Chrome STRM Salute Commute Jacket in the test: Chrome Industries from Portland (Oregon) is anything but a classic manufacturer of outdoor products. The brand has the urban jungle in its sights and creates functional products without losing the necessary urban lifestyle.
Data on the Chrome STRM Salute Commute Jacket
| Fitting | Locker |
| robustness | 95%. |
| Raincover | 95%. |
| Wind deflector | 95%. |
| breathability | 82%. |
| reflectors | Ja |
| Sustainability | None |
| Price | 200€ |
First impression
A chic and high-quality rain jacket that you can definitely wear in everyday life, that's the Chrome STRM Salute jacket. It's almost too good to just cycle to work or expose it to the rough outdoors on trails. The jacket is definitely robust enough to withstand unwanted contact with rocks and branches. The material chosen is also soft, very comfortable to wear and leaves a high-quality visual impression. The inside of the precisely crafted jacket has a rubber coating. All seams are glued with the exception of the ventilation opening, which extends across the upper back area. The STRM Salute Commute jacket offers adjustable drawstrings on the hem and collar. The cuffs, on the other hand, have elastic rubber cuffs. Chrome Industries has not skimped on pockets, so in addition to the two side pockets and the inner breast pocket, the jacket has a large back pocket. The latter is the absolute highlight of the jacket, as its packing volume makes a hip belt, for example, superfluous.
With a height of 1,83m and a chest circumference of 97cm, the jacket in size medium fits perfectly. During the test ride, a light insulating jacket could be worn underneath.
Chrome STRM Salute Commute Jacket in practical test
Even though the jacket is more intended for commuters, we subjected it to an XC test tour with a decent amount of elevation gain to get our pulses racing. In temperatures around freezing, the jacket is the ideal choice in combination with a thin fleece and a base layer. As already mentioned, we can do without a hip bag because everything has its place in the jacket. The back pocket can easily hold a CO2 cartridge with attachment, multi-tool, tubeless patch set, a thin hat and 2 bars. The smartphone finds a comfortable, warm place in the breast pocket, which saves battery life in cold temperatures. As far as the fit goes, the jacket is fine, the back could be a bit longer. But it is not constricting and reliably protects against the wind. The extended collar, which has a soft fleece on the chin, is very comfortable.
If it gets intense, you'll quickly start to sweat under the jacket. The 2-way zipper, which allows you to open the jacket from below, provides a quick solution. Unfortunately, there is no option to fix the hem. Personally, I also have to note that the ventilation opening at shoulder blade level leads to cooler shoulders, which can lead to muscle tension in this area. In terms of waterproofness, the Chrome STRM Salute jacket was absolutely waterproof and thus passed our shower test without any criticism. Finally, a few words about using it as a commuter jacket: we can only recommend the jacket to a limited extent for this, because even though the jacket has reflective elements on the back and arms, it is completely black, which compromises visibility in traffic. This criterion also influences our overall rating.
