What’s the most single important piece of equipment for an ultra runner, arguably for any endurance athlete competing in an outdoor event, whether it is long distance hiking, cycling and many other sports to ?
No, it’s not your shoe. Your waterproof jacket is the most important piece of kit.
After running and training for many ultra events, 100 milers and what is for me my toughest race GB Ultra’s 215 mile four day Race Across Scotland, I have bought my fair share of waterproof jackets. Some purchases I have loved, others loathed as not up to the task. After marshalling many more ultras, supporting runners especially waiting up a mountain and the longer 100+ mile events, you need similar layers – but that top waterproof layer is still key. It could be your life saver in the hills or on a windy mountain top, keeping you safe and dry.
Ask any runners what their budget is for the latest super cushioned carbon plated shoe, and they will happily part with £150-250 without much discussion or regret.
Yet ask them to spend similar about on a running jacket, and they will usually say what’s the least I can spend, will that one for £50 one be “okay”?
You want to finish that tough 50+ or 100 mile event so you need a jacket you can depend on – with care it will last you many years and training for plenty of races, keeping you safe long after those carbon plate shoes have been binned. That £50 jacket – it won’t last a single heavy downpour in one race.
So with a little trepidation, I was asked to review the latest Gorewear Concurve waterproof jacket, fairly expensive at approx £250 promising many of the features of previous failures. On the jacket Gore-tex tags in huge capitals state GUARANTEED TO KEEP YOU DRY – that’s a big statement to make. For various uses, my old Montane Minimus has been re-primed 4-5 times to keep it going, a tiny easy-to-pack OMM Halo gets used for ultra recces and biking, and a heavier Salomon Gore-tex jacket for hiking and marshalling that doesn’t stash in a running vest. Could the Concurve do the varied tasks of all of those jackets without compromising?
Trying the jacket on for the first time was a little disconcerting, really nice looking but even after being warned to go a size up, the fit felt snug. Hang on, idiot.. had a jumper on… re-checked… the fit was really excellent. It follows your form and body, yet still feels comfy. The cut of the jacket, carefully almost 3D shaped panels looked top quality so was duly booked in for the next run when I saw any rain forecast.
Key features you should be looking for in a jacket:
Supremely waterproof – spending £200 or over I want the jacket to cope with the worst weather the UK can throw at me out, in the Lake District, up in the mountains of Snowdonia or the Scottish Highlands.
Breathability – some of those jackets that failed me felt like bin bags, waterproof but left me a sweaty mess taking them off. Moisture pooling around the wrists and dampness around the body. Some of those famous brand jackets tested in Swiss alps still left me a soggy disaster after 3 hours running and £150 out of pocket.
Taped or Sealed Seams – to pass any race kit check you need taped seams – the better the cut of the jacket the less panels its been made from the less it will be compromised in the worst downpour.
Hood – given less importance by some brands but hood can keep you dry and in return stay warm. Any hood added as an afterthought won’t stay in place in a storm and can be a real pain if blowing around your head when not in use.
Packable – it needs to pack down easily into a backpack or vest.
Cuffs and pockets – I look at my Garmin often so it needs to be easy to view, whilst keeping my arms dry and not let the rain in. Pockets are needed for random items, phones, keys, snacks on long runs.
So how did the Gorewear jacket do initially on a short 2 hour run? Very well, it’s a Gore-tex jacket, multi-layer so it should be close to my heavy option. I was bone dry, no moisture or soggy wrists.
When I was marshalling at a GB Ultras event the heavens truly opened for an hour or more whilst unpacking. Other runners jackets were swamped and I could see many nearly swimming. So many jackets were not coping as the rain was so heavy. The Gorewear just stayed dry even whilst doing lots of heavy lifting. My legs were soaked but upper body perfectly dry, I was moving plenty but not sweaty.
My friend took photos so you can see the rain on the jacket and its smart hood design. It stayed stuck in place, a tiny little magnet holding it before I put it up. A nice idea but so light I hadn’t noticed it. As I used the jacket more I could see plenty of thought had gone into every aspect. The cut was fluid, stretchy where needed on the arms and wrists using very few panels.
The pockets were ideal, two hand pockets, nicely angled with an adjustable hem. The cuffs had a stretchy elasticated feel to them, a snug fit but fine to check my watch and I kept dry the whole time. With all the fancy materials and technology, it’s easy to forget this jacket is made from 100% recycled materials and has a low carbon manufacturing footprint.
The jacket folds up easily into its hood, easy to stow for ultras or even cycling in a back pack or rear pocket.
A genius idea – the bottom hem of this jacket doesn’t have the usual double YKK zip but locks safely. With the Jacket fully zipped you can open it from the bottom. Whilst hiking I wanted to get to a pocket in another layer. With any other jacket I’d have to fully unzip, but that’s not easy in a windy storm! With the Gorewear this was 1-2 seconds with my gloves still on… Amazing. The number of times you ask a runner for their race number and it’s under their jacket or you need to get something out of a pocket. Full marks to the designers for even thinking of this. It felt like a gimmick at first, but it’s so useful. If you were unlucky enough to have heavy rain on a hot humid day, you could use this and unzip a little.
So can the Gorewear Concurve Jacket master the toughest weather for an ultra runner or outdoors athlete? I really think it does, every test passed and then some. Light, supremely waterproof but flexible and it’s a great fit. It’s quiet so not a noisy jacket that rustles as it moves like some do.
The Gorewear Concurve Jacket is an absolute winner that I would recommend to any ultra runner – spend a little more to be guaranteed safe training and racing for years. Buy one less pair of running shoes and ask me a few years and events down the line which purchase will still be going strong – this jacket will be, and could be your life saver.
Review by Martin Connell
Gorewear
Concurve GORE-TEX Jacket Mens
£269.99
