Q36.5 RAIN SHELL rain jacket

The Q36.5 Rain Shell is a rain jacket for two jobs: a whole ride in the downpour, or the backup rolled up in your pocket when the weather is uncertain. Q36.5 rates it from 5 °C, and it weighs 120 g in M.

On the outside, its 3-layer fabric is a 7-denier woven nylon, meaning 7 g per 9,000 m of yarn: fine enough to fold down to almost nothing, dense enough to resist abrasion. On the inside, a membrane with a 20,000 mm water column and sealed seams keep you dry for hours, according to Q36.5. It also lets vapour out: worn for the whole ride, it doesn't soak you from the inside.

If the rain keeps up, it beats the Air gilet, which leaves your arms to get wet. It doesn't insulate: underneath, keep the layer the temperature calls for, ideally one with a high collar. Zipped all the way up, the hermetic collar seals. On the climb, open it a little to let the vapour escape. Try it on with your hands on the hoods: sleeves over the wrists, the bottom elastic across the small of your back.

It is assembled in Italy, with its seams sealed by hand. We offer it as the jacket for days when the sky can't make up its mind.