Sedici Garda Waterproof Jacket Review

Several years ago RevZilla and Cycle Gear (and now J&P Cycles) merged under COMOTO Holdings. This has allowed RevZilla’s team of designers to be involved in the redesign of the house brands and address a lot of the issues from previous generations. Sedici is one of these in house brands, and the Garda Jacket is one of the results of the redesign.

The Garda is a complete technical ADV / Touring suit for around $420 for both jacket and pants together. The Garda jacket alone is $230 USD. It features a laminated and seam-sealed waterproof shell and many other technical features for a significant value.

The goal of COMOTO and the Sedici brand is to create quality motorcycle gear without the high price tag.

Revzilla was kind enough to send me both the Sedici Garda Jacket and Pants. In this review, I will be testing the Sedici Garda Jacket. In a separate review on Web Bike World, you can find my opinions on the Garda Pants.

I tested the jacket on two different bikes. First a touring/cruiser (Yamaha Stratoliner) the other a standard/naked (Kawasaki ZRX) bike.

I am always anxious to get riding in the spring. When the call went out in the first week in March to review the Sedici Garda gear, I jumped at the opportunity. Although the Garda jacket is not insulated, I also had a heated Volt Heat Fusion Vest to review, a perfect combination for early riding. Or so I thought…

This spring would be different. Nothing like a world pandemic to squash my enthusiasm. In the province where I reside the request was made for no non-essential travel. Although there was not a ban on riding, I felt it was best to park the bike in support of healthcare workers and all others that are fighting the virus.

By late May restrictions had started to be lifted, and I felt comfortable heading out for rides. This allowed me plenty of opportunities to test the Garda Jacket on its own and in combination with the Garda Pants, as well as in combination with Volt Heat Fusion Vest and Gloves.

Thank you to Anthony at RevZilla for providing the Sedici Garda jacket at no-cost for the purposes of this review.

Features

Per RevZilla:

• Waterproof stretch 600D laminated main construction
• 1200D reinforcement areas at elbows and shoulders
• Textured rubber panels at elbows and shoulders to protect high wear areas
• Comfort collar and cuffs feature microfiber lining and neoprene edges to minimize chafing
• Full mesh airflow lining
• 6 direct body vents at torso, bicep and back (adjustable)
• Adjustable hip and waist for perfect fit
• Adjustable cuff, forearm and bicep reduce turbulence at speed
• 2 expandable, waterproof front cargo pockets
• Rear waterproof cargo pocket
• Large back pocket for hydration bladder (sold separately) with hose pass-through
• 2 inner mesh stash pockets
• Zippered inner chest pocket
• Waterproof YKK external zippers
• Oversized zipper pulls
• Carbon reflective trim gives 360 degrees of visibility in humanoid form
• Included low-profile CE Level 2 shoulder and elbow armor
• Pocket for optional back protector (sold separately)
• Connection zipper pairs jacket to matching Garda Pants or other Sedici ADV pants

First Impressions

When traveling any distance, I have always carried rain gear to go over the top of my regular riding gear. I have to say, I was really looking forward to receiving the Sedici Garda Jacket (and pants). Laminated waterproof gear at a reasonable price is hard to come by. Plus, no need to take up valuable luggage space with rain gear.

My first impression was that the jacket appears to be well built. I really liked the subtle black styling (silver and sand are also available) and subtle branding. After slipping the jacket on, it had a nice fit. My wife even called it slimming, I was sold.

After several weeks of riding, and well over a 1000 km, these are my thoughts on the Sedici Garda Jacket.

Construction

I have inspected the material and zippers after several rides, everything is wearing very well and looks as good as new. Let’s dive into a bit more depth on some specific parts of the jacket.

Outer Shell

The outer shell appears to be well constructed of multiple materials. These include a waterproof stretch 600D laminated main body construction and 1200D reinforcement at the elbows and shoulders. There are also textured rubber panels at elbows and shoulders for additional protection in high wear areas.

Outer Shell – Waterproof, Laminated, 92% Poly, 8% Spandex Stretch Fabric. Lining – 100% Polyester. The Garda is made in Pakistan.

Interior Lining

The interior is lined with nylon mesh throughout for increased airflow and comfort.

Collar

The collar and cuffs feature microfiber lining and neoprene edges to minimize chafing and added comfort. The collar has a small velcro tab to secure to the opposite side for a secure fit. If you prefer to ride with an open collar the tab can be turned inside and secured to a small piece of velcro.

Storage (AKA: Pockets, Pockets, POCKETS!)

There are seven pockets in total:

• Exterior
  • Two large cargo style pockets on the front. These have a velcro flap closure and rolled top for waterproofing
  • One large pocket on the lower back. Again, with a velcro flap closure and rolled top for waterproofing.
  • One large pocket on the upper back to hold a hydration pack. The hydration pack is not included with the jacket. This pocket velcro flap closure that includes a pass-thru for the hydration pack hose. There is no loop in the front to secure the hose.

