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The Altura Endurance Mistral Softshell jacket is an effective piece of kit for cool, damp weather cycling.
Gabba-style jackets are more-or-less de rigeur for the usual off-season conditions when it’s not super-cold, and Altura’s version is a good option.
This type of jacket tends to either run quite cool, with lots of airflow or be sealed up so that it gets clammy inside.
The Altura Mistral jacket manages to avoid either of these conditions.
It’s warm enough that at around 10C I was comfortable wearing a short sleeved baselayer underneath, but it still keeps out the rain effectively without noticeable moisture build-up on the inside.
The inner face is made up of a hexagonal pattern flocking, which does a good job of keeping in warmth and dispensing with sweat, while the outer face is DWR coated to repel rain.
It did this effectively without wetting out for a couple of hours when riding in showery conditions.
Altura kit majors on reflectives and the Mistral Softshell is no exception with large panels of matt grey fabric with reflective line print on the middle back, rear pockets and sleeves. That’s augmented by reflective logos and a reflective hanging tab at the top of the collar.
If you want to up your visibility even more, the Altura Mistral jacket comes with red or yellow sleeves and back instead of grey.
There’s a long tail to help keep spray from the rear wheel out of your tights, while the three rear pockets have flaps over them to keep the rain out.
These work fine and don’t impede access to their contents, although if you keep a pump in your pocket, it’s going to protrude out of the top.
The Mistral’s cuffs are made of a single layer stretchy fabric with a welded hem. They’re not very close fitting but they’re long, so there’s a lot of overlap with gloves and they easily seal the gap at the wrists, preventing airflow up the arms.
The high collar also does a good job of keeping the wind off your neck as you ride.
Altura describes the Mistral Softshell jacket as semi-fitted. Unlike many Gabba-style jackets, there’s a bit more room inside for layering up, but without so much excess fabric that there’s any windflap. If you’re not a racing snake it’s a more comfortable option.
The Altura Mistral jacket is good value too, comfortably undercutting the price of the original Castelli Gabba, even in its short sleeved format, and most of the alternatives.
It’s worth noting though that the Gabba has a membrane built into it between the outer surface and lining, whereas the Mistral relies just on its DWR coating to repel water.
That probably accounts for the good breathability, but DWR coatings have a tendency to wear off or become less effective over time.
The Mistral’s water repellency survived a couple of washes in specialist detergent just fine, but longer use may reduce water resistance.
Nevertheless, the Altura Mistral softshell jacket should remain a comfortable option for drier cool weather riding.
Products reviewed by Cyclist are independently selected and tested by our editorial team. Cyclist may earn an affiliate commission if you make a purchase through a retailer link. Read our reviews policy.
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