Richa Universal jacket in olive green
£279.99
Richa Universal jacket in olive green
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£279.99
Richa Universal jacket in olive green Product Information
Let's get into the details.
The only truly reliable laminated membranes, for various reasons, come from Gore. But you'll have to pay more than the price of the Universal for a jacket equipped with a Gore-Tex laminated membrane. Which leads us to a couple of conclusions. First, if you don't go out in the rain a lot, and so are not subjecting your jacket to great stress, you may well be fine in a less expensive, laminated jacket. But whatever kind of riding you do, you might well need to reconcile yourself to the fact that once the one, two or three-year warranty has expired, you'll be on your own. You may just have to buy a new jacket. Given the savings you might have made, this may not be the end of the world. The Universal, by the way, has a two-year year warranty. Gore-Tex garments, by contrast, are guaranteed to be waterproof for life!
This aside, the Universal jacket is a beauty. It's as comfortable as any laminated jacket we have come across. It looks like something you might have picked up at Arcteryx or some other outdoor shop. It comes with a removable, thermal, inner jacket that can be worn off the bike. This inner garment is nothing particularly special, but it will take the chill off. The membrane in the Universal actually delivers a very impressive 15,000 to 20,000 mm waterproofing score. That's not that far off what you get with a Gore laminated membrane. Interestingly, I note that Richa makes no mention of the membrane's breathability score, so I would suggest that they know that this is less impressive. You do get decent underarm vents, though, to stop you over heating on a warm day.
Notwithstanding what we said about Gore-Tex membranes, this really is a lovely, easy-to-live-with jacket. As a 'hallway' jacket, we might liken it to the Halvarssons Lysvik jacket. Okay, so the Universal is £70 more expensive, but you do get a laminated membrane, so the jacket won't wet out. You get a thermal liner. You get a jacket that potentially looks cooler than the Halvarssons; and a jacket that almost certainly is more comfortable to ride in.
Specification
- Laminated membrane with 20,000 mm waterproofing score
- Elasticated outer shell
- Zipped vents under the arms
- Removable, thermal destination jacket
- D3O Level 1 Ghost in the elbows and shoulders
- Pocket for a D3O back protector
- Jacket rated A for abrasion resistance
- Compartments for two-piece D30 chest protector
- Three external pockets. Four more inside
- Storm flap down front of zip