Sugoi Versa Jacket Review

I'm entering my 12th year of road riding and one of the things I feel like I have really dialed in is how to dress. Summer is easy, bibshorts, base layer, jersey, socks, shoes, helmet, done. The rest of the year? Well, that is a little more challenging. The hardest part is trying to figure out how to dress when there will be big temperature swings like during fall and spring. Layering is certainly the way to go, but for me, the hardest part is picking that perfect outer layer. I have spent considerable time in the garage trying to decide between a vest or light jacket. Not anymore! The Sugoi Versa Jacket might just be the perfect piece of cycling clothing....at least in theory.

If you are not familiar with Sugoi, they really do make great stuff. One of my local shops has carried their line for several years and I have found the quality of most of their products to be very high. The Versa Jacket is actually listed as a running product rather than a cycling garment, but my local shop picked them up anyway. What makes this product special? It is a lightweight, windproof, water resistant jacket that converts to a vest by removing the sleeves. What really makes it special that there are no zippers or buttons, but magnets that attach the raglan sleeves. To remove the sleeves simply leave it zipped and take it off like you would any other jacket. The sleeves detach with virtually no effort and in a few seconds you are now wearing a vest. Too cool for  you? Just slide the sleeves back on and the magnets seem to magically line up and you are back to wearing a jacket. Pretty slick.

 The jacket does have a few drawbacks. It is a lightweight jacket, but it does not fold up terribly well so if you want to fully remove it and place it in a jersey pocket it will fit, but there are certainly lighter options that store easier. Next, it is fairly thin and lets some wind get through. It is good for cutting the edge off, but in the 40's the jacket starts to become a little less valuable. I should note, the vest seems to block wind much better than the sleeves so from a venting aspect, it probably works better for most people.

 For cycling and I suppose for running one of the big drawbacks is the pocket layout and design. There are three zippered pockets. Two on the front where your stomach would be and one in the center back. The two up front are pretty useless for cycling, but I suppose you could cram some food or a phone in there, but I don't like carrying items in front pockets on the bike. The zippered pocket on the rear has a flap over it and is really hard to get at on the bike, plus it is on the small side and here is where I think they really messed up on the design. Would it not make sense for this pocket to be a perfect place to stuff the sleeves when you take them off? It is not, the pocket is small and you really have to cram the sleeves in to get them to fit. I'm pretty comfortable without hands on the bars, but this is a real chore and getting the sleeves back out is just has hard. I have found that the easiest place to stuff the sleeves is on the inside front (almost like a breast pocket on a sport coat) of the vest. This is not really a pocket, but an extra layer of fabric sown in which is really easy to get to. The downside is there is nothing securing the top and the bigger problem is that you now have another layer in front of you.

The sizing on the jacket is pretty straight up by American standards. I am 6'4 and about 185 lbs and got a large. It is a touch loose in the waste and fits pretty nicely in the shoulders. It is long enough, but barely. I think a smarter design would have been to fit it the other way. Taper the waste more so that fit people can wear it, but make it a little looser up top so it would be easier to take off and put back on.

Overall, the fit and finish of the jacket is what I expect from Sugoi. This product has so much potential and is so very close to being perfect, but it does fall short on the functionality piece because of the pocket design. At $120 this is in the middle of the road price-wise for a nice wind jacket / vest combo. I'm glad that I have it because it fills a nice void. I simply wish that it was a cycling specific jacket as I think this makes much  more sense to a cyclist than it would a runner. However, in its current state, I don't think I could recommend this to someone who already has a good vest and arm warmers. The Versa Jacket is almost there, but just misses the mark.

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12/25/11 comments added - After wearing this a little in the fall I have decided that while it sounds like a good idea, I simply find myself wearing clothing that is easier to remove and put on while this has been relegated to the back of the closet.

If it had better pockets and were a little more windproof I  think it would be utilized more, but in its current state it has no place in my rotation.