1Tonne recently contacted myself with regard to a new Jacket they were releasing onto the market, which they call the "All Season Explorer" jacket. I regularly attend free Motorcycle training held on the North Shore of Auckland referred to as NASS, and 1Tonne agreed to donate one of the new jackets to a deserving member. I intercepted the jacket in transit so I could take a look at it ....
From the moment you take the jacket out of the plastic courier bag that it arrives in you can tell this thing was designed to be waterproof. The first thing that struck me was the front zips. There isn't one, but two (see picture below). So you zip together the jacket using the inner zip. Then you do up the outer zip up, which completely covers up the inner zip. Then a flap of fabric goes across the outer zip and is held down by domes. I guess you could describe it as a triple fixture system. I just can't see any water or cold wind getting in.
The next thing that caught my attention is their appears to be an extra layer of fabric over the elbows and lower arms, and around the shoulders region. A quick read of their web site confirms the extra fabric is a really heavy 1000D Nylon Cordura layer. A quick squeeze and I can tell the jacket has armour in all the normal places. Casting my eyes over the labels and I can see it is all CE rated.
The jacket has an internal removable liner. I removed a section of the liner, and between the liner and the jacket is what I guess you would describe as another nylon liner. It must be there to keep any seepage into the jacket away from the liner and you body. It's kinda like a raincoat, but inside the jacket.
Down the bottom of the jacket is an 8 inch zip for connection to pants for those that want a two piece they can connect together.
There are a couple of easily accessible pockets neatly tucked into the jacket on the inside. There appears to be lots of pockets and storage places on the outside. A quick read of the web site tells me there is 5 on the outside. The main pockets on the outside at the bottom seemed to be lined in some kind of waterproof feeling material (probably nylon). I get the impression you could put a piece of paper in there, zip the pockets back up, and despite the rain you would be able to take the piece of paper out dry at the other end.
I don't know about you, but I always look for jackets that can breath for summer, so that I don't cook. I was reassured to see vents with zips in the sleeves and chest region. Under the vents is a nylon mesh style material.
About the only thing I can see that made me laugh about the jacket is that it has one those "pretend" back protectors made out of foam. Many jackets have them in this class - and I personally think they are all a waste of time.
If you buy a back protector you get it to either protect you against abrasion in case your back gets exposed (and your sliding on your back), or in case you hit something (impact resistance). Well if your back protector is built into your jacket, and your jacket slides up, then so will your back protector - so you get no abrasion resistance. And I don't know about you, but I would not want to suffer an impact on my back with only a soft foam insert for protection.
But as I say, the "back protector" is no better or worse than other "back protectors" in jackets of this nature.
The other thing I find surprising is that according to the 1Tonne web site this jacket is only $200. For this kind of money there is no reason why new and returning riders cannot justify not having a decent jacket. I'm tempted to get one for myself.
On the whole I think this is a well made piece of gear (like all the other 1Tonne gear I have seen). It is especially suitable for those wanting to stay dry or wanting to keep the chilling wind out. The removable thermal liner and venting also make it suitable for summer use. So I guess like the name says, it is an all season jacket.
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Originally Posted by wysper
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