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By Jimmy, 2010/06/16 8:51 pm

I have to admit it: I’m a REV’IT! fan-boy.  Much like Apple fans that can’t find fault with the computer company’s products, or Nintendo fans that have to buy the latest Super Mario game, I have a fascination for REV’IT! products that is definitely not helping out my bank account.  For those of you new to REV’IT! (www.revit.eu), it’s a Netherlands-based company that arrived on the motorcycle gear scene in 1995.  They have a strong reputation for delivering high-quality gear that covers everything from track racing and off-road racing to riding on cruisers and scooters.  The company has expanded their product line over the years and works hard on releasing incrementally updated versions of their gear.  Case in point, the REV’IT! Sand jacket.  This textile jacket is new for 2010, replacing the popular Off-Track jacket that had been around for 2-3 years.  It features a number of upgrades over the original, utilizing newer materials and production methods seen in the latest REV’IT! gear, as well as items that address user problems/complaints with the Off-Track.  Priced at $429, it’s certainly not a cheap jacket, but one that is designed to offer great year-round coverage and protection without opting for REV’IT!’s top-end Cayenne Pro jacket ($579).  I’ve had the opportunity to ride with this jacket in Seattle through winter, spring and early summer for about 1000 miles – here are my thoughts.

Exterior

The REV’IT! Sand jacket fits similarly to the company’s other touring jackets, the Cayenne Pro and Dragon; it’s slimmer along the arms, chest, and waist than American brands, and doesn’t favor those with odd proportions.  I would describe it as a slightly roomier Euro-fit.  At 5 ft. 7 in. and 160 lbs. with a light build, I’m at the upper end for their Medium-size jackets, and Large would definitely be too big.  I find that the dimensions presented on their website brochure are spot-on, but would still recommend that you initially try both the stated size and one size larger to be safe.  That said, even if the fit isn’t perfect, there are numerous adjustments that can be made to the jacket (explained later).  The sleeve length felt perfect, providing enough material to work with both short and full gauntlet gloves.  Sleeve width and overall torso width was good, feeling snug with all liners in, and not too baggy with the liners out.  The total length of the jacket is on the shorter side for a touring jacket.  The Sand ends just below my hips, which I actually prefer when sitting in an upright position.  This gives the jacket some added versatility for both touring and sport-bike riders while sacrificing a little bit of bad-weather coverage (which I didn’t find to be an issue anyways).

The REV’IT! Sand is comprised of various denier textile fabrics – 500D and 750D in most areas, with 1200D wax-covered material at the elbows and forearm.  The wax coating is designed to improve abrasion resistance over standard high-denier fabrics, and can be considered one step below the SuperFabric panels that come in the Cayenne Pro.  The look of the jacket is similar to other adventure touring jackets, with numerous adjustments and multi-colored panels.  With respect to color-scheme, I opted for the “black-silver” jacket that uses black along the front torso, lower back, shoulders, and outer edge of the sleeves.  An off-white runs on the sides of the torso and on the inside of the sleeves, while gray paneling exists along the upper chest and upper back.  One thing to note is that some promotional pictures of the “black-silver” jacket show a thin red strip on the sleeves; mine doesn’t have this.  REV’IT! branding is kept to a minimum with only the triangular logo present on the shoulders and back, and wording present on the reflective panels.  There is a small “REV’IT! Engineered skin” tag on the left sleeve.  If you take a close look at the snap covers and zipper pulls, you’ll see that these contain the REV’IT! logo as well, a nice touch.  The jacket doesn’t feature any raised foam sections as in the Air or Cayenne Pro jackets, and this keeps the look quite clean.  Stitching also features prominently as numerous sections are double-stitched to improve durability and tear resistance.  You can literally identify all the high-stress parts of the jacket by their stitching and it’s nice to see that everything is put together very expertly.  Overall, the REV’IT! Sand comes across as a smartly-designed and fashionable jacket, without being too flashy.

