Test: There is no such thing as bad weather, only bad clothing. Something like this is an unwritten rule for cyclists, joggers, and athletes in general who practice their passion in the open air. But in practice it is often not that easy to find 'not bad' clothing. The Endura 4-in-1 Luminite jacket should therefore cover as large an area as possible with a universal concept and be individually adaptable. Does the concept work?
Let's first come to the concept of the Endura Luminite 4 in 1. Available in neon green and red, the jacket is primarily aimed at commuters who use their bike as a car replacement, five days a week, regardless of the outside conditions. As the name already suggests, the bright green exterior hides a real wealth of functions. Endura promises 'more functions than a Swiss army knife' on the website. Basically, the Luminite is two jackets that can be zipped together into one.
Endura Luminite 4 in 1: outer jacket
The outer jacket is a classic hardshell rain jacket. The neon green color in our case, in combination with numerous large and intelligently placed reflectors, ensures good visibility in wind, weather and darkness. A special feature is the LED light on the back, which gives the jacket its name. The red LED can be switched on from the outside at the push of a button, either permanently or in two different flashing modes. The lamp is sufficiently bright and clearly visible, but in no way replaces a proper rear light on the bike - as an additional light, it ensures significantly improved visibility in the dark.
The lamp itself is accessible from the inside of the jacket and can be removed from here – before washing, for example. The CR2032 button cell powers the LED for many hours. In continuous operation, a button cell lasted 14 hours with us, with the flashing modes we even achieved between 30 and 40 hours with one battery. But if this is empty, the change is quick and uncomplicated with just a few simple steps.
The jacket itself is very well made. All seams are taped from the inside, the zipper also makes a high-quality impression and works without snagging. Under the arms we find generously sized ventilation openings that can be opened and closed with a zipper. In addition, the Luminite outer jacket has two side pockets and one breast pocket. On the latter, we also discover a cable passage for headphones - even if we are not fans of music on the bike ourselves.
The cut is probably best described as sporty and comfortable. Long sleeves and an extended rear clearly show that the Endura jacket is designed for use on the bike, but it is clearly too wide for real sporty use and starts to flap at lower speeds. However, the cut is perfect for commuters who also have to or want to wear 'normal' clothes under the jacket. The width of the collar and hem can also be individually adjusted using elastic bands.
Endura Luminite 4 in 1: inner jacket
The inner jacket of the Endura Luminite 4 in 1 combination is a reversible fleece jacket, which looks confusingly similar to the rain jacket on the outside. It comes in the same aggressive neon green color and the fleece jacket also has large reflectors on all sides. So nothing stands in the way of using the inner jacket without its outer 'protective cover': Very nice, Endura thought of it. You have to make a few compromises when it comes to the pockets: the inner jacket only has one side pocket and one inner pocket. However, this should easily suffice for everyday use.
A special feature of the inner jacket is the option to turn it inside out: The plain black fleece material is on the outside and the bright green disappears on the inside. However, we found the wearing comfort could be improved: This is mainly due to the smooth outer material, which feels a bit uncomfortable on the inside or directly on the skin when used as a reversible jacket and also quickly sticks to the skin when you sweat a little. As a casual jacket after the exit, when you don't necessarily want to go shopping in neon green, the reversible function makes sense. Nice detail: the inner pocket of the windbreaker is now a breast pocket.
Endura Luminite 4 in 1: Two become four
So you get four functions with two jackets: rain jacket, fleece windbreaker, casual fleece jacket and waterproof winter jacket. We mostly used the jacket as a real winter jacket during the winter, i.e. both jackets together as a warm and waterproof companion through the dark season. In this form, the Endura Luminite cut a very good figure: the outer jacket reliably kept out heavy rain and we didn’t get cold even when the temperature was well below freezing – on the contrary: the moisture regulation and breathability of the jacket is a bit problematic. Unfortunately, the ventilation openings under the armpits only make sense to a limited extent, as the inner jacket lies in between and does not offer such ventilation options. We rarely got uncomfortably warm or sweaty in the jacket, but of course that was also due to the fact that we didn't use it for particularly sporting activities - the jacket in this form would probably simply be too warm for that.
The two jackets on their own serve their purpose very well: Only the rather wide cut of the outer jacket bothered us from time to time - this is probably the price for the multifunctionality of the jacket, after all it has to offer enough space for the inner jacket. The wind jacket surprised us positively: In dry conditions, it reliably protected us from wind and cold and was very comfortable to wear overall. On the other hand, as mentioned, we were not particularly convinced of the reversible jacket, at least not as a dedicated cycling jacket. The thin material that is then on the inside sticks uncomfortably to the skin, especially when it gets a little warmer.
Conclusion: Swiss Army Knife?
So is the Endura Luminite 4 in 1 worth recommending? Absolutely! However, you have to keep the area of application in mind: If you are looking for a sporty jacket for winter training, you should probably look around for alternatives. On the other hand, if you are looking for a warm and versatile jacket for your commute by bike, then the Endura is the right choice. Thanks to the eye-catching color, the many reflectors and the LED light, it offers numerous useful safety features and also cuts a good figure as a jacket, even if there are a few small points of criticism here and there.
Priced at just under €175, the jacket is also extremely affordable, especially when you consider that you get two jackets, both of which look really good on their own.
Leave a Comment