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Joe Rocket Phoenix Jacket
Joe Rocket Phoenix Jacket - Blaster Perforated Pants
Hot Weather Motorcycle Clothing
wBW
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Owners (Below)
See Also:
Joe Rocket
Phoenix 4.0 Mesh Jacket and Phoenix 2.0 Mesh Pants Review
I'll take a wild guess
and say that
something like 97% of motorcycling is done in fine weather. So one of the mysteries
of motorcycling is why does it seem easier to dress for cold weather than
warm?
Most
motorcycle clothing is heavy, bulky, windproof and water resistant --
designed for the worst-case scenario, like riding in the dark in 40 degree F weather when
it's raining.
Most
clothing seems like it was designed for the arctic tundra or
something. I don't know; maybe motorcyclists (or clothing
manufacturers) have fantasies that their clothing must be capable of
making that cross-country jaunt from Moscow to Vladivostok.
Companies like Rider Wearhouse don't even bother to make
a warm weather version of their popular Aerostich Darien jacket; you can't
get one without the GoreTex lining, which makes it pretty unbearable in
the summer.
Nothing against the Darien; it's a high-quality piece of
gear and I own one myself -- but once the thermometer goes north of about 75 degrees F, you're gonna roast inside it...and believe me, it doesn't get any better when the
humidity rises too.
Sure, the excuse is that the gear has to be heavy so that it
can withstand the impact and abrasions in a fall. But hey, this is
the 21st century, where modern technology is supposed to help us out,
no? So there's got to be a better way to ride comfortably in the
warm weather.
We searched around for a combination of what we thought were the best
clothes for the hottest weather. This will be a continuing study, as
more clothing options become available to us for testing (for example, Joe
Rocket has just come out with the Phoenix pants), but we've come
up with a pretty good solution for the stickiest hot weather problem, a
pair of pants and the jacket.
I'll have to admit that a few years back, when I first saw some of the Joe
Rocket gear, I wasn't that impressed. It seemed like it was
definitely made to a price point, and the quality just wasn't there.
Someone would inevitably send an email to a motorcycle list asking what
others thought of a Joe Rocket piece of gear and they would get shamed out
of buying it. But over the last couple of years the quality of the
clothing and accessories has really improved.
The prices are still
reasonable, but the quality is very good. And the selection is great
-- there are literally dozens of different jackets in both male and female
specific sizes that can address just about any motorcycling need.
The Joe Rocket Phoenix jacket came on the scene in early 2001. The
email lists were abuzz with chatter about this new concept -- a protective
jacket that actually let the air pass right through. Joe Rocket was
surprised enough by the initial response that there was a shortage of the
jackets early on, and they were commanding premium prices.
Before
the Phoenix, the only solution to the warm weather issue was from obscure
(in the U.S. anyway) manufacturers like the BroshTex jacket made in Israel. The response to
the Phoenix jacket has finally got other manufacturers to start thinking
about specific designs for hot weather, and this is a Good Thing for
Motorcycledom.
 Just about everyone that's ever tried a Phoenix jacket will agree -- this
jacket is almost too cool! Air passes right through with no
restrictions whatsoever, other than where the soft armor is located.
It actually is too cool to wear if you're caught out in the evening or if
the sun starts to disappear behind some clouds!
But this is also a
Good Thing; a solution for those hottest days where you really wanted to wear a
T-shirt but felt too guilty about it. No more excuses for not
wearing protective clothing in the summer!
The jacket is made of some type of man-made material that Joe Rocket calls
the "Free-Air™ Poly/Mesh Shell". The holes in the mesh are about 1mm in diameter.
There is some soft
armor on the shoulders, arms and a big piece in the back. Will this
jacket protect you as well as, let's say, a Joe Rocket Speedmaster?
Probably not, but it's got to be about 1,000% better than wearing a
T-shirt.
It has a waistband adjustment made possible by two heavy-duty straps, and two slash pockets, one on
each side. The pockets and the front of the jacket have some nice, thick zippers with a pull tab
that can be grasped with gloved hands. The sleeves seem a bit long
for the sizes; they can tend to bunch up under gloves, but I guess it
gives enough room to really stretch out your arms on a Sportbike.
The jacket also has sleeve adjusters at the cuff that can help minimize
bunching in this area. The jacket is very comfortable to wear --
it's soft and doesn't bind at all.
