Even on a broiling hot summer day you want to be protected while you ride, with a good helmet, boots, gloves…and jacket and pants. All The Gear All The Time, ATGATT. Which is where Slatin’s EZ-1 Mesh Jacket and Blue Riding Jeans come in. Good styling, good construction, good comfort.
Slatin calls the jacket design Summer Technology, writ large on each sleeve. The outer shell is made of 600-denier Cordura polyester with mesh panels covering probably 80 percent of the jacket, and the interior is all mesh. This is the kind of jacket I wear when the thermometer is in the high eighties and nineties, as it flows air quite well (beyond a hundred, I’ll probably look for some shade).
Tough CE-approved armor is at the shoulders and elbows, and something called SuperFabric covers the outside of the armor. This is a heavyweight Cordura coated with “tiny, very hard polygons.” Since the U.S. military uses SuperFabric, I figure the protection should be good.
Lots of bright reflective trim helps drivers see you at night. There is also a CE-approved back protector, and all of the armor can be removed when you want to wash the jacket. The fit is good; I liked the extra long back and one-inch longer sleeves. Hook-and-loop cinches on both sides of the waist snug the jacket down, and the wrists have 6-inch YKK zippers with hook-and-loop tightening closures. The front zips up to a pleasantly soft collar, with a hook-and-loop closure should you want to leave the zipper partly open. Zip-up handwarmer pockets are on the outside.
On the inside of the jacket is a small pocket for that ubiquitous iPhone, as well as a pair of 6- x 8-inch pockets, good for carrying sandwiches. And then there is the very thin liner, made of a textile called Reissa, said to be breathable and waterproof. It attaches using a full zip around the body portion, with the sleeves having buttons at the wrists. Should the temperature cool, zip it in and it cuts down on the wind and keeps the rain out.
Slatin’s Blue Riding Jeans are made of heavyweight denim, with an abrasion-resistant Kevlar lining going up the thighs and around the backside, plus pouches for removable CE armor at the knees and thighs. I ordered my jeans with the diamond-shaped gusset that expands the crotch, where the four seams come together, making them more comfortable when sitting splay-legged on a bike. However, you can order them without the gusset if you lean toward the stylish and trim look. The front pockets, including the delightfully outdated watch pocket, are riveted, which I always like.
The price for the men’s jacket is right at $159, as Slatin sells directly from the factory; there’s a Slatin store in Prescott, Arizona, should you be passing that way. Men’s sizes run from M-3XL, colors are black, red or green. Women’s sizes run S-2XL, in blue, purple or pink, priced at $139. The men’s jeans come in blue or dark blue, leg 32 or 34, waist 34-44; price is $99. Women’s sizes should be along soon.
For more information, call 602-405-7613 or visit slatinmotogear.com.
