Damn you Winter. The minute I got this jacket a week and a half ago, our temperatures started to plummet. But good thing I'm headed out to California this weekend for a week of sun, family and riding! The Dainese CarveMaster 2 GTX is their flagship women's winter jacket, featuring a removable thermal liner and a removable down collar. It also features 6 vents which will help push this one into 3-4 seasons although it doesn't offer fully direct venting.   

What this means is that behind the mesh is the Gore-Tex membrane which is meant to keep you dry. You won't feel the air directly to your body because the membrane is in the way. It definitely helps in warmer weather than not having them at all, but it's not as effective as other jackets which offer direct vents such as Klim. 

What does stand out about this jacket is the fitment, it's very sport oriented. If you ride sporty bikes like me, then you know how hard it is to find touring jackets that fit us on the kind of bikes that we ride.

This jacket is very fitted, and slim so when you do ride in a more aggressive position, it won't be baggy around the chest/waist. I HATE jackets that are baggy and loose especially in the body. Because when I lean forward, I need my jacket to stay out of my way (much like the cars/bikes around me :P)

I can't wait to give it a spin in California's "winter" which is um, 60 Degrees during the day and low 40s at night. I'll be headed to Walnut Creek (just 30 minutes East of Berkeley) for a week to see my family and friends. But I'll also borrow a couple of different bikes while I'm there so I can visit some of my favorite roads again. 

And then I pray the weather lightens up enough when I get back to some reasonable 40s so I can actually take this jacket for a spin here in Philly. 

Stay tuned to my Instagram and Facebook feeds for more photos next week.