Last updated: 17-Aug-18
Italian sportswear brand CMP has launched the Trail Windproof Jacket in both male and female designs.
I asked for a small size jacket to be sent for me to test but an XS arrived and while I could zip it up it felt too tight around my forearms and shoulders for comfortable running. Instead, I asked my friend Kay, who is a UK size 8, to tell me her thoughts on the jacket.
We ran two long-ish outings on the north-east coast of Scotland. The weather was windy and sometimes cold, sometimes warm and sometimes wet. This offered the ideal environment for testing the jacket.
Features
- eXtralight fabric
- Windproof and breathable
- Water repellent
- Mesh at underarms and upper back zone
- Fill length zip
- High collar
- Elasticated torso hem and wrist hems
- Packable into zipped chest pocket
- Reflective details.
- Male and female specific.
- Gilet version as an alternative.
- SRP: £51.95
- CMP
Pros: What’s good about the CMP Trail Windproof Jacket
The strapline of this family company is “Real People. Real Products” and I think this is summed up by the straightforward and simple design of the jacket. They even name their products in a no-fuss way.
Trail Windproof jacket says what it will do and with no fancy extra messages. I like this simplicity because all to often these days brands try to bamboozle or over-sell with fancy names and features.
The jacket is a good fit if you are an XS. I have no doubt the S would be the ideal size and shape for me as a UK10. The torso and arm length is just right for Kay and she looked comfortable in the jacket as soon as she zipped it up.
The fabric is very light and silky feeling, so it would be possible to wear it against bare skin, for example over a t-shirt.
The proof of the worth of the jacket was in the running. Kay says that she often overheats when wearing a jacket, but throughout the many miles she did not complain once.
We ran hills, windy headlands, along cliffs and further inland. We encountered sunshine, headwinds, tailwinds and a bit of rain.
Yet still Kay was happy to wear the jacket. She didn’t feel the need at any point to take it off. She was also running with a small rucksack and she said she was surprised that she did not have a sweaty back.
Kay was very happy to discover how breathable the jacket was. The underarm mesh and small area of extra mesh at the back no doubt help with the breathability.
Kay also stood in the wind to see if she felt chilly but she did not. Again, she seemed surprised because her own jacket can cause her to alternate between sweaty and chilly.
The light rain – and coast sea spray – easily rolled off the outside of the jacket. It looks like it has been treated with DWR (Durable Water Repellent). Even after a wash in the machine between run one and two the water repellency still worked.
This is not a jacket for torrential rain but, then again, how many long-distance runners enjoy wearing a highly waterproof jacket? This usually leads to full-on sweating.
Kay was surprised by how well the jacket stayed in place. She said: “Normally, when I wear a jacket and rucksack, the hem of the jacket rides up annoyingly. But this jacket fits well and stays where it should. This is really great.”
The jacket fits neatly into its own chest pocket and ends up being a very small package. It could be stuffed into a pocket or into a small corner of a running rucksack.
The reflective details are as you would expect on many running jackets but they should still be seen as a nice added extra.
The jackets come in a couple of brighter colours as well as plain black. Kay thought the black was flattering and she said it would be her choice even against the other brighter designs.
The price of this jacket is very good. Many other jackets that claim the same properties come at twice the price. I can see ultra runners buying the CMP jacket as a just-in-case item to keep in their rucksacks for summer running.
Cons: What’s not so good about the CMP Trail Windproof Jacket
It would be good to see a few more features in the jacket, such as pockets. The chest pocket is not very useful apart from, perhaps, for a car key. It was not possible to fit in even a small smart phone.
Why not add a zipped pocket to the back? However, the chest pocket is great for stuffing the jacket into when not being worn.
The elasticated hems could be a bit more generous. If they were a little wider they would be more comfortable over longer runs. However, this is a small point and Kay did not feel like this was a major issue.
A hood could be a useful extra, too.
Saying all this, any extra would most likely push up the price of the jacket so, on balance, there is not really very much to complain about.
It would be good to see a few more details about the features of the jacket on-line but, again, this is not a major point.
Photo credit: cmp-campagnolo.it.
Conclusion
For the price this is a great jacket for runners and offers surprisingly good breathability and wind proofing. Water repellency is adequate if you are caught in a short downpour.
It’s the sort of jacket I would stuff into a rucksack for times when the wind picks up or the rain comes on. It’s a summer-use jacket, in my opinion.
| Score | |
| Design | 8/10 |
| Features | 7/10 |
| Performance | 9/10 |
| Value | 10/10 |
| Total | 8.5/10 |
Other jackets you may want to try:
inov-8 AT/C Windshell Windproof jacket
Salomon Lightning Jacket
Montane Lite-Speed jacket
About the writer: Fiona is a keen runner, preferring off-road and hilly to flat and road. She lives in Scotland where the weather is fickle so needs to be prepared for all conditions. See more of what she writes at Fiona Outdoors.
All images Fiona Outdoors except when stated.
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