A bike jacket you can wear anywhere
WITH the majority of my riding having recently been to office meetings within London I was looking for something a little more suitable to wear around town than a bulky leather jacket that screamed stormtrooper. And I think the REV’IT! Stealth Hoodie fits that bill perfectly.
Let me get this out the way first. The Stealth Hoodie is not cheap at a penny under £220. But this is the first bit of kit I’ve owned from REV’IT! and I was immediately impressed by the quality of the jacket, with some great design touches and not a single loose thread to be found.
Part of REV’IT!’s Urban collection, the Stealth Hoodie is bike specific gear that doesn’t feel the need to look like bike kit. It’s made up of polycotton stretch denim that ensures a snug fitted look, while the ‘Hydratex’ outer shell has kept me completely dry to date, proving itself over hour-long rides through drizzle and rain.
The two exterior pockets are secured by a single popper, while the inside left pocket is fastened by Velcro. There’s also a hood that can be held in place via another popper when not in use. Both the hood and outer pockets feature a small drain hole in case they start to fill up with water but this isn’t something that’s happened to me in wet conditions. I can’t say I’ve noticed having a hood on the jacket whilst riding either.
There are slim and flexible CE level 1 protection inserts around the elbows and shoulders, while a pocket at the rear allows the fitment of a separate back protector insert. Whereas the elbow protection on some of my textile jackets has always seemed to sag or move around to the wrong place, the snug, stretch denim fitting on the Stealth Hoodie keeps the armour exactly where it’s needed. And a bonus of the flexible shoulder and elbow inserts is that you can easily roll up this jacket and fit it into a bag once at your destination – something that proves almost impossible with a bulky textile or leather jacket with more rigid protection.
One of my favourite touches is the trouser connecter at the rear. Yes, it has the zip style connector found on most motorcycle jackets, but the additional trouser loop means that the wind won’t cause this hoodie to ride up your back, no matter what brand jeans you wear. It’s such a simple feature that I can’t believe this is the first jacket I’ve had in 20 odd years or riding that features this.
The Stealth Hoodie looks as good off the bike as it does on and has become my go-to jacket for all my rides inside the M25. The fact that it’s so comfortable and waterproof meant I actually chose this bike-specific jacket for a recent weekend music festival over my casual Berghaus waterproof coat. If you can afford it, it’s well worth trying on for size.
Product tested: REV’IT! Stealth Hoodie
Price: £219.99
Colours: Black and Dark Blue
Contact: REV’IT!