• Interior
  • One zippered chest pocket.
  • Two large open mesh pockets

Hi-Viz

There are several pops of reflectivity. One on the lower back, two on the chest, and one on each arm. The reflective bands are very subtle in the daylight. I wouldn’t consider this a high visibility jacket, but it does have good pops of reflection for night riding.

Branding

Branding is subtle black on black, which I really like. Sedici branding is in the rubber panels at the shoulders, the closure flap on the lower back pocket, on the wrist closures as well as most tabs and buttons for zippers/pocket/adjusters. I didn’t think there was much branding on the jacket until I stopped and counted 20. As I mentioned earlier, it is all surprisingly subtle.

Zippers

All the exterior zippers are YKK with large glove-friendly pull tabs. The exterior zippers all have rubber seals for the full length. The ventilation zippers also included hoods or “zipper garages” at the top of the zipper to tuck the zipper into. The rubber seals and hoods are all part of an attempt to keep water out. More on this later.

There are two standard YKK zippers on the interior; one for the interior chest pocket and one for the zipper to connect the Garda Jacket to matching Garda Pants or other Sedici ADV pants.

Colorways

The Sedici Garda Jacket comes in three colors: black, silver/black, sand/black.

Comfort, Fit, & Feel

Sizing

The Sedici Garda jacket comes in 9 sizes; XS, SM, MD, LG, XL, 2XL, 3XL, 4XL, 5XL.

Using the size chart on the Revzilla website, I selected the XL. My size at the time of the order was 6’3” height and 47” chest, which falls perfectly in the XL sizing chart. When the jacket first arrived it felt a little snug. My size has since reduced to 45” chest, putting me between a large and XL. Given the adjustability built into the jacket, I would still select the XL.

My height does pose some challenges as there are no tall sizes available.

Sedici Men’s Textile Jacket Size Chart (Inches)

Size	Chest (in)	Arm (in)	Waist (in)
XS	34-36	32	26-28
SM	38-40	32	29-31
MD	40-42	33	32-34
LG	42-44	34	34-36
XL	46-48	35	36-39
2XL	50-52	36	39-42
3XL	54-56	36.5	42-45
4XL	58-60	36.5	45-49
5XL	61-63	37	49-53

Sedici Men’s Textile Jacket Size Chart (CM)

Size	Chest (cm)	Arm (cm)	Waist (cm)
XS	86.4-91.4	81.3	66-71.1
SM	96.5-101.6	81.3	73.7-78.7
MD	101.6-106.7	83.8	81.3-86.4
LG	106.7-111.8	86.4	86.4-91.4
XL	116.8-121.9	88.9	91.4-99.1
2XL	127-132.1	91.4	99.1-106.7
3XL	137.2-142.2	92.7	106.7-114.3
4XL	147.3-152.4	92.7	114.3-124.5
5XL	154.9-160	94	124.5-134.6

Measuring Your Size

• CHEST – Measure around the fullest part of your chest, under the armpits, keeping the measuring tape parallel to the ground.
• WAIST – Measure around your natural waistline, around the top of the hip bones, inline with the navel while keeping the measuring tape parallel to the ground.
• ARM (NECK TO WRIST) – Standing up straight with your arms at your sides, measure from the base of your neck at the center of your spine, along the top of your shoulder and down to your wrist bone, along the outside of the arm.

Comfort

I found the jacket to be very comfortable to wear. The stretch outer shell allowed the jacket to form to my body. I always wore the jacket over a base layer. The stretch material and adjustment straps also allowed room to wear a heated vest on several occasions.

The microfibre lined collar with the neoprene edge should have allowed for neck comfort. There is one small problem. A velcro patch was added to the inside of the collar to allow for you to fold in the collar retention tab when not in use. The problem arises when the velcro patch is left unused it rubs against your neck. I think a magnetic system might work better here.

Adjusting the Fit

The Sedici Garda Jacket allowed for size adjustments in several ways:

• Adjustable velcro straps on each side near chest level
• Adjustable straps on each side near the waist
• Adjustable 3 position snaps on each side at the bottom (hips)
• Adjustable 2 position snaps at the biceps and forearms
• Adjustable velcro cuff at the wrists

All of these straps and adjustments allow you to fine-tune the fit for comfort and to reduce wind turbulence. The cuff adjustment allowed for an easy fit into a glove with gauntlets.

What I could not adjust for was my 6’3” height. For an adventure style jacket, it was a bit short in overall length and arm length (if wearing shorter summer gloves).

The Garda Jacket comes in sizes up to 5XL, which is fantastic. Some tall sizes would be nice too.

Function

Waterproof?

