Author Topic: Wanting a day/night, all-seasons wet&dry utility Jacket, upright posture  (Read 12329 times)

Audax hopeful

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Re: Wanting a day/night, all-seasons wet&dry utility Jacket, upright posture
« Reply #30 on: January 10, 2015, 09:28:43 pm »
The original Altura Nightvision certainly had NO pit zips (or hip pockets) but had a nice fit and feel to the fabric. I made the mistake of buying it in black, which now seems too discrete on country lanes in winter daylight!! Hence my purchase of the Evo in yellow - and the extra breathability of the fabric will be welcome on longer rides. I had Wiggle vouchers for birthday and Christmas so was very happy when they had it on offer!!

Andre Jute

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Re: Wanting a day/night, all-seasons wet&dry utility Jacket, upright posture
« Reply #31 on: January 10, 2015, 10:06:01 pm »
According to the description on tredz the Nightvision also has pit zips and rear vents (http://www.tredz.co.uk/.Altura-Night-Vision-Waterproof-Jacket-2014_61176.htm).

Unless the material of the Evo is miles better than on the plain Nightvision, those two extra pockets on the Evo then cost a tenner each at the sales, double that for anyone who paid full price. Ouch. But I must have those pockets because I often wear the jacket off the bike (it's really useful to have a very visible jacket when you stand in roads and lanes painting, or go onto people's private preserves if you don't want to be shot).

Also, in the plain Nightvision, now £40 at the link MacSpud sent, you can choose the orange that Julian advised, which I can tell you from personal experience is very visible indeed, as I have a pedal pal with a plain Nightvision in orange, and I don't have to strain my eyes to pick him out when he falls behind and I wait for him. That orange is more practical too in showing dirt less quickly and less obtrusively than the yellow, which is the other very visible color.

Audax Hopeful: I remember reading that they redesigned the Nightvision at the same time as the Evo appeared. Seems likely that's when the pit zips appeared. I too bought from Wiggle and notice that Wiggle and Paypal first notified me of a charge of Euro 103 (including carriage) but when the Paypal bill came if was for Euro 92, so I got the benefit of an offer that kicked in between placing the order and it shipping or being paid for. Nice touch that, Wiggle! That's about a tenner sterling more than the current sale price, which would anyway be accounted for by carriage.

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There is something that even on short acqaintance concerns me about the Evo. It is the thin fleece on the neckband. My previous yellow cycling jacket lasted roundabout twenty years without any sign of wear except accumulating dirt that eventually proved unlaunderable and caused its retirement; it was a no-name non-cycling-specific chainstore sale item, but beautifully made of quality materials throughout. I don't see that flimsy fleece on the Altura Nightvision or Evo lasting even two years. It looks like a design error, unless it was done deliberately as built-in obsolescence to force punters to buy a new jacket on a regular cycle. (I'm convinced many people buy the Alture Nightvision not after an exhaustive analysis, a process of elimination really, such as I with your help have been able to make, but standing in the shop and judging instantly that it's the best value-for-money jacket available. People doing that rarely have time to consider the implications of finer detail like a fleece-lined collar wearing faster than the rest of the jacket.)

j1of1

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Re: Wanting a day/night, all-seasons wet&dry utility Jacket, upright posture
« Reply #32 on: January 11, 2015, 01:09:51 am »
Look at these:  https://www.showerspass.com   Everyone here raves about them - including me.