REVIEW OF THE REVIT VENTURA WOMEN'S JACKET

• My US jacket size: US 4-6
• My Ventura size: 38
• Sizes (Euro) 34 (US 4) - 46 (US 16) (7/30/2013: As of this date, I've lost 20lbs since this photo. I'm now 34 in this jacket for top and 36 on bottom.)
• MSRP $449.99, on sale for $379.99 as of Jan 2015
• Colors: All Black, Silver/Black, Silver/Blue (shown)
• Long and short YKK connection zippers included
• Adjustable /removable collar
• Velcro adjustments on each wrist
• 2 way zippers that act as vents on each arm
• Inner and outer pockets
• Removable hydratex (waterproof) liner (additional stash pocket too)
• Removable thermal liner
• Prolife CE/EN protection: shoulders, elbows
• Pocket for back protector ("T" shape compatible with Forcefield Tpro, Knox)
• Laminated reflection at shoulders and back
• Outer shell: Dynax mesh, PWRShell 500D, Lorica PWRshell 500D
• Sample provided by REV'IT for this review
• Review Date: December 2011
• Where to Buy: Revzilla.com

Overview

The fastest growing segments in motorcycling are currently the Female rider and the Dual Sport / ADV rider.  REV'IT has begun to meet this need by coming out with not only one, but two outfits for us.

The Ventura 2-piece is their first attempt at a touring / adv riding outfit for women.   In the past, they started to address this need with different touring oriented jackets and pants which were both street and touring oriented. But with the Ventura, they’ve incorporated thoughtful features such as a removable collar and two way zippers (that also act as vents) up each sleeve.

For the longest time, men’s gear has always surpassed women’s gear in terms of protective value and features.  But Revit is one of the few companies stepping up to make equally protective women’s motorcycle gear.  They still have a ways to go, but this is a great step in the right direction as the women's riding market grows.

As you can see, they aren’t trying to pitch you with visions of glitter, pink (just a little light blue) and daisies all over the place. Instead, they suck you in with fit and features that give you no choice but to hand over your credit card as you oooh and aaah over them.

I was very anxious to try out the Ventura since I have a heated liner and have yet to try it with any kind of winter textile.  About a week after I got it, I had the opportunity to try it in the pouring, miserable rain. Unfortunately this is the only chance I’ve had to rain test it, but luckily for me, it was also going 75mph on the freeway while riding 40 miles home from the motorcycle show.

Warm n' Dry

With my heated and Hydratex liners, I made it safely and warmly home after about 45 minutes in the fast lane. I also used it the night before when we went out and had to walk to dinner in the rain. Dual purpose!

I must admit, the shell wasn’t as warm as I had hoped, even with the heated liner. I had to crank my warmnsafe up to 8-9 (max 10) for the freeway ride. It was probably high 40's (F) with windchill that day, so I was definitely pushing this jacket to its winter limits.  But I may just be pushing textile to its limits at those temps. Perhaps a softshell system like the REV’IT Everest GTX or KLIM Badlands GTX (both only available in mens),  would help with windblocking ability.

When I got home, I only felt a little damp on my lower back, and I’m not sure if that’s because I forgot to zip my jacket and pants together or if it’s because the liner pushed up my back and then a little water.  Luckily, the waterproof liner has a stash pocket on the lower right side (zippered) so my beloved iphone stayed nice and dry for the ride home. There's also another handy pocket located on the inner left side of the shell, which I use as my primary phone pocket when the weather is dry.

I've worn the removable thermal liner a few times and although it's fairly warm for our winter temperatures (40s-50s), it definitely couldn't compete with my heated liner with windchill while riding at night.   I paired both liners with my delicious Schampa shirt and although it didn't insulate as well as my warmnsafe, it did a decent job.