Adjustment options on the REV’IT! Sand are many.  To start with, there are strap adjustments on the upper arms and along the waist.  The upper arms are tightened via a closed-loop, whereas the waist adjusters have convenient pull-tabs.  The forearm contains a two-position snap adjustment, and the sleeve cuffs have a velcro strap that runs underneath the wrist.  The sleeve cuffs are designed to put less wear on the velcro, emphasizing using forearm zippers to get in and out of the jacket.  I think it’s a smart design choice and I basically only have had to set the velcro strap once and haven’t touched it since.  Rounding out the adjustability options are two corded straps on the interior of the waist and REV’IT!’s customary 5-position collar.

One (slight) gripe that I have with the sleeve zippers are that they’re low-torque, meaning it only takes light force to get them to open up.  When wearing the jacket, moving my wrists tends to get the zippers to move from a closed position to slightly open (about 1-2 inches).  Since I wear gloves with full gauntlets on them, the zipper opening stays covered and doesn’t really bother me, but it’s an odd thing to see when you first put on the jacket.

For storage, the Sand jacket contains a number of pockets, although these are much larger and less plentiful than in other touring jackets.  There are two velcro flap-over pockets on the front and one fanny pocket in the rear (again, enclosed with a velcro flap).  All three are easy to open and close with gloves on, although I wonder if the velcro will lose its resiliency with more use.  I’d prefer it if there were both velcro and snap attachments on the jacket’s pockets.

As the jacket’s name implies, the Sand features ventilation options that allow it to handle warmer temperatures with ease.  Two zip-down panels in the front reveal mesh panels that feature a new technology for REV’IT! jackets, 3D air mesh.  Seen in a handful of other high-end mesh jackets, this technology filters incoming air over soft webbing that is approximately 1/4 of an inch thick.  The thickness allows air to disperse over a wider area, and so the effect is that the air flow spreads across more of the body than just the area of the mesh itself.  In addition to the 3D mesh, there are two large, vertical exhaust vents in the rear of the jacket and intake zippers along the forearm.  I’m used to seeing ventilation zippers on the upper arm, so I’m not entirely sure if I like the lower positioning of these forearm zippers, but again, here is something interesting that REV’IT! is doing.  The forearm zippers serve a dual-purpose; the upper zipper opens up an air intake, while the lower zipper opens up the cuff for comfort (getting in and out of the jacket, sliding gloves underneath, etc.).  It’s a unique design and one that was conceptualized well.  Opening the intake zipper reveals standard mesh material fastened around the intake, so one can either open the zipper a little, or take it all the way down to the end of the sleeve cuff.  In practice, I think all these venting options worked as advertised with this touring jacket managing to keep me comfortable at highway speeds on some of the warmer days this spring.  I have yet to try the Sand in the full heat of summer – but I’m confident that this jacket could do well through 80-85 degrees Fahrenheit if you’re continually moving.

Reflectivity on the Sand is somewhat minimal; there is one large, laminated strip along the back, and two shorter strips along the chest in the front.  Aside from the lighter-colored sections of the jacket, there really isn’t anything else that will help you get noticed.  I would have preferred to see some reflective panels on the sleeves at least.

As previously mentioned, the collar features a 5-position snap enclosure.  Near this is another REV’IT! staple: a hook and loop that allow you to close the collar in the other direction, opening up the neck area.  As well, the sleeves feature accordion-stretch panels that flex well and are common to REV’IT! jackets.  The front enclosure of the jacket uses a large, self-cleaning zipper that features a zipper guard flap at the bottom (the flap is waxed 1200D material).  The front enclosure doesn’t use any velcro panels to help with the seal, something I would have liked to see.

