Scott Trail Storm WP Men’s One Piece review

Scott’s Trail Storm WP Men’s One Piece is the brand’s first mountain-bike specific waterproof all-in-one suit.

Scott hopes its lofty price tag of £389.99/€399.90 will reflect the amount of tech it has packed in.

Waterproof onesies are a great way to keep dry in the most inclement weather. While some may argue adults shouldn’t be donning clothing that looks closer to a giant baby grow than technical outerwear, the weather protection on offer is hard to ignore.

In some of the foulest conditions, the Strail Storm WP proved to be an incredible barrier against the elements, offering impressive waterproofing and ventilation. Turn the dial up from drizzle to downpour and it barely flinches, its giant hood and single back piece keeping you dry.

While its high cost and lack of pockets are frustrating, the quick-to-delaminate crotch and backside panel poses questions about durability and overall suitability.

Scott Trail Storm WP Men’s One Piece waterproof suit details and specifications

Headlining the Trail Storm WP feature list is Scott’s DRYOsphere 3L (three-layer) fabric, boasting a 30,000mm waterproof column rating and a 30,000g/m2/24hr moisture-evaporation rate.

That material has been treated with a perfluorinated compound (PFC) free durable water repellent (DWR) coating, designed to make water bead on its surface.

The jacket and trousers are integrated, but unlike Dirtlej and Leatt one-pieces, the Scott is only attached from the sides around the back, giving it a more traditional two-piece look.

This means it can be put on traditionally; your legs slide into the trouser holes while the jacket is put on like any other.

There’s a reason for the semi-integrated design, however.

Thanks to a stretchy, mesh pouch around the rear of the trousers’ waist, the jacket can be stowed away while the trousers are left in place.

Two-way full-length waterproof zippers go from the mid-thigh to the ankle, which should make getting them on or off while wearing shoes possible. These double up as air vents.

Zipped thigh pockets on each leg are just large enough for a smartphone.

The waist closure uses poppers with a zipped fly, and fit can be adjusted from either side thanks to a hook system. The ankle openings are elasticated.

Its hood is designed to fit over mountain bike helmets and the collar has a tall supportive shape. Both the collar and hood cinch in from the front with two cords, and the hood can be stowed away.

Internally, there’s a single pocket just big enough to fit a smartphone and a microfibre glasses wipe attached to an elastic cord.

Halfway down the chest is a popper clip that can be used to hold the jacket closed, even when the full-length main zip is undone.

The cuffs have a Velcro tab so they can be adjusted. Large, zipped armpit openings are designed to help with cooling.

The large-sized test sample weighed 677g.

Scott Trail Storm WP Men’s One Piece waterproof suit performance

I tested the Trail Storm WP Men’s One Piece during some of the wettest, coldest, snowiest and muddiest winter months Scotland’s Tweed Valley had to offer; conditions well suited to its intended use.

Scott Trail Storm WP Men’s One Piece waterproof suit fit

For my 178cm tall, 76kg athletic frame, I found the medium-sized one-piece had a good, fairly relaxed but not overly baggy, fit.

While riding, it didn’t pull or tug across the shoulders and back. Likewise, the waist, calves and arms had plenty of space for articulation.

There’s also enough room for layering. A baselayer and mid-weight mid-layer fitted comfortably, with a bit of wriggle room for a more insulated mid-layer if required.

The knees are generously shaped, giving space for knee pads.

However, I found the thighs quite tight, especially when seated pedalling. While the fabric has some give, there’s not masses of stretch, so it goes taut across the top of your legs on each pedal stroke. When full with items, the thigh pockets emphasise this.

Its arms and legs are good lengths, remaining in position over your shoes or gloves even when your legs are at the top of their pedal stroke, or you’ve extended your arms straight.

The ankle cuffs slip comfortably over shoes.

Velcro tabs mean the wrist cuffs can be tightened and secured in place over chunky or skinny mountain bike gloves.

Scott has done a great job of making the Trail Storm fit a host of different body types and sizes.

Scott Trail Storm WP Men’s One Piece waterproof suit breathability and waterproofing

Despite the semi-integrated design, the Scott One Piece runs quite hot.

At temperatures between -1 and 5ºC, with just a Merino wool long-sleeve baselayer, the onesie is comfortable to wear without getting drenched in sweat.

