There’s a new sheriff in waterproof cycling jacket town, and its name is the Pas Normal Mechanism Shell Jacket

I’ve really struggled pulling together a decent update to my guide to the best waterproof cycling jackets. As you’ve probably gathered by now, waterproof cycling jackets have gone on a journey in recent years thanks to heavy regulation clamping down on the use of PFAS, also known as forever chemicals. The production of waterproof membranes and durable water repellent coatings (DWR) has become safer and better for the planet, but the flipside is that they have become less effective at keeping you dry, and pointing this second fact out has led to people suggesting I’m part of the lobbying arm for the international chemicals industry.

Thankfully, finally, I have found a jacket that not only doesn’t perform badly like so many I have tried in the last 12 months, but actually performs well, so much so that it is, in my opinion, the best waterproof cycling jacket on the market at the time of writing. I’ve been riding the Pas Normal Mechanism Shell Jacket for several months now over the winter – not to be confused with the Pas Normal Mechanism Pertex Rain Jacket, a lightweight option my colleague Tom reviewed recently – and it’s very good, easily a match for some genuinely atrocious weather, and there’s one key reason to my mind as to why it’s so good: It’s quite baggy.

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Design and aesthetics

If you like understated design, muted colours, and a pleasant Danish vibe, then this jacket will be music to your eyes, as long as you ignore the fact that ‘PAS NORMAL INTERNATIONAL CYCLING CLUB’ is emblazoned across the back in large, friendly lettering. Other than that, which you can’t actually see when you are wearing the thing, it’s actually quite a good-looking jacket.

Pas Normal boasts a waterproof rating of 6/6, and a breathability rating of 4/6 for the jacket, which is utterly meaningless, but hidden in the small print, one can find that it has a 20,000mm hydrostatic head (which is very waterproof), and 20,000g/m2/24h breathability (which is reasonably breathable). It is rated for somewhere in the region of 7ºC down to as low as -10ºC, which does track in my experience.

The membrane itself is the Polartec Power Shield Pro, which uses a whole 3 boy words, hot on the heels of the Gillette Fusion Power Stealth razor that I avoided buying many years ago. It is, according to Polartec, an ‘expedition grade’ membrane that uses expanded polyurethane, rather than expanded PTFE as was the case for the old PFAS options.

A large, waterproof double zip takes care of business down the front, with a storm flap behind for a belt-and-braces setup, and at the rear are two large, side-entry pockets, also secured with waterproof zips.

All seams are taped, and there’s a sturdy elastic drawcord at the hem to cinch it in. Like most Pas Normal upper body garments, the torso is really rather short, which is perhaps one of the main shortcomings. There’s no adjustment in the cuffs, but there is at least some elastic that’s certainly roomy enough for the biggest gloves to squirm underneath.

Finally, unlike many waterproof jackets, there is a pleasing stretch to the fabric, especially in the more breathable panels under the armpits, which comes in handy when layering up for extremely bleak days out.

It isn’t a featherweight like the Maap Atmos or the Pertex option from Pas Normal; this is a jacket not for intermittent showers and emergencies, but for those days when the forecast is for rain. Proper, old-fashioned rain. It tips the scales at 265.5g (9.4oz), but if you’re going out when it’s 4º and raining, then you probably aren’t overly concerned with the marginal gram counting; save that for the summer.

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Performance

The key as to why I think this jacket is good is that it is more roomy than most other high-performance waterproof jackets. Jackets like the Maap Atmos (which I do think is also very good) and the Rapha Pro Team Lightweight Gore-Tex Rain Jacket (which I do not, to be honest) are cut close to the body with a ‘race fit’. This was perfectly fine in the Shakedry days when the DWR treatments would hold up for hours on end without missing a beat, but nowadays, having a race fit jacket means that you will at some point end up with a saturated jacket pressed into your skin.

There’s a misconception that when jackets ‘wet out’ (the face fabric gets saturated) then they have ‘stopped working’ and are letting water through. This is almost always not the case, but your body doesn’t actually have receptors for ‘wet’, only pressure and temperature, so when a saturated outer fabric sits on your skin it creates a cold, higher pressure sensation and so it feels wet… and in all honesty there’s no distinction between being wet and feeling wet when you’re out on the road. Giving the fabric more room underneath gives it a better chance to not rest directly on your skin, and means you feel dryer for longer.

This extra room also means you can properly layer up underneath if you’re heading out in the cold for long base miles. Not just a thick base layer and hope for the best, but in a pinch, you could even fit a mini down jacket underneath. Normally, baggy jackets mean more rustling and flapping, and while I’m not going to claim this is as aero as the Castelli Gabba R, the fabric has enough stretch and softness to it that it is remarkably rustle-free, much like the venerable Albion Zoa Rain Shell that I rate so highly for adventure riding.

The DWR will give out with this jacket, as it will with every modern waterproof, but in some prolonged downpours, it stood up pretty admirably, and the membrane held up extremely well over my test period. Likewise, the breathability was sufficient enough to stand up to my weekly hill reps come rain or shine without leaving me unbearably sweaty. You need to get your layering right underneath to get the optimum performance in high-output scenarios, but it is capable of handling them in ways I haven’t experienced since testing the Rapha Pro Team Gore-Tex Rain Jacket, back in the dying days of PFAS DWR treatments.

The downside to this jacket is definitely the length of it. For a summer-weight jacket like the Maap Atmos, I can forgive not having the greatest coverage, but for a jacket with designs on deep winter use, it really would be better if it came down below my shoulder blades. Even if you use mudguards you're still going to have the bottom bit of your jersey peeking out underneath, which wicks water up over the course of a ride. This happens with every setup eventually, as bib tights do exactly the same thing, but having a jacket cover your jersey certainly helps retard the progress of the seepage somewhat. It’s also something I’m willing to put up with because the drawstring does an admirable job of keeping at least the items in my pocket out of harm’s way, and the rest of the performance feels incredibly protective.

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Value

Top performance unsurprisingly commands a hefty price tag, and you’re forking out £330 at full whack, or $440 for my American readers. This is a lot of money, but it’s still a lot less than you’d be paying for a top-flight mountaineering jacket, which can run to double this. In the context of other top-end cycling jackets, it’s £35 dearer than the aforementioned Rapha Gore-Tex option and performs substantially better when the chips are down.

Compared to the lower end of the spectrum, the likes of the Rapha Core rain jacket that often comes in under £100 when on sale, it is a lot more expensive, but if you’re riding in the rain (and sleet, snow, and all the fun stuff in between) regularly it really does pay to splash out on a more expensive option. For occasional use, it probably isn’t worth it, but writing this at the tail end of one of the wettest winters on record in the UK I’m saying it’s worth every penny.

Verdict

The Pas Normal Mechanism Shell Jacket is a hardy beast that’s finally started to re-instill my confidence in modern waterproof cycling jackets. It’s expensive, but it’s hugely protective, able to handle substantial layers underneath, doesn’t rustle, breathes well, and doesn’t cling. If you ride in the rain and want to get the best option to keep you dry (and safe, ultimately), then this is probably what you should be buying. It ain’t aero, but it also doesn’t matter when it’s raining sideways, and you can’t see more than six feet in front of your wheel.