£400 laminated textile jackets

The ideal all-weather gear for many, we test six mid-range jackets

MANY RIDERS RECKON that textile clothing is the most versatile year-round way to protect yourself from the elements. And the ultimate in textile garments are laminated jackets. However, these typically bring with them a premium price tag but it is possible to benefit from laminated textile clothing without breaking the bank.

Laminated textile clothing sees the waterproof membrane laminated — or bonded — to the inside of the thicker outer material. This way, it is pretty much on the front line of protecting you against the weather. Laminated clothing differs from traditional textiles by bonding that membrane to the inside of the outer rather than having it as a separate layer, either built-in to the main garment or as a separate garment

altogether — a drop liner or Z-liner.

The laminated membrane is not to be confused with a Durable Water Resistant (DWR) coating on the outside of the outer garment. This will help water to bead up on the outside but will eventually allow the main material to ‘wet out’, where is absorbs moisture. However, the laminated layer should prevent it getting further in.

At least, that’s the theory. As there are several laminated textile products available, we decided to test jackets from six of the big names at a mid-range budget — less than £400 for the jacket. All have matching trousers to form a fully laminated suit but as the jackets takes the brunt of the weather, we decided to test these.

So, which give the best blend of performance and comfort? Let’s see...

Testing involved controlled soaking of all jackets

tests are Our product by real bikers carried out experience of with years are bikes and and on real empirical with combined and developed testing qualified by carried out engineers.