Riding 40 miles a day, every day, has meant a real mix of weather since I got this kit in the first week of January. My old gear had finally given up the ghost, leaving me cold, wet and miserable every morning on my 2000-model Honda CBR600, so the switch to the Akito Latitude Adventure Jacket and Pants was most welcome.
This Akito Latitude Adventure Jacket and Pants offers interchangeable thermal and waterproof liners for four-season use, but of course I haven’t yet been able to really test the zipped front and rear vents, or have any cause to strip out the liners. What I can say is that, at last, I am warm and dry, and without needing to wear thermals or any other specialist under-clothing.
In the first week of owning the Akito Latitude Adventure Jacket and Pants, I rode in torrential rain and found a little dampness around my wrists and the back of my upper arms. I can’t work out how this happened, as the vents were closed and my gloves were tucked under the cuffs. However, there’s been plenty of rain since and I haven’t got wet again.
The cuffs are spacious enough to get my gloves under easily, though as they’re a little bulky, fitting gloves over the top proved slightly trickier. For the dryset ride though, it’s always best to keep your gloves under the jacket, to stop water from running down your arms and into the gloves. The jacket also has inner thermal cuffs, which prevent any draughts from getting up my arms if I haven’t cinched everything up perfectly.
The Akito Latitude Adventure Jacket comes with a removable hi-vis vest, which I’ve really appreciated over the dark rides to work and home, and while I’ve had adjustable neoprene collars on jackets before, they’ve never been as easy to fasten, or as effective at keeping the breeze out as this.
The four large pockets on the outside aren’t waterproof, but they have plenty of space for keys etc. and the two pockets inside the thermal liner have kept my wallet and phone safe. The arms have straps at the biceps to keep them snug, and with high density panels at key impact points, it certainly feels substantial. But that does make it quite heavy, and it took a little breaking in – the cuff zips were slightly awkward at first, but like the stiff knees of the trousers, which made bending into the semi-sporty riding position of my CBR difficult initially, they soon softened with time. There are neat touches, like the silicon-print panel on the bottom that prevents sliding around on the saddle, or the neoprene inserts.
It’s a relief to finally be comfortable again on the bike right through winter, especially at such a good price!
Price : £159.99 and £129.99