REV’IT! Sand 3 Pants Review

Mid-Range All-Arounders

The REV’IT! Sand 3 pants are a continuing evolution of the original REV’IT! Sand pants (review).

We first started reviewing the REV’IT! Sand series way back in 2010.

In all that time, the Sand jacket and pants have proven to be among the most popular items in the REV’IT! lineup.

That’s because they hit the “sweet spot”: reasonable price, pretty much all the features anyone needs, good looks and rugged build quality.

The exterior of the Sand 3 pants has a rugged build, along with removable waterproof liner and insulating liners.

Both liners have individual one-piece, continuous liner zippers at the waist and the cuffs, which is a real plus.

The fit is tight, however, even in the XL size and the combination of the two liners does add about one waist size to the pants.

REV’IT! now uses the SEEFLEX “mesh” perforated CE Level 2 protectors in the knees, three-way adjustable for height.

The hips have SEESMART CE Level 1 Type B hip protectors (version RV33), but these feel very thin; it makes one wonder how much impact they can really absorb.

Overall, the features, the four-season capability and the water resistance provide what is probably the best mid-range motorcycle outfit you’ll find.

Background

It’s actually really nice to review a product that has gone through a continuous evolution since 2010 and counting.

The Sand 3 pants have, like their predecessors, evolved from the original Sand pants, which were, in turn, an evolution of the REV’IT! Dakar pants (review) and the REV’IT! Off-Track jacket (review)jacket from 2007 — exactly 10 years ago.

The Off-Track jacket and Dakar pants were REV’IT!’s first take on an adventure-touring outfit and since then, adventure-touring has skyrocketed in popularity.

The Sand jacket and pants outfit is one of the most popular (if not THE most popular) mid-range adventure-touring or touring or every-day-kick-around pairing in all of motorcycling.

The “3” series sticks to the proven formula first pioneered 10 years ago: it’s an all-season combination that works for adventure-touring, long-distance touring or daily street riding.

The price is kept relatively reasonable because you won’t find the Gore-Tex shell found in the high-end REV’IT! lineup.

But like the REV’IT! Sand 3 Jacket (review), the secret is that unless you really need that Gore-Tex layer for the outer shell, the Sand series works perfectly fine, thank you.

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Where to Buy REV’IT! Sand 3 Pants

Check Reviews & Prices on Amazon Check Reviews & Prices On RevZilla

Also Shop for: Motorcycle Jackets, Motorcycle Gloves, Motorcycle Boots, Motorcycle Pants

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REV’IT! Sand 3 Pants

Like their predecessors, the REV’IT! Sand 3 pants are still available in silver and all-black.

And also like the originals, the Sand 3 pants are the perfect match for the REV’IT! Sand 3 Jacket (review) and other REV’IT! jackets.

The pants have both a short and long (270 degree circumference) zipper for attachment to the Sand 3 jacket.

The original Sand pants from 2010 had a list price of $299.99. The Sand 2 pants had a list price of $329.99 and the Sand 3 pants list for $359.99.

Considering the evolution and improvements during all that time, a 60-buck increase isn’t bad.

Exterior

The Sand 3 pants have a new type of “ripstop” polyester 600 denier exterior. It matches the ripstop used on the Sand 3 jacket but for some reason, the pants feel slightly more “heavy-duty”.

Also included in the mix is the REV’IT! “PWR shield” version of Cordura, which has a “high melting point, tremendous tear and abrasion resistance  and excellent durability”.

There’s a touch of Lorica synthetic leather also, used in a small patch under the seat for wear resistance when sitting on the bike.

Overall, the combination feels very tough and the knees in front and the seat down to the back of the knees have the doubled layer of PWR shield for extra abrasion resistance.

Differences From the Sand 2 Pants

The cargo pockets have improved from the first Sand pants through Sand 2 and now on Sand 3 the pockets are even larger.

In fact, they’re huge, covering nearly the entire thigh, as you can see in the photo (right) above.

The pockets have a big hook-and-loop flap with a doubled-over entry. You can probably store way more than you should in these pockets.

On the inside of the pockets is a big zipper for the large (25 cm) vents, which are backed by mesh.

Vents are pretty much over-rated on pants because once you’re sitting on the bike, the vents don’t stay open and the air doesn’t pass over them, but I guess some ventilation is better than none.

Another big difference is that the Sand 3 pants now have a new YKK developed slide hook at the waist (photo below).

It’s a nice improvement over the metal hook on the Sand 2 pants and snaps-only on the original Sand pants.

Additional Pocket

Besides the huge cargo pockets, the Sand 3 pants also have a single pocket behind the cargo pocket on the right-hand side.

It’s semi-hidden because it opens with a horizontal zipper under a flap of the ripstop material.

This is a big pocket, measuring 20 cm across and 16 cm deep.

Protectors

The Sand 2 pants had the Prolife CE rated protectors in the knees and simple perforated EVA foam in the hips, also found in the original Sand pants.

