Rukka Air Vihti jacket review

The Air Vihti has been on the market for a little while. In fact, we first started selling it in July 2025; and we’re now in May of 2026, but we only recently realised that we had never done a full review about it, so we thought it was about time we got around to it. Especially as we have developed a bit of a soft spot for the Vihti. At the very beginning we weren’t massively taken by it, but having got to know it a bit better we have come to realise that, for some people, it’s a better option than our favourite jacket of all time: the venerable Klim Marrakesh.

The Vihti does basically the same job as the Marrakesh; that job being to help you stay cool in hot conditions. And both jackets do that by allowing lots of air to pass through their loosely woven outer chassis.

With its lower flap pockets, longer length and side adjusters on the waist the Air Vihti certainly has more of an ‘adventure’ look than the Marrakesh.

In comparing the Klim with the Rukka, however, it’s very much a story of swings and roundabouts. The Klim betters the Rukka in some respects. But in other areas the Marrakesh comes out on top.

In terms of sheer air flow there’s probably not a whole lot between the two jackets. They are both rated AA for abrasion resistance under EN17092. But the Rukka comes with better armour. The Rukka also comes in 11 sizes, in contrast to the Klim’s somewhat inadequate six; and that’s quite important because for us here in the shop the Marrakesh’s greatest weakness is its paucity of sizes.

But the Marrakesh is stretchier, and undoubtedly more comfortable. It comes in five different colours, and just looks so much cooler than the Rukka. You could wear a Marrakesh to lunch at a smart café, and not feel out of place. Turn up at a restaurant in the Rukka, and they might well assume you’re the man from Deliveroo in to collect an order. And that’s not helped by the fact that it’s only available in the UK in standard Rukka grey.

The Air Vihti in detail

The Air Vihti is constructed using a 500 denier Cordura. Interestingly, even though both the Klim and the Rukka are AA rated, the starting point for the Marrakesh is a much sturdier 1000 denier Cordura, but on the Klim jacket the Cordura is infused with Elastane. Now stretch fibres weaken a material, which is why the Klim only meets the AA standard and not the AAA one. But the bottom line here is that in terms of abrasion resistance there’s probably not a whole lot between them.

The armour in the Air Vihti is, without doubt, superior to that found in the Marrakesh. In the shoulders and the elbows you get Rukka’s highly-vented, bespoke D3O Level 2 XTR armour, which is simply huge. In the Marrakesh you get Level 1 Ghost which, whilst supremely comfortable, is not so impressive from a protection standpoint. And indeed it is with this consideration in mind that we offer a £70 upgrade to Level 2 Diablo when you buy a new Marrakesh. Although, even then, the Marrakesh is still not going to match up to the Rukka on the armour front because of the sheer size of the Vihti’s armour.

The downside of the Rukka armour, of course, is the impact it has on comfort. Level 1 Ghost, and even Level 2 Diablo armour, are both supremely comfortable. You barely know you’re wearing it. The Level 2 XTR armour in the Rukka might be more reassuring, but it’s quite substantial, and it is this that means that the Rukka just isn’t in the same league as the Klim when it comes to wearability.

On the subject of armour, the Rukka jacket doesn’t come with a back protector. Now, as we have often said in the past, we are disappointed whenever Rukka omits such an important element of the protection equation in its jackets. But our suggestion would be that you fit into the Air Vihti Rheon’s highly breathable, Level 2 back protector rather than Rukka’s own one. It’s lighter, more flexible, better vented and, in every way, nicer. It’s also much less expensive.

One last thing; the Air Vihti is configured to take an optional two-part chest protector. The Marrakesh offers no such provision.

Where the Marrakesh relies on its stretch to accommodate layers, the Air Vihti gets to the same end by using side adjusters. In fact, one might even suggest that the side adjusters do a better job. They allow you to cinch the jacket in tight or to expand its interior volume to allow all the mid-layers you could ever wish for.

