Jack Wolfskin Atlas Tour JKT M jacket review

The Jack Wolfskin Atlas Tour is a two-layer waterproof jacket that has been designed to meet the specific needs of cycling but is also suitable for serious hiking off the bike.

• Best mountain bike jackets
• Best waterproof jackets for road cycling and commuting

Jack Wolfskin Atlas Tour JKT M details

Multi-sport jackets can often be found wanting in the detail that makes them true on the bike performers, or they can be a little too bike-specific to be comfortably worn off it.

The Atlas Tour combines shaped sleeves and a longer length rear hem for comfortable coverage when riding, but has a more relaxed fit that is great for active hiking, too.

An over-helmet hood has enough adjustment to wear when you’re not riding, and there’s a fastener at the base of the zip that allows it to be opened right up for cooling without being fully undone.

Jack Wolfskin Atlas Tour JKT M performance

The Atlas Tour has an outer shell made from a material called Texapore Ecosphere Stretch, which has a two-layer waterproof construction.

Two-layer materials have no protective back on the membrane in the same way two and half or three-later materials do. It makes them lighter but in order to then protect the membrane the construction uses a separate mesh lining – and that’s the case with the Atlas Tour. The mesh does help with breathability and that extra layer will be warmer in cold weather.

However, in relatively mild 16- to 18-degree autumn rainstorms, worn over my long-sleeved Merino baselayer, things did warm up fast. The heat build up was easy to manage, though, by opening up the zip.

I found keeping the hem fastened on long climbs with the zip open, then closing the zip to descend wasn’t a dealbreaker, especially considering the overall versatility of the jacket – which has seen me use it on family walks as much a riding.

A detail that you’ll never regard as important until you find one that’s just right is the cuff. A cuff that requires pulling in with a long tab creates bulk and in wet weather can become a potential leakage point where it meets a glove.

The Atlas Tour nails it with just enough elastic on the inside of the wrist for fit and a smooth drop over the back of the hand that covers gloves perfectly, to shed water downwards, not up the sleeve.

Jack Wolfskin Atlas Tour JKT M bottom line

A versatile waterproof jacket that doesn’t compromise on fit or performance, and features details you’d expect to see on more expensive options. The £150 price-point buys a lot of jacket for the money.