My search for a viable summer jacket may well have ended. It’s like when Jason found the fabled Golden Fleece. There was a big party, fueled by satisfaction and a great sense of accomplishment, and half-naked giggling serving wenches were herded into the feasting hall.
I’m feeling that way about the Pro X jacket. Finally, here was a jacket one could wear on the hottest days – and we’ve had a few and will certainly have a few more – that didn’t look like ill-fitting arse, and offered a proper level of armoured protection.
“What have you got on?” one of my riding companions asked on a recent spirited summer blat. He, like the other blokes I was with, was sweating like a stoned teenager on his fourth packet of Tim Tams. Most people have one or maybe two jackets, and they use them year-round, and just put up with their respective failings when it’s too hot or too cold.
But most people don’t ride as much as I do – and most people have not been as blessed as I have with access to top-end riding gear. But, hand on my heart, despite all the gear I have been given to review over the years, I invariably default to two or three items I almost always wear, because those items do exactly what I expect them to do. And those items are invariably made by Held. Its gear is second to none.
“You may touch me,” I said to my sweaty riding companions. “But only in a non-sexual way. Feel the material, admire the ghost armour. Note how I am not leeching vital bodily fluids like the rest of you. I am thus more attractive to any hot bitches we may come across.”
A small amount of touching ensued. This was followed by the inevitable vows from my companions that such a wondrous jacket would also become theirs as soon as they got back home. On-line shopping is a wonderful thing, is it not? “This is stupidly good,” one of them said.
The Pro X Air Mesh jacket is indeed wondrous and it is stupidly good. Here is why…
It fits wonderfully well. It is both slimming and flattering. But if you’ve really overdone it on the pies – and I am not judging – then there’s only so much it can conceal.
And it’s got some trick stuff going on.
Firstly, there is no traditional jacket collar. On a hot day, this is a blessing. You can zip the Pro X right up (thus maintaining its protective integrity), and the air is still getting into it around your neck. This also spares you from the loose flapping caper you sometimes get with a collared jacket you’ve unzipped.
Secondly, the neoprene cuffs are snug, so your sleeves don’t ride up as they do when you have also unzipped those due to the heat. The cuffs also have a thumb loop to prevent any possible ride-up at speed, but I have not seen the need to use them. Maybe my wrists are manly enough.
The jacket is fully lined with breathable internal mesh, and the outer shell is also mesh front and back, so it can’t help but breathe as you’re riding. It’s like a very sexy sieve in that regard.
And it’s fully armoured at the shoulders, elbows, and wrists with Level 2 “ghost armour” – so called because it’s soft and flexible and thus comfortable, but apparently also very effective in an off. And because the jacket fits so well and does not flap around, this means the armour stays in place when it’s needed. If your jacket fits loosely, then its armour is going to move when you’re no longer one with the bike. Stands to reason. And yes, you can fit a back protector into it.
You get one external breast pocket for your phone and wallet, and one big back pocket to carry your lingerie around in. The zippers are all top-quality, and like all Held gear it’s just going to last and last. I am still happily wearing five and six-year-old gear Held provided me with way back then.
If your summers are long and hot, or you’re finally considering a proper summer alternative for riding when lesser men cower in air-conditioned man-failure, check it out.
HOW MUCH? $399 with a two-year warranty
COLOURS: Black.
SIZES: From Small to 5XL
You may observe and purchase it here…
https://www.migmotorrad.com.au/held-pro-x-air-mesh-jacket-black-available-in-various-sizes
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