Castelli Muur any good?

primalcarl

I don't own a fully waterproof jacket and am getting a bit fedup of getting soaked. How well does the Muur breathe and will it fit into a pocket ok if the conditions improve? Thanks!

djhermer

This is my commuting waterproof of choice. Brilliant at preventing rain ingress. Naturally that means you don't breathe in it and get soaked with sweat if you're riding hard. You can't have fully waterproof and breathable.

It's also a bit big to comfortably squeeze into the average back pocket. It can be done with some but you have a serious bulge.

It's also not cheap. But after many winters' commuting, it's the best waterproof I've owned.

sungod

i've got the castelli pocket liner jacket, same fabric as the muur

it's by far the most breathable waterproof i've used, but as above if you're making enough effort to sweat you will still get a build up of moisture inside, wearing as little as possible under it helps, and it's remarkable how good it is compared to some other waterproofs

i only use it if it looks like the rain won't stop, otherwise i prefer a lighter but less breathable one like the castelli sottile that i can easily scrunch up in a pocket

a non-waterproof alternative is castelli leggero, this is windproof but the fabric is extremely breathable so for rides where you're pushing hard can work out better than a waterproof

the failing of both the sottile and leggero is the back is not cut low, so unless you've got mudguards or an asssaver fitted the spray off the rear wheel will rapidly soak your lower back and bum

btw if it's not cold, a gilet can be better than a jacket, it keeps your body warm but without sleeves the build up of moisture is much less