Spidi (www.spidi.com) is an Italian company known for their excellent attention to detail when it comes to riding gear. Perhaps better identified through their high performance racing suits, Spidi actually offers a huge variety of jackets and is only now expanding distribution into the US. So, despite the hokey company name, I decided to give their Netwin jacket a try. Designed as an all-weather touring jacket, it promises to be everything that one would possibly want in a jacket. For $500, I see myself wanting a lot (heck, I could even buy two jackets for that price), so let’s see if it delivers.
Outer
The first thing I noticed about this jacket was the very snug fit. While ordering the Netwin, I was advised to order one size up. I’m between a REV’IT! Medium and an Alpinestars Large, so I opted for the Large size. Turns out that this just barely fits me. The arms and torso are narrow, but length-wise both were perfect. I’d say that if you are not slim or don’t have a V-shaped upper body, the Netwin will feel somewhat constricting and may even be unwearable. I could fit into the jacket, but I didn’t have much room for adjustment. I tend to like wearing my clothes on the snugger side, but with the Netwin in Large, I get the sense that gaining even a few lbs. would require that I switch to another jacket.
The outer shell features mix of different panels: Cordura, mesh, and Flex Tenax stretch material. I couldn’t find the type of Cordura being used, but I would assume it’s between 500-600 D. The mesh features a dense weave and covers a significant part of the outer shell. There is mesh on the front torso, sides, back torso, front upper arms, and rear forearms. There are also small strips of stretch material around the shoulders for comfort. Overall, I’d say that the jacket is 49% Cordura, 45% mesh, and 6% stretch material. Mesh always makes me concerned about a jacket’s resistance to tears and abrasion, but from what I can tell, it looks tough and strong enough to provide adequate protection. Apparently some of the material is Teflon-treated, although I’m not sure if that just enhances water-repelling or if it just keeps the jacket cleaner.
Despite all the types of materials used in this jacket, I feel the Netwin does an adequate job of not looking too busy. Branding is non-flashy and really only limited to two spots. The jacket features a red Spidi badge on the upper left chest, and “Spidi” stitched in red on the upper back. Snap covers have “Spidi” pressed on the tops, but is not noticeable at all. Aside from some ribbed stitching on the lower back, most panels are cleanly stitched only for functionality. I think that all the panels on the jacket work to present the appearance of being well-crafted and intelligently-designed. The Netwin isn’t going to win any fashion contests, but it does make you look like a serious rider.
The Netwin in black features good reflectivity. There are thin reflective panels going down the front of the chest and two small bands around the upper arm. These are brighter than the regular reflective piping found in most jackets. The rear of the jacket features the same thin panels, but supplements this with 2 thicker 1-inch wide panels along the back of the shoulder blade and 2 panels near the waist. These will significantly improve rear reflectivity. I’m pleased with the visibility of the jacket relative to how much reflective material is used. It’s somewhat understated, but effective.
Ventilation on this jacket is going to come almost entirely via the mesh panels. Due to the sheer amount of mesh, the Netwin is a good candidate for warm weather riding. Even though it isn’t summer here in Seattle yet, I’d venture to guess that it will push enough air to be comfortable into the 80-90 degree Fahrenheit range. The mesh panels are all placed strategically to maximize ventilation, and thus comfort, for the wearer. There is good ventilation for the chest, arms, and venting out the back. It is also possible to open up the zipper on the cuffs to let additional air in by the forearm.
The adjustment options are quite good. There are snaps to tighten the upper arm, with 3 different positions. The waist adjusters are also secured by snaps and feature 4 positions. I must say that I do like snap adjusters over Velcro. There are also two zippers at the base of the jacket that open and flare out the waist by about 4.5 inches each. The sleeve cuffs feature two different snaps, although I found the widest one sufficiently tight enough. The collar features a 5-position adjustable snap to ensure a custom fit.
Due to all the open mesh on the outer chassis of the jacket, there is little room for storage. There are two waterproof pockets on the lower-front of the jacket. These feature flaps covered by a snap enclosure, along with a zipper for the actual opening.
One thing I particularly like about this jacket is the front opening. Along with the full-length zipper and snaps are additional snap enclosures at the base and top of the jackets. These flaps feature two snaps each and they effectively provide additional resistance to abrasion and bad weather. The corduroy-lined collar also sits up about 1.5 inches on the neck to provide some warmth.
All snaps on the outer chassis are branded Fiocchi, and the zippers are YKK.