The large adjustable-size arm and leg vents help with cooling by ingesting cold air and expelling heat.

Being able to secure the jacket ajar with the chest strap is a welcome feature. The extra airflow improves cooling, but you don’t end up getting soaked, as you would with the jacket fully undone.

With the vents and jacket fully open, it can be worn comfortably in temperatures higher than 5 degrees, but you need to accept you’re going to get sweaty.

The jacket stows away in its own carry pouch, which edges it ahead of the competition.

Its breathability is good given the weighty feel of the hardshell fabric, but against bare skin it can feel cold and clammy.

I recommend wearing a long-sleeve baselayer, padded knee-length undershorts and knee pads beneath to prevent discomfort.

Its waterproofing is generally good, too.

Although the fabric didn’t bead as much as others (such as Rapha’s Men’s Trail Gore-Tex Infinium Jacket) and wetted out after 30 minutes in constant rain, it resisted wetting through entirely.

It remained dry during prolonged test sessions of over four hours in pouring rain. The taped seams and zips also resisted leaks.

Scott Trail Storm WP Men’s One Piece waterproof suit functionality and practicality

Stashing the jacket in its pouch is quick and easy, although Scott provides instructions.

While riding, the jacket remained in its pouch even on rough descents.

The extra weight focused on the waistband when stashed didn’t cause the trousers to sag, and tightening them up is easy with the waist adjustment.

However, when stashed, it made wearing a bum bag or low-slung hydration pack uncomfortable. Despite that, I was surprised how often I used the stash feature, especially while climbing slowly on sunny days with soaked-through trails.

The large hood fits comfortably over open-face helmets, and there’s enough room to fit over full-face versions, too.

Impressively, it doesn’t restrict neck rotation and didn’t impact peripheral vision despite its shaped sides.

However, the chin bar on full-face lids prevents the main zip from doing up entirely. This doesn’t impact the amount of rain and wind protection on offer because the jacket butts up nicely to the chin bar’s lower rim.

With the zip fully done up but the hood down, the high, stiff collar keeps its shape and remains in place. This offers great neck protection from the elements even when riding.

The cinch cords help keep the generous hood in place, even when riding quickly into a headwind.

Getting in and out of the onesie with your shoes on is easy thanks to the long leg zippers and semi-integrated design.

Scott Trail Storm WP Men’s One Piece waterproof suit problems and reliability

Unfortunately, the Trail Storm One Piece isn’t perfect.

Its three pockets are just big enough to stash a pair of chunky winter gloves.

Although the trouser pockets are adequately sized, the jacket could do with more space.

Given the compatibility issues with hydration packs and bum bags when the jacket is stashed, I would have expected more storage to reduce the need for a dedicated pack.

Three of the four test samples suffered from outer-material delamination on the seams in the crotch and thigh area, one (medium size) after just two rides, the second (medium) after eight wet and muddy rides and the third (large size) after a couple of months of use.

This happened where the trousers are in regular contact with the saddle and resulted in water and mud ingress.

One of our other test samples (medium size) worn by Rob Weaver didn’t suffer from the same plight.

I contacted Scott about the issue, and the brand recommended sizing up. It told me that’s because the integrated jacket and trouser design can create more tension over the backside, potentially causing this damage.

However, my large test sample had the same delamination issue as the two mediums I wore.

Scott said that if this happened to a consumer it would be replaced under the onesie’s two-year guarantee.

However, because this failure has happened on three of four samples in the same place, it indicates a potential design flaw in the fabric used around the seams.

Increasing the thickness of the crotch area and robustness of the seams wouldn’t add a significant amount of weight and neither would it dramatically impact breathability and comfort.

Scott Trail Storm WP Men’s One Piece waterproof suit bottom line

The Scott Trail Storm WP Men’s One Piece waterproof suit has plenty of useful features that enhance its performance on the trail. Its waterproofing is impressive and it excels in the worst conditions.

It’s expensive, its pockets could be bigger or more numerous, and three of our test samples failed.

If you’re looking for one of the most protective wet weather riding suits around, and can stomach the cost, the Trail Storm would be a genuine contender, but only if Scott can nail down reliability and durability issues.

Until then, I recommend looking at Leatt’s HydraDri 3.0 MonoSuit or a model from the Dirtlej range.