By Brandon Bilyeu
Cost:
PRO Winter Jacket $265
Expedition PRO Alpha Jacket $225
How obtained: review sample from company
Available: online, retail
Colors:
PRO Winter Jacket – Castlerock Gray, Black, Red Dahlia
Expedition PRO Alpha Jacket – Black, Dark Violet, Green Bay
Website: PRO Winter Jacket , Expedition PRO Alpha Jacket
RBR Sponsor: No
Tested: 10+ hours
Sizing: S-XXL
Reviewer Measurements and Fit Comments: 5’10” (178cm), 150 lbs (68 kgs), 34″ (86cm) waist, 38” (96.5cm) hips, 33″ (84cm) inseam, 38″ (95cm) chest. Based on the size chart I am a size Medium. Both jackets are described as ‘form fit’ but are a looser cut than other Pearl Izumi ‘form fit’ pieces. This allows room for layering underneath and depending on preferred fit the need to size down.
PRO Winter Jacket – Warmth and Water Resistance for Cold Rides
Hot!
- Windproof and waterproof front softshell material
- Strategically located insulation panels
- Good warmth, breathability, and water resistance
- Full zip in front
- Three pockets in the back + zippered chest pocket
- Men and Women versions available
Not!
- Sizing runs a little big, consider sizing down
The PRO Winter Jacket uses strategic multi-panel construction to keep you warm and dry on cold, wet days. The chest and upper arms are made with a waterproof softshell to keep the water out and the inside of the softshell is lined with a midweight fleece for extra insulation. The back, waist, and underarms are made with a fleece fabric that is breathable and water resistant thanks to PI Dry technology.
The images below show the jacket inside out to highlight the two zones. The black areas are the fleece lined softshell and the red areas are the fleece fabric. The left image shows the wind and water protection on the front of the jacket (black) and the right image shows the breathable fabric on the back of the jacket (red).
Pearl Izumi describes the cut as ‘form fit’ but there is plenty of room for layering underneath. I think I could have sized down from Medium to Small and still had room for layering, so best to try on or order both sizes. Being well insulated and not skin tight meant it was essential to wear a base layer to wick moisture off the skin.
On cold, dry days the jacket worked great. The front panels kept the wind out and breathability was good on the back and lower portions to keep sweat under control. The upper temperature limit for me was 40 F (4.5 C) where riding with the front zipper half way down kept me from overheating. As the temperatures dropped the zipper went up and I was comfortable down to 28 F (-2.0 C). The looser fit meant the collar was not snug around my neck so a neck warmer was helpful to keep the cold air out.
As noted, the jacket is not fully waterproof. As part of Pearl Izumi’s ‘PRO’ series, the design intent is for high-performance cyclists working hard. Therefore, the construction balances water protection and breathability to keep you dryish from both the rain and sweat. I was lucky to encounter only light showers during testing and the jacket handled these well with no water ingress. But I would definitely bring along a fully waterproof shell if steady rain was in the forecast.
Out back are three pockets and a fourth zippered pocket sits on the left chest. The rear pockets are made with the jacket fleece material to add a little extra insulation for your lower back and kidneys. A small Pearl Izumi logo and tabs at the bottom rear and arms are reflective accents for added visibility. The wrist cuffs are an elastic band that seals out the wind and are low profile for a good fit under gloves.
Bottom line – The PRO Winter Jacket is a quality piece of kit that performs well in cold weather during both dry and mildly wet conditions. The construction does a good job of balancing wind blocking, insulation, and breathability for comfort on easy rides and during harder efforts. For a snug fit consider sizing down.
Expedition PRO Alpha Jacket – Lightweight Warmth
Hot!
- Polartec Alpha insulation for great warmth and breathability
- Lightweight, can fit snugly in a jersey pocket
- Zippered chest pocket
- Two-way zip in front
- Breathable side panels
- PI Dry water repellant treated
- Men and Women versions available
Not!
- Only a single rear pocket
The Expedition PRO Alpha Jacket also uses insulation and breathability zones to make a warm jacket that can handle the heat generated by riding hard. In the left image below (of the jacket inside out), you can see the dark colored Alpha insulation over the chest and upper arms, while a green lightweight woven fabric covers the waist and underarms for extra breathability. In the right image below, you can see that the Alpha insulation covers the whole back of the jacket. Normally you don’t want that much insulation on the back, but the combination of the very breathable Alpha insulation and a two-way front zipper allows you to effectively dump back heat and control the temperature.
I’m a big fan of Polartec’s Alpha insulation (see previous review here) and it is used in this jacket to provide serious insulation and breathability in a lightweight package. Where the Pro Winter Jacket reviewed above is a relatively heavy outer layer that has no chance of being stuffed into jersey pocket, the Expedition PRO Alpha Jacket is just as warm but can fit, very snugly, into a jersey pocket. On the bike the jacket just disappears and there is no restriction of movement. I typically wore a mid-weight thermal jersey underneath that allowed me to remove and pocket the jacket as temperatures climbed over 40 F (4.5 C).
The PI Dry coated woven outer shell fabric is intended to block the majority of wind, but also let some through. Pearl Izumi designed this jacket for higher output rides so this built-in breathability helps balance warmth and moisture removal. This works great for harder rides in the cold, but also for people like me who run hot and sweaty even in Zones 1 and 2. But probably not the warmest on cold, windy, easy rides.
As this jacket is more of a shell, there is limited built-in storage to minimize bulk. There is a zippered left chest pocket for small items and a single zippered rear pocket on the right with access from the side. The jacket is part of Pearl Izumi’s Gravel line, which also includes cargo bibs if you need more storage. Fewer pockets in the jacket are a decent tradeoff for better packability, and the jacket works better with a jersey underneath, not just a base layer. That said, I do wish the single rear pocket was centered and not offset to the right. Offset weight tends to flop around a lot more, especially on surfaces like gravel that are not very smooth. For visibility there is one small reflective logo on the back.
Bottom Line – The Expedition PRO Alpha Jacket packs a lot of warmth and breathability into a lightweight package. Designed to let some wind through, best worn on medium to hard days in the saddle.
Brandon Bilyeu is an avid recreational roadie who lives in Regensburg, Germany. He’s a year-round bike commuter and is a mechanical design engineer by trade. Click to read Brandon’s full bio.
A good jacket really helps motivate me to ride in the winter! I’m still using a Bellwether jacket that I bought a long time ago (at a much lower price), but it has some of the same key features. The first is a wind-proof front. This helps prevent the cold air from getting through the layers of clothing. The second is a breathable back. This allows the moisture to get out and prevent any build-up of sweat. It has two zippered rear pockets, which can be useful, but I still put most stuff in jersey pockets. Jackets tend to not wear out like shorts do, so even at a price that might make me hesitate, it really is a good investment!