Interior

One of the biggest selling points with REV’IT! jackets is how nice the interior liners are.  The Sand comes with the 3-layer system that combines: an exterior shell, a waterproof/windproof/breathable Hydratex liner, an insulating thermal liner.  The last two are attached inside the exterior via a system of snaps and zippers, and can be interchanged (Ex. exterior with the Hydratex liner and thermal liner, exterior with the Hydratex liner, exterior with the thermal liner).  While the insulating liner doesn’t have a front enclosure, the Hydratex uses a full-length zipper and snaps to ensure weather-proofing.  I’ve ridden with the Sand through winter and found the use of all three layers to be sufficient in blocking out the cold.  In addition, I’ve ridden through moderate rain with the use of the Hydratex liner and found it to be effective at keeping me dry.  As with all the other REV’IT! jackets I’ve tried, the liner system works great and it’s my personal point of reference when comparing the quality of other jacket manufacturers’ interiors.  With that said, there is one subtle change to note with the liner and the Sand jacket.  Due to the forearm zipper, the Hydratex liner features a connecting snap higher up on the arm (in addition to the standard one near the sleeve cuff).  It connects with the bottom of the mesh panel on the forearm and is actually a welcome change; it simplifies orienting the sleeves when installing them.

Aside from the liner system, there’s isn’t much else to say about the Sand interior.  The main part of the jacket is lined in mesh material with access to velcro pockets containing the jacket’s foam pad and armor.  There is one small interior pocket on the left and each of the liners have this as well.  The jacket features two zipper attachments, one short and one long, for compatibility across a wider range of REV’IT! pants.  The inside of the collar is lined in a soft polyester material.

Protection

The Sand jacket utilizes ProLife CE-approved armor in the shoulders and elbows.  It also contains a foam back pad that can be upgraded to a CE-approved Knox back protector, or a Sas-Tec protector (although you’ll need to manually cut it to fit).  The foam back pad is made of nicer material than most other back pads I’ve seen in jackets; it’s denser and perforated cleanly for ventilation.  However, it’s still a foam pad and it would have been nice to see this automatically upgraded to the Knox protector.  With respect to the ProLife armor, it’s quite flexible and non-bulky, resulting in a lot of comfort in motion and basically hiding itself in the overall looks of the jacket.  Compared to other types of armor, the ProLife pieces provide better coverage, particularly in the forearms where they run longer than expected.  The shoulder armor contains distinct left and right sides that are anatomically different.  As well, the ProLife armor, while they do contain incisions to help in flexibility, lack any perforated holes for ventilation.  All armor is accessible via velcro pockets and I found the elbow armor pockets easy to open due to the large forearm zippers.  While the Sand jacket doesn’t allow any sort of adjustments to the interior positioning of the armor, I found that the external straps allowed me to fit the jacket sufficiently well enough to not make this an issue.

Summary

The REV’IT! Sand jacket is an impressive touring jacket that gets as close to year-round coverage as any I’ve experienced to date.  With great cold-weather protection and acceptable warm-weather venting, it has handled everything Seattle weather has thrown at it (including the rain).  The design and construction are top-rate and while there are occasional gripes with certain design omissions, they’re not enough to prevent a whole-hearted recommendation from this reviewer.  At $429, the Sand is neither the cheapest nor most expensive jacket in REV’IT!’s line-up, but I think it’s their best.  (4.5 out of 5 stars)

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By Jimmy, 2010/05/30 9:01 pm

Spring in Seattle is always rather tumultuous, varying from the pleasant (sunny blue skies) to the down-right depressing (heavy wind and rain).  With my trusty REV’IT! Sand jacket, I have most of those conditions covered.  That is, unless it gets really warm.  I find that a textile-based jacket hits its upper comfort range at around the 80 degree Fahrenheit mark – and that’s when I’m moving on my Majesty at 60 mph.  Settling down for slower speeds around the city or hitting stop-and-go traffic, my jacket quickly heats up and feels like an oven.  Perhaps I need to switch out my touring windshield in favor of a shorter one to flow more air across the front of me; but in lieu of any sort of work to the scooter, that got me thinking about mesh jackets.  Being a fan of REV’IT! (www.revit.eu) gear, I peeped the Air, a mesh-textile summer jacket.  My general requirements for a hot weather jacket are that it flows significant air, features adequate protection (good fitting armor, abrasion-resistant materials in high-wear areas), comes in brighter color schemes (higher visibility), fits well, and be relatively cheap (under $200).  The REV’IT! Air jacket ($179) fits most of those criteria, albeit to varying degrees of success.

