Review: Gore Oxygen Jacket

Life is full of no-joy purchases; underwear, training tires and rain jackets.  These are all things we need but it's never fun when we have to replace them.  If you're anything like me, replacing any of these things is simply a matter of walking past the appropriate aisle and throwing it in the cart.  No discussion, no second thoughts, I know what I want and that's what I'm getting.

When my rain jacket crapped out this past winter I decided to change it up.  I'd been riding in a Cutter Cyclical jacket (eVent fabric) which I'd picked up at 90% off.  With that, the bar for performance and value had been set pretty high.

I picked up a 25th Anniversary Oxygen jacket by Gore Bike Wear on closeout for 40% off.  I was just looking for a jacket, nothing special, just something that would work.  To say I've been blown away by this jacket would be an understatement.  I wanted to write about this jacket earlier but wanted to hold off until the right moment.  Following Portland's wettest March in recorded history seemed like an appropriate time to write about a rain jacket.


I'm a sucker for Gore Tex.  Yes, it's amazingly expensive but it truly is one of those products where you get what you pay for.  There's no question, you know what you're getting:  the best on the market.

First of all, the fit.  There are a lot of mixed review floating around out there with regards to this jacket; some people say size up, some people say wear your standard size.  I'm 5'9", ~140 lbs and wear small tops and bibs (Castelli, if that matters).  I was limited by stock on hand so I gambled and went with a small.  This would be an appropriate time to note that this is a cycling-specific jacket.  I liked the Cutter Cyclical because I could wear it off the bike but the cut of the Oxygen makes it a bike-only jacket.  Other reviews refer to a "form fitting" or "tight" fit, I wouldn't disagree with this.  If you're just standing around the torso-area feels a little tight.  Once you get on the bike, this jacket is perfect; there's no flapping and you forget you're wearing a rain jacket.  The sleeves and cuffs are on the tight side, so much so that I typically have to turn the jacket inside out when getting it off, and while I disliked this at first I've gotten used to it and found I prefer it to looser fitting sleeves.  Personally, I'd rather have tighter sleeves that are a little harder to remove than a looser fit which results in flapping.  It's something that takes a little getting used to but I think most people will like the fit.  One of my favorite pieces about the fit:  the sleeves are extra long.  I was tired of jackets ending mid-wrist resulting in an unprotected band and consequently wet hands.  No more.  The sleeves on the Oxygen extend fully to your gloves, resulting in complete and uncompromising coverage.

Next up: appearance.  I'm not a huge fan of white clothing.  If I had my way, all my clothing would be black, simply because it hides dirt and grease better.  It's probably a good thing I'm not in marketing.  The white on the Oxygen really turned me off.  I knew it would get dirty at some point and I didn't even like the look of it while it was clean but my rational brain prevailed and I got it anyway.  Three months later, with absolutely no care given to cleaning it, it still doesn't look too bad.  The good news, white isn't the only color, just usually the only one on closeout.

yep, that's Lance in this exact same jacket at the
Tour of California

Now on to the big one:  performance.  This section could go on forever but I'll try and keep it short.  I live in Portland, OR.  If we don't ride in the rain then we wouldn't start riding until mid-July.  No joke.  To date I've ridden over 135 hours (~2500 miles for those counting) this year, over 100 of those have been in the rain with this jacket.  Sitting here I can recall at least three 5+ hour rides in the cold, pouring rain.  This jacket was the only thing that made those rides okay.  Before this jacket, I didn't think it was possible for any fabric to keep out rain for any longer than an hour; the Oxygen has proven me wrong.  Apart from a little sweat from over dressing I arrived home totally dry.  Whether it's just a 45 minute commute to work or a 5 hour slug-fest with the team, if it's raining, I grab this jacket.  What I'm saying:  I don't care how long you ride or how hard it's raining, if you wear this jacket you will stay dry.

Now this wouldn't be a through review without mentioning some of the things I would change.  I've already mentioned the color so I'll leave that alone.  Plus, that was my own doing.  There is only one thing I would change about this jacket and that would be to add a pocket.  That's right, this jacket has no rear pocket.  While that initially turned me off, I realized it was incredibly easy to access my jersey pockets under the jacket.  In an effort to create the most compact jacket available Gore omitted a rear pocket.  I can live without a pocket but that's for you to decide if you can.

Honestly, this jacket is so close to perfect (as a cycling-specific rain jacket) that I wouldn't change anything else.  Except the color.

4 hours in and still dry.  Well, at least my torso it
(photo courtesy of Catherine Cooper)

Drawing this to a close there are two other features I must mention.  First, the tail flap.  Unlike most other rain jackets which have a slightly dropped tail which proves ineffective once you're on the bike, the Oxygen's tail covers your entire butt, protecting that which we all hold so dear.  Or something like that.  I doubted the tail's effectiveness until I got caught without fenders.  Seriously, buy this jacket and throw away your fenders,  this is more effective. (If you ride with people keep your fenders...unless of course you want to just give them this jacket instead).

Lastly, the Oxygen is the most compact, effective jacket I've ever encountered.  See below for a picture of the pouch the jacket comes in.  I've had absolutely no problem getting it back into that same pouch (plenty of extra room) or even fitting both the jacket and a water bottle into the same jersey pocket.  You know how you typically have to sacrifice effectiveness for size?  Not with this jacket.

In summary, this is a phenomenal jacket.  Yes, an MSRP of $250 for a simple little jacket seems outrageous.  That said, take a look at some of the competition, for $250 you get a jacket that will leak after two hours.  Trust me, I've ridden them.  I cannot recommend this jacket enough.  I hate purchasing things at retail price but know that the next time I need a rain jacket it will simply be a matter of walking down the aisle and throwing it in the cart.  Without any doubt I know what I'm getting.