Endura Windchill II review

We test Endura's Windchill II thermal cycling gilet, which comes in red or black with five pockets

Endura Windchill II thermal gilet

Endura Windchill II thermal gilet best gilet buyers guide

Cycling Weekly Verdict

High quality and good insulation, but fit and weight let it down

Reasons to buy
  • +

    Excellent quality

  • +

    Lots of pockets

  • +

    Good insulation levels

  • +

    Good value

Reasons to avoid
  • -

    Heavy

  • -

    Comes up very large

  • -

    Not pocketable

You can trust Cycling Weekly. Our team of experts put in hard miles testing cycling tech and will always share honest, unbiased advice to help you choose. Find out more about how we test.

The excellent-quality Windchill II features three deep, open pockets and a fourth smaller zipped pocket on the rear. A fifth zipped pocket on the front has a headphone port and a little cloth for wiping sunglasses sewn into it — all nice touches. There’s an elastic hem with silicone grippers to keep the gilet in place and stop it riding up.

>>> Winter cycling survival guide

The front and shoulders have good levels of waterproofing, but the sides and rear immediately let in water, so I wouldn’t recommend this for use in prolonged rain. The front fabric is also breathable, so it didn’t get too sweaty either.

Endura Windchill II thermal gilet - full size

Windchill II has five pockets, including one on the breast

Of all the gilets on test, the Endura offered the greatest level of insulation, thanks to the use of Thermo Roubaix fabric on the sides and back, and this extra-thick insulationis reflected in the weight. At almost 300 grams, it’s pretty heavy for a sleeveless garment. The Windchill II is designed to be worn throughout a ride, as it’s much too bulky to pack down into a jersey pocket.

>>> Cycling gilet buyer's guide

Although very comfortable, this gilet is unfortunately let down by its mediocre fit, with the sizing being completely inconsistent relative to the rest of Endura’s range and out of synch with the build of the majority of road cyclists. A size medium was far too big for me and the size small was also too large, not only across the chest, but also in length. On the plus side, this is not an expensive gilet and is likely to prove durable.

Thank you for reading 20 articles this month* Join now for unlimited access

Enjoy your first month for just £1 / $1 / €1

*Read 5 free articles per month without a subscription

Join now for unlimited access

Try first month for just £1 / $1 / €1

Oliver Bridgewood - no, Doctor Oliver Bridgewood - is a PhD Chemist who discovered a love of cycling. He enjoys racing time trials, hill climbs, road races and criteriums. During his time at Cycling Weekly, he worked predominantly within the tech team, also utilising his science background to produce insightful fitness articles, before moving to an entirely video-focused role heading up the Cycling Weekly YouTube channel, where his feature-length documentary 'Project 49' was his crowning glory.