MAAP Atmos Jacket

The MAAP Atmos Jacket is a stunningly light (and expensive) minimalist jacket that disappears into a jersey pocket, but protects you against the worst weather while breathing hard – that's you and the jacket. Just be sure you actually want something that compact and lightweight...

> Buy now: MAAP Atmos Jacket for £270 from Atmos

Had enough of the rain? Our best waterproof cycling jackets buyer's guide rounds up our top choices from around £50 to over £300.

Melbourne, Australia has 2,200 hours a year of sunshine. But this is countered by the 139 days when it rains to some degree – making Melbourne the rain capital of the Lucky Country. Though for context, that 600mm of precipitation isn't quite on the scale of Portland, Oregon's cyclist-soaking 2,000mm per year.

I raise Portland as it's the home of Showers Pass, a brand I've long considered one of the best wet-weather kit designers, and purveyor of the Spring Classic Jacket. At £249 and weighing 276g, with eco cred and better durability than the snag-prone Shakedry, you'd think that was roughly the last word in planet-friendly, super-light-but-still-reasonably-hardwearing rainwear. Hold my XXXX, says Melbourne's MAAP.

MAAP's new Atmos jacket costs £270, which isn't out of the ordinary for a super-light jacket that's also fully waterproof and extremely breathable. And it's the jacket's breathability that's the key here – anyone can make a jacket out of a cheap, thin plastic that's 100% waterproof and say job done. It just wouldn't be very nice to ride in for more than a few minutes...

Our size large Atmos weighs in at a very light 150g – lighter than the Gorewear Race and in a different league to the Showers Pass Spring Classic. The fabric is so thin you can roll the jacket into a ball the size of your fist, which then easily disappears into your jersey pocket.

The fabric is Pertex Shield, a new three-layer soft ripstop material with a 20,000mm hydrostatic rating. Pertex Shield feels soft, quiet and stretchy, which makes it a jacket that can accommodate some middle-age spread. That stretchiness also means it's easy to get it on and off, which is important in a garment that's cut snug to minimise flapping and drag when you're putting the hammer down or descending.

The Pertex Shield fabric really is the secret of the Atmos, because after that there's not much more to say about MAAP's minimalist masterpiece. Not only are there no pockets – there's not even a flap for you to access your jersey pockets beneath.

And that was the only niggle I had with the Atmos – the fact that if you're reaching for a phone or energy bar, you have to hoick the jacket up high enough to dive into your jersey pocket. Maybe MAAP thinks that if you're wearing it the weather is so bad you won't be taking photos, but come on folks, everyone has to eat.

The cuffs have no zips or Velcro, just minimal but functional elastic there and the rear hem to keep the jacket snug to your body.

This adds to the compactness of the rolled-up jacket, but it still manages a high enough collar to provide a good seal against the rain.

The YKK zip is both locking and bi-directional, so you can zip upwards from the bottom for additional cooling without turning the jacket into a windsock, and it also helps you to access your jersey pockets – when you remember.

Though this does mean faffing with the lower zip, which is usually a two-handed affair, so it's best not to try this except on the quietest roads. There's a zip garage at the top for comfort.

There are five large reflective blocks with the MAAP logo embedded, and these are spread around the Atmos in a minimal but still effective way. There are a couple of patches on the right-hand side and right wrist that are more brightly coloured, which add extra visibility in countries that ride and drive on the left.

The Atmos comes in black, green, rust-orange and two shades of blue – and I'd say the Atmos out-Raphas Rapha in the sharp looks department. A women's version is available in four different colourways.

The seams are fully tape-sealed, and the Shield's micro-ripstop structure suggests longevity too – not that you'll be wanting to test it. But if you do, MAAP offers a generous 40% off Crash Replacement Warranty (Conditions Apply, I Am Not a Lawyer etc), which I feel the rest of the cycling industry could take heed of.

I found the sizing spot on – my 40-inch chest and long arms fitting perfectly into the size Large 39-42in range, and while the waist is designed for riders in the 34-36in range, thanks to the Shield's stretchiness, my waist didn't feel overly restricted or sausage-ified. The jacket's snug-on-the-bike cut means it can feel taut over your shoulders when you're standing, but that feeling disappears when you're riding on a drop-bar bike.

