It's a strange old time for cycling. Worldwide events mean every thing is pretty much based from the front door, but you know what? You can find some adventure from your front door if you try and even though the Zoa Insulated Jacket from Albion Cycling is probably designed for something a little more wild we still managed to put it through it's paces in the post  industrial landscape of South Wales.

Arc'teryx's new Atom SL is ready for the summer days and nights, when going light and fast requires an added layer of protection and insulation. We've taken the ultra light jacket into the mountains on two wheels and two feets to put it to the test.

Arc'teryx incendo hoody

Price: £90

Colours: Chipotle, Zircon

Sizes:

Weight: 130g

A single-layer solution providing comprehensive backcountry protection with exceptional breathability, the Airah combines waterproof GORE-TEX® performance with air-permeable Polartec® Alpha® insulation.

 The Arcteryx SL Hoody is a classic Arcteryx product; innovative, technical but with a minimilist appeal that belies its capabilities. Ultra-lightweight it combines minimal insulation with a streamlined design that performs as well as it looks.

The Arcteryx Beta LT is the lightweight model of the Arcteryx Beta range, designed for fast and light use in the alps but with a few neat touches that make it a year round "go to" for the UK. 

Arcteryx have got an enviable reputation when it comes to winter wear, combining build quality, design and functionality in products you can rely on. When they announced a new insulated jacket in the form of the Cerium LT Hoody we jumped at the chance to put it through a full 3 months of testing in preparation for the winter season.

Incredibly light and boasting perhaps the best warmth to weight ratio on the market, the Arcteryx Cerium SL Hoody is the latest minimalist insulated jacket from the Canadian brand. Using Down Composite Mapping the Cerium SL Hoody combines top quality European Goose down with Arcteryx's own synthetic Coreloft insulation to produce a hybrid jacket designed for cold dry conditions but with the moisture-prone areas protected with synthtic filling.

You know that feeling when you first try on a new piece of outdoors kit and you just fall head over heels in love with it? This is what happened with the Bergans Cecilie Down Jacket

I test a lot of outdoors clothing, so I have become pretty hard to impress. But since putting on this Bergans women’s jacket I have hardly taken it off.  It is perfect for all kinds of situations, from a chilly dog walk to  high-level mountain hike, and from a cool day relaxing indoors to a meal out at the pub.

A strange combination of lots of 750FP down in a sewn through construction rather than the more efficient box wall construction but it works. The warmest and most comfortable jacket in our recent group test the Sauda slips on like a cross between a glove and a duvet, yet thanks to pitzips has the flexibility to cope with warmer temperatures where you'd normally expect to overheat with this quantity of insulation. We usually detest thumb loops, but on the Sauda the hands slide naturally into place in the combined wrist warmer/thumb loops in such a way as they feel natural; they also provide a perefct seal against wind and snow entering the cuffs. The luxury of down both on the inside and outside of the handwarmer pockets makes a real difference while the same level of attention means a well filled neck baffle and fully adjustable hood.