Held Savona ST jacket review

Many people know Motolegends for brands like Rukka, Stadler and Klim; brands that are very much associated with laminated membranes.

For some people laminated is the way to go. Indeed, for people who do huge miles in all weathers it may be the only way to go. It is also true that if you're the kind of rider who really needs laminated clothing, you'd almost certainly be better off in a jacket or pant with a Gore-Tex laminated membrane.

And that’s because getting laminated gear to do its job reliably isn’t easy. Most brands cut corners. They make laminated gear on the cheap. As a result it has a high propensity to fail. You may get through the warranty period, but within a few years most laminated garments will start to leak; and at that point you’ll be on your own. Buy a jacket or pant with a Gore-Tex laminated membrane, by contrast, and the waterproofing will be guaranteed for life. And with Gore it really will be!

But this having been said most bikers do not need laminated clothing, even though many have convinced themselves that they do. For most people drop-liner motorcycle wear is a better option.

(Now just to head off any misunderstanding, drop-liner membranes are not removable. Drop-liner membranes are sewn permanently into the garment. They hang independently in the garment from the shoulders or the waist, hence the ‘drop-liner’ nomenclature).

Because of the way they are constructed, drop-liner garments deliver a number of benefits. They are more comfortable because the outer chassis is less stiff, which is what happens when you laminate a membrane to a fabric. Drop-liner garments are warmer because you benefit from an additional air gap between the outer material and the membrane. They are just as waterproof as laminated ones. But most importantly drop liner garments almost never fail. They are so simple to make that there’s not a lot that can go wrong.

Which is why we reckon that for 95% of motorcyclists drop-liner garments are still preferable.

So, you might ask, why do so many people believe that ‘laminates’ are better? Well, partly that’s down to people getting confused about the difference between ‘better in some circumstances’ and ‘better in all circumstances’. It’s also partly down to ignorance, often brought about by clueless retailers whose understanding of such matters is often woefully inadequate.

(Quite recently, for a job in the shop, I interviewed a manger from one of the multiples. I asked him what he understood to be the main difference between a drop-liner jacket and a laminated one. He paused for a while, clearly confused, before stating that laminated garments were easier to clean)!

It is true, nonetheless, that there are potential benefits to laminated clothing.

Laminated clothing will not ‘wet out’. Now ‘wetting out’ can occur after you’ve been riding in heavy rain for, say, four hours or more. It’s where a garment has become totally sodden and soaking wet. Now this is often confused with a situation where a jacket becomes a damp after an hour or two. That is not ‘wetting out’. That is what is known as ‘getting damp’!

In theory, laminated gear will never wet out. And that’s because the membrane is bonded to the outer fabric, so water cannot pass through it. So is this an advantage? Well potentially, but it’s an advantage that will apply to very few of us. And that’s because rarely will most of us ever find ourselves in four or more hours of heavy rain. Because laminated garments will also dry out faster.

There is one other benefit to laminated gear. It vents better, because when a vent is open the air will flow directly through to the body. It doesn’t have to pass through a membrane. Although this will only really make a difference to the rider at speed on a bike without a fairing.

But you will pay dearly for the benefits that laminated gear will bring you. It is less comfortable. It is less warm. And unless you’ve paid a significant premium for something with a Gore-Tex membrane, it will fail and let you down at some point. A point that will often be much sooner than you had hoped.

All of which constitutes a typically over-long and over-complicated introduction to the Held Savona suit which, by now, as you have probably guessed, comes with a drop-liner membrane!

A look at the Savona jacket

The outer shell of the Savona is a 600 denier Cordura-style fabric. Now that makes for a lightish jacket, and a particularly comfortable one. But if this doesn't compromise abrasion resistance then there's no trade off here. And indeed it would seem that there isn't. The jacket is rated AA for abrasion resistance under EN 17092, which is as good as it gets in a jacket with a Gore-Tex membrane. (Actually, there is an AAA rated Gore-Tex jacket out there, but it's so cumbersome you really wouldn't want to ride in it)!

