[ad_1]
I think I’ll always think the Aerostich one-piece suit, whether it’s R3 or Classic, is the best combination of protection, comfort and convenience for people who ride their motorcycles a lot. But not necessarily for people who Stop a lot of motorcycles, that’s what MO the crew ends up doing since the invention of Youtube. We stop by the side of the road to film and take photos. When riding, the Aerostich airflow is good. When you’re stationary, it quickly gets hot in there. Taking the suit off is usually not the solution, as most of the time we’re shooting in a sunny SoCal, where there isn’t much shade.
Tourmaster, who has a long history of making great gear at unbeatable prices, offered their adventurous new Ridgecrest jacket and pants; who was I to refuse?
Ridgecrest jacket
By the time it comes out of the box (which looked like a big screen TV when the UPS man brought it to my door), this thing is rather bulky. But since it was June, I quickly figured out how to remove the lightweight and breathable Reissa zip lining (“an extremely thin waterproof coating or membrane that is lightweight for wearing comfort but extremely durable – highly resistant to rain, wind and snow while maintaining breathability â€, they say), as well as the lining of the zipped thermal vest. You can roll up the two liners tight enough to stash them in the large pocket on the lower back of the jacket, but maybe most of the time in the summer you just need the Reissa raincoat, which is not too bulky at all. In the Californian summer, I leave the two liners in the garage.
Unlined, you are left with a lightweight jacket whose front surfaces are mostly mesh, but with Reinforced shoulders, elbows and forearms in 1000 denier honeycomb ripstop nylon supported by Safe-Tech CE level 2 shoulder and elbow armor, which fits inside the internal pockets of the beautiful 100% polyester lining of the jacket. Two sliding slack take-up straps per sleeve – one above the elbow and one below – allow you to tighten the sleeves to the arms of your buggywhip, to ensure that the elbow / forearm armor will stay on between your meat and the street if the worst should happen, and to control the beat. There is also a removable inch-thick EVA foam back pad, which will protect you in the event of a BB-gun attack from behind: the pocket can hold real back protection if you want one, up to ‘at 17 x 12 inches, although Tourmster himself does not offer one.
Size L fits my 5’8 “body fairly well with a 34 inch waistline, leaving room for two thinner layers underneath with the liners in place. interior it is flap-less even on bare bikes at supralegal speeds. Although there seems to be no way to prevent the Velcro tabs on the inside of the sleeves from scratching your arms a bit as you enter and take out, at least the microfiber lined collar and cuffs treat you well. The cuffs have zippers and velcro flap, so you can wear all kinds of gloves short or long. Overall, the Ridgecrest is quite comfortable and adapts well once you’re there.
At the back, the blue sections are made of ripstop nylon, with black mesh panels on each side, as well as four-way stretch panels on the shoulders, armpits and elbows for a snug fit and ease of movement. . In addition, adjustable velcro belts at the back, one per side, allow you to adjust the size. A large plastic YKK flap zipper seals the front, with the slider to the right as God intended.
Even though all the seams are nice and securely double-stitched, this is not a jacket to slide along the Mulsanne right; it’s a jacket for moving at reasonably legal speeds, protecting you from slower, more adventurous drops, and keeping you cool while doing so. Departure in the morning, temperature in the low 70s, it is almost cold riding this thing on the freeway on an unfair bike, such is the amount of air pouring out. Unlike some ADV jackets, there are no zip flaps to adjust; it’s all or nothing. Well, all or stop and put the Reissa liner in. Is not nobody got time for dat.
For me for this summer that hasn’t been a problem since I haven’t ridden in the jacket below 65 or above 95 degrees. But you might want to seal yourself a bit better if you were to walk through the desert above 100 degrees to avoid losing your precious bodily fluids too quickly. In humid climates, you would probably like this jacket. When it cools down again in Cali, if it cools again, we really have the impression that this baby would be nice and warm with the two linings.
