Ground Effect Draft Dodger

I have a few things from http://www.groundeffect.co.nz and all are brilliant.

The Draft Dodger is just great. I got the XL and even with my long arms I got plenty of jacket covering them. And it is big enough to put enough layers under it e.g. merino wool base layer, cycling top, other long sleeve top and a very thick fleece. Well it was cold here last winter especially when standing around outside.

It is plenty warm on it’s own and with a base layer under you can go down to quite low temps while cycling. It is wind proof and have a nice snug fleece collar and best of all the zip don’t annoy you when zipped right up.

The jacket also have two air vents zips which also can double as front pockets. What I like about that is that they are front facing and not under your arms because they let a nice air flow up and around your arms unto you back.

At the back it have two fairly roomy back pockets for your gubbins. Both with easy grip-able bits(for a lack of a better word) for when you are wearing gloves. And the back have a “tail” which goes far enough down over your bum, even when reaching for your handle bars.

The touch and fell if the soft shell jacket is just nice, soft and stretchy. So even with a bit of belly and full back pockets you don’t feel like you are wearing a corset.

This is what it is made off …

WindFoil™ fleece combines the quick-drying and insulative benefits of polyester fleece with a totally windproof yet highly breathable barrier. The WindFoil™ membrane is sandwiched between the micro-fleece outer and wicking-mesh liner to provide effective protection in cold, dry conditions.

* Composition: 85% Polyester; 15% PU membrane
* Windproofness: 100%
* Breathability: 2000gm per sq.m per 24hr

All around the jackets there are reflecting strips, which clearly have been thought about since the stand out in the dark and is not hidden in the folds or by the arms when riding. All the zips and seams are made very well and the jacket does fell like very good quality, because it is.

It is water proof to a degree. I have used it in fairly persistent down pour for up to 3 hours. Yes the water was getting trough by then, but I was still warm underneath with just my t-shirt on. So it will easy handle a quick spring shower or you commute home.

This leads to one of my two gripes I have with this jacket.

When wet it takes a very long time to dry, it will not dry just by hanging it over night at room temp.

The second one is that the top front air vents zips has only a very little handle which is very hard to grip with gloves on. The two bottom zip pulls have a nice long strap, so why not the top ones. Might be so that you don’t pull the wrong one or both together.

I were lucky to get it while the pound against the kiwi dollar was in our favour. Though even if it isn’t any more this shouldn’t stop getting your hands on some of their gear.

I don’t know how they do it, rumours has it that they got a depo/container here in the UK. Because the shipping was cheap and very fast from NZ to UK.

Sad news while looking on the net to find a photo of it I learned that Ground Effect aren’t making it any more.

Rating:

I will be pretty much living in this one over the winter. Just as I did all last winter, simply a brilliant piece of cycling kit . Just hope that Ground Effect will reinstate it again into their catalogue.