Why We Chose The On Running Zero Jacket: Extremely lightweight, packable, breathable.

Fully windproof, water resistant, built with ripstop and coming in at a weight of 61 grams. Yes, you head that right – 61 grams. This is the all-new Zero Jacket from Swiss-based On Running and it’s a mighty impressive bit of kit.

Materials and Construction

Picking the jacket up, you could easily mistake it for one of those flimsy blue plastic bags that you usually get from your local off-licence. But this isn’t made from a wafer thin sheet of plastic, it is, however, made up from 100% recycled polyamide that’s been beefed up with ‘Mini-ripstop’.

This material promises to be a protective fabric that’s able to shrug off light abrasions and ward off the elements, making it the ideal bit of kit for trail running assaults, bikepacking, or extremely weight-conscious fast packers.

The best thing about this fabric is that it comes in at a phenomenally low weight of just 29 grams per square metre, bringing the whole jacket down to that barely believable 61 gram figure. You can really get a sense of this low weight when you throw the jacket on, especially when combined with the athletic fit that’s been designed to move around you.

Features

Fit and fabric aside, the Zero Jacket comes packed with some handy features to help to keep you moving fast, no matter your chosen activity. First up is the neat ventilated underarms that provide a large area to dump any unwanted moisture (just be aware that these ventilated panels are always exposed to the wind so can feel quite draughty when stopping for long periods) and the small chest pocket (where the jacket can be stowed). 

The whole jacket is sporting an anorak design, with a three-quarter length zip cutting down the front to further help to keep the weight down. This zipped access opens up more than enough space to allow the jacket to be thrown on with your trail cap still on without too much thrashing around, while the athletic fit is true to size (not that this jacket is designed to be thrown on over too many layers).

The jacket comes in either ‘White / Meadow’ or ‘Twilight’ colourways, with White / Meadow having a bit of a see-through appearance to it, while the Twilight colour is opaque with a glossy finish (making it easy to be slipped on underneath layers. We shot and tested the Twilight fabric.