Gear Review – Inov8 Race Elite 70 Windshell Smock

I’ve had a Montane Marathon Jacket for a few years now and love it (you can read the review here : https://kennetrunner.com/gear-review-montane-marathon-jacket).
Over this past winter I’ve found that I’m wearing it more and more, so I though it was about time to get another (so that I’m not having to frantically try and dry it out before my next run).

Although I love it, I wanted to look around at what other options were available. Being a bit Inov-8 fan, I was interested in their Race Elite 70 Windshell Smock. The price seemed reasonable, so I just plumped for that.
I’ve had it a few months now and to be honest am not that impressed.

• It is a smock rather than a jacket, which I just find to be a bit of a pain, especially at the end of a long run, having to faff around with pulling it over my head. Personal preference really (I should have thought more about whether I wanted a smock or not)
• The fabric is very thin – much thinner than the Montane Marathon Jacket. I found that it didn’t stop any wind, instead it flapped around in the wind, pressed against my body and provided virtually no barrier.
• All the flapping around makes it quite noticeable while running in it.
• It has a weird zipped pocket on the left hand side chest that is pretty much impossible to put anything in without it bouncing around all over the place (because the fabric is so thin there is no ‘structure’ to the smock, so everything flaps)

Like the Montane it is not waterproof, but I expected that, but as I said I also wouldn’t consider it windproof at all. Also like the Montane it ends up wet (inside, with sweat) after a longer or harder run, which I expected as well.
On the positive side:

• Packs down very small – probably smaller than the Montane.
• Very lightweight

Overall, I’m disappointed with the Race Elite 70 Smock and wish I had just bought another Montane – but I think many of my gripes are personal preference – your mileage may vary…
It cost me around £35, but can be found for £32 to £60 depending on size.

Here’s the cheapest I’ve found : Inov8 Race Elite 70 Windshell Running Smock – AW14