The Furygan Brooks jacket is billed as a "new generation of adventure jacket" that will "perform on any terrain, in any weather”.
I wore two of these jackets for a combined 1500 miles of road riding in Lincolnshire and found both to be close-fitting and comfortable. Why two? I'll come to that later on.
I found the fit to be good, and the sizing to be accurate. There's the opportunity to alter the fit via straps on either side of the waist and a pair of Velcro tabs at the lower hem of the jacket over the hips. A loose fit around the upper arm can also be tightened with adjusters.
The front of the jacket opens with a zip that has a storm flap sat behind this, which leaves the zip exposed. The collar is fastened with Velcro that has a loop on the end, so it can be fastened back onto a hook for increased ventilation. There is a good amount of room for a neckwarmer or a mid-layer with a high collar.
The jacket has five pockets, though the tailored fit of the jacket means the main pockets are relatively small. Still, my wallet sat comfortably in one and my phone in the other, so they were adequate.
The rear pocket fastener zip has something Furygan call “fast opening”. This means the zip tab is attached to a ribbon, which is in turn fastened at the other end of the zip. To open the zip you just pull the ribbon rather than having to find the small puller tab. It works well for opening, however it’s more fiddly to close it. This rear pocket can be used for items such as spare gloves, though the tailored fit of the jacket means putting anything into the pocket makes it look bulky.
A small pocket on the left sleeve has the same easy-open ribbon and it's a useful pocket for keeping a toll ticket or credit card handy. Finally, a Napoleon-style internal pocket sits behind the front opening zip, which Furygan label as waterproof - the only pocket on the jacket that's described as such. This pocket is large enough to take my phone.
Photography: Jose Mas
The jacket has a long-sleeved thermal liner that can be taken out, though even with this in place it isn’t the warmest jacket I have used. I needed to wear extra layers underneath it when the temperature fell below 8°C. This isn't a problem - just something to bear in mind when selecting a size, to make sure you have room for layers to fit underneath if you ride in winter.
The jacket is supplied with CE Level 1 elbow and shoulder armour and there is a pocket for a Level 2 Back protector, which is available for an extra £45 at the time of writing this review. The jacket has an overall CE rating of AA, which is the middle of three available levels.
The jacket has plenty of vents - one on the upper part of each arm, four on the front of the jacket and two on the rear. The vents on the front have adjuster tabs to keep them open. Bear in mind that the jacket has a waterproof membrane fixed inside the jacket, which stops airflow directly reaching your body.
Partly because of the membrane's presence behind them, the vents are not the best I have used. They give similar levels of ventilation to equivalent waterproof jackets I've worn that have zip-opening vents, though.
Instead of a zip to connect to trousers the jacket has two elasticated loops that fasten to a belt. If you want to use them your trousers need to have a belt, or loops for you to add a belt.
This system is easier to use than I first imagined - opening the press stud, passing the elasticated loop around your trouser belt and fastening the press stud keeps the lower part of the jacket from riding up.
The jacket has a waterproof membrane, and it was a failure in this area that meant I needed to try two of these jackets.
After riding a short distance in light to moderate rain I could feel my t-shirt getting wet. After half an hour I stopped to find the jacket had let water in and my t-shirt was wet across the chest.
We reported the issue to Furygan, who responded quickly and replaced the original jacket with a new one, as they would under the warranty.
After waiting a while for a wet day to test the replacement jacket, I went for an hour's ride in the rain and this jacket survived the experience with no leaks.
It's a shame the first jacket had a fault - and it would have been a bigger problem if I'd discovered it while away on a riding trip - however Furygan replaced the jacket quickly and without any fuss, so I give them top marks for customer service.
In conclusion, the Brooks is a comfortable jacket that is easy to live with on a long journey, though it may need riders to size up if they want to fit extra layers underneath in winter.