The rear hem covers your lower back but doesn't come low enough to fully protect your bum – a drop-tail this is not, so mudguards might be in order if you're riding in heavy rain, unless you want your bibs to get soaked.

So, the Atmos is light, compact, looks great and is made to last – that would all count for nothing if you emerged from the rain as wet on the inside as the outside. My go-to test for breathability is a 109-metre vertical ascent that averages 6% and doesn't let up for a second. This represents a good 8-10 minutes of Zone 5 fun that never fails to bring out the worst – or in this case the best – of the kit you're wearing.

Heading into this climb warmed up after a dozen miles zig-zagging through quiet lanes, I still had the Atmos fully zipped up against the 2°C air temperature and constantly dreary weather. Typically I'd unzip a jacket before or early into this climb, but it stayed tight shut the whole way. All the way up in Zone 5, breathing hard and looking out for startled deer, my focus was not on comfort – and that's because I was 'comfortable'.

Now it's easy to be 'comfortable' when you're working hard in cold weather up a sheltered climb, as your sweat is warm. The real test of breathability is when you come into the open and start descending, then you really feel just how good a shell was at letting moisture permeate.

In the case of this ride, the climb tops out onto a gravelled plateau that means you're heading into the mostly prevailing headwinds. Thanks to the headwind and my riding speed, had my base layer and jersey been soaked with sweat, I'd have cooled very quickly in the sub-zero wind chill. But no, the Atmos had clearly let enough moisture permeate that my core and arms felt fine, so I was good to continue battering through the increasingly large puddles and still stay warm.

Twenty minutes later the descent began, requiring constant focus and two fingers per lever – a challenge for me if my arms are cold because of the bike kit-testing-blessing of Raynaud's Syndrome. Once again the lack of moisture build-up meant that even during 15 minutes where I was barely pedalling, I didn't get cold and I remained comfortable.

At the bottom I picked up a traffic-free B-road that is a long, constant 1-2% climb, another good test, and once again the Atmos stayed fully zipped while I ran down more miles.

After nearly three hours riding in rain and 2°C temperatures I arrived home happy – and comfortable. I had kept the Atmos zipped up, and my only grumble was the occasional faff fishing out my phone.

For the last five years my go-to road and gravel rain jacket has been a 7Mesh Renegade – a triple-layer hardshell Gore-Tex design, weighing 230g and rolling up into a two-fist-size package – so it's usually sticking out of my jersey pocket.

As of now, the MAAP Atmos has just knocked the 7Mesh off top spot on my changeable-rubbish weather gear shelf, thanks to its combination of performance, low weight, lack of bulk, fit, stretch and looks. The 7Mesh has slashed vents at the back to allow jersey pocket access, and it might still come out for rides where I know I will be wearing it 100% of the time, but for most other rides the Atmos will get the nod.

Value

Just over a year ago Gorewear announced it was ceasing production of its beloved Shakedry waterproof fabric.

And while you can still buy Shakedry garments, the clock is ticking. For whatever reason – cost, supply chain, durability, environmental impact – the writing's on the wall for the super-light and compact material, but even at £300 the Gorewear Race Shakedry jacket is still one of the best cycling garments out there. It weighs 174g and Dave raved about it.

The closest match for the MAAP Atmos is probably the Velocio Mens Ultralight Rain Jacket. At £292 it's in the same ballpark price-wise and at 182g it's only marginally heavier. But you do get an internal pocket and slashes to give you access to your jersey pockets. And while the eVent DV Storm fabric Velocio uses is only rated at 10,000mm – half that used on the Atmos – Ben found the waterproofing effective.

On a tighter budget? The Altura Icon Pocket Rocket Waterproof Packable Waterproof Jacket comes in at around £125, and while Steve found it suitably light and packable, he thought its breathability was only average.

Conclusion

For those days where you know There Will Be Rain, but you want the option to pocket the shell once the precipitation has passed, the MAAP Atmos is a compelling choice – superbly waterproof, supremely packable and strikingly stylish – though you'll be paying a pretty price for it.

Verdict

A very light, pocketable and stylish jacket that's super-comfortable, with a great cut and best-in-class waterproofing