Showcase: Sub-£200 all-weather jackets

Would have been more helpful if you'd done some actual testing and come up with some results and a clear winner like you did with the sub £100 winter gloves (A very good test by the way).

I have the Akito Desert jacket and trousers, had them for a few years now. I notice the picture you've posted is slightly different so it looks like they've updated the design a bit, I wonder if they've updated the spec at all?

On the first jacket I had the black die from the arms ran into the light coloured material after the first shower but it was exchanged without issue. The replacement was fine and I still have it, the waterproofing lasted for about a year. It's been washed and retreated with Nikwax a few times now but even so the water proofing is not great anymore, It now holds water like a sponge and is very heavy once wet, and one good soaking and it's still wet 2 days later so not nice when I need to put it on again the next day - so I wear a lightweight kagool over the top in heavy rain.

But as far as value for money goes, I've worn it nearly everyday in all weather for as long as I've had it so probably works out about 10p a day! so I've had my moneys worth and it's about time I replaced it - which is why some product testing would have been helpful now, not just regurgitation the manufactures spec.

The layering is great and makes it very flexible all year round, but biggest issue is that as it wants to cater for all seasons it has air vents for summer, these vents are zipped and velcro-ed, but these are the main week points. Rain gets in - and did even when it was new and still water proof.

The trousers have lasted longer, I guess they're not quite bearing the brunt of the elements as much as the jacket. So I think I'll be keeping them and just getting a new top half.

The Knox armour is positioned well and stays in place and makes you feel well protected. Build quality is good, the stitching has all held together well, and the zips haven't broke - these are the things that usually happen to me.

Hope this helps anyone else reading this.

Posted: 01/03/2013 at 10:21

Agree with eddy here, it would have been nice to have done some test's on the jacket's, in much the same way you did with the gloves.

I bought a Furygan Rocky jacket and trousers last June & for £199 each I've been really impressed with both items.
The jacket has been 100% waterproof even in the most extreme weather and the trousers almost as good leaking just twice and I've ridden in all the bad weather this winter except when it snowed for a few days. Thermal wise they have kept me very warm. The only down side is at this price I feel it's too much to ask for them to have weather protection and be breathable and I would say this is where the Furygan fails slightly in that it gets quite hot in the warm weather.
When the weather changes I'll look at a summer jacket.
The Furygan Titan is the breathable version at something like £270.

Posted: 02/03/2013 at 19:21

Spada have great gear at very reasonable prices as well.

Posted: 06/03/2013 at 08:40

Thanks for your feedback.

When we planned this feature we said: "Do we have the ability to carry out a thorough, fair and conclusive test of these jackets" and despite trying to work out a way of doing so, we simply didn't have the time or the resource. We opted to be straight about that, rather than ride a few miles in each jacket and pass off the feature as a test, which is what a few publications do.

That's why we set a strict criteria for this showcase in order to flush out the obviously poor choices and present a showcase that says: "If you want an all-weather jacket, we've done the legwork and these look good".

As our product coverage grows, we'll expand the products we can thoroughly test. One step at a time.

Posted: 06/03/2013 at 09:25

I took some notes on my commute this morning, and it turns out that very little of it is done standing up. ;)

Every catalogue shot is of a bloke standing up doing a "lifting suitcases" pose. Maybe buck the trend and show what jackets are like when sat on a bike?

Posted: 13/03/2013 at 08:59

Thanks Rog, we have a section in our production meetings called "Would Rog approve".

Posted: 18/03/2013 at 11:26

I've got an idea, I do a round trip of 60 miles a day, everyday, all and every weather condition - even the snow if it's not too deep. Send me anything and I'll happily write a full and comprehensive review of each product once tested.

That's a guaranteed 14400 miles a year all-round test. As it's a commute it would always be the same journey, same time therefore setting a perfect benchmark for fair comparisons.

I won't even ask for payment and I'll hand over full copyright of my editorial content.

Too good an offer to turn down.

Posted: 28/03/2013 at 11:32