Huez* Starman Wind Jacket

Choosing the right clothing for your day's cycling can be fraught if the weather's changeable – grey skies one minute, sunshine the next – but stowable windproofs like the seriously impressive Huez* Starman Wind Jacket make the job a whole lot easier, though not necessarily cheaper.

London-based Huez* reached their Kickstarter target on the final day of 2014 and haven't looked back. Their Starman Wind Jacket is one of the lightest jackets out there, but that doesn't detract from its effectiveness. Made from one of the world's lightest ripstop fabrics (25g/m2), with a very soft feel, it weighs in at 110g – not as light as Sportful's Hot Pack (about 80g) and on a par with the Castelli Velo Jacket (107g). But don't be fooled by how thin and light it is, this is an effective cloak against the elements.

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With a Durable Water Resistant (DWR) coating it can keep you dry in a light shower, but its main purpose is to protect you from the wind, and it does so pretty well. Because of its light weight, you can almost forget you're wearing it, although if the temperature is on the higher side you will get warm and a little moist on the inside. Also, if it gets very windy it can be prone to a little 'wind noise' as, despite the close fit (that's not me in the photos), you can get some flapping with the vents at the back. Similarly the shoulders have a little more looseness when you're hunched over the bar into a headwind.

The collar comes up high enough to keep the back of your neck warm, but given the snug fit you have to be quite careful when zipping up not to catch your neck. The Quickburst YKK zip is full length and easy to manoeuvre up and down, with a small cover or 'garage' at the top to prevent any irritation on the skin. The Quickburst bit means the zip can be opened on the move one-handed by simply pulling it apart. Just make sure the zip fastener is at the top, then pull it apart using the attached straps, and return the fastener to the bottom. It really is that simple.

On the rear you have large vents three-quarters of the way down. These serve two purposes: to allow air to escape and keep you cool, and to let you reach your rear pockets without having to remove the jacket. They can be opened further by using the poppers. Quite neat.

To make the jacket more visible, Huez* have put their unique Darklight reflective tabs on the rear at the shoulders, the centre, and the edges. And to keep everything neat and tidy, the jacket folds up into the reversible rear inner zipped pocket, which doubles as a pouch.

The gripper at the bottom is effective and prevents the whole thing riding up, working well when you're on the bike. The gripper on the cuffs, made from the same elastic, is even more enthusiastic, making for a tight opening for your hands. It might be a bit too tight for some, but there's little chance of any wind or rain getting up there.

Made in Portugal and available in either purple or green, the Huez* Starman Wind Jacket is an impressive piece of kit that has stood up well over the few weeks of our testing period. Yes, £125 is a lot of money for a windproof, and there are cheaper options available – Sportful's Hot Pack is £75 and Castelli's Velo Windproof Jacket £80 – but it's on a par with other high end stowables such as Rapha's Pack Jacket at £120 and the Assos sJ.climaSchutz Rainproof Shell at £129. It's whether you want to pay more for the bells and whistles or be satisfied with workmanlike but effective...

Verdict

I was impressed with how light the Huez* Starman Wind Jacket; it performs well but at a price