Richa Toulon Mesh jacket in green

Now here at Motolegends we are big fans of breathable jackets without membranes.

 

You can layer beneath the kind of jacket we have in mind, such that you can equip yourself to be able ride all year round, in all conditions. We're talking about jackets like the Klim Marrakesh, their Baja S4 or Induction jackets, the Rukka Vihti, the Rukka Karvik, and so on.

 

The Richa Toulon Mesh is not like these jackets. It's a breathable jacket, but it's more in the mould of what always used to be known as a 'teabag' jacket. You get mesh panels up the chest, down the back and along the insides of the sleeves. Such jackets are relatively inexpensive, not particularly protective, and don't contain any stretch. And this last attribute is important because it means that you can't really layer beneath them.

 

The Toulon Mesh from Richa is perhaps a slightly superior version of this type of jacket, but in most respects it is fairly typical. So the jacket has an A rating for abrasion resistance and comes with Level 1 armour in the elbows and shoulders.

 

Now some of these 'teabag' jackets, as they are known, feel cheap. Such jackets will often have a very basic, and not very accommodating, nylon chassis. And as such they don't tend to inspire much confidence from a protection standpoint .

 

Well, by contrast, the Toulon has a really nice cotton twill chassis. It makes the jacket more comfortable to wear than most mesh jackets. And it feels more substantial; more like a proper bike jacket than a mesh one.

 

In terms of the jacket's features, you get D3O armour in the shoulders and elbows. On the outside there are two zip pockets with YKK zips. On the inside there's a phone pocket with a Velcro flap. You get poppered adjusters at the hips, and there are zips at the ends of the sleeves.

 

The Toulon Mesh is what it is. It is, in some ways, typical of most mesh jackets. But it's nicer to wear, and to ride in, than most. But it's still not a great starting point for layering. Do not go thinking that this is a substitute for a Klim Marrakesh or a Rukka Vihti. This is a nice mesh jacket. It's the kind of jacket you would wear on a balmy Sunday for a ride out for a bacon sandwich. It's the kind of jacket you would wear around town. This is not the jacket you would wear for any kind of touring.