Scott's Trail Vertic clothing line-up is prime for summer riding with a host of features that keep you cool and your movement free. However, the jersey comes in questionable sizing, and it's spendier than some competitors' well-performing kit.
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Scott Trail Vertic S/SL jersey - £60
Starting off with the jersey. It's made with a mesh back for extra cooling with a more usual built front. On the jersey, you'll find a hidden pocket at the side, and a glasses wipe behind the bottom hem.
As for fit, it's definitely better on the bike than it is off. I found it fairly tight around the chest and, most notably, around the shoulder/armpit areas when stood. On the bike, the tightness became far less noticeable, hinting towards a bike-specific cut.
Thanks to the mesh panel at the back, it's an impressively cool jersey. It allows for a greater level of airflow while the front provides a bit more protection against the wind as you get up to speed. It also lessens the dreaded sweaty back you'll get when carrying larger backpacks.
Aside from the tighter fit, there's very little to complain about. The hidden pocket is ideal for carrying a multi-tool, snacks, or any other gubbins you can think of, and the glasses wipe is always a welcome feature.
Scott Trail Vertic Men's shorts - £90
Instead of going for a conventional zip and popper affair that's found on a vast number of shorts, Scott has opted for a literal hook and loop setup. On the left-hand side, there's a hook, and on the right, a set of loops to hook into.
It's definitely weird, but there's a clear upside to this; the shorts don't require elastic and Velcro to adjust the waist, as it's all in which loop you choose to hook into. Then the whole waistband is elasticated, so the combination of the two results in a stretchy, adjustable and comfortable waistband.
The waistband is also really quick to fasten because you've only got one thing to mess with. Though, a downside is that if you're on the smaller end of the size range and have to use one of the tighter loops, you'll be left with some bunching up at the front of the short. I did have a bit of this, but a quick bit of post-fastening adjustment sorted it right out.
Similar to the 100% R-Core X Pants, the fly area is covered over, and on the 100% bottoms, it posed a bit of an issue when nature called. However, because the material is much more stretchy, it wasn't a problem on the Trail Vertic short.
The Trail Vertic short uses a DUROxpand 4-way stretch woven fabric with a DRYOzone PFC free DWR coating that's proven to be super comfortable with plenty of stretch. Then the handy inclusion of a DWR coating keeps spray at bay. Then finishing off the short is a pair of zipped pockets at either side.
The fit of the Trail Vertic short is spot on. I'm a 32" waist, and the medium fits excellently. The shorts are long enough to cover the knee, and thanks to that stretchy and well-designed waistband, there are no tight spots around the waist.
However, the Scott Trail Vertic line-up is fairly pricey against other brands. The Endura Singletrack short sleeve jersey is £35, compared to the Trail Vertic S/SL jersey's £60. Though the Singletrack jersey doesn't get a mesh back, a hidden pocket or a glasses wipe, and the fit is baggier. At the other end of the spectrum is Rapha's new Performance Trailwear, where the ¾ jersey will set you back £75 while lacking all of the cool features of the Scott Trail Vertic Jersey.
Then, the Scott Trail Vertic Shorts will put a £90 hole in your wallet, compared to the Singletrack Lite shorts, which are £20 cheaper while still very cooling and comfortable.
If you're looking for solid summer apparel, it's tough to be disappointed with Scott's Trail Vertic range. Although the jersey has an interesting fit that's worth trying before you buy, the tech features keep it cool, comfortable, and practical. The shorts, there's nothing wrong with them. They're comfortable, fit well, and are plenty long enough to fit over pads, but both items come up a bit pricey.