ThruDark Centurion Jacket Review: The New Generation, Storm-Tested by Accident

How I came to have it

Straight disclosure, as always: ThruDark gifted me this jacket when I visited their Poole HQ in October, along with a couple of other pieces I've been testing. George, their comms lead, asked me for exactly one thing in return: be honest about the pros and cons. So this review is that, written after weeks of proper use rather than a quick once-over, and it includes the flaw that cost my phone a trip to the floor. It's also, as far as I can find, the first review anywhere of the new-generation Centurion; everything else out there covers the older version.

What it is (and what changed)

The Centurion is ThruDark's Polartec soft shell, and the new generation, launched this autumn in Obsidian Black at £260, is a meaningful rework of the original rather than a colour refresh.

The recipe: Polartec Power Air across the upper body and hood, an insulation that traps warmth in little fabric pockets around your core (and sheds five times less microfibre than comparable fleeces, with 92% recycled content); Polartec Power Stretch through the lower body, side seams and underarms, which is where the freedom of movement comes from; and a Hardface finish fused across the surface, which is what turns a fleece into something that resists wind, light rain and wear. A PFC-free, PFAS-free DWR tops it off.

Against the original (now sold as the G1, discounted while stocks last), the new version is 150g lighter at 500g for a medium, and ThruDark's own line on the changes is "improved fit and body mapping across both fabrics". My own description, after living with it: Polartec fleece held in little packets behind a hard face cover. That's the whole trick. On the body it sits exactly where the brand pitches it, a soft shell for hill days, winter walks and daily wear, somewhere between a fleece and a jacket, and closer to a jacket than you'd expect.

First wear: Old Harry Rocks

Its first outing was the Old Harry Rocks and Ballard Down circular, a dual-purpose day of trail guiding and gear testing, and the first impression was simple: it feels nicely fitted. Walking across the car park in the morning rain, water beaded on the surface, the first evidence of the DWR doing its job, and a small foreshadowing of a much bigger test to come.

That day also showed me both ends of its range inside a few hours. At 18 degrees, working hard in the sun, it was too warm; that is its comfort ceiling, and the jacket spent a chunk of the walk in the pack. Then up on Ballard Down, exposed, windy and cooling down as I slowed my pace, I switched back into it and it was excellent at blocking the wind. Too warm in the sun, spot on when exposed and chilly: both ends of its range in one day.

The storm test I didn't plan

The real test came on Thursday 22 October, a memorable night twice over: Storm Austen was arriving as the first storm of the winter, and, as any AFCB fan will tell you, a memorable night for the club too, as they welcomed, and hammered, AC Milan in the Europa League. A stark contrast in weather to the much milder match the week before.

We live about a 30-minute walk from the stadium and knew it would be busy, so we walked: everyone wrapped in layers with waterproofs over the top, waterproof trainers and boots on. In all the haste to get out the door, I forgot to put my waterproof jacket on over the Centurion, and it wasn't until we were a good distance from the house that it occurred to me. It was dry at that point.

Halfway there, right in the open as we cut across the golf course, the heavens opened: persistent, properly heavy rain with the wind swirling it in every direction, and as we got to the entrance of the stadium it absolutely hammered it down for five minutes.

Under the cover of the concourse, looking out at the floodlit pitch with the wind and rain still going: the kids were dry, my wife, in her brand new Arctic parka, was for the first time in history "actually quite warm", and I, the one without a waterproof, was somehow both dry and warm. I knew the Centurion was water repellent, but I took that to mean light rain, not the persistent and quite heavy stuff we endured. It stood up to all of it, and I was amazed, to be honest. A few hot chocolates later it was like it never happened.

This is the Centurion's chest at the ground, Storm Austen sitting in beads on the Hardface:

And here is what that weather actually looked like from the stand, rain going sideways through the floodlights:

The honest end of the story: eventually, the wet did get through, and I did start to feel quite cold. Sitting in the cold for two and a half hours will do that to you though! That wasn't the jacket's fault; it was mine. A DWR soft shell is not a waterproof shell, and if you wear it into a storm, that's on you. What it bought me was the entire journey there in heavy rain, which is more than its spec sheet promises.

The jacket I actually reach for

As the weather has turned colder, more days than not I'm reaching for one of two layers: my old fave, the Phalanx fleece, or this. And honestly, the Centurion is the one I pick up more than any other.

Part of that is simply how it looks. It's a great-looking jacket; the design is perfectly, well, ThruDark, and it literally goes with whatever you're wearing, which matters for a layer that does school runs and football matches as well as hills. The fabric itself is part of that: the Power Air insulation shows through the face as a unique pattern of almost pillow-like fleece sections, which reads as texture rather than tech. It looks less angry than my Phalanx, which makes no attempt to hide what it is.

