Altura Nevis or Night Vision Waterproof

AllezGaz

A A mainly recreational cyclist, but have just joined cycle to work scheme to commute. Im looking for a jacketjust to sling on for my short commute everyday over my shirt during this colder weather. Been looking at the two above, any recommendations or negatives to be aware of?

Thanks in advance
Gaz

gbsahne001

Night vision is very "boil in the bag", no experience of the Nevis but have a nightvision water & wind proof, bought when I first started out.

Also not impressed with quality, as the nightvision zips have failed and Altura won't honour any form of warranty, so anything I buy new will be from a company that stands by it's manufacturing.

redvee

I've got both jackets and prefer the Night Vision for colder days and the Nevis is for wet days, in fact I'm on my second Nevis cause I bought a size not suitable to my body type. With all waterproof jackets I wear a long sleeve jersey otherwise my arms get clammy. If you want a cheap Nevis jacket look at platinumcycling on Ebay, currently they're selling them for £25 inc p&p. Their sideline is as the Altura importer and the cheap jackets are seconds but I can't find a fault with mine other than the label being cut.

Long_Time_Lurker

gbsahne wrote:

Night vision is very "boil in the bag", no experience of the Nevis but have a nightvision water & wind proof, bought when I first started out.

Also not impressed with quality, as the nightvision zips have failed and Altura won't honour any form of warranty, so anything I buy new will be from a company that stands by it's manufacturing.

+1
The chest zip went within the first week. It's warm, comfortable and easy to spot me on the road, but I will be looking elsewhere when it needs replacing.
And when I say warm, it's very warm. Great for sub-zero temps, but is really only a winter jacket. It's too warm for the spring and autumn.

Kieran_Burns

I've been pretty lucky with my Nightvision, in that the zip has only started to go, so needs constant care when in use.

It is only for sub-zero temps though. Anything above freezing and you are over-heating within minutes. Damn easy to spot mind!

goonersi

Would agree with all of the above. Used mine this morning at 2-3c and even with the vents open and the zip down a little, it was still very toasty. I generally use it for the below freezing temperature days.

Again, the zips are an issue. The chest zip on my jacket is fine and had no problems, infact all the zips are fine and I've had the jacket 18months. What has happened though is the seams around the pocket zips has failed so now I have the pockets, and a secondary ancillary pocket straight onto the inner liner, almost another two vents if you like.

As Kb says - Great reflectivity

AllezGaz

Thanks guys, think I'm swaying to the Nevis if its a little more breathable.

Whats sizing like? Im 5'7", 11.7 stone...take a large in Endura...normally go 42"-44" chest, get the impression that these are generous so may go Medium!

AllezGaz

Incidentally Ive got the Endura Windchill, which is great, but use that on my road bike for fast rides and dont want to use it for commuting.

redvee

When I bought my NV jacket I went into my local Evans and tried a jacket on then got them to pricematch the online retailer that had the best price at the time. The Hi-Viz yellow Nevis does show up the dirt far too easily so I suspect the NV will be the same.

iwearshorts

I like the night vision jackets. As long as you remember to treat the zips with care they'll last a couple of years of daily use at least. Don't know why people think they're "Boil in the bag" if it gets too hot I open the pits-zips and lower the chest zip a bit - boom - nice airflow around the torso.

They are also pretty tough , did a nice little chest slide when I fell off the bike last week, no functional harm done to the jacket

gbsahne001

The pit-zips never get done up on mine and even then I find it too hot for anything less than torrential downpour / sub zero conditions.

cookeeemonster

iwearshorts wrote:

I like the night vision jackets. As long as you remember to treat the zips with care they'll last a couple of years of daily use at least. Don't know why people think they're "Boil in the bag" if it gets too hot I open the pits-zips and lower the chest zip a bit - boom - nice airflow around the torso.

Unless someone provides proper context you should always take any clothing advice with a bit of salt.

You could ride from head to toe in plastic bin bags and not get a bit hot or sweaty...if its freezing outside and you ride 200 metres at walking pace to your work.

People may be super fit/thin and not sweat much, they may ride incredibly slow or fast, they may have a short or very long journey...all these things need to be considered before you take anybodys advice on waterproof clothing.

I've got a super dupa gore path goretex waterproof...its waterproof and warm but for temperatures above 7/8 degrees or so I'll sweat buckets on my commute of about an hour 10 minutes. I generally go quite fast (within reason, i'm not a racer etc) and so I dont think any amount of money on a waterproof would get rid of the problem, only reduce it slightly.

For shorter/less intense commutes it'd be brilliant!

byke68

I've had my Nevis for years and I find it ideal when it's really cold and it's still waterproof. Might get a new one later this year. If you can, wear something long sleeved if you are going to wear a water/windproof jacket otherwise your arms will get clammy once you've done a few miles.

redvee

byke68 wrote:

If you can, wear something long sleeved if you are going to wear a water/windproof jacket otherwise your arms will get clammy once you've done a few miles.

Had that with a Freestyle Gore jacket years ago. I'm on my second Nevis in the space of 12 months as the first one shrunk in the rain when I wore it so I bought the next size up

crossborderreiver

byke68 wrote:

I've had my Nevis for years and I find it ideal when it's really cold and it's still waterproof. Might get a new one later this year. If you can, wear something long sleeved if you are going to wear a water/windproof jacket otherwise your arms will get clammy once you've done a few miles.

I too had a Nevis for years. Unfortunately the replacement I got last wasn't anything like the quality of the old one.

gbsahne001

gbsahne wrote:

Night vision is very "boil in the bag", no experience of the Nevis but have a nightvision water & wind proof, bought when I first started out.

Also not impressed with quality, as the nightvision zips have failed and Altura won't honour any form of warranty, so anything I buy new will be from a company that stands by it's manufacturing.

Update: Altura agreed that the failure of my jacket was a manufacturing defect and have replaced it