Note: this item was provided for review.
Roughly six years ago, after being drenched from an unforecasted storm while waiting for a commuter bus, I decided that I would always have a lightweight rain shell with me going forward. I’ve carried dozens, while trying to find the right mix of light weight, good quality, and performant. That’s exactly the type of scenario the Triple Aught Design Astral VR Shell was designed for.
It’s silly light, and surprisingly good.
Materials
The jacket itself is a 2.5L water resistant shell, with the size medium coming in at a weight of 6.5oz. On my scale the jacket comes in at 7.2oz in size Large. If you’re anything like me, you don’t know if that is good or bad, so I weighed another ultralight rain shell I own (one I have previously noted as insanely light weight) and it comes in at 8.3oz for size Large.
So yes, when you pick up the Astral VR, you’ll notice the lack of weight in general. It’s impressive.
The entire jacket is fully seam taped. It has a single drawcord at the horizontal rear of the hood. It has two hand pockets with Aquaguard zippers to add to the main Aquagaurd zipper.
The hem is a drop tail, and the cuffs have a slim elastic binding for them. The hood is shaped, but has no metal brim. The entire jacket can be stuffed into the pocket of a backpack without worry, and deployed when needed.
It is a made in Portugal and the overall quality of the finishing is excellent. The fit is trim without being tight, there’s room for a layer, but you don’t feel like your are swimming in it. It’s been patterned well so you still have good freedom of movement when wearing a backpack over the shell.
In Use
The concept behind this shell is as an emergency deployed shell. It’s something so lightweight and compact, that you always have it with you if unexpected conditions arise. That’s decently hard to test. However, as I mentioned at the start, I always carry a rain shell with me and this has been all over with me since it arrived.
While Triple Aught Design is careful to say that this is only for light to moderate rain/snow — that’s often more than most people need. The way I think about this: if you are ducking in and out, you should be fine; it’s only when you are wanting to be out in the rain/snow all day, where you might want something with higher ratings for water resistance.
There’s an odd balance you have to strike with shells, they need to allow moisture to escape, as much as they keep moisture out. If you build up too much heat inside the shell, then you’ll create a lovely condensation layer on the inside of the shell which will make you feel and be wet.
The best way I know to test this is to run this as a windbreaker while I ruck. I rucked 8 miles wearing this over a shirt, and while I built up heat, I was surprised to see how well it managed moisture. It’s less breathable than the windbreaker I normally ruck in, but it’s also water resistant which the windbreaker is not.
In the rain I have used this in, I’ve seen no reason for concern. But I’ve yet to see serious snow or rain to test this more — I’ll update if there’s any issues when I test that.
I’ve found the fit to be really comfortable and nice on this. The neck runs high, but not overbearing. The hood is not one you’ll fit any helmet under, but this means it can be cut well enough to give you good peripheral vision, while still having solid coverage. There’s no drawcords to cinch the hood closed, so heavy wind might be an issue.
The seams at the shoulders are on the front, keeping a common moisture entry point off the top of your body, and allowing the jacket to wrap nicely around your shoulders. I was sent the Eclipse color, and it’s fantastic. Sort of a more light blue gunmetal color, which is not in your face, but a little more fun than your typical black/gray rain jackets.
I find the location of the hand pockets to be ideal, and easy to use. I have no complaints about this jacket — it’s exactly what it says it is.
Overall
I don’t love the way rain shells look in general, but they do something that almost no other jacket can do: they keep you dry, and they add significant warmth to whatever you are wearing simply by blocking wind flow, while taking up very little space if you need to carry one. If the sunscreen-guys greatest advice was to wear sunscreen, mine is to always have a rain shell in your bag.
For me, going forward, that will be the Astra VR Shell. It’s lightweight, easy to pack/carry, it looks solid, and it performs well. Not much more you can ask for — highly recommended.