First off, the exterior of this jacket is great.  REV’IT! put good thought into the Air, launching 4 different color variations based on a black, gray or white palette with touches of red or silver.  The one I’m wearing in the photos is the “Light Gray/Black” version.  The look is sporty with different textile and reflective panels.  Mesh panels are placed along the chest, beneath the arms, and on the back, allowing the flow of air to easily cool the torso.  500 denier textile material covers the rest, providing basic abrasion protection.  The rear and sides of the shoulder contain a thin, raised section of foam, although I view this more as a cosmetic feature, not protective.

• Mesh is flat, as compared to the 3D mesh in the newer Sand jacket and other offerings from Dainese.
• There are some adjustability options with snaps along the upper arm and Velcro adjusters by the waist.
• Velcro panels on the sleeve cuffs were considerably smaller than seen on other REV’IT! jackets.
• The collar features a multi-position snap enclosure as seen on other REV’IT! jackets (a nice touch).
• Flex panels are located behind the elbow, but in my opinion, didn’t really contribute to increasing the comfort in sleeve motion.
• The Air jacket does not come with any sort of insulated or windproof removable liner.
• There is one interior pocket on the left.
• The interior material used on the collar is a soft, quilted material (nice compared to the abrasive collar on my Alpinestars Air-Flo jacket).
• The jacket features a short-length pants zipper and a two-snap belt loop.

The sizing of this jacket matches its sporty-styling; the chest fit more snugly for an M-size jacket than the more touring-oriented REV’IT! Cayenne Pro, Sand, or Dragon jackets.  The bottom of the jacket stopped towards the top of the hips, contributing to its aggressive appearance.  Overall, I would say that the Air jacket favors those on the slimmer side, with the snugness creating a better fit for letting air to pass through without having the jacket flap around.

The weakest point of the jacket is probably the protection.  The back pad is good, being constructed slightly differently from what I’ve seen in the foam back pads of other manufacturers.  While made of the usual dense foam material, it contains several large cut-outs in the interior, to improve air exiting out the rear of the jacket.  This is a nice touch to back protection/comfort that most companies wouldn’t usually care to think about.  One gripe that I have with the back protector is the rough cut of the foam; loose sections of threaded foam hanging off the cut-outs, and a section of foam actually missing from the pad (possibly torn).  The CE-approved Knox armor had its own set of issues.  While I found the overall sizing of the jacket to be spot-on, the placement of the shoulder armor was set too wide, covering more of the sides of my shoulder than the tops.  As well, while I think Knox armor offers great protection due to its combination of a hard plastic outer and foam inner, it doesn’t offer a lot of flexibility; this is evident in the elbow sections where bending the arm at sharper angles caused the armor to poke out annoyingly from the sleeves.  The armor is not adjustable, which I consider a big drawback.  It should also be noted that the forearm protectors are longer than those in the shoulders, although there is no difference between the left and right-side versions.

My opinion is that given the low price-point of this jacket, REV’IT! put out a solid product.  There are obvious areas where the company did some cost-cutting, but these can be forgiven.  If your dimensions allow for a good pairing with the protection in the jacket, the Air jacket is hands-down, an excellent buy as a hot weather option.  Otherwise, as most summer jackets will feature similar construction, you may be better off trying a higher-end REV’IT! jacket that utilizes more flexible armor (ex. the Turbine with Sas-Tec or Ignition with ProLife) or an Alpinestars or Dainese jacket, both of which offer good selections at similar prices.

