Revolution Race Cyclone 2 Jacket Review: A Year-Round Soft Shell Worth the Weight

Introduction

The Revolution Race Cyclone 2 is a three layer soft shell jacket built for year round outdoor use. It lands in a category where almost every design decision is a trade-off: a shell has to keep rain and wind out while still letting heat escape when you are working hard on a climb. Revolution Race describes this one as a hyper shell jacket with a pro membrane, a PFC3 treatment, and a bionic finish, and the company has built a following around environmentally considerate production and an unusually broad colour palette for the outdoor market.

This is a jacket that leans toward cold, wet, and changeable conditions rather than fast and light summer use. It retails at around £162 and weighs 680 grams in size medium. That figure matters, because it tells you straight away what kind of jacket you are looking at.

Who This Jacket Is For

The feature list points clearly in one direction. A helmet compatible hood, a ski pass holder on the left arm, and a Recco reflector all suggest a jacket designed for winter and shoulder season use in the hills, on the mountain, or on the piste. If you walk low level paths in mild weather, you will be carrying features you rarely need.

Sizing runs from extra small to two times extra large, which is a generous spread. The colour range is genuinely wide, and that has practical value: brighter options are easier to spot in poor visibility, while the olive and black options suit people who prefer a lower profile. Be aware that Revolution Race presents each colourway as a separate clickable item on its site, so browsing the range takes a little patience compared with a single product page that lists all colours.

Main Strengths

Weather Protection and Fabric

The Cyclone 2 is made from a three layer laminated material that is described as waterproof, windproof, and highly breathable. Every seam is fully taped, including the areas around the zips and cuffs, which is where water would otherwise work its way in.

One detail sets this jacket apart from many shells in the same price band: the fabric has a little stretch built into it, and the finish feels softer than the crisp, cold, crinkly feel that laminated shells often have in an outdoor shop. That softness and give means the jacket moves with your body and the layers underneath once the fit is right.

It is worth keeping expectations realistic. Any claim of waterproofing comes with a limit, and every waterproof garment will eventually wet out in sustained heavy rain. The value here is a sensible balance between keeping water out and letting moisture escape, rather than an absolute guarantee.

Storage and Pocket Layout

The pocket arrangement is one of the more thoughtful parts of the design. Inside the main body there is a decent sized stretchy pocket, which is a good home for a phone, a camera, or any electronics you want kept away from the weather and protected from knocks.

On the outside there are two side pockets, both taped and laminated, with toggles large enough to grip with clumsy gloves. They are genuinely big, and an Ordnance Survey map would sit comfortably inside one. The lining has a soft hand feel rather than the crisp nylon you sometimes find. A laminated chest pocket adds another option, deep enough for a phone or a GPS unit, though it is taller in depth than in height.

Ventilation and Fit Details

Pit zips are one of the most useful additions to any shell, and this jacket has a generously sized pair. They solve the muggy, showery day problem where you want protection from rain but also need to dump heat, and they work equally well on a steep climb in cold conditions.

The arms finish with tapered velcro cuffs that cover the wrist well when pulled tight. At the neck there is what Revolution Race calls a ski collar, with an additional opening that helps when you are wearing a neck gaiter or simply need to vent. The fabric around the collar is soft, and a black backing sits behind the zips to stop wind pushing through.

A hem drawcord at the waist locks heat in and stops the jacket riding up on the trail. The Recco reflector is the other notable addition, a passive rescue aid that helps emergency services locate people in the outdoors.

Things to Consider Before Buying

Weight is the first thing to weigh up. At 680 grams in size medium, the Cyclone 2 is not the lightest jacket on the shelf. For trail runners and lightweight backpackers counting every gram, that will be a real consideration. For anyone heading out in winter conditions or into exposed terrain, the extra material is what pays for the protection and the feature set.

The helmet compatible hood is another point to think through. It is large by design, with a rear toggle adjuster, and it works well over a helmet. Without one, there is simply more space than many people want, and it can feel bulky and less protective around the face. If you mostly wear a hat rather than a helmet, this is worth trying in person.

Sizing runs on the larger side, so it is worth measuring carefully and considering going down a size rather than assuming your usual fit. The brand publishes detailed measurements, which makes that easier to do.

Finally, the side pockets sit slightly raised rather than low on the hem. They are accessible in most situations, but with a rucksack waist belt fastened, the lower part of the pocket opening becomes awkward to reach. The chest pocket and the internal stretch pocket cover some of that gap, though riders and walkers who rely on hip pockets with a pack on should factor it in.

Buying Advice

The Cyclone 2 makes the most sense for people who want one shell that covers a lot of the year. If your outdoor time happens in autumn, winter, and early spring, in wind, rain, sleet, or snow, the weight and the feature set line up with the conditions you are actually in. If your typical outing is a fast summer hike in a light pack, a lighter and simpler shell will serve you better.

Get the size right and the jacket becomes far more enjoyable. The stretch fabric is designed to move with you, and that only works when the fit is close enough to follow your body rather than hang off it. Measure against the published size chart and size down if you sit between two sizes.

Colour is worth a moment of thought too. Brighter options are easier to spot in poor visibility on the hill, while the olive and black options blend in better for bushcraft and lower profile use.

Conclusion

The Revolution Race Cyclone 2 is a well-equipped three layer soft shell with taped seams, a stretchy and softer-than-typical fabric, large pit zips, a generous pocket layout, and a helmet compatible hood that points to proper winter and mountain use. It is not the lightest jacket available at its price, and the hood is best suited to people who wear a helmet. For anyone who values protection, ventilation, and a wide choice of colours over gram counting, it is a convincing all-round option for year round outdoor use.