Abrasion resistance, of course, is only part of the protection equation; and in our view the less important part. The other consideration is impact protection, and here it's good to know that the Held Savona jacket comes with Level 2 protectors in the elbows and shoulders. The back protector is not included, but we would recommend the new Level 2 back protector from Rheon, which is barely any heavier than most Level 1, back protectors.

The jacket comes with a removable, thermal liner. It clips into the jacket, as part of a system developed by Held for all its removable waterproof and thermal inners. Personally, we would always prefer thermal layers that are worn separately, but so be it. The liner is nothing to write home about, but it's no worse than the ones you get in many Rukka jackets. Basically, the liner is there to tick a box. Will it take the chill out of a cold day? Yes, certainly it will; but it's no down jacket.

The jacket sits a little longer than some. In fact, Held does a shorter, sportier version of the Savona, but we reckoned the longer one would be more appropriate for most of our customers.

There are Velcro adjusters at the natural waist and on the biceps. Velcro is also used to adjust the collar and the sleeve ends. To aid comfort, you get stretch inserts down the insides of the arms and in the armpit area. There’s also concertina banding in the elbows.

In terms of venting, there are incoming vents on the shoulders, and outgoing ones in the back. There's also a system that allows you to ride with a vented panel that runs the length of the main zip.

There are two, outer pockets that Held are terming waterproof, but you shouldn't rely on that. Best to think of them as highly water resistant. There's one pocket inside the jacket. Held tell us that the jacket also has a map pocket, but we sure as hell cannot find it!

To complete the package you get some reflective detailing. And there's a zip to allow the jacket to be attached to the pants.

Now one of the reasons we like Held as a brand is that they do their gear in lots of sizes. And we'll see that particularly when it comes to the trousers, but even the jacket comes in nine sizes, and goes up to a 6XL, so there won't be many people who can't be accommodated.

So, lets talk about the lower half.

The Savona trousers

Talking about jackets is interesting. Trousers less so; and that's partly because they tend to mirror the matching jacket in most respects.

So what can we say about the Held Savona pants?

In truth, as expected, in all elements related to materials and construction the pant mirrors the jacket. So a 600 Denier outer fabric. A drop-liner membrane. An AA abrasion-resistance rating under EN17092. Level 2 armour in the knees and hips. Strategically positioned, stretch panels. Concertina banding on the knees. Reflective bits. A connecting zip, and so on. Interestingly, there's no thermal liner for the pant. That's not that unusual. You may just have to invest in a pair of Merino leggings for the winter.

You get two, upper pockets, an anti-slip panel in the seat, zips and Velcro flaps at the bottom of the legs.

But, as I have mentioned, one of the things we like about Held is the number of sizes their pants come in. The jacket comes in nine sizes. But the matching Savona pants come in no less than 19! Back in the day everybody did short and long leg trousers. Indeed people like Rukka and Halvarssons even did extra short legs for those whose tummies had grown without a corresponding shooting up in height!

But these days Held is one of the few companies to still offer a fully comprehensive range of sizes. On some trousers they do still offer an extra short leg, but on the Savona what we get is regular, short and long, which is still way better than 95% of the brands out there.

Many brands reckon that they can reduce costs by only offering two leg lengths. Some figure they can get away with just one. Well we think this can be a false economy. And indeed we usually refuse to list suits where only one leg length is available in the pant.

Anyway, the Savona pants come in nine sizes in the regular leg; in six sizes in a short leg; and in four in the long leg. That's pretty impressive, notwithstanding the fact that the customer in the shop will still always want the one size they don’t do!

So that's the pants. Let's now sum it all up, tell you what we feel about the Savona pairing, and compare the jacket with what else we offer that is similar.

In summary

There's not a lot that's not to like about the Savona.

It's extremely comfortable to wear. In terms of protection you get an AA rating for abrasion resistance and Level 2 armour. The venting is not the Savona's strong suit, perhaps. But the suit does everything else you would expect it to do.

The Savona perhaps does not feel quite as premium as some suits, but let us compare it with three other drop-liner outfits that we know well. The Dainese Carve Master 3 GTX. The Halvarssons Vinvallen. And the Rukka Comfo-R.

Both the Dainese Carve Master and the Halvarssons Vinvallen feel a bit plusher, although in some other respects the Savona blows them both into the weeds.