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By Jimmy, 2010/04/21 10:17 pm

REV’IT! (www.revit.eu) jackets typically don’t come cheap, with most all-weather touring options occupying the $400-$600 range.  Fortunately, for those of you who dream about owning a REV’IT! product complete with the bells and whistles, the Dragon textile jacket has appeared.  It sits right at $300, a price that brings it into the reach of many budget-minded consumers, and REV’IT! pleasantly surprises by giving the Dragon a unique standalone, wearable liner – the only one in their 2010 catalog!  Let’s find out if this entry-level touring jacket is worthy of the REV’IT! badge.

Exterior

As to be expected, the Dragon jacket’s fit is the same as other REV’IT! touring jackets.  I normally wear a Medium with REV’IT! gear, and the M-size Dragon was basically like slipping into any old Cayenne Pro or Sand jacket.  With all liners in, it felt snug, but not constricting.  With all the liners removed, it was not too loose in any one area.  The sleeve length was noticeably shorter with all the liners in place; the cuffs ended by my wrists.  With them out, the sleeves extended about 1 inch lower, covering the wrists and the bottom of my hand; a much better arrangement when seated on my Majesty.  Moving my arms around, I found the sleeves to creep up more than expected, which I attribute to the less pliable Knox armor.  Just keep this in mind when ordering the Dragon.

I’ll be honest and say that the appearance of the Dragon jacket fits perfectly with my tastes.  I think the colored panels at the shoulders and around the arms are large enough to improve visibility without making the jacket look too gaudy.  As well, branding is kept to a minimum with the REV’IT! title and logo used only sparingly.  I’ve been into wearing jackets that are predominantly black in my riding gear, and I think this does a good job of satisfying both that urge, while making room for a few new colors.

When it comes to chassis materials and construction, the Dragon exemplifies REV’IT!’s typical attention to quality.  It features a water-resistant 750 denier Cordura chassis with 1000 denier sections on the elbow and shoulders for increased abrasion resistance.  REV’IT! also mentions that Lorica and 600 denier materials are used on the jacket.  The material feels durable and on par with the textiles used in other REV’IT! jackets I’ve tried.

Adjustments can be made in a number of places.  There are tightening straps around the upper arm and waist, with the latter set in place via velcro.  There are also two-position snaps at the forearm and a velcro adjustment at the sleeve cuffs.  One comment about the velcro straps on the sleeves; I found that the velcro panel stitching was somewhat loose, and it looked like it might wear-out very easily.  This is concerning because a rider would theoretically be opening and closing the cuffs multiple times a day.  Returning to other jacket adjustments, the collar features REV’IT!’s standard multi-position collar, and the base of the jacket has some cord tighteners.

The Dragon jacket contains three exterior pockets: 2 in front, 1 in the rear.  The front pockets feature a velcro and snap enclosure, which I prefer over having zippers or any single kind of fastener.  The pockets are large and water-resistant.  The rear fanny-pocket is enclosed via a long velcro strip.

Reflectivity on the jacket is present as thin strips along the upper arm and the lower back.  I like REV’IT!’s reflective panels over the more common reflective piping that you see in other manufacturers’ gear.  Since the Dragon jacket does come in a number of colors (including a high-visibility yellow), I wholly recommend getting it in either white, yellow, or red.  I think that a bright color in combination with the reflective panels will be sufficient for most riding conditions.

The Dragon has a number of ventilation options.  For intakes, there are two large zippers that run down the front of the chest, and two zippers along the lower forearm.  When opened up, they reveal about 3/4 of an inch’s worth of mesh material.  To me, that seems too small and the design itself is not optimal; there are flaps of material that shield the vent opening, and this may limit the ability of the jacket to cool the wearer.  At the rear of the jacket, two large zippers run down the back to allow air to escape.  These also feature small openings, but as exhausts, this should be sufficient.  From my experience, all these openings will allow enough air to extend comfortable riding to the 75 degree Fahrenheit mark.

