Hi!
There's a trick that we built into the Gravel Jacket that I've been told we should talk about with more gusto.
It's simple, neat, and reduces the weight of the jacket by 43%.
I do this every time I ride in the Gravel, but apparently I've been taking it for granted.
Let's fix that.
Chris is grateful for the CE AA protection of the Gravel gear.
To get a CE rating, the rules require us to submit our gear to lab testing that's designed to help you the rider understand what kind of protection you can expect your gear to provide.
We were aiming for a CE AA certification with the Gravel Jacket, which meant that we needed to design it to include impact protection.
But, Adventure Spec is all about layering.
Layer up or down depending on the conditions.
Wear what you need when you need it.
And at the centre of this philosophy is The Supershirt 2.0.
Dan wears the CE AA Supershirt 2.0 underneath his Gravel Jacket.
Our CEAA base layer that allows you to wear your impact and abrasion protection next to your skin.
Thin, comfortable, it keeps your armour exactly where you want it, without moving.
So, knowing that The Supershirt 2.0 was our foundation layer, how would this work with the Gravel Jacket?
For riders who are doing less technical off road riding, and are looking for the longer day, all season waterproof performance of an adventure touring suit?
We made the Flow armour in the Gravel Jacket removable.
I know what you are thinking, that's not rocket science, all motorcycle jackets allow you to remove the armour.
But the Gravel Jacket lets you take out not just the armour, but the armour pockets too.
Flow armour AND armour pockets can be removed.
We designed the armour pockets to fit using velcro, because we always knew that if you love riding in your Supershirt 2.0, you're going to want to wear it underneath whatever you put on top.
When I ride my Gravel Jacket, my Flow elbow and shoulder armour and armour pockets stay at home.
That's 630g of weight taken out of the jacket.
And when you include Flow back armour that's 1kg taken out.
A whopping 43% weight reduction.
It turns what was already a light textile adventure touring jacket, into one of the lightest most comfortable all season waterproof touring jackets I've experienced.
Shifting the weight out of the Gravel Jacket and into my Supershirt 2.0 is safer, keeps the armour in place, reduces fatigue, and helps me stay alert for longer.
And as an added bonus, I'm wearing a CEAA protective base layer underneath a jacket that features CEAA abrasion resistance too.
That's some serious reassurance for those long adventure touring road miles.
💪💪
Greg Villalobos
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