The Held suit comes in at £490 plus £295 for the pants; a total of £785. The Vinvallen is a bit more expensive at £460 for the jacket, and £400 for the pants; a total of £860. The Dainese is £550 for the top half, and £410 from the bottom half; that's £960. The other contender here is the Rukka Comfo-R. One might suggest that this is a better product in many or even most respects, but at £800 for the jacket and £600 for the trouser, it hits a totally different price point. Namely, £1400.

But let's try to boil it down, and come to a view about how one might differentiate between these various offerings.

Now one of the things we haven't talked about is the fact that the membrane in the Savona is a Gore-Tex one. Most people acknowledge that Gore's membranes simply work better, with higher scores for both waterproofing and breathability. But as the Savona's membrane comes from Gore one also has to factor in to any comparative analysis that the suit is guaranteed to be waterproof for life.

As with many garments that are equipped with Gore-Tex membranes, the Savona suit itself also comes with a five-year product warranty. We have no idea why this nearly always seems to be the case, but it applies to most Gore-equipped clothing. The only exception seems to be Rev’it, who still only offer their standard, rather measly, two-year warranty on even their Gore-Tex garments.

Anyway, the Dainese suit is the most stylish one here. It fits beautifully, and is supremely comfortable. This is a jacket that you can cut a dash in. It can make even the ugliest of us feel attractive. But it is only rated single-A under EN17092, although the armour is Level 2

The Carve Master's membrane is by Gore-Tex, so as with Held the outfit it comes with a five-year warranty, and obviously you get a lifetime one on the membrane. But the trousers let the Dainese package down. The pants are fine, but as they only come in one leg length they won't work on 50% of people; and that's disappointing.

The Halvarssons Vinvallen drop-liner suit is new for 2025. We really like it. It feels more expensive than it actually is. It's super comfortable, and the stretch in the outer fabric means that it can accommodate lots of shapes and sizes. It's AA rated for abrasion resistance, and comes with Level 2 armour. It's well vented, and probably has the best quality, thermal lining of all the. Suits. But the membrane is not from Gore. Now drop-liner garments tend not to fail, but the warranty on the Vinvallen is three years for everything, which makes it the least impressive of all the outfits in this regard. And this has to be taken in to account. The Vinvallen trousers come in two leg lengths. That's better than Dainese's one; but it’s not as good as the three of the Held and Rukka.

The other potential contender in this arena is the Rukka Comfo-R. You kind of expect premium pricing from Rukka. And there are good reasons for this. But £1400 does put the Comfo-R in a different market sector. But here's what you should know.

The jacket is only A rated for abrasion resistance, but as it comes with absolutely huge, Level 2 armour throughout, it's still the one you would want to be wearing if you went down the road. The membrane is by Gore-Tex, so waterproofing is guaranteed for life. But unlike the other brands, Rukka actually offers a six-year warranty on its products, so it betters the other three in that regard too.

The venting is good. There's stretch in the fabric, so it's very comfortable. The pants come in three leg lengths. What one cannot escape, however, is the feeling that the Rukka is put together in a more robust fashion than the other suits. Rukka gear really is made for the long haul. But does this justify such a significant premium? Luckily, that's not for us to decide.

All four suits we are looking at here sit at the upper end of the market. The Dainese's appeal is its Italianness. Style is its name. The Halvarssons ticks a lot of boxes, but its warranties probably mean that it's a bit more of a risk in terms of its reliability. It's almost unfair to compare these three suits with the Rukka. The Finnish suit is way more expensive, but it's the best made, the most protective in our view, and it has the best warranties, meaning that if you do huge miles it's probably the one to go for. The Savona sits somewhere in the middle of the pack. Its warranties are right up there, and we suspect that it will fit a lot of people. If value for money was your guide, then it would be hard to justify the Halvarssons next to it. The Savona, therefore, definitely offers the best value for money. You get a lot for a very reasonable price.

As ever, however, and as Graham used to say on Blind Date: "The decision is yours".

You can buy Held Savona ST jacket with free next day UK delivery online, or visit our store in Guildford to try one on.