The Sand 3 pants have an upgraded protector array, with CE Level 2 rated REV’IT! SEEFLEX knee protectors, adjustable through 3 heights.

These have a large mesh “waffle” like construction for ventilation and they’re also pretty comfortable.

There’s some very thin SEESMART pads in the hips, rated CE Level 1.

These are so thin that it’s very difficult to even tell that they’re installed, which makes it a bit difficult to believe they can absorb much impact energy, but apparently they do since they’re CE Level 1 rated.

Zippers and Snaps

All of the zippers used on the external shell of the Sand pants are the YKK Vislon type, also used in the Sand 2 pants.

The pocket and vent zippers are the larger type but I do have to note that we had problems with the zipper used to hold the insulating liner in place.

The Sand 3 pants fit pretty tight and the waist is slightly low rise, so when the thicker than average insulating liner is attached, it makes for a snug fit when entering the pants.

The first time I slid my legs into the pants, the pull on the legs separated the insulating liner zipper.

UPDATE: I now see this was partially my fault, because the liner attachment zipper was open about about 1/4 of the way.

This put too much pressure on the zipper runner, which pulled away from the attachment zipper half on the pants, taking some teeth with it.

Moral of the story: make sure the liner attachment zippers are completely secured first and you shouldn’t have this problem.

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Where to Buy REV’IT! Sand 3 Pants

Check Reviews & Prices on Amazon Check Reviews & Prices On RevZilla

Also Shop for: Motorcycle Jackets, Motorcycle Gloves, Motorcycle Boots, Motorcycle Pants

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Pant Cuffs

The pant cuffs have four wide strips of hook-and-loop to adjust the large flap at the bottom.

There’s also a zipper underneath that can be opened to make it easier to slide your legs through the cuffs.

It would be difficult to wear the Sand 3 pants inside a pair of boots, although I suppose it could be done (I didn’t try it). But you’d probably have to remove the liners first.

It’s also a bit difficult to wear the pants over a pair of boots, due to the liners. Try unfastening the full-surround cuff zipper for each of the liners first.

Water- and Wind-Resistant Liners

Like the earlier versions of the Sand pants, the Sand 3 pants can also be used with no liner or with either the insulating liner, waterproof liner or both.

Both liners are fitted with their own individual full-surround waist and cuff zippers, which is a nice feature (problem zipper notwithstanding).

And as we have mentioned many times before, there are pros and cons to having the water resistance provided by a removable liner rather than as a membrane bonded to the outer shell.

The liner can be removed for the vast majority of riding, which is done in dry conditions. This helps to keep the pants cooler and less bulky.

But like we’ve also advised, if you want water resistance at the outer shell, you’re going to pay dearly for it.

The REV’IT! Gore-Tex (GTX) pants are much more expensive and other than the Gore-Tex, the differences aren’t that great.

The thermal liner makes the Sand 3 pants definitely a four-season garment, no question there.

Remove the liners and open the vents and you have a good hot-weather pair of pants also (although remember that the size goes up about one waist circumference with the liners removed).

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Where to Buy REV’IT! Sand 3 Pants

Check Reviews & Prices on Amazon Check Reviews & Prices On RevZilla

Also Shop for: Motorcycle Jackets, Motorcycle Gloves, Motorcycle Boots, Motorcycle Pants

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Waist and Fit

We have the Sand 3 pants in both L and size XL. The size XL is shown here on the model, who has a 35″ waist and 32″ leg length.

The  which used to be equivalent to a size L but now seems more like the correct standard size XL.

The retailers’ size charts are again in error in our opinion. The size L pants should fit a 34-35″ waist, not up to a 37″ waist as claimed by some retailers — no way.

I have a 36″ waist and I can’t even get the size L pants pulled up high enough above my thighs to come anywhere close to my waist.

The size XL is listed as 37″ to 40″ waist; again, no way. The XL pants with the liners installed are very snug on me, although they fit with the liners removed.

The size XL is more suitable for a 35-36″ waist in my opinion.

The waist has sliding adjusters on the side but once again, we strongly suggest that the manufacturers use elastic in the waist to account for the variations in real-world men’s sizes.

There’s nothing wrong with a little bit of elastic, folks — it works wonders!

Short and Long Lengths

As with the original Sand pants, the Sand pants have always been available in short, regular and tall lengths.

The sizes range from S to 4XL in standard length; M to 3XL in short length and M to 2XL in long lengths.

Conclusion

Like Version 1 and 2, the REV’IT! Sand 3 pants are comfortable, versatile and good-looking.

They’re also rugged and eminently usable in all four seasons, especially winter, with both the Hydratex and insulating liners in place.

Remove the liners and you have a nice pair of pants for hot weather also and they’ll work both on and off road.

The Sand 3 pants will work fine as your year-around, all-season general use pants that you can mix and match with any jacket.

Part 1: REV’IT! Sand 3 Jacket Review

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