The Scott Trail MTN Dryo 20 waterproof jacket is a hardy and robust waterproof cut out for the worst of the weather. The material is a tad stiff and you'll be making use of the underarm vents to regulate temperature but it's a good looking jacket that'll stand up to some abuse.
The Trail MTN Dryo 20 Jacket sits at the top of a range of Scott waterproof coats and a £219, it’s quite a princely sum too. The jacket uses Scott's Dryosphere 3 Layer fabric which offers a 10,000mm waterproof rating and 12,000mm breathability rating which isn’t all that high for a jacket with an asking price of over £200. For example, the Madison DTE Waterproof we are testing offers 20,000mm / 20,000mm for £20 less. Elsewhere though, the coat has all the bells and whistles though, including waterproof zips, a multi-way hood adjustment, welded seams, reflective tabs and UV protection too.
The Scott range of clothing is impressive and aesthetically pleasing all round, I’ve yet to find a piece of gear that I don’t like the look of and this waterproof jacket is no exception. The design is bright yet minimalist and the cut, whilst not slim is well fitted with still enough room to get thicker layers underneath.
As I alluded to above the fabric of the jacket is rather stiff to the touch and as a result noisy to wear and move around in. The stiff nature of the fabric means that front of the jacket often stuck out from the chest whilst riding. The brand also advertises that this fabric is stretchy but I could not feel any give or stretch whatsoever. What the stiff fabric does surmount to though, is one hell of a robust jacket that will stand the test of time and many muddy rides very well. The only other times the stiff fabric came negatively into play was at the collar and the cuffs, the rigid nature when zipped fully up could be improved by a fleece liner at the collar to make it softer and warmer against the skin. The elastic running through the cuffs also wasn’t that pleasant against the skin but this isn’t an issue with a glove in play.
The jacket has an adjustable hood with separate adjusters running from side to side over the peak and around the rear too meaning that it can be winched in well when not in use. The stiff edge to the peak does mean that it ‘taps’ on the back of your helmet when winched fully in, surprising until you figure out what it is! The button design of the adjusters makes them easy to use with one hand so swapping between up and down is a doddle. The hood fits over my small lid well but I anticipate those of you with larger lids may suffer a problem.
There are waterproof zips all round with the hand pockets further protected by an outer storm flap. You can leave these open for extra ventilation if needs must as the rear of the pocket is mesh lined – not the warmest for the hands but functional in breathability terms. The underarm vents also get weatherproof zips and they are pretty long too, the length means that the zips do gap somewhat, a mesh lining wouldn’t go amiss here to hold to two sides together. Around the hem is another of Scott’s well designed adjuster systems, just pull the chord to winch in, press the button to release.
In terms of waterproofness the Trail MTN Dryo 20 jacket performed excellently, keeping me dry in the foulest of conditions, it’s a jacket to trust to protect you from the elements, which I guess is the main thing here. I did find myself overheating more regularly than I might in other similarly priced jackets though. Employing the use of the vents and opening the collar cooled things quickly but, of course, at the risk of getting wet! I’ve found the jacket best for the coldest of days when coupled with a good wicking baselayer and jersey combination, out in the snow we’ve had of late I didn’t need to open the vents but on other more temperate rides, I've had them open for a majority of the ride. The roomy nature of the jacket means it’s easy to move around in, there is good length at both the rear and in the arms meaning no unwanted drafts or mud ingress.
In summary, this is a versatile jacket to tackle most exploits on and off the bike. It keeps the rain out whilst it, as with all Scott gear, looks good too. At £219 it’s expensive, if you can forgive the noisy material though it has all the features you’d expect of a good waterproof and is so robust it looks like it’s in it for the long haul.
Remember you can now buy all Scott gear (but not bikes) direct from their website. There are men's options too for the same price and with a similar design.
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