Heres our review and spoiler alert were pretty damn impressed .. OK so lets lay our cards on the table were big fans of Alpinestar kit. There was a little seepage of water around the wrists and a tiny bit down the back of the neck where my helmet and jacket dont quite meet. Ride Expeditions Ltd is a company committed to customer satisfaction and consumer financial protection. The two lower front hand pockets are zippered and covered with a storm flap to ensure watertightness. On the baasis of other AStars kit weve got, this Drustar kit will last extremely well if looked after, and opretty well if abused. After years and years of suffering the fate of Euro sizing not translating well to American or Canadian sizes, its nice to finally be getting some gear from the best companies across the pond in realistic proportions for the giants that wander these North American lands. Our reviews are hands-on, detailed, and unbiased. We use cookies on our website to give you the most relevant experience by remembering your preferences and repeat visits. Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. Thoroughly recommended on every level. These cookies do not store any personal information. Otherwise, I took off the jacket, and I was as dry as Arizona during a drought. Book your next tour with confidence with Ride Expeditions. This is a noticeable step in a positive direction, as it works extremely well with the new Nucleon Flex-Plus armor in the elbows, making the jacket feel more like a slightly thick hiking jacket instead of a full on motorcycle jacket. It was barely above cold water too, to test out the thermal resistance of the Drystar without the thermal liner installed. The red zippers provide a visual cue for installing the thermal liner. The belt and pressure system simulates coming off a bike at approximately 40 KPH, or about 25 MPH. 
On cold days, there is a removable long sleeved liner that can be zipped in to keep you toasty, and the sleeves popper into place to stop them inverting when you take the jacket off. 2022 VerticalScope Inc. All rights reserved. OK so this is not cheap gear, so if thats what you want look elsewhere. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. I would like to see zippered sleeve cuffs but all in all a lot of jacket without the price of stepping up to Gore-tex.for sizing Im 188cm (62) and 80kg (175) jacket size is XL. The exhausts are mostly okay, being hidden under the rear vertical joins of the back protector area, but the front vents would need to be zipped up to prevent your sides getting soaked. Category A is the best that adventure gear and urban riding gear can obtain, with Category AA reserved for sport touring (read: sportbikes and supersports) and Category AAA reserved for powersport racing gear. 
Product Review: Alpinestars 2014 Street Collection. 
Thick neck, wide shoulders, wide chest, a bit of a belly, and big wide hips. Youve been relying on a cobbled together collection of old jackets, second-hand trousers and ex-army Goretex for years and you know that none of it actually keeps out the water on a long ride. Still, the jacket gets toastier than those equipped with Gore-Tex. I can see your thoughts on heat build up for me I stood instore with different jackets on. At the shoulders and elbows there are removable CE rated pads, and there are additional polymer layers on the elbows and lower arms for increased abrasion protection in a slide. In common with most decent biking jackets, the Alpinestar Andes Pro Drystar jacket has integral protection as standard and options for additional padding and protection. The pants also received scuffing and a small hole in the mid-thigh area, though not near any armor. wBW providessubjective opinionsand information on hard-to-find and unique motorcycling products. I firmly believe that the armor absorbed enough of the impact to prevent additional injury. The ingenuity comes in that the airflow passes mostly through the armpit, with some air across the chest and over the shoulder. MotOz Tractionator RallZ tyres review Big grip for big landscapes. As I purchased the Alpinestars Andes V3 with my own money, the real question in the verdict is do I feel like its money well spent? In todays jacket market, its almost overwhelming trying to find the right jacket. More in line with the much more expensive Gore-tex jackets. On the knees there are also knee removable protectors as standard, and these are Alpinstars CE-certified Bio- Armour. Much like how a wetsuit works, that air was soon keeping me warm without needing to put in the thermal liner. The jacket also features two chest pockets and one back protector pocket that come with poly-foam padding. The faster it goes, the more Simon likes it. On a bright and sunny day, it did get quite toasty, but opening the storm flap and unzipping about 6 inches helped cool down very quickly. This category only includes cookies that ensures basic functionalities and security features of the website. At no extra cost to you, and in accordance with The Package Travel and Linked Travel Arrangements Regulations 2018,all passengers booking with Ride Expeditions Ltd are fully insured for the initial deposit, and subsequently the balance of monies paidas detailed in your booking confirmation form. With all of these factors in hand, I went jacket shopping. At the waist there a velcro adjustable waistband and a popper and clasp closure above the zip fly. He's an avid sim racer (it keeps him sane during Calgary's 6-month off-season) and is thinking it's time to upgrade his ride. Great review,,, but what size jacket worked for you ? In fact, the only complaint I have with the jacket is the hook portion of the Velcro on the collar tends to grab the fabric cover of my helmets chin strap. The fifth pocket is a gigantic rear pocket that covers the entire lower back of the jacket, and is waterproof but not sealed with a zip or velcro. Like the jacket, the V2 Drystar trousers have options for both hot and cold days. This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. In reality, it would be equivalent to riding in a moderate to light rain. Its up to you to buy either a D3O or one of Alpinestars new and wonderful Nucleon Flex-Plus back protectors for a measly $80! After my 10 minutes of doing what would appear to be a weird dance in my shower, I stopped the water and shook off what droplets I could from the jacket, as if I had just stepped inside after riding in the rain. The armor kept me from even getting a bruise although I did suffer mild shoulder ligament strain.
