The perfect waterproof jacket doesn’t exist.
Ideally, I want a garment that is very light but tough, packs down small but fits perfectly, breathes superbly but doesn’t let any water in, is aero and non-flappy in the summer but fits over multiple winter layers and doesn’t cost the earth. As no one seems to have invented a miracle jacket that fits all these criteria, I confess to owning, erm, more than one waterproof cycling jacket.
If anyone ought to know how to make a good waterproof jacket, though, it’s Lusso. Based in Manchester in the north of England, it’s a city with a reputation for rain and grey skies, necessitating good clothing for anyone who wants to ride year-round.
Construction
The Perform HardRain Jacket sits at the more robust end of the spectrum, though it still weighs only 258g on my digital scales for a size medium.
It’s made from eVent, a 3-layer membrane fabric that has always had an excellent reputation for breathability (even to the extent that some users felt that it was colder to wear than Gore-Tex, for example). There is also a slight stretch to the jacket, ensuring it won’t restrict movement.
The fit of the HardRain is more generous than many jackets
(Image credit: Andy Jones)
Lusso claims that the fabric has a hydrostatic head of 15,000mm (the height in millimetres of the column of water that it can withstand without leaking), which is pretty good for a relatively lightweight material.
The front of the jacket features a 2-way YKK AquaGuard zip with a zip garage at the top, whilst the collar is a decent height for protection and has a nice soft lining for comfort, along with an external hanging loop. There are a few perforated holes under the arms for ventilation, though that goes against the jacket’s waterproof nature, really.
Perforations add a little extra breathability
(Image credit: Andy Jones)
The lower hem has Lusso-branded embossed elastic, the wrists have a simple elastic closure and there is a phone-sized zipped pocket on the rear right-hand side. The branding on the rear and the chest is reflective.
LUSSO branding is reflective, but the pocket doesn’t act as a stuff sack for the jacket
(Image credit: Andy Jones)
Black and Cobalt are the other two colour choices, alongside this orange option, all available in 2XS to 4XL. Lusso says that it is a unisex product.
The ride
The fit of the Perform HardRain is quite different to many Euro products, and quite deliberately so, according to Lusso, aimed as it is at the British market. Although the review jacket was my usual size medium, there was far more room in it than I’d expect from Castelli or Santini, for example. In part, this will be to leave plenty of scope for layering up underneath it, and also, I guess, to leave more room for both male and female anatomies, as it is a unisex piece.
The Perform HardRain looks like it has a very long drop tail, but in fact, what it has is a very short front. The rear of the jacket didn’t cover any more of my bum than any other jacket, whilst at the front, the jacket didn’t fully cover my under-layer so my jersey poked out the bottom. To be fair, I don’t possess a Lusso jersey, so they may well be cut to work perfectly with the HardRain, but the cold-weather jerseys I do own are longer at the front than the Lusso waterproof.
The drop tail isn’t as long as it first appears
(Image credit: Andy Jones)
For me, at 73kg and 186cm, the overall fit was not perfect – too wide and too short, but I suspect that there will be many riders for whom the fit is great, and certainly much better than that of many traditional European cycling brands.
Much more to my liking was the jacket’s performance on the road. Hydrostatic head is one thing, but I find breathability a much more important factor when judging a waterproof jacket’s capabilities and the HardRain was impressive in this respect. Whereas I usually avoid wearing a waterproof jacket if at all possible, I wore the HardRain on some rides when it wasn’t even raining to take advantage of its hi-viz colour, and never felt like I was suffering in terms of breathability, even on the many local hills.
The bright orange offers excellent visibility
(Image credit: Andy Jones)
Couple that with its reasonably robust nature, and it is a jacket that could easily be worn from start to finish of a ride, not just when the heavens open – ideal for hardier riders than me who will still embark on a ride when it’s already lashing down.
On that note, should conditions change and the protection no longer be required, then the HardRain will, just about, fit into a jersey pocket. I do think that Lusso has missed a trick by not making the small, rear pocket a stash bag for the jacket, though. When I first examined the HardRain, I fully expected the pocket to have a double-sided zip and turn into a storage sack.
The collar is nice and high for protection against rain and wind
(Image credit: Andy Jones)
Fit aside, I really liked the high, soft collar and great arm length, which, coupled with the fabric’s relative ruggedness, gave a reassuring feel to the jacket.
Value and conclusion
As I began with, the perfect waterproof jacket doesn’t exist, but Lusso has nailed its colours to the mast here and created a very worthwhile, UK-centric piece. They haven’t chased grams or designed a product that will only fit pros with 5% body fat; rather, the HardRain offers an alternative that will work very well for plenty of real-world riders.
The Manchester-made Perform HardRain is designed for British weather
(Image credit: Andy Jones)
The fabric is impressive, the cut accommodating and the design well-suited to inclement weather riding. The only objective criticism of it that I have is that I wish it packed down into its pocket. Subjectively, the fit isn’t perfect on me, but I can’t mark it down for that, and I think that £180 is a reasonable price for it, given the protection and likely durability that it offers.
