Being girls, we probably spend more time SHOPPING for actual pieces of kit, than WEARING them.

Our MAIN priority, ofcourse, in preparing for our trans-africa trip, was our MATCHING OUTFITS!!

Three months. Day in and day out. The same outfit! Sweat, sand, rain and lots and lots of tears.

OMG - has such a thing even been INVENTED by modern man, let alone become available for mere mortals to put on our gold cards??

We set about with vigour and tried on various jackets, starting with the Harrod's league: Dianese, Alpinestars - working our way along to the M&S versions Bellstaff, Fieldsheer & Tourmaster the sporty ones - and finally the Primark specials: Akito & Buffalo.

IMAGINE our surprise, when we stumbled upon a little gem from Holland: Rev'it!

Both Jeanie and I could hear the angels sing "Haaa-leeee-luuuuu-jaaaa" as the comforting weight slid onto our shoulders: these jackets were in a different league altogether!!

We paid around £200 per jacket - not bad for three months worth of daily wear wardrobe!



We put a little review together - in case you're equally nuts about RESEARCHING things:


Craftmanship: 10/10
We've unzipped every zip, popped every stud, examined every stitch, pulled on every corner tab and flap and it is a work of perfection. Every layer of this jacket is put together to outlast Armageddon (or worse, two girls on bikes across Africa for 3 months!)
EVEN the tag ( a little plastic booklet that closes with a pop-stud) tells you that THIS is not just ANY garment… this is a REV'it Garment!

EXTREME Hot Weather Riding: 10/10
Peel off the two inner layers (which, incidentally, is a DODDLE and can be achieved with one hand, thanks to the chunky zips)
Open a MYRIAD of strategically placed, mesh backed VENTS (which, by the way, can also double as sexy little peep holes)
Unzip side panels, chest panels - leaving you with (very sexy) mesh panels that expose your skin to the wonderfully cool air - WITHOUT COMPROMISING ON PROTECTION, keeping armour in place.
Then - wait for this - STASH the unzipped panels in a handy pocket on the back… OMG!! These guys are phenominal!
EVEN BETTER - the entire OUTER layer is MACHINE WASHABLE!! Halleluja! We can actually wash off the stink, sweat and tears, without damaging anything!
PLUS - because its breathable and light - it DRIES very quickly too!
The ZIPS are all top quality smooth, sturdy zips - so putting everything back together again is a doddle.
The jacket is lined with a breathable mesh membrane, that feels… well, you can't really feel it - its fab!

COLD & WET Weather Riding 10/10
We tested these on a VERY chilly ride from Canterbury to London. Temperature outside was around 8 degrees. It felt like -8 on the bike.
Keeping ALL the layers in, this jacket zips up to ensconse you in a toasty warm cocoon.
The collar is well designed, meaning its not so IRRITATINGLY FIDDLY as other jackets tend to be - and is high enough to stop your neck from freezing.
The sleeves are thoroughly zipped in such a way, that there's NO WIND tunneling down your arm -
WITHOUT HAVING NAFF ELASTICATED CUFFS, that irritate you when you're trying to get your gloves on!

WARM Weather Riding: 10/10
The thermal inner layer unzips - and here's the beauty:
The waterproof membrane is SOOO light, you can keep it in, without building up too much heat… soooo, if it rains on your parade… you will STILL be dry!!
If it DOES get warmer - zip the waterproof membrane off, and stash it in the handly pockets at the back!
Eh Presto!

Protection 10/10
CE approved armour
Back padded protection
Integral kidney belt padding
Reflective strips for visibility

Fit 10/10
Being girls - this was obviously VERY important - and the jacket DID not disappoint!
Adjustable side belts: makes for more figure hugging fit
Adjustable sleeve widths
Adjustable cuffs (instead of the ELASTICATED cuffs so many brands have)
Adjustable collar

Design Genius: 11/10
It’s the MIND BLOWING attention to detail that puts this jacket in a league of its own:
1. The collar has a METAL, UNFIDDLY little hook, that allows you to hook the collar back when its unzipped.
WHICH not only avoids STUDLASH (riding along, being battered with a collar flapping in the wind) but ALSO avoiding collar-tips-in-your-latte-foam-syndrome (very, very uncool!).
2. Vents - are sealed with magic material that avoids water seeping in - but keeps the zips easily accessible. (sylicone like stuff)
3. Pockets - deep, FULLY WATERPROOF, UPSIDEDOWNPROOF pockets (for when your JACKET hangs upside down - not you!)
4. Detachable, fabric ZIP pulls. INGENIOUS! Makes zips easily done up with gloves - and replace them if they break after too much yanking.
5. Inside pockets - sewn into the lining - for mobile phones and gadgets

THE ONLY DOWNSIDE of these ADORABLE jackets, are that they sadly dont come in MAUVE. Or PINK!

__________________