Price: $305 / €250 / £213
Weight: 242g (As measured size small - without arm warmers)
Size availability: XS-6XL
Colour Options: Black
Materials: Polartec Neoshell
As I wrote the best winter cycling jackets buyers guide, I generally focused on how to handle weather that lasted through a day. When people are looking for a winter cycling jacket, I expect it's because they are looking to stay warm on cold rides. As I write this though, the Pacific Northwest has had a sudden temperature swing.
In the course of a week we've moved from an ice storm into sunny days and relatively warm weather. Things are moving and shifting every day, with winter sure to return any minute, but it's given a glimpse of the impending shift in seasons. It also highlighted a need for a jacket that addresses the in-between and shoulder seasons. The Santini Adapt Shell jacket is one of a few options designed for exactly this use case.
This category of jacket is really only a jacket in the loosest of terms but it fills a need. When you've spent the last few days obsessively checking the weather app on your phone and you still aren't sure what the weather will bring, that's where it fits in. It's also not unique in its design.
Castelli, Sportful, and Le Col all have competing options and the form is somewhat established. In most cases, it starts with a water-resistant and windproof fabric that's then paired with short sleeves. Santini does have a small tweak to the formula though and the brand includes a pair of matching arm warmers. It's a clever bit of packaging but is it the right choice for you? I've spent some time testing and now I'm ready to share what I've found. Keep reading if you require a solution for riding in cool, quickly changing, weather conditions.
Design and aesthetics
In some ways, the design of the Santini Adapt Shell jacket is pretty simple. Almost the entire jacket is Polartec Neoshell fabric. It might also be Polartec Power Shield but more on that later. Both Power Shield and Neoshell are highly stretchy, completely wind-blocking, and have 10,000 mm or 20,000 mm water column ratings. Without getting too technical about it, both are the Polartec answer to waterproof breathable fabrics which also makes both the leading options for softshell waterproof breathable fabrics.
In the case of Santini, the main fabric pairs with taped seams throughout and a tall cut. Anyone who's ever seen any of the competition should recognize the cut as it's quite popular in this segment. That includes the long torso but also the arm length that is reminiscent of an aero jersey, the long drop tail, and the tall collar that always seems to be a feature.
In this case, the Santini take on that tall collar means a double layer of the Polartec fabric. Although the inside face of Polartec fabrics is comfortable against the skin, the outer is a bit softer. Using a double layer allows the softer material to sit against your skin.
What you will not find at the collar is a zipper garage. Instead, Santini specs a large zipper that is less likely to catch. In addition to the large zipper mechanism, it's also both waterproof and has a double zip with a big metal pull tab. There's no zipper garage, or protection flap, at the base but you'll find instead that the rounded edge of the zipper continues far enough past the end of the teeth to protect clothing. The lowest metal part of the zipper is also rounded and smooth to protect clothing when partially open.
To finish off the lowest part of the Adapt jacket, Santini uses a simple bit of elastic. The interior of the elastic also does its part to keep the jacket in place with the liberal use of silicone grip material. The final help comes from an extra panel on the drop tail that adds extra material to manage full pockets.
The pockets themselves are a standard three-pocket configuration. Helping the already mentioned extra material in the drop tail is the highly stretchy nature of the Polartec fabric plus elastic edging at the top of the pockets. The centre pocket has a drainage hole though, oddly, the side pockets do not. There's also a valuables pocket that can easily swallow a large smartphone.
Many of these details are quite similar to other options out there. What's unique about the Santini design is how the brand handles the arms. Starting at the shoulders, the cut is quite square and there’s a big white rubberized logo running out to the seam on the left shoulder. As you move down to the end of the short sleeves you'll find "raw cut thermofleece fabric faced with a layer of water-resistant polyurethane." Which is to say a heavy band with a fleece inner that stops just before the crease of the elbow.
As they say on TV though, there's more. The jacket comes in a rather high-quality, zippered, bag made of the same fabric. Inside the bag, you'll find the jacket itself but you'll also find a pair of arm warmers. The warmers match the design of the jacket using the same materials. Santini doesn't make this detail easy to find and your only clue is if you watch the video on the product page. I assure you though, they are a part of the purchase.
Performance
I referenced this when describing the fabric but, my experience with the Santini Adapt Shell jacket is a bit of an odd one. I've had this jacket for over a year now and I've tested it through multiple shoulder seasons. What's odd is that I have a version of this jacket that you can't buy, at least not yet.
The story behind that starts with my exploration of how PFC bans are set to change the face of all waterproof garments. After diving into those details I got a tip that Polartec had a new fabric on the way that was PFC free and I jumped on the phone. I had a chance to discuss all the details about the new fabric, called Polartec Power Shield, but I also had a chance to learn how slow the garment industry moves. At the time, no one had anything available using the latest fabric, and it took a while, but the first brand to start using it was Santini.