Closing up the exterior of this jacket are some details around the collar and front opening.  The collar, in addition to having REV’IT!’s adjustable positioning, also contains a small hook and loop system.  This allows the wearer to fasten the collar towards the left, opening up the top of jacket for additional air flow.  The collar itself is also a step up from a usual jacket collar, being something more akin to having a storm flap around the front.  It’s made out of a comfortable, soft material that should keep the neck warm and dry.  The front opening contains a zipper with additional several velcro panels running down the sides to help keep the enclosure secure.

Interior

My favorite part about this jacket is the inclusion of REV’IT!’s 3-layer system: insulated lining, Hydratex windproof/waterproof lining, and outer shell.  I’ve covered this before in the Cayenne Pro review, but this basically means that the wearer has a number of options when configuring this jacket, and should be comfortable riding through Autumn, Winter, and Spring.  With the beefier collar front, I’d say that it even excels keeping out the cold better than the Cayenne Pro or Sand.  Anyways, the insulated and Hydratex liners are attached via a system of snaps and zippers.  The insulated liner runs short length-wise in both the torso and sleeves.  It’s collarless and does not feature an enclosure on the front (this is handled by the Hydratex or outer shell).

The Hydratex shell for the Dragon is unique from that of other REV’IT! jackets.  It is designed to be detached from the outer shell and worn as a casual jacket.  Whereas the regular Hydratex lining features somewhat garish gray-striping, the Dragon liner is finished in black, comes with outer pockets, has a REV’IT! label stamped on the back, and even has flaps to conceal the attachment zippers.  After trying it on, I think it’s a somewhat hokey effort:

• Whether you use the insulated liner inside or not, both the torso and sleeves are too loose/puffy
• Zipper concealment isn’t all that effective, and you still have the attachment straps sticking out on the sleeves
• As an outer by itself, it feels really thin and cheap – short collar, simple elastic around the base and sleeve cuffs

So, take it for what it’s worth – if you’re really in a jam, you can wear the removable liner.  However, odds are that you will just leave it attached to the jacket.

Lastly, the interior of the outer shell is comprised of mesh lining with an interior pocket and a short zipper connection for compatible REV’IT! pants.  One should note that the higher-end REV’IT! jackets contain both short and long pant zippers to work with all pants in the line-up.

Protection

The Dragon’s armor and back pad are accessible via velcro panels.  The back pad is your typical gray EVA foam.  I’m not a fan of cheap foam in the back as I think manufacturers should automatically upgrade it to CE-approved back armor.  However, it is removable and replaceable with more substantial armor from Knox and Sas-Tec (the latter can be cut to shape).  In my opinion, REV’IT! back pads are smaller and sit higher up on the back than in jackets from other companies.  The Knox armor in the shoulders and elbows/forearms is CE-approved, featuring a shock-absorbing foam interior attached to a hard plastic shell.  The armor is the same between left and right sides, but is unique to the shoulders (shorter) and forearms (longer).  I tend to like Knox armor as the combination of hard/soft feels protective.  However, this does come at a cost: flexibility.  While the armor is cut to allow maneuverability, it was nowhere near as comfortable or as easy to move around in as REV’IT!’s ProLife or Sas-Tec armor options.  As I mentioned above, I felt like the lack of motion in the Knox armor actually shortened the length of my sleeves; you’ll notice this because the elbow/forearm armor protrudes noticeably.  This could be alleviated by using armor without a hard outer or through stretch panels around the elbows, but REV’IT! is probably forgoing those features to further distinguish its higher-end offerings.  All things considered, the protection is on par with other entry-level touring jackets.

