Ballards ISDE Red Offroad Jacket

Jacket

Amazing jacket, really comfortable. Sturdy and keeps you warm on cold days!

Great jacket for offroad adventure riding

Having owned a few jackets (Dri-rider and others) for adventure bike riding, I was looking for something lighter which I could wear body armour under but that still offered additional protection. I admit I was attracted by the reasonable asking price, but on receiving the jacket there's nothing budget about it. It's well made from quality materials, and it's clearly made by people who actually ride bikes and take an interest in the clothing that needs. It is also obviously designed to take body armour underneath and has plenty of room to move around when wearing it. There are several ventilation zips, large pockets (if you want to weigh yourself down more!), and elasticated wrist bands to keep the dust at bay. I was initially worried there are only two pockets that fully close with zips (so somewhere you might feel safe keeping your wallet) and both of those have vertical zips that close when the zipper is fully down. Meaning, if you forget to close the zipper there's a good chance you'll lose the contents. However, I've so far not found this to be a problem. To be fair, it's unlikley you would lose your wallet if you put it in one of the main pockets (that only seal with two press-studs for ease of access, excepting if you pull out something and your wallet comes with it. Anyway, it's probably all over-analysis on my part but I have lost two wallets in the past through not closing a zipper. Ive seen some reviews complaining the jacket isn't waterproof (which it does not claim to be). I found this to be a bonus as in 30 years of motorcycling in all weathers, I have never found a truly waterproof jacket and always wear full waterproofs when needed. I think it's a much simpler approach, and realistically we generally try not to do adventure riding in the rain as it's less fun. Doing some moderate off-road adventure riding in 30-32c with the jacket and body armour underneath I found it cooler than a heavier jacket (like the dri-rider with t-shirt underneath) but without the protection of body armour. The whole setup felt lighter too, which helped my concentration. It only got warm when stationary, which any jacket would. My biggest problem was correct sizing. But the size charts were a great help, and the exchange policy is what made my purchase decision. I ended up ordering a large, apparently the most popular size, which is perfect if you normally take a medium but want to wear armour or thicker clothing underneath (which you will need to do on a winter's day). Overall a great jacket, especially for the price. There are several ventilation zips, large pockets (if you want to weigh yourself down more!), an elasticated wrist band to keep the dust at bay. I was initially worried there are only two pockets that fully close with zips (so somewhere you might feel safe keeping your wallet) and both of those have vertical zips that close when the xipper is fully down.