Given its more overt, adventure styling, you get lots of pockets on the Vihti. There are two lower pockets with flaps and zips. Two zippered, chest pockets. There’s a little card pocket on the left sleeve. And a map pocket on the back that also doubles as a bladder compartment. There’s another, top-loading zip pocket inside the jacket. On the Marrakesh there are three zip pockets on the front and two inside.

All the other stuff is really pretty standard fare for a Rukka jacket.

A high-rise, Neoprene-lined collar. Zips at the ends of the sleeves. Velcro tabs on the jacket’s hem. A mesh lining. A crotch strap. YKK zips. And a zip for connecting to a Rukka pant; or indeed a Halvarssons one.

You can also connect the Vihti to a jean, or indeed any trouser that has belt loops, using Halvarssons’ clever Waist Zip.

The Air Vihti vs the Marrakesh

The Klim is nicer to wear and looks more stylish. The Marrakesh doesn’t wear like a motorcycle jacket. It embodies a much more casual look. It comes in some cool colours too. The Vihti, by contrast, wears more like a traditional motorcycle jacket, albeit one that flows a lot of air and that will be particularly cool to ride in in warm weather.

The Air Vihti comes with bigger and better armour. Everybody frets about the CE rating of their motorcycle garments; and whether they require an A, AA or an AAA abrasion-resistance rating. But actually, the abrasion resistance of a garment’s outer fabric is invariably far less important in an accident situation than the size and level of its armour. And so unequivocally it has to be acknowledged that the Vihti is more protective, and therefore potentially safer to ride in, than the Marrakesh.

But here in the shop one of the main problems we have with the Marrakesh is the number of sizes it comes in. The jacket goes from from a 38” chest, right up to absolutely frickin’ enormous. In fact, here in the shop we’ve only ever come across one person who needed the largest size Marrakesh.

The problem is that Klim tries to span this huge range with just six sizes. And that is just not enough. The gaps between the sizes are just too big. In the summer, almost every day in the shop we will have somebody who is too large for one size, but nowhere near large enough for the next size up. These people often just won’t work in a Marrakesh, and that’s a shame because the Marrakesh is a jacket that a lot of people really want.

Most serious manufacturers will offer 11 or 12 sizes in a jacket. And indeed the Vihti comes in 11. What that means is that it will work on many more people than the Marrakesh will. Indeed there are very few people who cannot be accommodated in a Vihti.

If you are looking for a high-airflow jacket to wear on a proper, off-road adventure, or if you want a jacket that is more overt in its adventure aesthetic, then the Air Vihti offers something that the Marrakesh doesn’t. And if you’re riding off-road the bigger and higher-rated armour probably make it the better choice.

Both the Rukka and the Klim jackets can be matched to a dedicated and specific pant, by the way. The Rukka pant will simply fit more people; again because of the number of sizes it comes in. As with the jacket, the matching Rukka pant offers more protection by dint of its larger Level 2 armour.

Finally, price. The Marrakesh costs £430. The Air Vihti costs £520. The Rukka doesn’t come with a back protector but, in order to level up the playing field, if you fit a Rheon Level 2 one into the Vihti and swap out the Level 1 Ghost armour in the Marrakesh for Level 2 Diablo in the elbows and shoulders along with a Rheon Level 2 back protector, the differential comes down to £70; albeit still in the Marrakesh’s favour.

But as ever, to make an informed decision you need to try them both on. And that’s important because they wear quite differently.

Some will side with the style and comfort of the Klim. Some will like the more overt adventure styling of the Rukka. Some will choose the Rukka because of the extra protection it offers. And of course some will end up with the Rukka because the Klim doesn’t fit them.

But if you want to know which one is right for you, come and see us. We will tell you which one works best for you. Most other shops won’t, partially because they don’t really care. More importantly, they won’t because in truth most of them don’t really know!

For more information and to buy online, click Rukka Air Vihti jacket.