Summary

The REV’IT! Dragon is an attractive and versatile jacket that will make fans out of anyone new to the REV’IT! brand.  While various parts of the jacket may not reach the same level of craftsmanship as its Cayenne Pro or Sand brethren, it nails all of the essentials and even offers up some bonuses at its price-point.  The standalone liner is of limited usefulness and the fit is a little awkward, but the Dragon is at its core, a very able and admirable offering.  (3 out of 5 stars)

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By Jimmy, 2010/04/07 10:49 pm

I got a hold of the REV’IT! (www.revit.eu) Jerez gloves and was able to handle them for a couple days.  Attached are a quick smattering of pictures to give you a feel of the construction and aesthetic.  These gloves are used by REV’IT! team riders for MotoGP races and the like.  They come in at a hefty $230, but when compared to similar offerings by companies such as Alpinestars, Dainese, and Spidi, the price is either on par or even cheaper than the competition.  The gloves feature a laundry list of materials: kangaroo leather, Pittards reinforced leather, SuperFabric, thermoplastic urethane (TPU) protectors, Schoeller Keprotec, and Kevlar stitching.  The result is a glove that feels extremely protective, technical, and looks akin to something taken off a Star Wars stormtrooper costume.  As to be expected, it fits on the snug-side; I tend to be between S and M-size gloves – the Jerez in M was spot-on for me.  I fully expect this glove to break-in and be more comfortable given several days worth of riding.

A few comments:

• There is some perforation between the fingers, and the overall weight of the material is quite thin/light
• The gauntlet system feels very secure, but the race-fit prevents good closure over a touring jacket sleeve
• The knuckle protectors scuff easily
• It would have been nice to see a second palm slider on the inside of the hand
• SuperFabric is only on the back of the thumb; was expecting it to be used on the palm and side of the pinky-finger
• There is a significant amount of foam underneath the protectors for shock absorption and comfort
• The gloves allow for a surprising amount of movement

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By Jimmy, 2010/02/21 10:07 pm

The REV’IT! (www.revit.eu) brand is most closely associated with the world of off-road/dual-sport riding.  They make gear designed to perform well in a variety of temperatures and to stand up to the rigors of a rugged environment.  To me, this is evident in their excellent textile jackets and pants.  REV’IT! gear features high-quality protection, great attention to construction, and an abundance of features usually missing in competing products.  However, this review covers the REV’IT! Allure jacket, an item distinctly outside of the off-road realm.  Leaning more towards street riding or touring, this women’s leather jacket exudes typical REV’IT! quality, but misses out on a surprising number of key features.  Here’s my take.

Outer

Hee-chan tried out a size 40 jacket.  We based this off of the sizing guide provided.  Although we were concerned about the waist dimensions being too large, the jacket turned out quite well fit-wise.  The jacket is definitely on the slimmer side; it was the slimmest of 4 size Small leather jackets that we recently tested.  However, it fit the best out of the group, both in terms of length and proper amount of “give” in the waist, chest, shoulders, and arms.  Some of this is due to the stretch panels on the sides and arms (I’ll get to those later), as well as the velcro waist adjusters.  With more break-in, this jacket will fit even more comfortably.  Accolades to REV’IT! for making a motorcycle jacket that doesn’t seem too bulky or long; they got it just right.

First off, about the outer appearance: this jacket looks great!  It’s very flattering and could pass as an item for everyday, non-riding use.  The jacket has very clean lines and doesn’t go overboard on the branding.  There is a small metallic badge on the top-left chest area featuring the REV’IT! logo.  The upper back of the jacket also features the logo lightly embossed in leather.  “REV’IT!” itself isn’t printed by these logos so it leaves a very muted, dress-like appearance.  The left sleeve has the text “REV’IT! Engineered Skin” along the lower arm; stitched in red and white, it doesn’t quite match the overall look, but it’s a rather minor design gripe as it is not very noticeable.  The shoulder areas feature black patches made out of a sort of rough nubuck/suede-like material (I believe they call it Pampas leather).  These patches feature the words “Engineered Skin” on them, but it blends into the material.

The jacket is predominantly made from cowhide that is finely pebbled and given a low luster.  The weight of the leather feels very substantial, so I would venture to guess that it is 1.2-1.4mm thick.  Leather covers approximately 80% of the jacket with the remaining 20% devoted to polyamide stretch panels along the sides of the torso and under the arms.

