Rev’It Cayenne Pro Jacket and Pants Review

[This Rev’It Cayenne Pro Jacket and Pants Review was originally published in the July 2010 issue of Rider magazine]

Adventure-touring riders need apparel that performs in a multitude of conditions. Heat, cold, rain, onroad and off, their gear has to breathe when it’s hot, insulate when it’s cold and seal up in the wet like a duck’s butt. Plenty of pocket cargo space goes with the territory, too. Most importantly, this gear has to protect the rider in an unintended separation from the bike, with highly abrasion-resistant materials and functional armor.

Back in 2006 I hit the dirt pretty hard and slid a ways in a Rev’It Cayenne jacket and pants. Neither bore a mark at all, not even a loose thread, testament to the quality materials and construction that goes into Rev’It stuff. The Cayenne Pro jacket improves upon the original by being a bit lighter, with fewer bells and whistles, yet has heavier fabric in the outer shell to preserve functionality. Rev’It likes to call its apparel “Engineered Skin,” a fitting description as despite how readily the Cayenne flows air (without the waterproof or insulation liners installed), the tight weave of the Cordura, Dynax mesh and Lorica shell combo seems as tough as armadillo hide.

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Further enhancing this cocoon of safety is CE-approved armor in the elbows and shoulders, and an EVA foam back pad (which can be replaced with an optional CE-approved protector). Retroreflective material on the back, chest and arms enhances your nighttime conspicuity. The fit adjusts with tabs at the cuffs, straps at the waist and a draw cord around the bottom. The arms also have multiposition snap straps to snug them up when the liners are out and hold that elbow armor close.

Functional, closeable venting on the arms, chest and back and the flow-through shell fabric make the three-quarter-length Cayenne Pro quite comfortable in warmer temperatures. When the temperature dips you can zip-in the thin, breathable, fully sleeved hydratex waterproof liner to block the wind, then add the warm and fluffy thermal liner. Neither is designed to be worn separately from the shell, but also don’t have to be zipped and snapped all the way in to just put them on and get going.

In the rain the Cayenne shell sheds some water itself, and has a pair of waterproof cargo pockets among its nine total, all large and generous. Exterior vent and pocket zippers are also the water-resistant type. The permeable shell will eventually soak through to the hydratex, which means that while the wearer stays dry, the wet shell can get cold in the wind. The flip side is that when it’s hot and the jacket gets wet, without the liner in the wearer stays blissfully cool in the wind. Rain liners on the inside like this tend to be most convenient when the weather is consistently wet and you just keep them in, or dry when they’re unneeded and pack down to almost nothing. In changeable weather I find a good ol’ rainsuit more convenient, and substitute a fleece jacket I can wear by itself off the bike for the insulating liner.

Overall the $579.99 Cayenne Pro jacket’s combination of versatility, protection and cargo space make it a Swiss Army Knife of adventure-touring jackets. It comes in men’s sizes S-3XL and several color combos, including the light-gray/black in the photo. The $399.99 matching pants have similar construction and liners, zip to the jacket almost the full circumference and have EC-approved armor in the hips and knees. The best part is that they are available in short and long sizes, so that everyone can wear the knee armor wear it belongs.

For more information: Visit Rev’It, see your dealer or call (888) 681-0180

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