When they labelled their waterproofing as Drystar, they damned well meant it. What more are you looking for? Unfortunately, the Velcro catches some helmet straps when in riding position. The exterior has five major pockets. I went the route of an Icon D3O CE II back protector ($25), and it slipped in easily and is securely held in place with the design of the back protector pocket. Although the zippered vents do flow air, youll find yourself opening the main zipper in really hot weather. To combat the heat buildup, the Andes V3 has what could easily be called generous ventilation intakes and exhausts. See our review policies for more information. Full details can be found in ourterms & conditions. Nope. For the best experience on our site, be sure to turn on Javascript in your browser. Weve used the Alpinestar Andes Pro Drystar Jacket and trousers all over the world, form the heat of South Africa on adventure bikes to the wide open plains of Mongolia on trail bikes. Although the jacket does not come with chest and back protectors as standard, there are pockets already sewn in place to take the CE certified Nucleon chest and back protectors that you can buy as an accessory. The Andes jacket and pants connect via a zippered waist panel that is elasticized for comfort. The collar is lined with a soft fabric and features a cutout where it contacts the throat something many jackets overlook. Armored hoodies, anyone? Too much good living during my college years and never really shucking it off, I guess! This pairing has become my regular gear for winter rides. Foralltours cancelled by Ride Expeditions, riders can choose to receive a100%refundor to transfer all monies paid to any future tour. Address of the internet retailer or store with this item at a lower price: Buy the Alpinestars Andes V3 Jacket and get: Best price Free shipping 5% Cashback on your Order Value Super Fast delivery Order now! At the rear of the jacket there are also two ventilation zips and these can be used in conjunction with the two large zipped flaps on the front that can either be just zipped down or totally unzipped and poppered half-open or fully open to allow a massive amount of air to circulate through the jacket . My goal was to expose the neck closure, the wrists, the front pockets, the back pocket, and all seams and fabrics to some of the water. The shoulder and elbow protectors are certified CE Level I impact armor. The Andes V3 does have 5 specific colorways: Black (the one I have), White with grey and orange highlights, Olive Green with beige and yellow highlights, Blue with black and orange highlights, and Camouflage with black, beige and orange highlights. The thermal lining has two internal pockets. you can zip in the padded liner which goes al the way to the bottom of the trousers. document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); Ride Expeditions Ltd. So if youve invested in a great jacket, then matching it up with an equally good pair of riding pants is a smart move. What is nice compared to D3O armor is that the flexible nature of the armor means that it drops further down over the front and back of the shoulder. Another important factor with the ventilation is that it is what Alpinestars labels as Direct Flow Ventilation (DFV). We use cookies to improve your experience on this website and so that ads you see online can be tailored to your online browsing interests. As well, from my personal point of view as a big-n-tall guy, the fact that I could find any Alpinestars gear that fit me was astonishing. It is my educated guess that these are meant to be where your wallet, smartphone, maps, documents, etc go that you may need. This is top-end racing tech bought to the street it might cost a lot but the crash protection will be beyond anything a conventional jacket will allow. By continuing to browse our site you agree to our use of data and cookies. The forearms have a velcro strap that tightens the jacket to you, and keeps the Nucleon elbow and upper forearm armor solidly in place. The pants offer a zippered vent on the back of each thigh to extract moisture and heat, but there are no corresponding air intakes. We tend to wear the trousers with base layer leggings to keep them fresh, and for these we choose Alpinestar too? There are zippered pockets on both sides and cargo style pockets lower down the leg.
The jacket has a nylon belt that is D-ring adjustable while the pants use Velcro adjustments. Designed in the stylish adventure riding mold, the Andes is part of Alpinestars Tech-Touring line of gear. Both the jacket and pants were perfect for riding in temperatures in to the upper 20s. A nice touch about the front vents is that instead of using the silly internal pull string that the Andes V2 did to hold them open, there is a snap button placed on the chest area, and a snap tab inside the ventilation zone that you can put together to hold the vents as wide open as they will go. The tunable fit of the jacket and pants allowed for comfortable, all-day riding as layers of clothing were added or removed. I stood facing the shower head for a good 3 minutes, then let the back take the brunt of the blistering torrent of water an eco-friendly shower head dispenses. The jacket is textile construction that is abrasion resistant and 100% waterproof thanks to the DRYSTAR waterproof breathable construction, so still has great levels of air flow options for hot conditions.