Icon Arc Mesh Overpant Review

I was headed to New Orleans to ride Victory’s Cory Ness Jackpot and needed some gear. Even in early spring, The Big Easy can be humid, so I was looking for pants that were breathable and durable. Icon set me up with a pair of its Arc Mesh Pants just in time to put them through a few hundred miles of saddle time. I hauled them with me to Bike Week for more testing parading up and down Main St. and the A1A on a Harley Road Glide.

The Arc Mesh Pants are cargo-style, with two fair-sized top pockets that zip tight so your valuables are secure. Two larger side pockets with Velcro attachments are the perfect size for maps. Like most Icon gear, the black Arc Mesh Pants have attractive, urban styling, with a rubber Icon logo on the rear letting everyone know whose gear you’re sporting when you go blowing by. The side pockets are also branded with the words Icon Asphalt Technologies in raised lettering, and little things like a soft swath of black perforated cloth between the pockets add to the pants’ good looks.

The textile pants are made of porous, breathable mesh nylon, which allows plenty of air to circulate to keep your legs cool and comfortable on hot days. It also has a liner which helps deflect some of the wind when the weather gets cool, but they are definitely made for more warm weather riding. Because of its porous design, the pants are not waterproof, a fact I found out during a Southern squall on the Mississippi Gulf Coast, but they still deflected some of the moisture.
The liner is thin and makes the loose fit comfortable. The liner buttons at the ankle but is sewn into the waistline and does not come out, which means to wash it you have to flip it inside out and wash it by hand. A latch waste tightener and belt loops help customize the fit, but a couple more belt loops would have been a nice addition.

Protection is supplied by removable CE-approved knee armor. The knees are reinforced with protective Cordura panels, but the armor itself sits a little low, with the top of the pad sitting at the bottom of my knees while riding upright. The hip panels are also Aramid reinforced but don’t come with any armor.

The Icon Arc Mesh Pants are intended as an overpant, but are plenty comfortable enough to wear by themselves. I got the 36 waist, the same size I wear in regular pants, and there’s room for pants underneath but not without a little squeezing. With pants underneath, it causes the inseam to creep up to the top of my ankle with jeans on and would have benefited from a boot strap because the bottoms are cut wide.

To get the pants looking like new, just remove the knee pad, get yourself a little warm water and a liquid laundry soap and get scrubbing. It’s all about hand washing because of its nylon construction, Icon says don’t use any bleach, fabric softeners, and definitely no dry cleaning. Also, let them drip dry to avoid shrinking the liner. With a little love, the pants have survived many miles in the saddle and the construction is top-notch.Luckily, I haven’t had any get-offs to see how they hold up against road rash, but I have logged plenty of miles wearing them and there’s no loose stitching.

Stylish, comfortable, breathable and durable, the Icon Mesh Pants have served me well. They’re only a boot strap and a couple more belt loops away from being a great riding pant. A few more color choices besides black would be cool, too. How about it Icon? They’d be smokin’ in some of your urban camouflage Icon is famous for. But you can never go wrong in black, and they’re definitely worth the $115 MSRP.

Buy them now at the Motorcycle Superstore! 

Icon Arc Mesh Overpants MSRP $115
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