Sportful Giara Layer Vest

The Sportful Giara layer vest is an insulated gilet with a Polartec Alpha lining that keeps you warm and a windproof fabric to keep the wind out on colder days. Roll it up and stash it in your back pocket and the Giara vest will provide peace of mind when you're out riding on days when the weather can't make its mind up.

Our best cycling gilets buyer's guide rounds up our favourite stashable sleeveless jackets.

As I mentioned in the intro, the vest uses a Polartec Alpha lining that provides ample warmth even in colder conditions and lets you quickly change from being cold in your thin summer jersey to being toasty in seconds.

Despite being almost fluffy on the inside this material is also breathable, as are the vest's back panels, and this material allows the vest to be warm while still staying reasonable packable.

The vest's outer material is a wind-stopping fabric that further adds to its warmth, helping it to achieve its recommended 8°C minimum temperature. However, if you're wearing this as part of a layering system you can wear it in even colder conditions. The Giara also benefits from reflective details that help to make you more visible when you're riding in gloomy lighting conditions.

There are two large rear pockets that span the rear of the vest, and two mesh chest pockets, one with a bungee clip for your keys. This is a nice touch, as many gilets have no pockets, and the increased storage comes in useful in numerous different situations, from winter rides to bikepacking and setting up camp.

While the chest pockets are quite tight their side-loading design means they're probably better for lighter items, rather than heavier bits and bobs that could conceivably fall out.

The gilet has a quite relaxed fit that makes it comfortable to wear over a jersey. And while I normally wear a small this medium fitted me well when I wore it over other layers.

I found it very marginally on the small size, so if you're undecided between two sizes I'd suggest going up a size, which will allow you more breathing room as well as fitting a little better over a jersey. I also found the high neck slightly tight, which led to me lowering the zip a fraction for a little more comfort.

The Giara is machine washable at the usual 30°C and after washing it dries impressively quickly. Sportful recommends air-drying the vest to prevent damage to the fabrics and I found that dirt and odours came out well and with very little effort on my part, and thanks to the wicking nature of the inner lining the gilet doesn't hold on to smells.

At 149g the Giara isn't the lightest gilet out there but it's still impressively light for a top that packs in so much technology and offers you so much warmth. It's not quite as packable and squashable as a lightweight summer gilet but rolls up to about the size of a 500ml water bottle, so it will squeeze into a jersey pocket without adding any notable weight.

A big winning factor of the vest is just how versatile it is. It is comfortable up to about 15°C and down to as low as about 5 degrees – making it perfect for early morning rides and days where you're expecting changeable weather. You will find in temperatures over the mid-teens that it will start to get a little sweaty, which is when you whip it off and stow it in your back pocket.

Value

With a price of £160 there's no doubt that Sportful's Giara vest is at the very top end of what you'd expect to pay for a gilet. Okay, you may be able to get it for less, but it's never going to be a budget option.

Sportful has admittedly packed a lot of technology into the gilet and it's a high-quality piece of kit, but even at a discount the price is more than lots of us would be prepared to shell out. It's not on its own, however, with the Rapha Brevet insulated gilet – which has similar storage to the Sportful – coming in at the same price.

The £150 Universal Colours Chroma insulated gilet also has some similarities to the Sportful. Both are warm, comfortable, work as part of a layering system and pack down into a rear pocket. Ali found it much lighter, though, and it also lacks the Giara's windproofing and chest pockets.

One of our favourite gilets is the Galibier Izoard Quilted Gilet that Dave really liked really liked. It may not have all the Giara's features, but the reversible jacket is warm, comfortable and has a rear pocket – and is yours for a bargain £53.45.

Conclusion

All in all, the Sportful Giara layer vest would make a great addition to the cycling wardrobe. It's ideal for year-round riding, works part of a layering system and is convenient to stow in your back pocket. But there's no getting away from the fact that it is very expensive.

Verdict

A fantastic windproof gilet that's warm, packable and with plentiful pockets – but it is expensive