I'm 5'10" tall with a, uh, 36" waist (when I hold my breath!)
and a 30" inseam. I take a man's size 43-44 coat jacket. The
Phoenix size large fits me like it was custom made! As you can see
from the photo, it also has some reflective bits on the sleeves and the
zipper pull.
The
Phoenix also has a short section (8") of zipper in the back so that it can be attached to
Joe Rocket and other brands of riding pants.
The photo shows the jacket's zipper (above) and the matching
short zipper of the pants (below). You can also see the
full-circumference zipper on the pants below the short section.
The only real drawback we found was that if you don't attach it to a
pair of pants, the jacket does tend to ride up a bit in the rear.
 If you were wearing the jacket with only a pair of jeans (you wouldn't
do that, right?), you're probably going to minimize its ability to
protect you in a slide; depending upon the severity of the crash, it
seems like the jacket could easily ride up and expose your stomach
and/or back to the pavement. But that's a problem with any short
jacket when they aren't secured to a matching pair of riding pants.
Speaking of pants... pants that are comfortable in hot weather are
probably the hardest thing to find. I'm guilty of just throwing on
a pair of jeans when it gets really hot, but I never feel right about
it.
I have a pair of Tourmaster over-pants that I really like a
lot, but when the thermometer starts crossing about 75 degrees F,
they're just too hot to wear over a pair of jeans, mostly because the
Tourmasters don't let any air through. That's the problem -- most
manufacturers make their jackets and pants to be rainproof, and the
linings that they put in just don't breathe.
Yes, that includes
Gore-Tex; my personal opinion is that Gore-Tex and other similar
fabrics are somewhat over-hyped; they're
supposed to "breathe", but I've always found them to be very
confining and about as comfortable as rubber. In any case, they certainly
aren't designed to let air pass right through like the Phoenix jacket is.
Anyway, back to the pants; our feeling is that proper riding pants are
probably the most neglected piece of gear in motorcycling. In the
summertime U.S. anyway, it's rare to see someone in full protective riding
getup. Part of this may be that there just aren't many choices
when it comes to warm-weather pants, so we've been on the lookout for
solutions. Joe Rocket came to the rescue again with their
"Blaster" perforated pants.
The Blaster line is one step
down
from their "Speedmaster" line of race track wear; they don't
have the knee pucks that you won't use anyway. But they are very
heavy-duty, 1.4 mm thick drum-dyed cowhide pants, with plenty of
removable dual-density armor in the
hips, knees and shin area.
They are perforated over most of the
surface, making them work well for hot weather use. They have kind of a
mesh liner down to about the knees, so they're comfortable to wear with
just a pair of undies or shorts underneath and you don't get that sticky
leather feeling.
The size 38 pants fit me just about perfectly; snug enough around the
waist and hips so that the armor will (hopefully!) stay in place in case
of a get-off. This pair has an inseam of exactly 30", which
is long enough to fit nicely under my Dainese riding boots. The
only complaint I have -- and I'm not sure it's because of the pants or
my boots -- is that the thick leather pants make for a pretty tight fit
under my boots.
Once I get the boots zipped up, everything is ok
-- except that for some reason the right side pant leg zipper ends just
at my ankle, and the pressure of the boot on the zipper tab can make it
hurt. So I either have to rotate the right pant leg a bit when
putting on my boot, or hike up that pant leg so that the zipper tab is
above my ankle.
It may be the boots -- they're a touring style,
rather than a sport/race style, which usually have more room at the top
to tuck in leather pant legs. It's not a big deal, but if you do
have a pair of boots, you may want to bring them along to make sure they
will fit over the pants when you try them on.
The Blaster perforated pants are definitely not as cool as the Phoenix jacket, but you can
certainly feel the air passing through them. They are much better
than un-perforated leather pants for sure, and also much cooler than the
Tourmaster-type overpant over a pair of jeans. I'd say that when
the temps start to drop below 70-75 degrees F, you may get too cool in the
Blaster perforated pants also. The armor over the knees protects this sensitive area
from cool windblast, so they serve a dual purpose.