The Sedici Garda is marketed as being a laminated waterproof jacket. I could not find literature on what technology is used other than a combination of waterproof 600D stretch and 1200D material.

If possible I try and do a water test on gear with the claim of being waterproof. This could be either riding in the rain (preferred) or sprayed from a hose. In this case, I did both.

On the first test, I rode about 40 km in what I would call a heavy/steady rain. About halfway through I could feel I was having issues. Upon returning home I found that the jacket had leaked and the t-shirt I was wearing was significantly wet. The laminated material and main zipper appeared to be working perfectly. The material sheds the rain without absorbing water. This helps in keeping the shell lightweight even when wet. The problem appeared to be the vent zippers on the chest and to a lesser degree on the arms.

I thought I must be doing something wrong, as I told many clients while working for years in the IT industry, it was a user error. So, the next day I went back to inspect the jacket. I noticed that perhaps the vent zippers were not tucked all the way into the hood or “zipper garage”.

I felt it was only fair to make a second attempt. With no significant rain in the forecast, much to the entertainment of my neighbors, I headed for the backyard and set up the hose. Although the conditions were not the same, it was worth a try. On this attempt, the jacket performed better, but some water still made it past the vent zippers.

In both tests, the pockets remained dry inside.

Many laminated jackets add flaps over the vents that can be folded back. This might be helpful in sealing the vents.

My impression was that the Garda jacket and pant combo would eliminate the need to carry rain gear. Although this may be true for short rides in light rain, I would still need to carry the rain gear for a trip or if heavy rain is expected.

Airflow

The Garda Jacket contains three pairs of ventilation zippers; on the chest, arms, and back. Because this is a laminated jacket, all the vents provide direct body ventilation. Also, keep in mind that this type of system does not offer dry ventilation in the rain.

I was able to use the Garda Jacket in many weather conditions. From 4 C (39 F) in combination with a heated vest to heavy rain to 33 C (91 F) with a humidex of 37 C (99 F). I know in some regions this may not be extreme heat, but where I live in central Ontario this is considered very hot.

On this particularly hot day in early June, I was invited on a 600 km ride through Algonquin Provincial Park. The day started off around 15 C when I left home. As we were heading further north I decided to layer up with a base and mid-layers. By lunch, the temperature was in the low to mid-20s and I was able to remove the mid-layer and started partially opening vents. As we headed back south the temperatures peaked and I was riding with all the vents wide open. By this point, one of the guys I was riding with was down to his t-shirt.

I always wear a jacket while riding, plus I tend to naturally run hot. I can overheat while wearing a mesh jacket. That being said, I found the jacket to flow air very well. Although I was hot, that was to be expected and I have been hotter while riding.

If you were adventure riding in the heat, where you needed to move around a lot, things could get extremely hot.

Overall I thought the ventilation on the Sedici Garda Jacket was very good.

Protection

The Garda Jacket includes low-profile CE Level 2 shoulder and elbow armor, as well as 1200D reinforced material at the shoulders and elbows. Many jackets in the price level use the lower CE Level 1 armour.

There is no back protection provided, but a mesh pocket is included to hold a back protector.

The armor in the Garda Jacket falls under EN 1621-1:2012, which is a testing level used to assess limb joint impact protection. Two performance levels are available, Level 1 and Level 2. To pass the standard, the maximum mean transmitted force must be below 35kN.

The armor used in this jacket:

• Shoulder -XY815 – maximum mean transmitted force recorded during assessment 10.7 kN
• Elbow -XY816 – maximum mean transmitted force recorded during assessment 12.5 kN

They are both represented by the following symbol.

Protector Style S = Shoulder, E = Elbow, K = Knee.

Type A has smaller dimensions

2 – Performance Level

T+, T- – High and Low temperatures tested

Care Instructions

I found the best way to keep the jacket looking good was to simply wipe it down with a damp cloth. Here are the attached instructions on the jacket…

Warranty

The Sedici Garda Jacket carries a Limited Warranty

All Sedici products carry a two-year guarantee on materials and workmanship. If a Sedici product fails to perform due to a defect in either aspect, Sedici will repair or replace the item at their discretion for two years from the date purchase. This guarantee does not cover damage due to accident, misuse, negligence, or normal wear, including the natural breakdown of materials and colors over time and use.

Conclusion

It is now mid-June, and temperatures at this time of year are relatively moderate. I find for these conditions I consistently grab the Sedici Garda Jacket when heading out for a ride. That says a lot about the comfort, style and protection offered.

Sadly, if I am heading out on a longer ride or rain is in the forecast, I still pack my rain gear. This is disappointing for a jacket that is marketed as waterproof.

My only other issue is the lack of tall sizes. This will likely not be an issue for most riders.

Overall, the Garda Jacket is a good piece of gear at a very reasonable price.

Sedici Garda Jacket Photo Gallery