REAX Ridge Textile Jacket Hands-On Jacket Review

First, some background: REAX is a new riding apparel line recently launched by Comoto Holdings – that’s RevZilla and Cycle Gear to you and me. I am fortunate to have friends working within this group, who were willing to speak candidly with me about it, on the condition they be left anonymous.

The gear is being marketed directly to the Millennial generation, and that was readily apparent to me as I started seeing the Cycle Gear advertising for it in particular. It is widely believed within the company that this group, in particular, has pretty specific tastes when it comes to riding apparel, and REAX is tailored to meet what they believe those to be.

Colors, branding, and styling in these products is decidedly low key. Bright colors, large logos, or anything that would be considered avant-garde styling wise is strictly off the table. If you are old enough, as I am, think 1979 and prior.

Although made with modern materials, and with modern safety features, no new ground is being broken by its appearance. This, I was told, is exactly what Millennials want. Completely modern in function, but with an older look.

Construction

The Ridge is a textile jacket, marked as being constructed from 95% nylon, and 5% spandex. I was not able to find out specifically anything about the weight or weave of the outer shell material. It looks and feels like 600 denier weight to me, with a tight enough weave to provide a relatively soft feel.

A spandex stretch panel is sewn in over the shoulders, and runs under the arms, along with a similar panel over the elbows, providing better freedom of movement. The arms are also pre-curved, and do not bunch up inside the elbows when on the bike.

Color selection for this jacket is limited to two – charcoal and black, which is the one tested here, and “Loden”, which I think could be most readily compared to olive drab.

Logos and branding, as mentioned above, are quite subdued, with the largest being the REAX logo embroidered into the rear of the jacket’s neck and a very small one embroidered on to the bottom front right of the shell. The logo embroidery is barely any darker in color than the rest of the shell, and it does not stand out as a result.

One of the nicest features in this jacket is the removable black interior liner. It is windproof, with a nylon exterior shell, elastic cuffs on the wrists, and a soft fleece interior. Two zippered hand warmer pockets are on the outside, along with mesh hat style pockets on the inside. The left chest also features a zippered pocket, which is surrounded by orange stitching. A small orange elastic loop is attached to the rear of the neck, there for attaching the liner to the jacket via a nylon loop with a snap fastener, attached to the jacket’s neck.

The liner is so nicely made, that it stands alone as a garment you would likely wear by itself once off the bike to keep chilly air at bay.

Attachment of the liner to the jacket is very well thought out. Two zippers, one for each side, are used to attach the liner, in addition to the aforementioned snap. Once zipped up, the zipper pulls go into fleece-lined garages, preventing the pulls from resting directly on your neck. I like this separate zipper design, versus the type that uses one that has to go around the entire circumference of the jacket. Having one straight pull, up and down, makes attaching and removing it less fussy than trying to make the zipper follow a curve.

The Ridge features waterproof pockets in the outer shell in the places you would expect to find them – two zippered hand warmer types in the lower front, and a zippered waterproof Napoleon pocket in the left chest. The tail area features a full-width zippered rabbit style pocket, presumably for storing the liner when removed. Two hat style pockets are found inside, made with the same mesh the jacket is lined with. A hook style metal key ring is attached inside the left front hand warmer pocket – a nice touch.

The jacket also features a lot of ventilation zips – eight in total. Two are in the upper chest area, one on each forearm, behind a hook and loop adjuster cuff, and one on each side of the torso, running front to back, in a slight curve as it runs around the side of the body. Two very small vent zips are found on the rear of the arms, over the tricep area. The vents on the sides are also tack stitched inside, to prevent the mesh liner they open to from being torn.

This jacket is marketed as being fully waterproof. The main waterproofing layer is bonded directly to the interior of the outer shell. The main zipper in the front features a wide drainage flap, designed to catch any water that gets through and direct it down. This zip can be operated from the top, or the bottom, opening or closing either way. The exterior zippers are also equipped with pulls, allowing easy operation with gloved hands. Zipper pulls all nest into nicely made garage ports when closed.

All exterior zippers in this jacket are YKK Aquaguard types – not Aqua Seal. Although these zips are quite water resistant, they are not truly waterproof. More on these later.

The neck area of this jacket is another place where it is exceptionally well thought out for comfort. The top 2.5 inches (6.35 cm) is lined inside with microfleece, featuring what I believe is a neoprene roll at the top edge, with an Adam’s apple cutout of the same material in the neck closure flap.

The best feature of that closure is a large, strong, and well-placed magnet, that holds against similar magnets sewn into the liner. It is extremely easy to open or close with gloved hands and stays where you left it.

The rear of the jacket features belt loops for attaching to riding jeans and a zipper that can be used to connect it to matching REAX pants. Although I did not test to know for sure, I suspect this zipper will also be compatible with other brands of riding pants as well.

Last regarding construction, is quality. The Ridge is made in Vietnam, and I was not able to find a single flaw in its stitching or material. All seams in it are sealed. That is really saying something, as I am really looking hard for any nit to pick. There weren’t any. It is genuinely well made.

