IXS Tourster-GTX jacket in dark grey

What makes the IXS Tourster GTX jacket so unique is not just that it's comfortable and AAA-rated, which it is. Or even that it's a waterproof and AAA-rated because there are a number of those too.

 

What makes the Tourster GTX almost totally unique is that it is AAA-rated, comfortable and comes with a Gore-Tex, 3-layer, laminated membrane. And there aren't many, if any, of those. And there aren't many of them because Gore's laminated fabrics have to meet strict breathability criteria; and not many AAA ones do. 

 

But the Tourster is not just a comfortable suit. With 4-way stretch built into its outer shell it is an ‘extraordinarily’ comfortable one, in the way that an AAA-rated, laminated outfit really has a right to be. We did once before offer a triple-A, Gore-Tex suit. It was a very impressive bit of kit, but comfortable and easy to wear it was not. Which is why we ended up de-listing it.

 

The Tourster GTX's secret is the way it achieves its triple-A rating. And it achieves it by means of a highly breathable and highly flexible, patented, 3-D mesh lining. It's the same mesh lining that IXS uses in some of its bicycle helmets for added impact protection, but when combined with the Tourster’s AA-rated, outer fabric, it creates a sandwich of materials that gives the Tourster its triple-A standing.

 

In some ways the principle here is no different to the way other manufacturers achieve an AAA rating for their garments. They will line them, usually in the more vulnerable Zone 1 areas, with a reinforcing material of some description. The added abrasion resistance in the elbows and shoulders will often allow them to achieve a higher rating.

 

The difference with the Tourster is that the reinforcing material is both breathable and highly flexible, meaning that it does not make the outer fabric stiffer. 

 

But there is an added benefit here. To meet the AAA rating under EN17092, different levels of abrasion resistance have to be met in what are known as the Zone 1, Zone 2 and Zone 3 areas. But with the Tourster being entirely lined with IXS’s 3-D mesh the Tourster achieves the highest level of abrasion resistance not only in the more vulnerable Zone 1 areas on the shoulders and elbows, but also in the rest of the garment, in the Zone 2 and Zone 3 areas where the abrasion resistance requirements are less stringent. And that makes for a garment that does not just meet the AAA standard; it significantly exceeds it.

 

We have already touched on the fact that the Tourster is equipped with a 3-layer, Gore-Tex membrane. And as everybody knows membranes don't get more breathable or more waterproof than Gore's Pro laminated membrane. You won't ever get wet in the Tourster; and unlike a drop-liner jacket the Tourster won't wet out.

 

But, of course, there's another benefit to a jacket with a Gore-Tex membrane. And that is that it is guaranteed to be waterproof for life. What's more this is a guarantee that stands up. We have had several customers who have had 15 year old suits replaced by Gore. The process is very simple. If you think your Gore product leaks, you send it off to an independent Gore-approved test laboratory. If they agree, then Gore will send you a replacement.  There's no argument. A product that leaks gets replaced. It's that simple.

 

Now, as a suit, the Tourster slightly defies categorisation.

 

At first sight,  it's a classic, touring and committing suit; the kind of outfit you might expect to find from somebody like Rukka. But it is also a particularly well vented one, with the kind of venting that one might normally associate with an adventure jacket.

 

Now, in our world, a 'proper' adventure jacket wouldn't feature an integrated membrane at all; and that's because if you're getting hot and sweaty somewhere adventurous, the last thing you want anywhere near your body is a membrane of any description.

 

But that's not a view that is necessarily shared by everybody. And indeed a lot of manufacturers, from Klim and Rukka to Halvarssons and Held, produce what they term ‘adventure’ suits with laminated membranes. One of the hallmarks of such outfits will invariably be a lot of venting; and if that allows a manufacturer to claim that a jacket is an adventure one, then the Tourster GTX could rightly be considered an adventure suit too.

 

Let’s now look at the jacket in a bit more detail.

 

You get two, large, zip-down, venting flaps on the chest, two vents on the biceps and a large, zip-down, venting flap across the shoulders

 

For fit and adjustment you get two adjustable straps at the waist. These enable you to cinch in, or let out, the jacket to accomodate layers. The straps are also adjustable for height. There are more volume adjusters on the biceps and forearms. There's a drawstring in the waist to enable you to pull the jacket in a little around the hips.

 

What you don’t get with the Tourster are zipped gussets that allow the jacket to splay a little when you sit on the bike. But the main zip is two-way, and that allows the same thing to happen to an extent.

 

We have grown used to expecting jackets at the upper end of the market to have zips and Velcro flaps. Zips allow the sleeves to be opened wider to allow the cuffs of a glove to be worn inside the sleeves. Now the Tourster's sleeve openings are reasoably wide, so we'll just have to wait and see if some people find them to be a problem. Either way, I think we would still have preferred to see zips!

 

 Pockets are a thing; a thing that many motorcyclists seem to get worked up about. The two, lower pockets have flaps and fasten with magnets. This should make them pretty waterproof, but we've been caught out before, so we're only going to claim they're water resistant. You can also use them as hand-warmer pockets. And when the pockets are entered from the side they are zip fastened. There are three internal pockets that should be waterproof, because they’re inside the membrane, although two of those will lose their capacity if you fit IXS’s chest protector. There’s a document pocket on the back of the jacket, on top of which are two mesh pockets. Finally, you get a card pocket on the left sleeve.

 

When it comes to impact protection, the Tourster GTX comes fully equipped with IXS's own highly flexible, highly breathable, Level 2 armour. And that includes in the back. You also get internal pockets to take their optional, two-part, chest protector.

 

In our book we would always expect a jacket to be able to zip into its matching pant. And in a touring suit, that would normally entail what is known as a 360 degree zip. Well the Tourster only has a short zip, but to compensate for the fact that the zip doesn’t come around to the front, the jacket is equipped with two magnetic Fidlock clasps on elastic straps that allow you to very easily connect the jacket to the pant. It’s a clever way of doing things.

 

There is something you don't get in the Tourster jacket. Some people would be disappointed by this omission, but not us. And it's that the Tourster comes without a thermal liner. Now the fact is that most standard, thermal liners in motorcyle jackets are pretty sorry affairs that are not up to much. Most are $5 jobbies that are included merely to tick a box. So personally we kind of prefer it when a jacket doesn't have one. That way you can decide whether you want to wear your favourite fleece, something Merino, a down layer, or even a heated jacket.

 

Other details on the jacket include some reflective banding, straps to hold a drinking tube and some SuperFabric on the elbows and shoulders for a bit of added abrasion resistance. There’s something else, and IXS tells us it’s very popular in Switzerland, but I’m not sure we can really get our heads around it. And it's a hoodie built into the neck collar. When you wear it, it serves to stop rain getting into the jacket at the back of the collar. But you have to wear the hoodie under the helmet. 

 

The jacket is also airbag-ready; and that, I can only assume, is easily achieved because of the highly-elastic nature of the 4-way stretch fabric the jacket is made from.

 

Which brings us to one last trick that the Tourster jacket has up its sleeve. It comes in some nine different chest sizes, which is more or less what one might expect. But more interestingly the jacket comes in three different body and sleeve lengths. In fact, the short configuration is available in five of the sizes; the long is available in three. And that kind of sizing matrix is pretty much unheard of these days. Some years ago Klim's Latitude jacket came in two lengths. Stadler's Supervent jacket came in two lengths as well. But the Tourster comes in Short, Regular and Long lengths. We know of no other jacket out there that does.