The stretch panels are well-constructed.  Along the torso, there is ribbing that is individually stitched in place.  It adds some flair to the look of  the stretch panels and the multiple stitching should make it durable.  The fabric under the arm is actually two panels stitched together.  In addition to that, there are leather accordion-stretch sections by the elbows that allow extra movement in the arms.  We often see these accordion panels implemented in more expensive jackets, but unhappily find that they make the sleeves look too large or even baggy.  On the Allure, these have been constructed in a manner that keeps the arms looking thin, which is nice to see.  Lastly, there are velcro waist adjusters.  These allow for a large amount of adjustment on the sides.

This jacket features very stiff YKK zippers and Fiocchi snaps, which I like.  I haven’t done serious research on this, but my general experience is that the better quality the jacket, the more difficult it is to pull zippers up and down.

One quick note about the sleeves.  The cuffs are closed via a single snap, so there’s no ability to tighten or loosen them up while keeping the cuff in place.  Once the snap is released, the cuffs do have a zipper to open them up.  This reveals a simple opening that I would prefer to see mesh-lined.  On the upper arm, there is a zipper to open up a small air intake.

Oddly enough, the above upper-arm vents are the only dedicated ventilation options on this jacket.  Some air will pass through the stretch panels, and it’s possible to rig the cuffs and front zipper to allow air to pass through.  However, it’s less than ideal, and there are no ventilation options in the rear of the jacket.

As far as reflectivity goes, you might as well forget about it.  There is one small panel on the upper back that is gray in color, but will light up when car headlights hit it.  If you’re going to be doing a fair amount of night riding, I’d recommend a high-visibility vest.

Lastly, the collar is a simple affair; there is only one snap so it is not adjustable at all.

Inner

True story:  I opened up this jacket and immediately thought that they had forgot to send me a liner.  Yup, there is no insulating liner included with this jacket.  No full-sleeve liner.  No vest.  Nothing.  What you get is a mesh-lined interior with one rather large pocket on the right side.  There is a coat-rack loop by the collar and a short zipper connector for pants.  I’m glad that I don’t have to write much for this section, because the interior of the jacket is so simple.  Ultimately though, I think REV’IT! did itself a disservice by not throwing in some sort of insulating liner.

Protection

Trying not to end on a bad note with the Allure, I arrive at its protective features.  There is CE-approved ProLife armor in the shoulder and elbows.  I was pleasantly surprised to find that the left and right shoulder pieces are anatomically different, allowing for a better fit.  The armor along the lower arm is also longer than normal, affording your forearm additional protection.  I like how the ProLife armor is fairly flexible and thinner than its counterparts in other jackets.  The armor is not adjustable.  Next is the Temperfoam back pad, which is the most comfortable pad I have yet to see in a jacket.  Most jackets come with a generic sort of light gray foam pad with holes poked in it.  Motorcycle companies do this as an incentive for you to upgrade to pricier (and more protective) CE-approved options.  While the memory foam pad (go ahead and push on it with your hand) is still just a thin cushion for your back, it’s a nice step up from the gray back pads.  It will still provide light impact protection, but mostly it gains points for being much more malleable and less obtrusive to the wearer.  I wish more manufacturers would pay the extra couple dollars to switch to Temperfoam as the default pad.

Summary

At $370, the REV’IT! Allure is priced in the middle of the spectrum for a women’s leather jacket.  When you consider the excellent construction, fit, and style, the Allure is absolutely worth the price.  However, the more you examine it, the more its flaws become apparent; the lack of an insulated liner and additional venting options really do detract from the overall usefulness of this jacket (these negatives can be overcome by proper attire).  Style over substance?  Perhaps.  For individuals who ride in moderate temperatures and don’t demand a lot in a jacket, the Allure will be perfect.  For those riding in more volatile conditions, you’d do better to try out REV’IT!’s textile line, or examine more utilitarian leather options.  (3 out of 5 stars)