Safety

The Ridge features SAS-Tech CE Level 2 armor in the shoulders and elbows. I really like an armor of this type – it is highly flexible, making it comfortable and unobtrusive to wear, and at the same time, is able to better protect you than hard plastic armor can should the need arise, owing to its shock absorbing qualities.

The outer shell of the jacket features an additional layer of material sewn on where the armor sits, and the inner lining has well-designed pockets that make getting the armor in and out easy to do. Kudos to the REAX team for reaching for the good stuff here.

As good as that is, the Ridge does not include a back protector. Although it features the pocket sewn into the back to hold one, inside that pocket you will find a piece of foam that does not provide safety of any kind. If you are considering this jacket, consider what it will cost additionally to add the back protector.

Also, with regard to safety, the Ridge really does not feature any truly reflective material. Although it is said to feature “Subtle Reflective Highlights”, in practice, it really does not. The zipper garages are, I am assuming, the aforementioned reflective bits. I am assuming since they simply don’t reflect any light. This is a place where the styling/marketing mission of the jacket got ahead of its function. Know if you are riding at night, other motorists will not see this.

Fit

Fit, overall, with the Ridge is what I would consider being average. I am 6’ 0” (1.82 m) tall, and weigh 180 lbs (81.6 kg), and found size “Large” in this jacket to be quite comfortable in its cut, sleeve length, and length overall top to bottom. If you are not able to try it on first at a Cycle Gear store, order whatever size you would normally wear. If you aren’t sure, both the folks at RevZilla and Cycle Gear can help guide you with regard to what exactly you need, size wise.

I think it strikes a nice balance in its length, not sportbike short, nor ¾ length adventure tour. This is one of the places having a two-way main zipper can be handy – if the jacket is bunching up uncomfortably at the bottom when on the bike, you can easily unzip it some from the bottom up.

The long 9 inch (22.8 cm) forearm vent zips easily allow enough space for gauntlet style gloves to be worn underneath the sleeves.

Function

This is where I ran into what I believe are the two biggest problems the Ridge has – ventilation and waterproofing.

Ventilation

I’ll start with the ventilation, or the lack thereof. In fairness, I should mention that all my road testing of the Ridge is being done in the southeastern part of the U.S, in the summer. 100 F degree heat, and high humidity, from late spring into early fall are the norm here. The jacket, however, is being marketed as a true four-season, year-round, piece. If you happen to live in a climate that isn’t quite so hot, you might be less critical of this particular aspect than I am.

With that said, as I mentioned before, the jacket is equipped with eight ventilation zips, that simply do not work. Even when the zippers for them are opened, the ventilation openings themselves will not stay open. The vents on the chest have flaps that cover the zippers – great for helping to keep water away from them. Not so great when trying to get them open to move some air.

The long vent zips, on the sides of the torso, will kind of stay open when unzipped. However, their placement is pretty neatly blocked by your arms when outstretched to a handlebar. The small vents on the rear of the arms are hard to explain, owing to their small size and placement – exhaust air possibly?

The remaining vents, on the forearms, are the most effective in the jacket. With gauntlet style gloves on underneath them, however, the area remaining to try and catch any moving air is pretty small.

Adding some means of holding the vents open would drastically improve their function, as some other brands of jackets have done. This, however, would change its appearance, something I think mattered a lot to its designers.

Waterproofing

Next up is the waterproofing. The Ridge is marketed as being a truly waterproof jacket. It is – mostly.

Again, in fairness, testing of this claim is harsh – being blasted with a garden hose. The good news is that the jacket held the water at bay for several minutes of this treatment. The bad news is that the water eventually found its way in. To replicate this abuse on your bike, you would have to ride some distance in a monsoon.

Water pretty quickly will begin making its way into the neck area. Although the magnet neck flap design is very nice for a day in/day out use, you can only cinch it as tight against the neck as the magnets will allow. For me, this left a gap, and the water flowed in.

The zippers themselves are not fully watertight. The rain flap behind the main zip is effective, directing water getting through it down. The ventilation zips on the chest, however, eventually leaked inside the jacket.

The waterproofing on the shell itself, however, is truly waterproof. None gets through it.

Conclusion

The REAX Ridge is a well made, well thought out riding jacket, with just a couple of things that hold it back from getting a better rating from me. If you really like the low key way it is styled, you’ll be pleasantly surprised at just how good it is.

Its construction is first rate, no issues there. The inner liner, in particular, is a treat.

It is being marketed as being waterproof. Although it is more resistant than most, it is not waterproof.

Its safety is only OK. Two things have my attention there, first and foremost the lack of a back protector. At its price point, I feel like that should have been included. Second is the lack of any reflective quality. Street price as of this writing – $479.00.

The four-season claim simply does not make the grade. With the fantastic liner this jacket has, and the lack of ventilation, I am looking forward to wearing it once it cools off some. For riders in hot climates, the Ridge is really a two-season jacket for fall, and winter.

REAX Ridge Image Gallery