Features

My 2 favorite features include the 2 way zippers up each sleeve, and the fully removable collar.  With the zippers, it makes it so much easier to put on any pair of gloves, no matter how short or long the gauntlets are.  The adjustable velcro straps also let you adjust the width of the sleeve so that it'll fit under or over almost any pair of gloves.

It's also nice to have the option to remove the collar, or leave it open by pulling the loop  using the little hook on the left side. The temperatures were about 70 degrees (unusual weather for San Francisco in the winter) when I took these photos.

However, I’m not a fan of the zippered vents along the outside of the bust. I don’t know why they thought women would like this design detail, but I certainly don’t feel any improvement in ventilation.  I hope they move the vents back to the chest like the other models.

As far as the coloring/design, I wish the side panels in light blue were a little narrower. I also think they should explorer different accent colors, such as a deep purple along the sleeves and a lighter purple along the torso. Or Deep green with a lighter green. Pink should be thrown out of the designer's handbook, in my opinion. (that goes for other things too, like toys and electronics).

I'm not sure if the designers at REV'IT (who are women, btw) were thinking that we want our busts to be *that* obvious, or if they were overruled by their male counterparts, but this is definitely the most unattractive feature.  I had my friend try it on in a size 34. She's a very petite girl and when she put this on, it just made her bust look droopy and out of proportion. If you fill out the bust, it's not as noticeable, but at least it makes sense. If you have a modest bustline, its completely obvious and looks a little strange.

And looking at some of my photos above, even I can't help noticing how large my bust looks. (Not that it's a bad thing, but on my frame/proportions, it looks a little strange).

The only quality issue I have is that the velcro strips on my wrists and the front pockets of my jacket started to unravel after a few days of riding. I've emailed REV'IT to find out how / if these can be repaired under warranty. They've instructed me to return the item to their product development team in the Netherlands for repair. However, for a standard customer, they would definitely want you to go back to your dealer, explain what happened and have them assist you in resolving the issue.

Fit

The Ventura has a more curvy, generous fit in the bust/shoulders/arms and torso on this one. At 5’3”, I’m just a touch under 140lbs (yep, I’m admitting that), my torso is a little wider than it used to beand it needs a little more room these days.

I only wish when you gained weight that the weight would move into you bust a little bit. Sadly, this jacket offers more than enough room in the bust to provide ample space if you need a little extra room up there.

Because it’s rather curvy, I would not recommend this jacket to a petite rider with a long, narrow waist/torso and narrowish shoulders and modest bustline.  The cut on this is completely different from the Siren and Ignition, which have a much narrower/fitted shape to them.

I found the length to be perfect, falling right over my hips with adjustable velcro over the hips.  On my SV (In sport riding position), it felt very comfortable reaching further forward.  I think this would be comfortable in any riding position, moreso in standard or dual sport, but definitely in 2-up as well.

Even with both adjustable points cinched and snapped, my elbows feel a little loose. But they may provide the right amount of fit for someone who needs a little more room above and below the elbows. It may not seem important, but the small accordian like panels above the elbows make the fit more comfortable, especially in sport riding position. You need more give when you reach that far forward and I think this is something that REV'IT incorporates into all of their jackets quite well.

I think they're trying to reach more American women with the fit of this jacket and it’s less expensive counterpart, the Tornado. There are definitely a lot of curvy girls out there looking for textile jackets, so I’m actually glad this has a different cut to it.

The Ventura makes a great 3-4 season jacket, for almost all 4 seasons depending on what part of the country you're in. I'd only recommend this for 4 seasons in milder winter climates like the West/Southwest. I'm thinking that anything in negative windchill would be too cold for this particular jacket. Perhaps with a heated liner you could make it work further into colder temps. But you'd have to wear the waterproof liner to give it a good enough windblock. 

Overall, I think REV'IT has put together a good option for women looking for a textile jacket offering both street, commuting and touring features. Although some changes need to be made, I hope that they improve upon the Ventura and keep providing women riders better options for gear because we want, need and deserve it.

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