The pants have a full-circumference zipper so that you can attach them
to other Joe Rocket jackets, such as the Speedmaster. But there's
a short section of zipper that's ideal for attaching the Phoenix
jacket. That makes this pair and ideal setup for hot weather; you
can ride feeling a bit safer with the knowledge that you've maximized
your protection while still being comfortable enough to ride.
Conclusion
We think you'll find that the combination of the Joe Rocket Phoenix
jacket and Blaster perforated pants, along with a good pair of gloves
and riding boots, can give you some of the best protection you can find
at very reasonable prices.
Yes, there are probably combinations of
pants and jackets that offer better protection, but if they aren't
comfortable enough to wear when the temperatures rise (and when most
riding is done), they aren't serving any purpose at all. The
Phoenix/Blaster combination is many, many times better than a pair of
jeans and a T-shirt, which unfortunately way too many motorcyclists in
the U.S. seem to think is proper riding gear.
The only things left to complete the hot weather ensemble is to find a
pair of gloves that are cool in hot weather but also offer good
protection, and a pair of boots that don't cook your feet. We'll
be on the lookout for those and report back to you when we find
them. In the meantime, enjoy your summer riding!
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►Reader Comments and
Owner Feedback
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Comments are ordered from most recent to oldest.
Not all comments will be posted. Posted comments may be edited.
From "M.H.": "When I went down, I went
down in my Phoenix Jacket. My hand hit first at the
palm (my glove is a bit scuffed) and then I slid on my left
arm.
The armor absorbed the entire impact and slide. My jacket
has two frayed areas in the mesh, but it held up and did not
disintegrate. I still wear the jacket and the damage
is almost unnoticeable. The wrist snaps stayed
securely closed and the armor did not flex out of the way.
The arm snaps stayed secure (I have its napped as far as it
will go, I wear the men’s jacket). I had no bruising
or soreness to my arm or elbow and I didn’t even realize I
had hit in the area until I looked at the
jacket later.
This is also a wonderful mesh jacket and ventilates very
well. The windproof liner is very windproof. I
wound up wearing it with liner on a warm day that turned
cold during the night and made the twenty minute ride home
in 36 degree weather. It was very cold and
uncomfortable but the high throat closure and the windproof
liner helped me make it home. The liner is a bit
larger then the jacket and the jacket can feel a bit strange
with the liner in it, however there is plenty of room to
flex and unlike the ladies phoenix jacket (which I also
have) it has enough room across the bust."
Editor's Note: M.H. was also wearing
Oxtar TCS boots during the crash, see her feedback in the
comments section on the
Oxtar
TCS review page.
From "E.G.": "I purchased a
Ballistic Jackets and a pair of Phoenix gloves based on advise
from a friend who took a spill and, except for some bruises,
walked way from the accident. I'm very happy with the
product and am looking into purchasing riding pants as
well. I do however have a little concern pestering me in
the back of my mind being that the mesh is made of
polyester. Is this material, even remotely, fire
retardant? Not that I'm expecting for this material to
hold up as well a leather. Don't get me wrong, I just
want to know what I'm up against should a fire situation
occur. Based on this insecurity I took a lighter to a
small portion of the jacket and was surprised that it lit up
rather easy. I just think that we should know where we stand
with the gear we purchase..."
wBW Reply: I don't really know
about whether or not there are any fire retardant claims
made by Joe Rocket regarding the polyester fabric used in
the mesh clothing. I hadn't really thought about it to
be honest... Many motorcycle garments are made from various
types of polyester, but to be honest, I've never heard of a
motorcyclist being injured due to fire, although it may have
happened.
From "J.R.": "I got the
black Phoenix 2.0 for $89 + $15 shipping from MotoXoutlet in
Utah. Go to
MotoXoutlet.com
for this deal. It sells for $99 but the guy ended up
giving it to me for $89. It has the zippers for zip-in
liners, too. I live in hot Georgia and the air flow
makes it feel like I'm riding with a short-sleeved
T-shirt. I'd recommend it to anyone who wants protection
and a cool breeze blowin' through."
From "D.M.": "...Just
bought this jacket and love it. The jacket has good
protection and will be a great summer jacket it, flows real
well. It is light and not as bulky as leather and it's
comfortable. You can get them at the Helmet Shop for
about $120 - that's the cheapest I've seen it. I'm not
really aware of the abrasion resistance since I haven't road
rashed it yet (don't plan on it either), so I'm not sure on
that."
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