My version of the Santini Adapt Shell Jacket uses Power Shield but right now, you can't buy the same thing. Currently, the version you can buy uses Polartec Neoshell and that's a good thing. The reason you can't buy the latest PFAS-free version of the Santini jacket is all about sustainability, and I'd argue it's about the most important aspect of sustainability.
One of the most sustainable things you can do is to keep using what you have and that's what Santini is doing. Santini is no longer manufacturing the Santini Adapt Shell jacket with Neoshell but it wouldn't be sustainable to toss the existing products out. Instead, the brand will phase in the new material as the existing stock dwindles. The only downside is that it does leave customers, and reviewers, in a tricky spot. Should you buy this jacket now? Or are you waiting for the next version?
To answer that question, I've been doing what I do and testing different options. Sportful uses Neoshell in the competing Fiandre Pro jacket short sleeve and that's a jacket I've spent a fair bit of time in. I also spent time testing the latest Power Shield in a couple of pieces from Le Col. What I've found, for better or worse, is that it's actually not that important if you have Neoshell or Power Shield in your version of the Santini jacket.
I don't know if Polartec will be happy to hear that but it's really a triumph. PFCs came into widespread use because they work. Moving away from them and providing the same user experience is a triumph of engineering. The only thing that is a bit rough is that the spec sheet for Power Shield says it is twice as breathable and twice as waterproof.
That point is where I have to disagree. Or, at least, set reasonable expectations. I’m sure there’s no funny business going on but as a user, you can’t tell the difference. If you spray water on Polartec fabrics, the water will bead up and run off. They appear to be waterproof, and they pass water column tests, but sustained rain will overwhelm the exterior and it will start to saturate. That's true with both Neoshell and Power Shield and if this was a rain jacket, I'd say that was a serious problem. In a short-sleeved jacket though, it's not an issue.
This is also roughly the same experience you will get with other competing products. Castelli claims that the Gabba RoS 2 is waterproof but that jacket uses Gore-Tex Infinium which is only windproof, not waterproof. Then there's the Sportful Fiandre Pro jacket which I already mentioned uses Neoshell and the Le Col Pro All-Weather using Power Shield. All of these jackets have similar pricing and similar levels of rain performance.
Bringing the conversation back to the Santini Adapt Shell jacket, it's perfect for times when it's mostly dry and a little cold. When I head out in the morning and it's a bit chilly the windstopping effect makes a huge difference. That same is true for an afternoon ride in the winter if there's sun but it's still colder than summer clothing will handle. If there's a light sprinkle of rain on and off all day, that's no problem either. What makes the Santini worth choosing compared to other options comes down to details and smart packaging.
More than anything, the Santini Adapt shell is a cosy choice. It's tight enough to feel fitted but the cut is a little more generous than my summer jerseys. The fleece cuff at the elbow feels great and so does the soft and tall collar. I love that there's a double direction zip, so you can let some air in from the bottom if it really gets hot, and using a rounded end to the zipper shows an outstanding attention to detail.
Of course I'm also a consistent fan of nice big pockets. I want them to swallow everything without moving around and Santini has a real advantage with the design used. The simple elastic waist with the silicone grip plus the big pockets does a great job saying put even when full and the zippered pocket is big enough to handle my Pixel 8 pro. That phone might be waterproof but I still get nervous and want to protect it. I've spent some time saying that I don't think the Polartec fabric is totally waterproof but it's certainly enough to keep a waterproof phone safe from road spray.
Then there's the included arm warmers. For some people this will be a gimmick that isn't part of the buying decision. If that's you, then the competition generally puts similar jackets at about the same price when you subtract the arm warmers. On the other hand, If you like the idea of quality arm warmers that perfectly match your jacket then Santini is charging about the same price as you'd pay anyway.
Verdict
Santini isn't a brand I've had the opportunity to use extensively. What initially attracted me to the Santini Adapt shell jacket was a next-generation fabric. Then I learned that the brand was phasing it in slowly and there was no clear way for me to tell a consumer what they were getting. I could have gone back to the drawing board and picked a different jacket to tell you about but after testing the option available, this is still a jacket worth buying. You should know that depending on when you are reading this your version might have Neoshell or it might have Power Shield but I wouldn't worry about it.
Santini chose to follow Polartec into a PFC-free future and that is an important choice. Selling through the existing jackets makes sense for sustainability. What's important for you and your dollars is that your experience will be the same either way.
Polartec fabric will overwhelm in sustained rain but this is a short-sleeved jacket. Details like quality pockets, an amazing zipper, a great neckline, and performance in the wind are what make it shine and the included arm warmers are the cherry on top. The same is true for the negatives as well. I promise, the way the zipper pops out when you bend over won't change because of different fabrics and despite what the specs sheets say, I wouldn't describe either fabric as waterproof.
If you need a highly breathable, totally windproof, water-resistant jacket for changing temperatures then the Santini Adapt is an excellent choice. That's especially true if you need arm warmers and want them to match.
