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The British Touring Jacket You’ve Always Wanted

I’ve wanted a Belstaff Tourist Trophy motorcycle jacket for a while. That classic, British, belt-waisted jacket made famous by just about every American actor who’s thrown a leg over a motorcycle. Most notably, Mr. McQueen (see: here). My good friend Andy has one, something he scored from a smelly thrift shop in the Pacific Northwest….

Field Tested: Klim Artemis

With an improving industry standard in women’s motorcycle apparel, I was excited when the senior product developer at Klim asked me to scrutinize a two-piece set of their latest offering for women, made by women, the Artemis. As a full-time location independent rider, I require a suit that employs excellent protection and day-long comfort in the saddle…

Field Tested: Speedway 50-liter Hybrid

Editor’s Note: This article was originally published in Overland Journal, Summer 2018. Perfecting the duffle bag has long been the quest of purveyors of outdoor equipment. It must not only protect our clothes and a medley of gear, but also be durable enough to survive the rigors of real-world travel. During the past few decades, we’ve tasked…

Field Tested: Held Carese II Jacket, Torno II Pants

Whether you’ve come across Held or not, this German manufacturer has been in its stride for over 70 years, starting out as glove makers. Being one of the first to offer up textile motorcycle apparel back in 1991, the Held Carese II jacket and Torno II pants go all out to harness the latest fabric…

Field Tested: REV’IT! Sand Urban Jacket

In early summer of 2014, while testing motorcycle suits for an Overland Journal review, I put the REV’IT! Sand II jacket and pant combo to the ultimate test. With temperatures pushing well into triple digits, I rode into the sun-scorched deserts of Baja. Although no motorcycle suit is comfortable in those conditions, the Sand II…

Field Tested: REV’IT! Discovery OutDry Boots

I’m not sure why, but I love to hate motorcycle boots. I tend to alternate between too much, or too little, seldom landing on the elusive level of just right. Positioned somewhere between full blown adventure and lightweight touring, the Discovery represents a multi-year development project aimed at the modern adventure rider. Comfort was clearly…

Long Term Test: Shoei Neotec

For a wide swath of the motorcycling crowd, the modular helmet is ideal for logging long miles for days on end. Blending the aerodynamic efficiency of a standard road helmet with the benefits of an open-face lid, the modular offers easy on/off and the ability to quickly pop up the chin bar to cool off,…

Field Tested: Alpinestars Durban Gore-Tex Adventure Suit

We’ve been on a bit of a roll testing Alpinestars’ latest and greatest products aimed at the adventure rider, and that now includes a review of their top tier suit, the Durban Gore-Tex. Updated this spring, they made a number of adjustments to what many people think was already one of the best suits on…