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I bought my first jacket in advance of the MSF course, a Fly Coolpro II mesh jacket. After 3 summers it was a little tired, broken zipper pulls and missing snaps made it a little difficult to use. So I went about searching for a new jacket. There were 3 key criteria I wanted to meet:
- As little black as possible
- Under $200
- Worthwhile but comfortable armor
Enter the REV’IT! Eclipse, one of just a handful of mesh jackets that doesn’t have large areas of black. In fact, there is no external black fabric; just some velcro, snaps, and logos. This jacket comes in 3 colors; Silver, Brown, and Black if you’re into darker colors for your summer jackets. It’s readily available through online retailers or any brick and mortar store that carries the brand for about $180 USD.
Construction of the Eclipse jacket is pretty well thought out. The chest, inner arms, and sides of the back are mesh; that leaves the shoulders, elbows, and center of back as a solid 600D textile fabric. The feel of the materials is quite nice and it does feel like a step up over my prior mesh jacket while not being much more expensive. Closures and adjustments are handled by high quality YKK zips, very secure snaps, and velcro. A couple of things to note about the closures on this jacket – the main zipper has the slider on the left which is opposite most jackets I’ve come across before, and the micro velcro at the wrist can come undone if not carefully pressed into place.
For protection, the Eclipse comes stocked with Knox CE level 1 armor at the shoulders and elbows and can fit a Seesoft CE level 2 back protector ($50 USD) in a pocket at the back. Both the included and optional armor could be improved, the Knox pieces are a little stiff but low profile; the back protector is quite bulky and does not breathe particularly well. REV’IT makes an outstanding level 1 armor that is flexible and extremely thin and would be a significant comfort improvement for the jacket.
The fit and styling of the Eclipse jacket is a bit of a blend of European and American. European in the clean lines, thoughtful seam placement, and need to order a size up from what I usually order. American in that it fits my gut comfortably and isn’t too tight or thin in any areas that have absorbed excess carbohydrates. Related to the clean lines of this jacket is a relative lack of reflective material, only the logos on the chest and back are reflective.
While the Eclipse jacket does have some shortcomings, no doubt a result of a premium brand saving costs where they can, none of them are deal breakers for me. Only the wrist velcro is occasionally a bother while riding, everything else I stop noticing once I roll on some throttle. I’ll continue to wear and enjoy this jacket but look forward to whenever REV’IT! refreshes and improves this product, until then it offers value in premium feel and style at an affordable price point.
More Information:
- https://www.revitsport.com
- MSRP: $179.99
Maryland Moto 