Inner
The interior of the Netwin is lined in mesh for breathability. I particularly like how Spidi labels various parts of the interior in red. They read with descriptors such as “Thermo & Rain Attachment” or “Chest Protector Attachment” to help speed up putting things together. There is one snap-enclosed pocket on the left, that I would have liked to see using a material other than mesh for durability. Otherwise, the rest of the jacket is comprised of Velcro pockets and snaps for the protectors I will outline later, as well as attachments for the interior liner. These attachments are essentially loops that the interior liner’s flaps snap over. There are loops by the collar, four in the front, and one on each sleeve. A very clean interface.
The removable liner is notable because it is designed to be wearable outside of using the outer shell. The H2Out jacket is waterproof, windproof, breathable, and lightly insulated. It is quite handsome in person, and wouldn’t be out of place as a casual shell during colder temperatures. What I find impressive is the great attention to detail given to an item usually considered an after-thought by other manufacturers. The appearance is again sporty without being ostentatious, using a two-tone black and light gray color schcme.
It features Velcro adjustability in the sleeves and waist, and a drawstring at the base. There is a waterproof exterior pocket, and another regular pocket inside. There is even thin reflective paneling on the sleeves and stretch material on the rear of the waist adjusters. The front opening of the liner also features snap enclosures over the full-length zipper for additional protection from the elements. The insulation itself is adequate for most riding conditions. You’re still going to get cold in winter, but if you can fit a sweater underneath the liner, you’ll be much more comfortable. It’s definitely not on the same level as REV’IT!’s insulated liner that makes one positively toasty under the coldest conditions. However, I still give accolades to Spidi for making the best single-piece internal liner I’ve seen to date.
Weather-wise, the mesh and waterproof liner performed well in light rain. Don’t be fooled; rain will still seep through the mesh and collect water inside the jacket. I’m not a fan to holding water inside a layer of my jacket, but your core will remain dry. Besides, if you are going to be riding in heavy rain, it’s just better to don a rain-suit.
Also, one should note that the jacket comes with two removable groin straps at the base of the jacket. These allow one to secure any pair of pants to the jacket. The jacket does not come with any sort of pant zipper connection, which makes me suspect that Spidi pants normally don’t have a mating connector.
Protection
In my opinion, very few companies shine when it comes to the armor installed in jackets. It’s common to find the default protection lacking in quality, or even missing altogether, forcing costly upgrades and additional hassle. Fortunately, Spidi absolutely excels in this area with the Netwin. It provides CE-approved armor in the shoulders, forearm, back, and chest. That’s two more places than what most other manufacturers provide, and examining the armor, probably much better material as well. Please note that the armor is not adjustable, however the snug fit on my jacket probably helped the armor line-up in the appropriate spots.
The armor on the shoulders and elbow are called Biomechanic protectors. The shoulders are designed separately for left and ride sides, and the forearms are marked separately as well (although they looked the exact same to me). The Biomechanic armor is essentially a two-piece plastic shell covering styrofoam-like padding. The plastic pieces are connected via a hinge that allows some movement, in addition to the plastic being slightly flexible itself. The yellow padding makes me wonder about durability, but as long as you don’t remove and re-insert the armor all the time, you should be okay. The armor pieces themselves look solid and should hold up well in an accident. The forearm armor does run on the longer side, so it will provide additional protection there.
The Warrior back protector is the “compact” type and attached via Velcro (as are the shoulder/elbow pieces). The back protector is made up of a plastic shell over the same styrofoam padding as the shoulder/forearm protectors. The plastic shell is interesting because it is comprised of numerous little cubes that allows the shape to flex, either up and down or side to side. It works well and the size/feel of the back armor is good.
Lastly, we have the Warrior chest protector, which follows a construction similar to the back protector. This attaches to the front of the jacket via 4 snaps (2 on each side). It’s a little bit cumbersome to attach and remove, but once in place, it feels very satisfying and protective. On my Alpinestars jacket, I have separate left and right side chest protectors, but they aren’t nearly as reassuring as the Spidi one. There are small ventilation openings on the chest armor so a little airflow will go through. Again, I have some concerns about the durability of the underlying padding; since you’ll be attaching and removing the chest protector frequently, this padding is going to receive more wear than any other piece of protection on the jacket. It would have been nice to see Spidi encase the edges in rubberized plastic or something to that effect.
Summary
The Spidi Netwin jacket provides exceptional versatility and usefulness for those riding in mild weather conditions. It offers good venting, protection, and construction, but is held back by an uncompromising Euro-fit. Provided you meet both the body type and temperature requirements, this is an excellent jacket that could easily be the only one you carry in your closet. For everyone else, we’ll just have to hope that Spidi has a roomier Netwin-variant somewhere else in their line-up. Spidi, this jacket has sold me on your riding gear. (4 out of 5 stars)
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