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www. FavoriteRidesAndDestinations. com | ridermagazine. com

FALL 2016 ISSUE 02 / VOL. 01

ADVENTURE TOURING IS ALL THE RAGE these days. Nearly every major manufacturer has one or more adventure bikes to choose from, and riders are snapping them up because they offer versatility, performance and the possibility— no matter how remote— of taking a year off to ride the entire Pan-American Highway, from Prudhoe Bay, Alaska, to Ushuaia, Argentina.

Even if your adventures are more modest, it helps to have gear that’ s as versatile as your bike. Joe Rocket’ s Ballistic Adventure Jacket is a new version of a jacket that’ s been in the company’ s lineup for years. I tested the Ballistic Revolution jacket earlier this year, and my primary complaint was lack of ventilation. The Ballistic Adventure’ s Variable Flow ventilation system addresses this issue with large, zip-open panels on the chest that expose 8- by 5-inch ballistic mesh panels underneath. With the chest panels, small shoulder vents and long, vertical back vents open, the jacket flows lots of air. There are also mesh vents inside the forearms, but they don’ t take in much air when the cuffs are snugged down or stuffed inside gauntleted gloves. They’ d work better if they extended farther up the arm.

The outer shell is made of water resistant RockTex 600 with 840D ballistic nylon panels covering the shoulders and elbows, two areas that also get removable, CE-approved armor. The high-density spine pad isn’ t CE approved, but it’ s a large, sturdy back protector that’ s superior to the flimsy foam pads found in many jackets. It’ s also removable, so you can replace it with a CE-approved spine pad or step up to Joe Rocket’ s Speedmaster 2.0 CE Level 2 back protector($ 74.99- $ 79.99).

In front, the jacket zips up with a durable, two-way YKK zipper that’ s covered by a dual-closure storm flap. Two large cargo pockets in front secure with buttons and hook-and-loop and a large cargo pocket at the lower back is big enough to hold the zip-out waterproof liner. There’ s one pocket inside the jacket, and when the chest panels are closed, they can serve as pockets as well. None of the pockets are claimed to be waterproof, so keep that in mind when stashing your wallet or smartphone.( California’ s interminable drought prevented me from testing in the rain.) The waterproof liner can be worn separately as a light rain jacket or windbreaker, and it can provide warmth when combined with the full-sleeve, zip-out insulated liner( which also has two inside pockets). Oddly, the main jacket’ s sleeves can be zipped off entirely, converting it into a short-sleeved jacket— purportedly for hot days, but it leaves the arms exposed with no crash protection so I never removed the sleeves.

Other useful features include accordion stretch panels on the elbows, a microfiber-lined collar that secures with hookand-loop, an 8-point SureFit adjustment system( waist, torso, wrists and arms), an extended back with zippered gussets, a back pocket for a hydration bladder( bring or buy your own), an 8-inch pants attachment zipper and reflective stripes for 360-degree nighttime visibility.

Ballistic Adventure, versatility( and value) be thy name. This is a highly functional, well-made jacket that retails for $ 299.99. It’ s available in men’ s sizes S-3XL in Black / Gunmetal and Silver / Gunmetal. Ushuaia, here we come!

Greg Drevenstedt

For more information: Visit joerocket. com