Brooks Canopy - Women's Review

The Brooks Canopy is a decent jacket at an approachable price point. It's heavier than other options in our lineup, and the weather protection and breathability aren't the best we've experienced, but it's comfortable and well-featured. It is comprised of DriLayer Seal 100% ripstop polyester and weighs in at an impressively low 4.1 ounces.

Performance Comparison

The Brooks Canopy is a great choice for moderate-weather runs.

Photo: Ally Meller

Breathability

Because running is a high-output activity, no matter how fast you're going, being able to breathe and release some heat is crucial. The Brooks Canopy is by no means stifling, but it's definitely less breathable than other jackets we tested. This means that the built-up heat isn't as easily released. It's made with ripstop polyester, and without any vents in the armpits or back, we felt pretty toasty when the temperatures started to climb. In addition to its front zippered closure, there are also snaps to help hold the panels together. We found the snaps to be great for days when we needed some extra ventilation. This is the only discernable breathability feature that Brooks built into this jacket. Now, there are definitely less breathable jackets than this one, so if you're looking for a layer for brisk morning runs, this could be a good fit in the right conditions.

The snap closures are cool and reinforcing, but they don't make a ton of sense.

Photo: Ally Meller

Weather Resistance

Weather can come in a wide range of types. For this review, we looked at wind, rain, and temperature to help guide our judgments. We found the Brooks Canopy to have average weather resistance in some ways and poor protection in others. It shields from wind decently, but it isn't quite as bombproof as other jackets we tested. The Canopy is one of the least water-resistant jackets we tested. Even a light mist easily saturates it. It is one of the heavier materials we tried, though, so it does provide a bit of warmth on cool days. It's difficult for any material to both let air flow and keep the weather out, which is why many jackets we tested have vents or panels in strategic locations. Still, sadly, the Canopy does not employ this tactic. The hood doesn't cinch down or have a brim for protection, further limiting the situations in which the Canopy could be successfully employed.

The Canopy isn't quite thick enough to protect from the rain of Seattle, but it isn't light enough to wear on super hot days either.

Photo: Ally Meller

Comfort and Mobility

The Brooks Canopy scores in the middle of the pack for the comfort and mobility metric. Its polyester material is pretty soft and has none of the trash-bag feeling of some other wind layers in this review. We like how it feels on the skin, but only if the conditions outside are dry, calm, and moderate. The fit is a bit looser than some other products we tested, but the torso portion is shorter than expected. This strange combination of width and length ultimately didn't do much for our short torsoed tester. The mid-drift exposure of the Canopy absolutely dropped its standings in our eyes. As with most products we test, if you have a chance to try it on before you commit, it's not a bad idea.

We do not love exposing our bellies on cold days. The Canopy just isn't long enough, even on runners with admittedly short torsos.

Photo: Ally Meller

The sleeves on the Brooks Canopy have been majorly improved upon. Gone is the past version, ruched sleeves and all. This new version is equipped with elastic wristbands that stay in place when you push them up to your elbows. We love being able to push up the sleeves of our layers once we start to warm up, and the slight elasticity of the sleeves makes this a great option in the Canopy. Comfort-wise, we didn't find the hood to be effective because it catches the wind pretty easily and doesn't stay in place, but we really like that it can be rolled up and stowed away.

The hood acts like a parachute and catches the wind while running with it up. Because of this, we never had great luck keeping the hood up while we ran.

Photo: Ally Meller

Portability

Conditions change, and that's why we need a jacket that's portable enough to pack up if we don't need it anymore. The Brooks Canopy is one of the lighter jackets in this review; it weighs in at 4.1 ounces for a size small. A mesh pocket lives in the back of this jacket, and when it's all folded up, there are two small shoulder straps. We think this is really neat and a major improvement over the previous version or having to tie your jacket around your waist. It definitely isn't the most useful engineering, but we love having an out-of-the-way option for quick stow-age while on the move.

All packed up and ready to roll with the Canopy in backpack form.

Photo: Ally Meller

Features

The details make each jacket unique, and the Brooks Canopy has quite a few of them. One thing that we like about this jacket is the pockets. With two exterior hand pockets, there's plenty of room for whatever you might need — though we don't really love the feeling of running with stuff in our pockets. There is even a small pill pocket on the inside right pocket. This is your best bet for the safe storage of valuables while running. These pockets are useful and functional in a pinch but definitely not super comfortable when loaded full of goodies. The hood, as mentioned above, rolls away, which makes this piece more versatile. This is one of our favorite Canopy features.

The hood can be secured against the neck panel so it doesn't cause any drag while you're racing your trail buddies.

Photo: Ally Meller

Our true favorite Brooks Canopy feature is the fact that it offers sun protection. The UPF 30 rating of the fabric makes it great for high-altitude runs. Its slightly heavier countenance coupled with its sun protection is perfect for chilly days under the harmful rays. Another update Brooks made is with the Canopy's reflectivity. Prior models were adorned with reflective stripes, but this iteration has general reflectivity woven throughout the entire jacket.

The reflective material of the updated Canopy offers added visibility.

Photo: Ally Meller

Value

The Brooks Canopy, while not the single least expensive jacket in this review, is one of the more affordable options. The average isn't much higher, but the most expensive ones are more than twice as much. Even though this isn't our favorite running jacket this time around, it is affordable with a few key features.

Lightweight and visible in the Brooks Canopy.

Photo: Ally Meller

Conclusion

The Brooks Canopy is a comfortable and relatively lightweight jacket full of helpful features and easily packable into its own little backpack. While this isn't our pick for warm days, wet days, or race days where weight is everything, it is a nice jacket for cool morning runs. Because of its affordable price, we think the Canopy will help a lot of runners run happy.

This jacket may not be out favorite, but it offers plenty of techy features so we recommend trying it out if it's calling to you.

Photo: Ally Meller