Pearl Izumi P.R.O Fly Evo Pullover

It stops ALL wind, all snow, keeps out a surprising amount of the cold, breathes exceedingly well, sheds light rain, and, if it gets wetted out in a heavier rain, it drys quickly. It has more reflective trim than anything I have ever seen. It is durable.

Great for biking or running in cool to cold weather, especially in cities where lighting is not good at night. Highly recommended.

This really is almost the miracle outer layer for bikers (and I hear that runners like it too). It is so thin, it is right to label it a “shirt.” Yet, it functions as a jacket. I have owned it now for three years, and I wear it every winter, through most of November, and all of December, January, and February, and most of March, every weekday as I bike 5 kilometers to work and back, in all kinds of cold weather.

It has amazing, cold knock-down power. I wear under it a high-tech T-shirt; a lightweight (or sometimes mid-weight) base layer; and a high-tech, thin Wickers turtleneck shirt. This combination of four layers, with the P.R.O. Fly Evo outside, will take me down to -20° C. I don't get cold, and I don't sweat.

I could not wear this combination and walk home, as I would freeze. But riding, I generate just enough heat, that I am just enough fine. I live in Asia, and people come up to me all the time and pinch my upper body to see if this clothing system is really as thin as it looks. Then they ask, “Aren't you cold?” “I'm warm,” is my reply.

The PRO Fly is quite stretchy, and it really hugs the body. I have a 40" chest, and the medium is definitely tight on me with those three layers underneath, but it works. The sleeves are plenty long. Inside they have an unusual feature, which are two flaps, on opposite sides of the sleeve, which can sometimes hinder for a moment your hand from getting all the way through, but you can keep your hand inside these flaps if you did not bring gloves that day but it got cold on you: the sleeves are that long.

It stops ALL wind, all snow, keeps out a surprising amount of the cold, breathes exceedingly well, packs down small, sheds light rain, and, if it gets wetted out in a heavier rain, it drys quickly. Hmm… That's everything, right?

But, in addition to that, it has THE best reflective trim scheme I have ever seen on any jacket. There are reflective strips all over the shirt, and they light up strongly from the headlights of a car approaching at any angle. This I really value as I ride in a city with narrow, crowded, poorly lit streets, with drivers who do not respect bikers and who don't obey traffic rules, at night. The shirt has probably prevented me unawares from getting hit a time or two.

The shirt has held up pretty well too over the past three years too. I am wearing it about 85 days a year. There is a little pilling of the fabric on the shoulders where my backpack straps have rubbed it, but not bad. So it is well made.

There are a couple reasons I did not give it five stars, although emotionally, I really want to.

1. The reflective strips do not seem to stretch like the rest of the material. This causes them to slowly crack or delaminate. I have used SeamGrip to seal them down in a few places. That has worked.

2. Because it is tight fitting due to its powerful stretch, it is tough to put on and take off. I have found that the Wickers turtleneck Comfortrel tops because they are thin and very smooth, almost slick, are great right underneath the PRO Fly, making it easier to get it on and off.

Let's call the PRO Fly a soft shell shirt, instead of a jacket.  If Pearl Izumi could get the reflective strips to stretch with the rest of the material so they would not delam, and if they put a full zip on the front of this, instead of it being a pullover, like Jesus, they would be the worker of a miracle.