Castelli Squall Shell Jacket
The Castelli Squall Shell is a snug-fitting and lightweight cycling jacket, ideal for stashing in a pocket in unpredictable weather.
The Castelli Squall Shell is one of the lightest cycling jackets available, making it a fantastic option for carrying in your jersey pocket.
In terms of price, at £160 the Castelli Squall sits somewhere the best cheap cycling jackets and more premium options.
How does that low weight affect its performance in the wet though? And can it compete with the best cycling jackets?
Castelli Squall Shell Jacket fit
Apologies in advance for the slightly crass metaphor [brace yourself for this one, readers – Ed], but the Castelli Squall’s fabric feels almost like latex, and it fits like a certain widely-used latex product, too.
That’s thanks to the two-way stretch fabric, which fits super closely. It almost wraps itself around the body, but stretches incredibly well (the white colour also plays a key part in my comparison to that aforementioned latex product, though it also comes in black or zingy lime options).
Although it hugs the body, the Squall isn’t restrictive and the good news is that there’s no excess material to catch the wind. The sleeves offer decent length and the fit around the waist is also close.
There’s no two-way zip here and, unfortunately, the zip pull itself is pretty fiddly to grab hold of and use when wearing anything beyond super light gloves (or when your hands are cold and damp, which they are very likely to be during winter rides).
Castelli Squall wet-weather performance
Weatherproofing was largely decent, but not exceptional. While the fabric itself didn’t let any wind or water through to the inside, it did wet out quite quickly. The result is that it can sap some of your body heat away as the wind catches the damp material, making it chilly.
Breathability is also known to suffer when a product wets out. Also worth noting is that the zip itself isn’t fully waterproof, only water resistant.
This means that it’s liable to suffer from water ingress in sustained or heavy showers, which I experienced in testing. There’s no full-length storm flap behind it to offer any added protection, either.
Those issues could quite possibly be deal breakers if you’re after something that’ll provide all-day protection against the rain, but that may not be this jacket’s most appropriate calling card.
One of the lightest cycling jackets
You see, the Squall weighs just 97g (size large), while it also has the smallest pack size. This means it easily squeezes into a pocket or top-tube bag without any hassle whatsoever.
That packability is brilliant, and makes it a great choice to take with you just in case you get caught in a shower, rather than on rides where you know there’s going to be sustained rainfall. The weatherproofing is certainly up to the task where the former scenario is concerned.
The Squall comes in a wide range of sizes, which is nice to see, running from XS to 3XL in the men’s version and XS to XL in women’s.
Our white sample also stood out well on the roads, which is handy on gloomy winter days, but there is also that high-vis ‘electric lime’ option and a more subtle black choice. All three feature a pronounced reflective strip on the rear to boost visibility.
220 Triathlon verdict
Incredibly lightweight and packable, but best suited for shorter showers rather than wet epics. Score: 80%
Pros
- Excellent fit means no flapping
- Very light and packable
Cons
- Weatherproofing doesn’t handle deluges
- Zip pull is tricky to use with gloves
Castelli Squall Shell Jacket specs
| Price | £130 | |||
| Material | Two-way stretch fabric with waterproof membrane | |||
| Weight | 97g (size large) | |||
| Seams | Taped | |||
| Reflectivity | Stripe on back |
Rob Slade
