The Drystar has been a thoroughly excellent piece of kit and is wearing extremely well after 3,000 miles of use.
Anyone who goes for a long ride in Britain without at least thinking about rain is being optimistic. That’s why I never ride in anything other than a waterproof jacket.
However, this year, I have been faced with an interesting new problem. Despite not being a full on touring machine, my Suzuki V-Strom DL provides excellent wind protection and therefore I actually get hot when wearing a heavy, winter weight, textile jacket.
That’s why the Alpinestars Royal Drystar Jacket has become my favourite during this summer. The jacket is somewhat lighter in construction than full touring clothing and has more of a sports clothing fit. Being a fat, bald, old wrinkly I’m not exactly a fashion guru but there is no denying that it does feel good to ride in smart, well cut bike gear. If Alpinestars start selling wrinkle cream and hair transplants I'll be a baby biker again!
The jacket has a plethora of pockets in varying sizes with all the external ones having zips. Critically, the inside pocket is huge with a heavy duty Velcro seal. This swallows my wallet and cell ‘phone and means that they stay safe when I’m carrying my jacket over my shoulder. This is good, sensible, practical engineering which shows that someone knows how real riders, in the real world, use their clothing.
The collar and cuffs are soft and can be adjusted really tightly for when that warm summer ride turns cool on the way home. At the other end of the scale, the jacket has front vents for when that cool summer ride turns warm! Welcome to motorcycling in England.
The jacket comes with internal armor which is good on the elbows and shoulders but has a third rate back protector which I ought to replace with something better. The standard back protector is easy to remove so it's not a big job to get everything perfect.
In terms of water proofing the Drystar is good. It has dealt with a couple of hours of English rain - and I’m not talking about light drizzle or mountain mist - but I have yet to wear it through six or seven hours of torrential rain.
Overall, the Drystar has been a thoroughly excellent piece of kit and one which has become a firm favorite of mine and, importantly, is wearing extremely well after 3,000 miles of use.
Alpinestars Royal Drystar Jacket
MSRP:
$249.95
