Textile suit review: Duchinni Hurricane jacket and Pacific pants tried and tested

It’s a fallacy that you have to pay top money for top protection when it comes to motorcycle clothing. Sure, there are benefits to spending more, like extra features but that doesn’t mean that you have to shell out a fortune just to get gear good enough to protect you. This combination of jacket and trousers from Duchinni is proof of that.

The jacket and trousers don’t form an integral suit as such, but they are compatible as far as comparable levels of protection from offs, and the weather and they do join via a zip at the bottom of the jacket to form a cohesive garment.

Both use an outer formed in 600D polyester and have a waterproof, breathable and windproof membrane fitted. They also each feature a removable thermal liner, and there are plenty of adjustment straps on the jacket for fit. There are also pockets abound, inside and outside the jacket as well as thigh cargo and change pockets on the trousers, which are really useful.

Both the jacket and trousers are CE rated AA for construction and abrasion resistance. The jacket comes with Level-2 armour in the shoulders and elbows and the trousers, L2 and the knees and L1 in the hips. One thing missing from the specification though are any vents in either the jacket or the trousers.

Getting the overall sizing in these is crucial; I found that my usual Large in the trousers was a little snug around the, er, important areas, though I went for the regular leg length – there are short and long-leg options as well – which put the knee armour in the right place.

Similarly, the jacket was slightly more snug than I would ideally like – I’d gone for the 44 option though Duchinni classifies this as ‘Large’, and I usually go for an XL for that little extra space. However, in the Hurricane, the next size up may well have been too big…

Once done up, the jacket is comfortable and the neoprene edging to the neck prevents any chaffing. The thermal liner zips in all the way around into the outer which helps to eliminate draughts or cold spots that you sometimes get with liners that fit with poppers and on a chilly and wet ride, both it and the trousers did a fair job of keeping me warm.

While there was a feeling of slight chilliness around the edges, I certainly wasn’t cold and the feeling of warmth was on par with suits costing much, much more. What was impressive was that after a couple of hours in really nasty rainy conditions, I was completely dry inside.

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No water whatsoever entered, though the same can’t be said for the pockets; the trousers’ thigh pockets stayed dry (they have a PVC-backed flap closing them) but anything with just a zip allowed moisture through.

There was a slight feeling of clamminess to the skin during the ride, despite the cold conditions. This might have been due, in part, to the damp conditions but certainly, it was more than I would have liked with a decent breathable membrane.

And the lack of vents also meant that in the right conditions, it would be difficult to get any additional airflow into the jacket or trousers if things got warm. You could, of course, remove the thermal liners, but other than leaving the collar or the cuffs undone, there is little option to get more air in to cool you down.

We added the optional Level-1 back protector to the jacket (£19.99 more) for all-around protection and the reassurance on the bike was very good. You knew the armour was there, but it didn’t interfere with the riding or the comfort. Despite both the jacket and trousers feeling a little snug, it was still easy to move around obn the bike, as well as off it.

Verdict

This jacket and trousers combination punches well above its weight in terms of performance. A CE rating of AA – realistically as high as textiles get – and a suite of Level-2 armour is impressive at any cost; in a suit that comes in at less than £200 (without a back protector), it’s seriously good value.

Add in the fact that it keeps water out and is comfortable in use and deals with the cold really well, it’s a very good choice if you want good protection without spending a fortune.

Pros:

Great safety ratings

Excellent wet-weather protection

Trousers in varying leg lengths

Cons:

Can get a little sweaty and clammy inside

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