Spidi Tech Armor 2 jacket in black

The Spidi Tech Armor 2 is a fairly traditional mesh jacket; what is known in the trade as a 'teabag' jacket; for obvious reasons perhaps.

 

A mesh jacket will feature panels of open mesh. These panels will allow cooler oncoming air to reach the body to cool the skin down and to allow warmer air coming off the body to escape to allow evaporative cooling to take place.

 

The problem with most mesh jackets is that there will only be mesh in certain areas. In other areas you will get solid nylon panels that won't breathe as well. In a mesh jacket you might think you're getting cool, but that can be deceiving as what you really need is air passing through every panel of the jacket, and all around the body.

 

Now this having been said, there's a lot of mesh on the Tech Armor 2; more than there is on most mesh jackets. And the weave is very open. Hold it up to the light, and you can see through the jacket.

 

We are not really in a position to be totally definitive about this, but I think we might suggest that, at speed, jackets like the Klim Marrakesh would be cooler to ride in, but we would concede that, at lower speeds, say in and around town, a jacket like this Spidi one might be more effective.

 

And given its lowly price that might sound impressive. But here's the stumbling block. Like most traditional mesh jackets there's not a whole lot of 'give' in the Tech Armor 2's outer chassis.

 

And what that means is the capacity to layer inside the jacket is somewhat limited.

 

You could easily wear something thin and windproof like the Klim Zephyr. It could probably accommodate a merino mid-layer, but if it's really cold it won't take something more substantial such as a down jacket.

 

A waterproof worn on the outside, of course, does not present a problem.

 

But there is another implication to the Spidi jacket's lack of stretch; and that is that it's not particularly, or outstandingly, comfortable in the way that jackets like the Klim Marrakesh and the Belstaff Tamar are. The Tech Armor 2 is certainly not uncomfortable, but it wears just like any other mesh jacket; and that's because, in large part, that's exactly what it is!

 

The outer chassis comprises areas of highly abrasion and tear resistant Ripstop fabric. You find this in the more critical Zone 1 areas at the shoulders and elbows. And it is this that helps the jacket to reach its AA rating under EN17092.

 

In less vulnerable areas you get a stretch material, although truth be told it's not super stretchy!

 

As we have said, a lot of the jacket is made of mesh; indeed we're talking about most of the front of the jacket, nearly all of the back of the jacket and a good portion of the sleeves.

 

You get four zip pockets on the front of the jacket, although in some ways you shouldn't use them because if you put stuff in the pockets you will stop the flow of air. You get one mesh pocket inside the jacket. And then another small one in the Ripstop fabric on the left shoulder. Now we shouldn't have to explain this, but to avoid confusion we will. None of the pockets is waterproof. And in answer to the question as to how will the Tech Armor 2 perform in the rain, the answer is not very well at all!

 

You get volume adjusters at the waist, but the amount of travel is such that they won't do much. You also get volume adjusters on the forearms and on the biceps.

 

One thing that is just a little bit bizarre is that you get knitted cuffs at the ends of the sleeves; and I say this because when it's really hot it's sometimes nice to allow the oncoming air to run up the sleeves.

 

Finally, and it's more than just a detail; the Tech Armor 2 comes with Level 2 armour in the shoulders and elbows. And traditionally you didn't get that on a mesh jacket.

 

There's a pocket for a back protector, but as with some other brands of jacket it attaches by means of Velcro. Now we do stock Spidi's back protector, but it's not a particularly nice one. We would go go for a D3O protector in Level 1 or Level 2, but it's got to be the one with Velcro, and I think we're the only people to offer it.

 

If you want a traditional mesh jacket the Tech Armor 2 is as good as any. It's quite similar to the Halvarssons Arvika, and at £249.99 it's pretty similar in price too.

 

It will flow a lot of air, and will probably do so better at lower speeds than jackets like the Marrakesh.

 

With an AA rating for abrasion resistance and Level 2 armour it offers as much protection as might be expected.

 

But the Tech Armor 2 is compromised from a layering perspective. A windproof like a Zephyr on the inside will not be a problem obviously, and a thin Merino mid-layer could be accommodated, but this is not a jacket that can be equipped to make it properly wearable in colder weather.

 

The Tech 2 Armor is a good traditional mesh jacket; indeed a rather superior one. And it's well priced. If you simply want a mesh jacket for hot days, it's not a bad option!