What's new

What is new in the world of riding jackets?

Yinzer Moto

Well-known member
Joined
Jan 25, 2022
Member Number
4
Posts
2,781
Location
Pittsburgh
I have had number of riding jackets. Klim was nice but the GoreTex waterproofing only lasted about a year. I am rocking an Olympia jacket now. It is not waterproof and offers much better ventilation. It is oddly heavy. I need to put a lightweight rain jacket over top for waterproofing. What is out there that is new and interesting?
 
You might be looking for the same thing I am. I asked Mosko Moto about something like this over on the old site. They either didn't get it, or just plain not interested. I always go back to my old standby Spidi jacket certified to the old CE level 2 standard.

I know this isn't what you want to do, but hear me out. There is a serious hole in the market for a real dual sport jacket. Something lightweight, highly abrasion resistant for the road, solid, non-waterproof textile with vents. And, yes, armor pockets. Lots of us don't want to deal with the hassle of separate armor in a jacket. Pants are a no-brainer since you likely only take off/put on once a day, but a jacket? You don't have to provide the armor. Keep the price down by letting us deal with that.
This would be a perfect combo with the new Rak, with the same no bullshit, "too simple to fail" design. A non-sexy fabric like uncoated 1000d Cordura (get a sample from Motoport. It feels like pajamas), with an extra layer on elbows/shoulders. 2 pockets. 2 pit vents, 2 vertical back vents and cuffs large enough to scoop air. Minimal seams to blow out.
No one makes this jacket. Klim dakar is close, but abrasion resistance is lacking. I'm wearing a Klim Enduro S4 now. It's a great jacket. Amazing really, but it's heavy, overly complicated, tons of seams and mesh just isn't best for my New England climate, but I wanted the road protection. This unicorn jacket is an instant buy for many of us.

Thanks
 
Last edited:
I agree that a simplified Baja could be a winner. MM is getting into the armor business, so a smart move would be to add armor pockets to some/all jackets as long as the additional cost is minimal, and offer standard CE1 & CE2 insert bundles. That'd give customers the option of wearing an armor shirt or jacket armor, without duplicating some of the cost. For DS use, I can see wearing an unarmored jacket over trail armor for long road sections, and changing over to a jersey on the trail. The jacket you described should pack down small enough to shove in a backpack or strap to a tail rack. Klim left another gap for MM to exploit with the omission of chest armor, which I've seen MM prototyping in their blog.

ukAdventurer's abrasion testing has shown that a lot of wonder fabrics offer inferior protection to good leather. The jacket you described could be made with leather on high abrasion zones and it'd probably cost less that whatever Schoeller is selling. By keeping weather resistance out of the design, a lot of expense could be saved.
Yep. It'd be simple, versatile, protective, inexpensive. Bring your own waterproofing. Maybe, there isn't enough money in something like this. Motoport and Aerostich are really the only manufacturers not trying to sell you the latest and greatest every couple years. Most of these guys rarely, if ever, truly come out with something better, it's just re-designed. change some colors, add another 9 pockets, use lighter weight materials, more/fewer vents in a different location. Rev'it, Klim, Mosko, Spidi, Stadler, Rukka, Olympia... They're all playing the same game.
 
Mosko will likely come out with something as innovative as it is complicated and over-engineered (insert smiley that isn't currently working on my end here:)
 
My old Klim Badlands jacket is biting the dust. Mesh pockets are starting to rip, water is leaking through - it's seen a lot of hard use over the last four years or so. I figured I'd just replace it with the same eventually, but after enough days mucking through sand, I'm starting to rethink things. I loved the Badlands because it was a pretty good all-in-one jacket, but I think it's time to go slightly modular.

I will never use an inner liner because I'm too lazy. I know myself, and I would just power through the cold or wait for one more bridge to see if the rain clears up before unpacking and undressing.

But I think shells are the way to go. I'm eyeing the ZoomerP combo Baja/Enduro now. What do you ride it down to? And does the Carlsbad get toasty?

Anyone paired a light jacket with a good REI-style shell?
 
My old Klim Badlands jacket is biting the dust. Mesh pockets are starting to rip, water is leaking through - it's seen a lot of hard use over the last four years or so. I figured I'd just replace it with the same eventually, but after enough days mucking through sand, I'm starting to rethink things. I loved the Badlands because it was a pretty good all-in-one jacket, but I think it's time to go slightly modular.

I will never use an inner liner because I'm too lazy. I know myself, and I would just power through the cold or wait for one more bridge to see if the rain clears up before unpacking and undressing.

But I think shells are the way to go. I'm eyeing the ZoomerP combo Baja/Enduro now. What do you ride it down to? And does the Carlsbad get toasty?

Anyone paired a light jacket with a good REI-style shell?
Tekvest, Leatt X-Flow with a Columbia Glennaker Lake jacket here. Definitely a summer off-road kit for me but I didn't want to spend big bucks on a waterproof jacket to get it tore up in the woods.
 
I wish Klim didn't price the Enduro so high.

I completely missed the Dakar/Stow Away combo too which is tucked away in the off-road section and not listed under Motorcycle. The Dakar is half the price of the Baja, which is nuts...besides being straight mesh, I have no idea what would warrant that difference in price. Is the Dakar discontinued?

The Stow Away is the same price as the Enduro S4 but uses Gore-Tex (which I think is a plus...never heard of the Schoeller waterproof material on the Enduro), and doesn't have their neon logo plastered on the front, which I'm also not a fan of. But again, not sure what the other differences are. Oh, and there is actually the Stow Away and the Stow Away Pro. Not clear on what exactly the differences are there too.

Klim's product line up is a bit confusing/overlapping.
 
The Baja flows more air than the Dakar.
The Baja comes with D3O CE1 inserts; the Dakar has empty pockets.
The Baja is CE AA Certified to EN 17092-3; no rating on the Dakar.
The Dakar's sleeves zip off; why, I have no idea.

Missed the AA rating! I'm sure that makes a big difference in price. And after some slow going days here, I would 100% remove the sleeves during those stretches where I'm more worried about tipping over than skidding out.

I asked Klim and they say the difference between the regular Stow Away and the Pro is the Gore-Tex...2 layer for the regular and 3 layer Gore-Tex Pro for the Pro.
 
If you are looking for a wind proof, water proof shell this one does the trick. Highly packable and a reasonable price for gortex. It fits well over my armor and jersey
 
Looks like we're in that weird part of the year where everyone has cleared out last year's line but still hasn't received the new stuff yet.
 
Back
Top Bottom