Scott RC Pro Warm Gore-Tex Windstopper Men’s Jacket

The Scott RC Pro Warm Windstopper is a jersey-cum-jacket designed to be worn in dry and windy conditions. Its Gore-Tex fabrics combine wind resistance and breathability, but while I found it to have a great fit, handy pockets and some well-considered features, it left me wanting something extra to keep me a little warmer.

> Buy now: Scott RC Pro Warm Windstopper for £98.98 from Alpinetrek

If you ride regularly in the UK's changeable conditions, you'll often need a versatile jersey-cum-jacket that's breathable but still keeps you warm – and I'd be prepared to pay good money for a jacket like that.

A jacket with a combination of warmth, windproofing, breathability and a race fit is right up my street – and I immediately liked both the look and fit of the Scott Jacket in its sulphur yellow. And while I'll use the term 'jacket' in this review, as with Castelli's Gabba it actually sits in the middle ground between jacket and jersey.

The medium proved a very good fit for my 181cm, 71kg frame. It has a low collar, a two-way zip and I found the torso and arms exactly the right length, while its supple, stretchy fabric achieved a tight but not restrictive race fit.

It has three rear pockets and a zipped pocket on the right-hand side that's large enough for your keys or cash.

The main pockets were stretchy enough to hold my typical spares, phone, keys, bars and gels without any noticeable sagging. I was particularly impressed by the way the pockets are constructed separately from the lower part of the jacket, so that your back receives some ventilation.

This is one part of your body that can warm up quickly and which doesn't need windproofing the same way the front does, so it's a neat piece of design.

Given the 'Warm' part of the jacket's name, I was expecting it to be able to deal with cold conditions. But I'd say it's a jacket designed for the sort of temperatures you're likely to find in spring and autumn, days when it's likely to be 10°C or so.

I rode on a windy day when it was around 5°C and wore a long-sleeve layer underneath it – and I felt colder than I would have expected after riding for an hour. During other rides on similarly chilly days I resorted to wearing a couple of layers underneath it or a thermal gilet on top.

I was able to compare it with the Castelli Perfetto Jacket that I own, and which I found significantly warmer. To be fair, Scott is pretty non-committal in marketing this top, only describing it as windproof rather than publishing an exact temperature range, which a lot of manufactures do. It might just be that I'm a little soft – but I wouldn't personally describe this as a 'warm' jacket.

The Gore-Tex Infinium fabric does offer some splash-proofing and I found it dealt with short, light showers reasonably well. Our yellow jacket would be handy for the darker months and it's helped further by a reflective stripe on the mid-back that is pretty effective.

The flip side of the jacket's light colour is that mud does show up on winter rides, and after a few dirty rides and several times through the washing machine, the yellow wasn't looking quite as bright.

You've also got the choice of winter green or black, and I'd probably go for the black for its greater longevity – and it still has the effective rear reflective.

Value

There are a few options made from similar windproof and breathable fabrics.

I think the Castelli Perfetto is probably the market leader, and it comes in a number of different versions ranging between warm and light. The closest one to the Scott retails at £245, and Liam rated it very highly when he tested it a couple of years ago, and it's in our best winter jackets buyer's guide.

More recently Josh reviewed the Santini Pure Wind Jacket that comes in £60 cheaper, but he scored it highly for its warmth.

The Velocio Alpha Merino Air is billed as a jersey for cold and dry condition, and VecchioJo scored it 9/10 and praised it for its all-day warmth.

Conclusion

It's a bit of a game of two halves for the Scott RC Pro Windstopper. It's very well constructed from high-quality materials and has a good race fit, well-designed pockets and an effective rear reflective. But I think there are better, less expensive options out there, and if I was parting with more than £200 I'd want something a bit warmer.

Verdict

Good race-fit windproof top with some great features – but it does need to be warmer!