Men's MT500 Freezing Point Jacket II - Java

I'm a picky buyer. I'm one of those types that spends hours trawling the web for options, comparing brands and models, checking all the specs, reading the reviews. And still have anxiety about making a final choice.  Let me save you from that pain. THIS is the winter jacket you've been looking for! Material - The quality is excellent, both for material choice and workmanship. Soft & supple construction with well thought out placing of seams. The outer is water repellent enough to keep off some drizzle for a few hours, a snowfall, or a quick downpour. It's also resilient enough to shrug off snagging branches or a rough fall without tearing. The inside features a functional hexagonal mesh at the lower back, under-arms and neck for good thermal capture and wicking. The inner insulation does it's job very well.  Temperature - One of my gripes about product descriptions for winter jackets across the board was lack of information regarding intended temperature range for use. Ok, I understand, everyone is different, activity intensity varies and layers are the key, so manufactures are perhaps reluctant to make bold statements. But still, the product designers have to have had a concept of the temperature range they were aiming at. So I ended up asking Endura support. The answer was "single figures plus degrees to single figures minus degrees”, and for me this is spot on. Though on a sunny wind-still autumn day at 8c this jacket is too warm for me while active, but ideal to pull out for an extended technical pause or snack break. For active riding at 5c I’ll have a single layer short sleeve jersey under. At 2c a long sleeve and short sleeve jersey under. Sub-zero, I’ll have a single layer long armed merino wool base layer and then layer up progressively with long & short sleeve jerseys. I’ve ridden with this down to -10c and still been warm enough while active to need to open vents. But as I’ve mentioned, so much depends on personal warmth, activity intensity & layers, so your milage may vary.  Sizing - I’m 192cm/6’2” with long arms. I bought an XL and it’s an absolutely perfect fit. The arms are sufficiently long enough even with a backpack on, which pulls them up a little. The back is long enough to keep the spray off your tail and here’s an additional elasticated drawstring at the tail to tighten up around your arse. The body is snug enough with just a single jersey under to not be flappy and still plenty of room for multiple layers when the temperature drops.  Features - The hidden inner front breast pocket is large enough for keys and a credit card sized wallet. You’d struggle to get a smartphone in it though. The main front pockets are very well thought out, doubling as large front vents with double zipped top & bottom for maximum flexibility of ventilation. Likewise the vents underarm/rear sides are also large & double zipped. Even fully open they don’t flap about. The zips are excellent quality with long tags for easy grip when wearing gloves. The hood is a good size though not quite big enough to go over a helmet, but for a longer stop I’d take my helmet off anyway and make use of the hidden drawstrings to tighten up to keep the chill out. The hood also has enough self-weight with the insulation to not flap about in the wind or on the descents.  All in all, for those cold crisp and not to damp winter rides this jacket makes the grade on all counts. I might even buy another before they stop making them!