade off somewhere when it comes to the fabric.

It does breathe well but that knocks the warmth level down a bit.

A better option is the Fox 3l waterproof

It’s only 10k/10k, what makes it betterer out of interest?

It’s only 10k/10k, what makes it betterer out of interest?

It won’t feel like it was made by a group of people all sitting in different rooms using different designs and different measuring systems

It won’t feel like it was made by a group of people all sitting in different rooms using different designs and different measuring systems

I don’t know if I got lucky or am a weird shape, but my MT500 fits perfectly (as does my Singletrack softshell). Seems decent quality too

I’ve had three Endura jackets, a long sleeved top/thick base layer, two pairs of shorts, some waterproof trousers and a couple of pairs of gloves off the top of my head

The waterproof shorts have a little bit of a strange cut, but are wearable and the gloves don’t last the longest (but do any gloves?). Other than that, I’ve found the stuff to be pretty decent

If you get a moment there’s a brilliant podcast on waterproof jackets in cycling from 3 industry professionals – short answer is it’s very difficult to get a waterproof jacket to function as it should in the uk due to weather conditions and temperatures.

so on that basis I’d go with best fit and hope the dwr lasts.

i have a new and old mt500 the new one is very rigid feeling, its a decent jacket but i would only put it on if i really had to. Doesn’t pack down very small.

if you don’t mind the combat wombat look the army paclite is superb and can be had for around £30 online

edit found the podcast

https://open.spotify.com/episode/0sUNjtg6WwRgzlxjxcnZJN?si=fS_XJGzaR8qkOmjOttIhKA&t=200

Id be tempered by the Decathalon one. They seem to have had a general overhaul in the past couple of years and seem to be producing some cracking kit.

@dknwhy: I’m not sure, but I think that is the same jacket that Ben gave a glowing review in the STW website a few months ago. Might be worth googling that review?

Edit: https://singletrackworld.com/2022/06/rockrider-st-700-rain-jacket-review-70-brilliance/

I went for the Albion Pertex Sheild jacket in the end. It has most of what I want and little of stuff I don’t. Critically it doesn’t have a hood or a storm collar. They do though, have stupid sizes. I’m 178cm tall (5’10”) and 75kg (11 3/4 stones) and by their own sizing chart I’m a large, but in reality – i.e. what actually fits; I’ve had to buy an XL. It’s the only piece of XL clothing I own.

According to Albion: “Broadly the guide does work for riders but there can sometimes be anomalies and I understand that your experience suffered on this occasion because of that.”

Now, I’m the most averaged sized person in the world. Open the Wiki page on “average man” there’s no words, just a gif of me waving at you. But apparently, I’m the anomaly…Be warned if you’re browsing their site.

I’m tempted by the Decathlon one, ok think the stw review is the older version. Wish the new one wasn’t light grey!

Podcast was interesting. Main thing I picked up on was keep it clean and keep it treated. In the UK there’s normally a better jacket than a full waterproof.

I think that’s why I’m after a proper waterproof for grim days that I’d expect to wear all day rather than something packable.

Podcast was interesting.

Wasn’t it. My takeaway was that these products don’t actually work in any real sense of the word, are over-fragile, and need looking after in a regime that would be a PITA for even the most fastidious. It’s not enough to wash and reproof them them after each use (although it’s what they recommend), but also “don’t blame us if you haven’t deep cleaned your washing machine beforehand”

The 3 experts claims of “despite what the marketing says” like it’s none of their business, rang hollow.

Yeah, the disassociation between tech departments and marketing departments was very apparent