Part of it is the practicality: I've used it loads for short one-to-two-hour walks with Maple, and given the windy, wet weather we've been having lately, I tend to put my baseball cap on, the hood up, and get out. An unexpected bonus of that combination: fewer people bother me with "oh your dog is so cute, how old is she, what's her name" blah blah blah when the hood's up and the cap's on. I know she's cute. I don't need you telling me.

The hood itself is a feature I rate: it's adjustable, and it has a structured front with a wire through it that holds its shape, so it sits properly around a cap peak and doesn't collapse across your eyes in wind. There's also a drawstring at the back of the hood, something none of my other mid-layers have, which cinches it in so it doesn't blow down when you're walking into the weather: another sign this thing is built to work on its own as outerwear.

The zipped arm pockets deserve a mention too. I haven't loaded them much yet, but they're a genuinely good place for small grab-quick essentials on a longer hike, a little bag of painkillers or antihistamines, say, reachable without taking the pack off.

Their origin is military, fitting ThruDark's special forces DNA: when you're wearing a plate carrier, chest pockets are blocked, so essentials live on the arms. The civilian version of that problem is pack straps covering your front, which is exactly when these earn their keep.

Since the storm night it's done my son's football matches, plenty more dog walks and a night hike not far from home. After all of that the fabric is looking fine; it's only a few weeks old, so I'd expect it to, but there's no early bobbling on the stretch panels or scuffing on the face to report.

Fit, stretch and the thumb loops

I'm 6ft and quite slim in build, and the medium fits perfectly: ThruDark call the cut athletic, and it is, trim through the body without restricting anything, with the Power Stretch panels doing exactly what they promise when you reach, climb or wrestle a dog lead. (For reference, ThruDark's own model is 6ft 2in in a large.)

And a correction to my own first impression: on day one I thought the thumb loops had too much material between thumb and finger. Weeks in, I was wrong. They're actually really comfy, and they've earned their keep keeping sleeves in place on cold-start walks. First impressions aren't always the right ones, which is rather the point of reviewing things after weeks instead of hours.

Centurion vs Phalanx: different jobs at similar money

The comparison everyone considering ThruDark mid-layers will want.

A version note first: mine is the original Phalanx G1 High Loft; the current Phalanx G2 switched to Polartec Alpha Direct and is the one covered in our Phalanx coverage, so bear that in mind.

The Phalanx was great, my trusty companion in the cold, and through no fault of its own, it was designed exactly this way: without a shell over the top, it does let the cold through. That is not a criticism, it is a feature, and it is why it is so nice under a shell: breathable, warm for its weight, packs small.

The Centurion gives up some of that breathability and packability and gets toughness, wind resistance and rain-shedding in return, which is exactly what lets it stand alone as an outer.

So: buy the Phalanx as the dedicated engine-room layer for under a waterproof on the big days. Buy the Centurion as the one that does everything else, and plenty of the hiking too: it has already done Old Harry Rocks and a night hike on its own back, and in a country where most days are windy, spitty and changeable rather than torrential, a layer that stands alone is the one that earns the most wear. In the UK, the Centurion is the smart choice.

The honest cons

There is no inside pocket, and I found out the expensive-sounding way: on its first wear I went to drop my phone into what looked like an internal pocket, and it fell straight through and hit the floor. What looks like an inside pocket is just the inner face of the hand pockets. The arm pockets and side pockets are good, with quality YKK zips and lengthened pulls throughout, but a jacket at this level should have somewhere internal and secure for a phone, and this doesn't. It's my one genuine gripe, and it hasn't gone away with familiarity; I still reach for that phantom pocket.

The price, maybe: £260 is premium soft shell money. But I'll be honest about how much conviction that criticism carries: if George said I had to give it back or pay for it, I'd just send him the money.

Specs at a glance

ThruDark's published figures (thrudark.com, checked 1 November 2026):

Verdict

Inside pocket aside, I can't really find a bad word to say about this jacket. It's stylish, comfortable with a nice amount of stretch, it keeps the rain off (unless you're stupid enough to wear it into a storm, and even then it fought far above its weight) and the wind out, and it has quietly become the layer I reach for more than anything else I own. The 5-year warranty and lifetime repairs underline what the hand-feel already tells you about the build.

Judge it as what it is, a do-everything outer for British weather rather than a technical waterproof, and the new Centurion is one of the best everyday outdoor jackets I've worn. ThruDark asked me for the pros and cons; the honest summary is that the cons list is one pocket long.

Two loose ends to declare. First, I still haven't properly tested how the Centurion layers under a waterproof shell for a full day, whether it runs clammy, whether the loft crushes, and I'll update this review when a filthy enough day obliges.

Second: ThruDark also gave me their Bastion down jacket to test, and I haven't worn it yet, because it simply hasn't got cold enough to warrant it. I'm quietly looking forward to the weather that does. We're finalising our kit for Finland at the end of December, where it will be properly, seriously cold, and I'm confident I'm not going to freeze. As they say in Finland, there's no such thing as bad weather. And with a Centurion on under a Bastion, I'll be fine. Right? RIGHT?

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