Endura’s flagship, the MT500 waterproof jacket got a revamp late last year becoming a much lighter offering but still claims to hold off the worst of the weather.
Pete was a big fan of the previous MT500 waterproof jacket, so how has its descendant held up against a Scottish winter?
Photos by Pete Scullion.
Key features:
- Breathable ExoShell30™DR waterproof fabric
- Improved DWR coating
- Helmet compatible hood with volume adjusters and simple stowage poppers
- Two main hand pockets, external and internal chest pockets and a large internal mesh stash pocket
- Multiple venting solutions with underarm vents and a new 3-way popper system
- Water repellent zips with storm flaps
- 90 Day satisfaction Guarantee
- XS-3XL
- £269.99 RRP
- EnduraSport.com
Launched as part of the AW24 collection, the Endura MT500 waterproof jacket is a very different beast to the jacket it replaced. The ExoShell40™DR fabric is replaced with a ExoShell30™DR with an improved DWR coating, construction is no longer 3-layer, leading to a much lighter jacket.
There’s more going on with the material than just a single layer in the place of the previous triple layer though. Endura claim the ExoShell30™DR offers 30,000mm for waterproofing and 20,000g/m²/24hr for breathability. This is 50% more waterproof than the ExoShell40™DR of the older jacket, but at the expense of half the breathability. Regardless of the balance, it’s still one of the highest performing fabrics used by Endura for their waterproof jackets.
A large hood with adjuster and poppers is exactly what should be on a jacket like this, and the poppers on the main zip also stop the jacket from flapping about in the breeze, adding to the jacket’s underarm vents to allow you to fine tune the amount of wind your body gets. Hand pockets, internal and external zip pockets and a mesh pocket mean the carrying capacity is high. One thing we wished had caried over was the wind cuffs inside the sleeves. They were a treat.
Despite feeling like a jacket for drier days in the saddle, don’t be fooled, the waterproofing on this jacket is substantial and is more versatile as either thrown over a long sleeve or on top of several layers without ever losing any flexibility whilst on the trail. It’s certainly no lightweight, packable offering either.
I quickly forgot the lined cuffs had gone, and the MT500 rapidly became the go-to jacket for most winter outings. Whilst the front zip is now two-way, Endura’s zips remain some of the trickier ones to do up smoothly without catching on the seams. The internal pockets are no longer lined, so wet things can enter without wetting out anything underneath. The phone pockets also grow to accept larger mobiles too.
Overall, the new MT500 jacket is far simpler. The wrist pocket goes, and there’s generally a better layout of the features that leads to less stitching and seams which will no doubt improve longevity. Despite modern DWR coatings not being as resilient to use and washes, the initial coating held up well and hasn’t needed to be reproofed.
What do we think?
Whilst it may be a different enough jacket to welcome a new name, the Endura MT500 waterproof jacket remains the standard that all others are judged against. The new version of Endura’s flagship waterproof is arguably the best yet.
We love:
- Keeps the weather out
- Lightweight
- More durable than the predecessor
Could do better:
- Womens’ colourways are better
