Rukka Downride-R jacket in brown

The reason that Rukka first produced a down jacket was as a premium-quality, thermal liner to go in the Nivala when it was launched almost 10 years ago. That first down jacket worked fine in our view. It was quite short, so didn't catch in the connecting  zip. It was also quite shiny, enabling the Nivala to slide over it easily when putting the jacket on. But the jacket was a bit short for wearing off the bike, and some felt the shiny material made the first Down-X jacket, as it was called, look cheap. As I said, we didn't care about these issues. We just thought it worked.

 

When the Nivala 2 came out, Rukka produced a new, Down-X jacket. Now this one we didn't like. It was somewhat longer, and had a matt finish, but we found it too bulky; and it had to be folded into itself when zipping together.

 

Now with the new Nivala 3 around the corner, Rukka has re-designed their down jacket again. They've even given it a new name: the DownRide-R.

 

It sits, quite predictably perhaps, somewhere in between the two previous incarnations.

 

There's a sheen to the outer fabric, but you wouldn't call it shiny. And the length is just about right. It sits at about the same height as the similar offerings from Klim and Belstaff. It will work on the bike, but it's also just the right length off the bike too.

 

The down mix is 90:10. The fill power is 750. And the amount of down is 135 g/m2, which we think is just about perfect for biking.

 

Rukka talks about baffles created using a 'continuous woven channel technique'. We're not quite sure what that is, but having separate baffles is important to stop the down migrating all around the jacket. They say they have achieved this without using 'stitching'. And that's good because stitching weakens the fabric, can let air enter the jacket and can make it easier for the feathers to escape!

 

Rukka doesn't mention the material being windproof, but the Polyester outer fabric will provide at least some protection from the wind. 

 

You get two, external pockets and two internal ones.  The jacket comes with its own branded stuff sack for storage.  There's elastication at the ends of the sleeves, to ensure it doesn't get caught when putting your outer jacket on. 

 

The jacket comes in a black, a nice, bluey-grey and a pooh colour. Actually, we really like the latter. It looks very stylish, although it's a bit out there for Rukka, who normally specialise in shades of black!

 

The one thing Rukka doesn't tell us is what kind of down they're using. Before this version they always stated 'duck' down. Does the fact that they say nothing cause us to believe we're talking about chicken or turkey down? Does this even exist? Truth be told, I'm not sure it matters. The important think is that Rukka tells us that the down is ethically sourced; and that's very reassuring!

 

We like the DownRide-R. We think Rukka has got this one spot on.

 

The benchmark in this sector is probably the Klim Maverick. The Maverick uses a superior, 800 fill power, goose down, but they don't say how much of it there is in the jacket. Klim talks about the wind-resistant, qualities of the outer fabric. They also cite a waterproof coating: a DWR. But this won't make much of a difference. In ten minutes of heavy rain, the jacket's effectiveness will have been diminished. Down really does not like getting wet! 

 

The Maverick is as good as any down jacket in terms of looking cool on the street. It comes in a few colours, but sadly not as many as it used to. But it's still a class act. At £260, it's £60 more than the Rukka.

 

The Belstaff Nimbus was launched earlier this year. It contains a 90:10 mix of genuine, duck down. In terms of the amount of down, it feels similar to the Klim Maverick. The down's fill power is a respectable 750. Again all the baffles are sealed. You get two, outer pockets and one internal one. The jacket is supplied with its own stuff sack. 

 

The Nimbus comes with one special feature that the other jackets cited here don't have. And that's Belstaff badging. And for some people that's a major attraction. And as the badge comes with no trade off in terms of functionality, we have no issue with that. The price of the Belstaff jacket is £250, as though they have priced it specifically just to undercut Klim!

 

Now because some motorcyclists will think these jackets are overpriced, I thought it would be interesting to see how they compare with something you might buy in a ski or mountaineering shop. The nearest jacket I could find in terms of spec. was the Arc'teryx Cerium.

 

Again, Arc'teryx doesn't tell us how much down the jacket contains, but it doesn't immediately feel any more luxurious or cosseting than the other jackets here. What they do quote is an 850 fill power. They also talk of an element of synthetic down for better performance in the wet. In all honesty the Cerium feels as though it's going to work well, but at £340 it makes the three jackets we're talking about here seem like good value.

 

The bottom line here is that the Rukka DownRide-R is on the button. It's very similar to both the Klim and the Belstaff offerings. All three will do a great job on the bike. And that's the important consideration as far as I'm concerned. All these jacket will keep you warm. 

 

And if you feel you just want to spend a bit more, go for the Arc'teryx, but at this price you're going up against a Warm&Safe heated jacket and, with respect, on a longer journey, on a colder day, no down jacket is going to measure up to an electrically-heated one!