It is precisely in these three 'dimensions' of the two wheels that I used this Santini jacket. Taking it on country outings, to the high mountains during a trip to high Formazza al Maria Luisa refuge, or wearing it as a shell during city errands.
Pluvia is an aperitif shell that thanks to the 20000 columns it is able to protect you from the winter winds of the 2300 meters of the San Giacomo Pass and from the rains of the lake woods
The technology
Its heart is fabric Neo shell by Polartec, a company that in recent years has been able to innovate the concept of protection from atmospheric agents with extraordinary solutions such as the Alpha of which we had the opportunity to test the qualities last winter always with a Santini product.
The salient feature of this membrane is the protection capacity combined with excellent breathability and a softness to the touch which make it a very comfortable jacket.
As per tradition for these products, all the seams are heat-sealed and the hood can also accommodate a helmet, so in case of extreme conditions the protection can be total
The test
As I initially mentioned, I used this garment at 360°, thus verifying its versatility.
Let's start from the aesthetic aspect; I must say that the military green of the garment being tested was the best in terms of the most fashionable aspect of the test. A color that fits perfectly with the autumn context and with the Gravel philosophy, very sensitive to everything that has a reference to natural colors.
But there is more besides fashion, the quality of this garment was excellent. A soft fabric that gives a pleasant velvety sensation to the touch, an out of the ordinary characteristic for this category of products, which often feel a little stiff. A perfect fit in all conditions, which allows it to be worn even with typical enduro protections.
From a technical point of view, I took Pluvia to the 2300 meters of the San Giacomo pass, during a winter outing where snow and wind were adventure companions the entire time; the result was total protection, a very important fact to be able to count on maximum insulation after long climbs in which the body temperature tends to rise anyway, also causing a fair amount of sweating. The possibility of protecting the head is also good thanks to the generous dimensions of the hood, which is very useful when stopping.
Only advantages? Almost
Our task is to evaluate the products in every detail and this Pluvia has proven to be technically at the top like all the products that use Polartec technology; but even in an excellent product like this, there are some details that could be improved, such as the lack of two drawstrings that allow you to customize the fit in the lower part, as well as the absence of drawstrings to close the hood better or a pocket at chest level for the Smartphone. In fact, if the two side pockets are excellent for city use, both during a Gravel outing, but even more so on a MTB, they are only useful for stowing some money, a debit card or a document; since any other object would create a somewhat annoying weight on the abdominal level.
Conclusions
Beyond a few details that could be improved, this Santini shell has proven to be very versatile, thanks to excellent versatility, a pleasant sensation of softness to the touch and a quality of protection that make it one of the best technical garments of the season; certainly the first choice both for an aperitif after a nice ride, but above all for winter outings in the high mountains, where wind and cold temperatures require high-performance garments.
