POC’s new Supreme Rain Jacket claims the relatively rare mix of ultralight weight, maximized breathability, and the full weather protection of a true 3-layer membrane fabric. Most super-packable, fully waterproof rain jackets tend to compromise on comfort, but POC assures that the Supreme’s innovative material ensures you won’t overheat while trying to stay dry.
POC Supreme Rain Jacket ultralight 3-layer waterproof protection
While head protection & overall rider safety is probably POC’s biggest target, they’ve also been working on developing new kit for road riders who prioritize lightweight and breathability above all else.
POC’s head of product development Oscar Huss says the new Supreme Rain project came from intense work mixing advanced fabrics & manufacturing tech to pare down the core essentials to create “what we believe is the lightest, most breathable, waterproof cycling jacket possible. It’s the only jacket you will ever need… you might not notice you’re wearing it.”
Lightweight, waterproof protection – Tech details
The secret to the new ultralight rain jacket is the translucent fabric that weighs just 51g/m². The true 3-layer membrane fabric is fully waterproof and has a breathability rating that will ensure you never overheat. A complete medium size POC Supreme Rain jacket claims to weigh just 85g. (Compare that with 128-133g for recent Gore-Tex Shakedry jackets we’ve reviewed.)
Its waterproofing is rated at 20,000mm water column and the Supreme Rain jacket is constructed with fully-sealed glued seams to keep heavy rain out (compare to 28,000mm for Shakedry.)
Its breathability is rated at 50,000g/m² in 24hrs, which based on references I’ve seen seems like more than 2x as breathable as most other waterproof fabrics. Trying to benchmark that to something we know & use is a bit harder since there are several different breathability test protocols (Shakedry is quoted at a RET <2.5 m² Pa/W). But it does look to fall into an extremely breathable category, possibly more than any other waterproof rain jacket we’ve ridden in.
The top layer uses a super-finely knitted 10 denier polyester top layer fabric for a comfortable, body-hugging fit, then coated with an environmentally-friendly DWR treatment to shed water. A water-resistant coil zipper keeps rain out, while being more packable than conventional waterproof zips. And a tiny pouch just behind the collar serves as a fist-sized stuff sack to pack the Supreme Rain jacket away into a jersey pocket when the sun comes back out.
POC Supreme Rain – Pricing & availability
All of that advanced, ultralight waterproof tech doesn’t come cheap. The POC Supreme Rain jacket sells for $500 / 490€, and it only comes in this one translucent Sylvanite gray. It is available in six unisex sizes (XS-XXL) to fit a wide range of road cyclists, and can be bought direct from POC or through any of their regular retailers.
