Choosing a Mesh Jacket

July 27, 2008 – 1:43 pm

With the heat of the summer, many people are having a difficult time finding something cool to ride in. Even worse, some people are riding in t-shirts and shorts to beat the heat. How many times have you seen a kid (or adult) flying down the road riding with a helmet, t-shirt, shorts and a pair of tennis shoes? Coming off the bike for that rider would be a life changing event.

But wearing a good jacket isn’t just about safety. We all know that being on the beach in the middle of summer on a windy day can give you a really bad sun burn but it is no different being on a bike. Traveling down the road at 50mph with the wind blowing on you without a jacket feels cool. In reality, the sun is baking your skin like you were laying on the beach causing you to dehydrate while the wind speeds the process along (although it makes you feel cooler). By the time you reach your destination, you are fried and weakened from serious dehydration.

To solve these problems, some people turn to leather or textile jackets. These can be heavy and extremely hot. Now you don’t have to worry about sunburn but you look and smell like you have been running a marathon.

Women's Breeze jacket by Fieldsheer

Why Mesh?

What you really need is a mesh jacket. Light, ventilated and many have armor to provide you with protection from falls. A perfect combination of injury and sunburn protection. They are designed to keep you cool while still given you some protection.  This example is the women’s Breeze jacket by Fieldsheer. It is a basic summer mesh jacket for women that is made of a light, open weave material for ventilation while having lightweight, flexible armor for added protection.

Materials
Typically, mesh jackets are constructed out of some form of polyester and nylon (such as Carbolex and Cordura). A well constructed mesh jacket can stand up to the abrasion that asphalt dishes out. Unlike the first mesh jackets which could fly apart on impact.  Today’s materials are designed to have some elasticity so they survive longer when sliding across the road (the longer they survive, the longer they protect).

Ventilation

Unlike a textile or leather jacket, mesh jackets have an open weave which allows a large amount of air to flow through them. Some have a tighter weave which doesn’t allow quite as much air to flow through like the Cortech GX Air jacket but gives the jacket the look of a solid jacket.  Yes, when you stop at a light and the breeze isn’t blowing, mesh jackets will get hot too but most jackets have an inner perforated liner which helps wick away any sweat so it evaporates quickly.

Cortech GX Air Series 2 Mesh Jacket

Armor

Most manufacturers of mesh jackets include armor in their jackets located in the elbows, shoulders and back.  These are the three most common impact points and are three joints that you need protected.  Many jackets come with CE armor (armor that has been tested to withstand impact to a higher degree).  If your jacket doesn’t, don’t worry, typically jackets have removable armor so the armor can be upgraded or removed for cleaning.

Additionally, some manufacturers are taking the armor protection one step further by providing a layer of padding over the armor to further improve the impact resistance of the jacket.

Fit

The fit of a mesh jacket can be a little more loose than a winter jacket which needs to be snug to keep out the cold air.  Mesh jackets are designed to let air into them so the main concern is the armor.  The armor in a mesh jacket needs to fit properly over the joint it is trying to protect, if not, the armor will be useless in a crash.  This is why many manufacturers have straps on the sleeves of their jackets.  These straps pull the elbow armor into place and hold it there for you.

However, don’t buy a mesh jacket that is too big or small for you.  A small jacket will restrict your movement and a big jacket lets the armor slide around too much.

Extras

Mesh jackets can come with quite a few extras: padded collars, reinforced impact areas, liners, etc.

Removable liners are the most common extra on a mesh jacket.  Many are water resistant liners which are more like a windbreaker.  They help keep the cold morning air and dew off of you.  Other jackets have a waterproof liner with elasticized rubber on the waist for keeping you dry and quilted liners to keep you warm.  This essentially turns the mesh jacket into a three season jacket suitable for spring, summer and fall riding.

While many mesh jackets have solid material over the elbows and shoulders to aid in abrasion resistance, some manufacturers offer jackets with leather over the elbows, shoulders and back.  This greatly increases the abrasion resistance as well as giving the jacket a sportier look as seen on the Cortech GX Air jacket.  This addition of the solid material doesn’t drastically effect the air flow through the jacket as these areas are already covered by armor.

Summer Mesh Jacket or Three Season Jacket

Many people look at mesh jackets and don’t know which one to buy.  Buy an inexpensive jacket that is only for summer riding or spend a little more for a three season jacket so they can use it more. Most of the time the purchase comes down to what features and look you want in the jacket.  If you find an inexpensive, summer mesh jacket that fits you well and has the look and features you want but it doesn’t come with a liner, ask if one can be purchased separately.  If you love the look of a more expensive three season jacket that fits well but it has more features than you want, see if you can justify the cost because you can use the jacket longer during the riding season.

Waterproof Liners, Who Needs Them?

This has been an issue for as long as mesh jackets have existed.  Waterproof liner or rain suit, which one is better?  Well, it depends.

This all started with mesh jackets having waterproof liners to help keep you dry in the rain.  The theory is that you put the liner on and then the jacket over it before it starts raining, ride through the shower and then take off the liner after it has finished raining and the roads have dried some.  The problem is that now you have a heavy, rain soaked jacket that you have to wear until it dries out, so you get wet anyway.

Touring riders prefer to have their waterproof protection on the outside of their jacket and pants. They think that a good quality rain suit provides better rain protection during and after a rain with the added benefit of having dry clothes after they take off the rain suit.  Well, they’re right…kinda.

For their style of riding, a rain suit is the perfect solution.  However, many riders don’t ride in ALL weather conditions like the diehard touring crowd.  Some riders do short rides on sunny days were rain showers are few and usually close to home.  Here a waterproof liner will be fine.

But like any other motorcycle apparel problem, there is a solution here as well, the Tourmaster Flex2 jacket.  It is a mesh jacket with armor and a quilted liner but it gets its waterproof properties from an outer solid jacket that you wear over the mesh jacket.  The outer jacket takes up more room in your saddle/tank bag than a waterproof liner but your mesh jacket will be dry when you take off the outer jacket.

Cost

The price of mesh jackets varies wildly.  You can spend $50 on a cheaply made jacket and nearly $300 on a well made three season jacket.  However, you should be able to get a good mesh jacket for summer riding between $100 and $200 dollars.

Summary
We hope you now know a little more about mesh jackets and have an idea of what to expect from a good mesh jacket when you go to purchase one.  Also, be sure to try on the jacket before you purchase it.  Some jacket designs have armor in uncomfortable locations while others may not be shaped well for your figure.  You will not be able to tell until you wear the jacket.

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