Price: £210 / $249.99 / €199.95
Sizes: XS-3XL
Weight: 136 grams - Size S
Colours: Six
Pockets: Two
One of the wide range of gilets, or vests that I have been testing over the past year is the Castelli Unlimited Puffy Vest. A lightweight gilet from Castelli that uses the currently popular Polartec Alpha insulation to boost warmth.
Castelli pitches the Unlimited Puffy, which is also available in a jacket version, as a piece that's designed for a wide range of riding from regular road rides to off-road adventuring, gravel, bike packing etc.
It's a stylish piece from Castelli but it does carry a heavy price tag at £210 / $249.99 / €199.95 RRP, you can pick it up cheaper online or in certain versions in the Castelli outlet, but it's in part due to some of the tech it features, which I get into below.
I've been riding in the gilet for some time now, I've travelled with it and tested it riding in a couple of different countries, in the dry and wet and on and off-road as well as at different riding intensities.
The Unlimited Puffy also features in our best cycling gilets buyers guide.
Design and aesthetics
The Unlimited Puffy is available in six different colours, my bright red version looks to have been updated to a slightly darker 'Bordeaux' colourway but there is also a bright yellow option as well as some darker earthier tones to choose from.
Castelli lists a temperature range of 12C - 19C / 54F - 66F for the vest, but I've worn it in lower temperatures than this, it's going to depend on what you're wearing with it, and how hard you are riding.
Features-wise, the vest has three pockets in total, two on the rear and a roomy zippered chest pocket on the left-hand side. The two-way zip is from YKK and has a nice easy-to-grasp Castelli puller on the main zip, which you can also remove easily should you prefer to.
The Unlimited Puffy feels very light and soft. The outside is a soft and lightly rustly polyester which has a DWR coating. This forms a double layer with the inside of the gilet which features Polartec Alpha Direct insulating material. Polartec Alpha is a popular material at the moment and is used on lots of bits of kit. The material features lightweight synthetic fibres that resist moisture but offer good thermal properties whilst still being breathable. In simple terms, it will help keep you warm without overheating or becoming waterlogged from sweat.
Polartec Alpha fibres are lightweight and compressible, which means they don't prevent the gilet from packing down well. The Unlimited Puffy will easily pack down into a lightweight jersey pocket and would be a welcome friend when you pull it on again at a stop or if the weather turns. Its light weight also makes it a useful option if you are travelling or packing for a trip and want to keep bulk down.
Fit-wise, the gilet is cut really well in my opinion. It's not a super stretchy, race-cut piece, nowhere near as tight fitting or stretchy as something like the Spatz BurnR2.
Nor is it baggy, which would put me off using it on the road, it has just an ever so slightly more relaxed fit, which I think Castelli has done a great job on. I can wear it over a road jersey for a road ride and it's fine, there's perhaps a few more creases and crinkles but for training or general riding this doesn't matter. It's also loose enough that it will work well if you're wearing it with a more relaxed gravel or mtb outfit, even with baggy shorts etc.
The two pockets at the rear are also less tightly cinched in and elasticated, which whilst being very effective for pockets, on the road makes gilets sit a little awkwardly at times when you have them unzipped. The same can be said for the hem itself, it's not too tight. If you wear the gilet off the bike on a longer trip or at any kind of stop, cafe, post-ride beers, overnight stay etc, it fits really well, almost like a regular gilet or vest would and this does add to the style and feel-good factor.
Performance
The Unlimited Puffy Vest has performed well for me across the board. One of my first rides in it was in Italy at the Sram Red AXS launch in the spring. I tested the DWR coating on a wet ride under two hours in length at the end of the trip and was impressed with the DWR performance in what was quite a wet ride. I'd imagine in time and after lots of washes it would start to wear but at least out of the box, there's a good level of protection there from rain or spray.
Comfort is excellent and the gilet always feels snug and comfortable when you pull it on. Most of us have probably ended up standing around at one point or another on a ride getting cold or getting a little shivery at a cafe stop, perhaps too early in the year when you really should have known better and sat inside. Pull the gilet on for something like this and you'll think 'Ahh that's better' It's great for moments like that.
In terms of actual warmth and breathability, the Polartec Alpha is battle-proven and works very well. The little bit of extra room in the cut means you can fit the gilet over several layers and wear it in really quite cold conditions or just over a jersey in warmer weather to take the edge off without getting too sweaty. As mentioned it will comfortably fit into a jersey pocket which makes it very useful.
The double pockets are roomy, but I find them a bit loose feeling if I'm not carrying too much in them, my mini pump tends to sit horizontally and looks a little messy for example. I think I prefer the fit of a snug three-pocket setup. I ride more on the road than anything else though. On the other hand, I appreciate what the looser pockets do for the casual fit and the way the gilet sits. It's not been designed for a regular triple road picket I don't think. It's hardly a deal breaker either way but it may matter to you.
Value
I think at full price, the Unlimited Puffy might be a bit of a hard sell for a lot of riders. I can hear clubmates say, 'That's what I would spend on my winter cycling jacket'.
If at the price point, you're focusing on the best winter cycling jackets or perhaps best winter bib tights a similar outlay for a gilet may not represent the best value.
However, it is a great piece of kit and is very versatile. Perhaps if you have all the other main kit bases covered you would then go for it to add a bit more versatility and build out your kit bag.
You can find it online in various sales for a lot less money on some sites, I see the gilet online at the moment in some sales with nearly 50% off.
Verdict
I can find almost nothing to fault in the Unlimited Puffy, it's stylish, comfortable and great to wear and brings excellent versatile warmth and breathability to the table thanks to the Polartec Alpha material.
If you do lots of different types of riding at different intensities and like to carry an extra layer then you will love it. If you often ride on the road and with a little more intent, you could probably achieve the same with a more standard gilet without the insulation or any number of other kit combos.
Finally, let's not forget that it's just nice to have choices. There's a heck of a lot of great kit out there to choose from now, and this is another strong option. If you like the look of it and fancy treating yourself you won't be let down by the Unlimited Puffy.
