Intro
Can one adventure riding suit do it all? I don’t think so. I mean, not in Australia anyway. It’s a bloody big country we live in and so when I was preparing for our recent trip up to Arnhem Land in the NT I knew it was going to be hot. So I was seeking a suit with maximum airflow. I could have gone the route of many riders up north and run a MX jersey over MX pressure suit style body armour, but wearing a jacket still provides handy pockets and good abrasion resistance if things go wrong. For the past 6 months I’ve been running the Alpinestars Yokohama suit which has a waterproof Drystar outer shell. While the venting works really well I was worried I would cook in that suit if temperatures where up above 30 degrees. So the generous guys at Alpinestars hooked me up with the Santa Fe jacket and Sonora pants. While not matching by name they are a perfect pairing in terms of spec and intended purpose.
Jacket
Fit was a little off on this one for me. I normally run a medium jacket and pants but the medium jacket was just too tight across the shoulders for me. Even just putting the thermal liner on by itself was tight. Now I have been going to the gym a bit more lately and I’m carrying a few more kilos than I normally would but it was tight! A switch to the large size was appropriate.
Included with the jacket is two liners that work together. One being a waterproof Drystar lining and the second an insulated thermal layer for more insulating bulk. The Drystar liner is snazzy enough that you can wear it as an individual jacket around the campfire or at the pub at night. Very handy when travelling light. The design is fairly clean looking with simple grey and black colours used. With venting being the main priority with this suit, Alps did do away with any upper chest pockets but they did leave us with two front pockets on the hips and one internal waterproof pocket on left chest to stash your phone or wallet.
Also much appreciated was the hydration pocket on the back which can hold your Camelbak bladder without having to wear a backpack, so you can retain maximum airflow. A back lower pocket is also included and I found this really handy to carry my thongs and boardshorts in during the day. This meant whenever we pulled up at a waterhole I could do a quick change and go for a dip to stay cool. Nice!
Wrists have Velcro closure and the neck features a hook to hold the collar open for clear impediment free air intake. Adjustment straps on the biceps help take up slack and prevent flapping. I haven’t tested the Drystar or the thermal liner yet but together they feel warm with good bulk and I’m confident they will protect you from showers.
The armour supplied is sastec style armour in elbows and shoulders but instead of being your regular dense foam it’s actually highly vented itself with a honeycomb style construction to aid airflow. The standard armour supplied for back panel is just perforated foam but you can opt for the upgraded Nucleon armour kit to really look after yourself.
Sonoran Pants
So the matching pants are called Sonoran and share many of the same features as the Santa Fe jacket. Mine are all black in colour but there is a gray colour version as well.
One interesting feature of these pants is the lower zips on outside of calves goes way up past the knees. Much higher than regular pants. This means when unzipped you can easily reach the buckles on your boots or up to the top of your socks to remove them. Different and useful.
Again the knee armour is perforating honeycomb style for good airflow. Just two front pockets are provided and I did find them rather tight to get my hands into. I was wearing medium size so maybe it’s time I went up a size! The pants feature a zip around the waist which can of course connect to the jacket to make a complete suit.
Impressions
Great. Just great. It performed as expected in that I had great airflow keeping me cool in hot conditions. And we did have some really hot conditions with 32-37 degrees celcius being the norm most days. I really only felt the heat once it got above 37 degrees. Durability wise I didn’t manage to crash test the suit but after two weeks of off-road use everyday it’s looking good. I washed it once in that time and it didn’t fully release the red outback dirt but I would have been surprised if it did. That Aussie Outback dirt stains everything! I’ll see how it cleans up at the end of the trip.
Pros
- Venting is highly effective.
- Styling is clean and simple looking.
- Versatile suit with waterproof and thermal liners included.
- Vented armour really helps.
Cons
- Close fit means I can’t comfortably wear my plastic knee guards under the pants.
- Compared to my last suit I did occasionally miss not having pockets on the thighs of the pants or on the chest of the jacket but I don’t always pockets use these anyway.
Conclusion
I’m very happy with this suit for when the temperatures get above 30 degrees. One of the guys on our ride commented that every time we pulled up for a break I was looking fresh and not sweating. Whenever the sweat built up as soon as I got moving again I could feel the cooling airflow immediately and the sweat did it’s job.
I think for road or adventure riders living north of the Queensland border this suit is spot on. I’m yet to try it out in wet weather so it stay tuned for an update on that when the opportunity presents itself. It’s proven to me that this suit is a worthy addition to my riding wardrobe. The fact that I can add in a waterproof or even a thermal liner inside just extends the versatility of this kit. Winning!
Where To Buy
Alpinestars is available from many motorcycle stores but Alpinestars have set up a number of dealers around Australia as Tech Touring specialists and as such they will have the full range on their hangers for you to try out.
Or get in touch with us at Maschine and we can hook you up!