The Trooper is a big jacket for big rides on big bikes. The highly durable, breathable and waterproof fabric is weighty but manages to pack down into a manageable size. It's definitely one for the cold days, and you'll be needing the zipped vents on the front and back to get air moving inside on the longer climbs.
The Trooper really starts to show its strength when you're heading downhill - fast and preferably into a headwind and driving rain. It's certainly a tough cookie and worth carrying the weight if you need the extra protection. The meshed liner adds a degree of warmth and comfort, and helps wick away moisture, while the DWR coating beads water nicely and also means there's no problem reproofing the jacket when it needs doing.
It also packs in a lot of subtle features, like the chest pocket with MP3 player headphone routing, water resistant pockets, reinforced arms and elbows, double access rear pocket, double main zip and a lightly fleeced collar. It's a bit heavy for fast and sweaty XC whippets, but it's an ideal weather protector for the slower paced uphill riders who want to give it some on the way down.
