If you follow our reviews, you may have read my claim of Chrome's jacket being the best jacket I ever had. Well that was until Nau sent me a Rebound jacket. Not taking anything away from the Chrome jacket- its still worn regularly. The Rebound jacket is really something amazing. I don’t think this jacket is designed for bicyclists specific- I believe made more for hiking, but to me it's just about as perfect as a cycling jacket.

The first thing I noticed when I put it on is that it lets no wind through. I mean NONE. The very first day I got it it was 13 degrees outside. I put it on over my wool base layer, a t-shirt, and wool jersey, and I was pretty warm, and didn’t have that chill that I sometimes get as I ride. The collar also comes up high so you don’t get any wind down the neck. Sometimes this high collar bothers me, but when its cold its great.

The zipper on this thing is also windproof- it's like nothing I have ever seen- it's some kind of rubber/zipper/magic thing, but its sure nice. The fabric is so soft it really does feel like a sweater. Granted, it takes a small amount of breaking it in. It felt stiff out of the box but after a few days it was soft as could be.

They say its waterproof- I have had it out in some snow, a little sleet, and some light rain, but no down-pours yet. But it seemed to hold off all forms of moisture great. The fit is good- it’s tight so it doesn’t flap in the breeze and the arms are long enough for us tall guys. It has pockets galore and the hood fits nice too. I’m not sure the hood would fit over a helmet, but it's still nice never the less. The one very unique aspect is its sustainable- it's some technical stuff that best left for Nau to explain, so here is what their website has to say:

"Sustainability: The recycled polyester fabric was developed in partnership with Teijin, the fabric supplier behind ECOCIRCLE® technology, which produces fabric from post-consumer and post-industrial polyester waste. Closing the loop, at the end of its long life the Rebound Jacket can be recycled into polyester fibers for reuse."
 
It will pain me to someday recycle this jacket, but at least it s an option, right? There are few things that I find missing. The most obvious is no pit zips. The fabrics are breathable and do a great job, but there are just times when you really need to air out. Other than that it really is a great jacket.

I will be bringing it on a two-week tour with me this spring as my rain jacket. I'll let you know how it does. If I were you, I would keep an eye on their site- and if they put it on sale at the end of the season, I would buy it without a second thought. And if you want a really nice jacket to keep you warm and dry, I would highly recommend this one.