Tourmaster has been around the block a few times, and the rest of the jacket pretty much meets your needs, if you don’t mind a bit of velcro, which probably helps keep costs down. The two large lower front pockets are closed with Velcro and have smaller zip pockets on the top as well as hand warmer pockets below. There is an inside chest pocket on the right with a picture of a cell phone, in which I don’t keep anything because the velcro flap is a PITA to open. There is a larger pocket on the inside on the left which also closes with velcro. My favorite and more expensive jackets don’t have a closure method or a nice, easier-to-use nylon zipper that you can choose to leave open. There are two external chest pockets, which use zippers. Wherever you put it, your phone will get wet if it rains. Reflective trims increase your safety in low light conditions.
| Ridgecrest Jacket Specifications | |
|---|---|
| Colors | Men: black, hi-vis, navy blue, sand, women: black, sand |
| Sizes | Men: 14 sizes from Small to 4XL Tall, Women: 9 sizes from X-Small to Plus X-Large |
| Tourmaster Jacket Ridgecrest | |
+ Advantages
|
– The inconvenients
|
Buy the Ridgecrest Jacket Here
Ridgecrest pants
The Tourmaster Ridgecrest pants are, unsurprisingly, more of the same, with an 8 inch zipper at the back to connect them to the jacket if desired. Never bothered because the pants hold up well on their own and even have a raised waist at the back to keep out drafts. The LG size unfortunately fits my 34 inch height (ok, 36) perfectly with little space available, but the Velcro belts on each side allow you to tighten the waist in the unlikely event that you lose weight.
The Ridgecrest pants are also available in sand / gray which makes their construction easier to see than my blacks.
These are mostly made up of aabrasion resistant 600D polyester fabric, with reinforced knees and seat in 1000D honeycomb ripstop nylon. Above and behind your thighs you’ll find the same mesh that allows the jacket to breathe so well, with stretchy material in the crotch and other crucial areas to allow freedom of movement. movement.
What’s not so great about the pants compared to the jacket is that there are no adjustments to tighten the legs like there are for your arms, and the pants are cut like bags from the 80s. Or was it the 90s? They didn’t really beat that much on the bikes I was on, but I felt a bit dated with all the extra fabric lying around. You can pull the pants tight around your boots with a zipper and a pair of Velcro straps, but you’re stuck with that feeling of jogging around the thighs.
Then again, now that these are in production, I see that Tourmaster offers the pants in 17 (!) Sizes, so maybe I would do better in an MDS instead of my LG, whose overly long legs can do part of my problem? Tourmaster, being the big brand that it is, should be widely available in many brick / mortar stores to try it out.
Armor level, you get the same CE level 2 pads in your knees / shins, interior pockets that allow you to adjust the height of the 10 inch long pads to three different positions. Fashion aside, you have to hope that the bulk of the pants won’t allow the pads to be in the wrong place when you need them, something that looks a little questionable upon delivery. My knees feel more secure behind the big square pads of armor that Aerostich sticks into the knees of his less baggy legs.
There is more ¼ inch thick EVA foam in the hip pockets, which will also accept as an option Safe-Tech 720 hip pads. The pants don’t come with a thermal liner, but they do have the same breathable, waterproof and supposedly windproof Reissa zipper liner as the jacket. Your normal front pants pockets are here, sealable with nicer YKK plastic zippers, as well as two generous cargo pockets along your thighs, sealed with zippers under Velcro flaps.
| Ridgecrest pants | |
|---|---|
| Colors | Black, Sand / gray |
| Sizes | Men: 17 sizes, from 3XL Short to 4X Large Women: 5 sizes, from X-Small to X-Large |
| Ridgecrest Tourmaster Trousers | |
+ Treble
|
– sighs
|
Buy Ridgecrest Pants Here
Faq
How to take care of a Tourmaster jacket and pants?
Labels say do not machine wash or dry clean the jacket or pants, but we have machine washed many other nylon / polyester items with no ill effects, and we don’t know of anyone who dry cleans their gear. motorcycle. You? Using the gentle cycle and cold water settings is easier on both the equipment and the washer, and it’s best to remove the armor first. For encrusted mud, hang things on a clothesline or the like and sprinkle as much dirt as possible beforehand.
Where are Tourmaster equipment manufactured?
The Ridgecrest Jacket and Pants are designed in the USA and made in Pakistan.
Which back protector is suitable for the Tourmaster Ridgecrest jacket?
The back protector pocket in the polyester lining of the jacket will hold armor up to 12 inches wide between your shoulder blades and up to 17 inches tall. The top of the pocket goes down to about 6 inches wide, as does the lower part that protects the lower back. The jacket comes with ¼ inch thick Safe-Tech back protector which is better than nothing. Tourmaster doesn’t offer its own upgrade, but there are a bunch of protectors from reputable manufacturers available at your Google fingertip.
Additional resources
Tested by MO: KLIM Baja S4 review
Best adventure motorcycle suits to brave the unknown
We are committed to finding, researching and recommending the best products. We earn commissions on the purchases you make using the retail links in our product reviews. Learn more about how it works.
Become a Motorcycle.com initiated. Receive the latest motorcycle news by subscribing to our newsletter here.
[ad_2]
