Altura Nightvision Typhoon Jacket review

Edward Westrop gets to grips with Altura's waterproof jacket

Altura Nightvision Typhoon Jacket Review
Cycling Weekly Verdict

The Altura Typhoon jacket is good value, and an ideal choice for low intensity riding such as commuting and touring. It will keep the rain out and ensure you remain visible to other road users, and it can be packed down relatively small and squeezed into the rear pocket of a jersey. However if you’re looking for a jacket to keep you dry during high intensity sessions, you’ll probably want to look elsewhere.

Reasons to buy
  • +

    Keeps the rain out

Reasons to avoid
  • -

    Not very breathable

As the name would suggest, the Typhoon waterproof cycling jacket from Altura is very well suited to commuting in stormy conditions where waterproofing and visibility are paramount. 

Altura Nightvision Typhoon Jacket: construction and the ride

The jacket fully delivers on its promise of keeping the rain out. The use of taped seams, velcro wrist straps and a high collar mean it remains impenetrable to the wet if you’re caught in a downpour. A neat feature here is the easily detachable hood, which can be stowed away and forgotten about in the generous pocket space until you need it.

Altura Nightvision Typhoon Jacket Review

Just as effective as the waterproofing is the visibility, with the Typhoon serving as a more stylish alternative to your standard high vis jacket.

There are three bold colours to choose from (red, silver and fluorescent yellow) and the jacket features a large, highly reflective panel on the rear as well as reflective strips down the arms which I found to be confidence inspiring when indicating in traffic.

Altura Nightvision Typhoon Jacket Review

Where the Typhoon falls short is in its breathability. Despite vents on the back and under the arms, I found that I got very hot and clammy when riding at a faster pace. Despite the waterproof construction keeping me dry from the outside, condensation and sweat meant that I still finished my ride wet on several occasions.

This is a jacket more suited to keeping the rain and wind out during lower intensity rides, such as daily commutes. 

Altura Nightvision Typhoon Jacket Review

In terms of windproofing, the Typhoon does an excellent job of keeping the draught out. When riding in cold weather I found it was effective in protecting me from wind chill and, as aforementioned, keeping my body heat inside. 

However, I found that in extremely windy conditions, the ‘relaxed fit’ of the jacket caused an unpleasant amount of wind resistance. This was something I found improved on the higher end Altura Nightvision Hurricane Jacket, which comes with a closer fit.

Unfortunately, the range goes no lower than a size Small, so the baggy fit might be inevitable for smaller riders, however, if you’re usually a size Medium or above it might be worth trying the lower size. Alternatively, the Altura Hurricane jacket is far more fitted and suitable for riding in high winds, it also has the same degree of waterproofing, it is however £40 more expensive.

Altura Nightvision Typhoon Jacket: value

At £99.99, the Altura Typhoon jacket is good value for money, undercutting much of the competition on the more performance end of the scale. It isn't as breathable as more expensive jackets, but will meet the needs of those riding at a lower intensity, with the goal of getting from A to B. 

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Founded in 1891, Cycling Weekly and its team of expert journalists brings cyclists in-depth reviews, extensive coverage of both professional and domestic racing, as well as fitness advice and 'brew a cuppa and put your feet up' features. Cycling Weekly serves its audience across a range of platforms, from good old-fashioned print to online journalism, and video.