Fieldsheer Highland Jacket/Booster Pants

Tag : Nylon Taslan
Fieldsheer Highland Jacket/Booster Pants
4/22/2008
By Bryan Harley

We go through gear around here like six-year-old boys wear holes inthe knees of their best pair of school jeans. Which means we wantgear that's not going to shred in case of a get-off, is durableenough to wear for days on end, shields us from water yet is stillporous so that we don't feel like we're riding in a sweatbox, andhas lots of pockets to stuff all of our necessities in. To meet ourstringent list of demands, Fieldsheer sent over a solid ridingcombo in the form of its Highland Jacket and Booster Pants.

Our Fieldsheer Highland Jacket came in an attractive silver and black. The 660 Denier NylonTaslan outer shell is flexible enough that it didn't require a longbreak-in period like leather does. The shell is thick enough thatit kept me plenty warm on chilly coastal mornings during our 1100mile trek up California's Highway 1 and ventilates well enough tocontinue wearing comfortably when the sun comes out. Riding alongthe Pacific coastline, we inevitably got rained on, so we can vouchfor Fieldsheer's claim that the jacket is waterproof.

A highlight of the jacket is its ability to be adjusted for acustom fit. The Fieldsheer Highland Jacket has Velcro adjustmentsat the wrists, waist and neck. There's a pair of snaps on each armto further cut down on cold wind shooting up your sleeve. This ispart of Fieldsheer's unique 4-step adjustable sleeve volume controlin the upper and lower sleeves that aims to keep the armor snug forall arm sizes regardless of whether you have the liner in or not.Depending on how you like to wear your jacket, you can have itskin-hugging tight or a little more loose-fitting. The HighlandJacket has a Thermo Pilot Liner that is soft and comfortable. Theliner comes out and Fieldsheer claims it can be worn separately asa jacket, but I only used the jacket in chilly conditions, so Inever had a need to remove it.

The jacket has been tailored to fit riders in an upright ridingposition, so the bottom of the jacket sits just below my waistline. It does have an eight-inch waist zip connector and auniversal snap belt connector in the back that easily attaches tothe Booster Pants to keep it from creeping up and letting cold airin.

Another feature we liked about the Highland Jacket is its abundanceof pockets. Check out this list - two zipped front hand warmerpockets, three upper chest plus one for your mobile phone, twolower cargo, one zipped map, one inside Velcro, and one otherinside mobile phone pocket, just in case. There's more than enoughcompartments to misplace your motorcycle's keys, which I did once.But it still scores high for providing plenty of storage space.

The top of the pockets fold over the bottom and cinch down tightwith Velcro, ensuring that water doesn't get in and short out yourelectronic devices. The hand pockets work two-fold. The top pocketis large enough for a wallet or folded maps and the underlyingpocket is smaller but has the bonus security of zipping up tight.

And while the quality construction of the jacket is guaranteed tokeep you dry, we appreciated that the venting system worked wellalso. Two vents in front unzip at the shoulder and a larger ventruns between your shoulder blades. Open all three up and theHighland Jacket circulates enough air to cool you down quick.

One area where the Highland Jacket doesn't score as high is inprotection. There is a Ballistic nylon overlay that reinforcesselect areas like the elbows, but overall the armor is light. Thepadding in the elbows is the most protective, but it slides aroundslightly and you have to maneuver it back into place when puttingon the jacket. There's light padding in the shoulders and a softarmor plate in the back. All of the armor is CE-approved andremovable, but it's definitely not reinforced enough for hardimpacts.

The overall design is very stylish. Even though there's a ton ofpockets, it doesn't detract from the jacket's appeal. It not onlylooks good, but Fieldsheer also keeps rider's safety in mind, withreflective piping on tabs under the chest pockets and in thepinstripe-style trim that runs under the arms and around theshoulders. The piping is reflective Phoslite and increases arider's nighttime visibility, and includes a spot-reflective, highabrasive material in back.

And even though the Fieldsheer Highland Jacket and the BoosterJacket aren't sold together as a full riding suit, they were builtto complement each other. Our pants were the same silver and blackas the jacket and when you zip them together it's almost as good ashaving a full-length suit.

The Booster Pants bare many of the same attributes as the jacket.They are waterproof, but the 600 denier Carbolex material is porousenough to allow the pants to breath. Airflow is assisted by twovents in the thighs. A removable liner adds another layer ofprotection and is comfortable on bare skin. The pants button at thewaist and have a Velcro storm flap covering the zipper.

The Booster Pants don't have as many pockets as the jacket, but allfour of them (two front, two back) zip up tight. The pockets areabout a hands-length deep, which is good for your license and cash,but there's so much storage potential in the jacket that you don'treally need to use the pants' pockets.

One of the Booster pants' best features is its three-quarter lengthzippers up both legs. Even legs need a chance to breathe, and ifyou're layering up for a cold-weather ride, it makes getting readya tad easier. The leg-length zippers have the same style of stormflap that covers the zipper on the crotch, so wind working its waythrough the teeth isn't an issue. The bottom of the pants cinch atthe ankles courtesy of more Velcro attachments.

The only other detractor from an otherwise stellar riding suit iswhen it comes time to clean the nylon exterior. It got some prettygood stains on it when JC was kicking up some dirt on a recentoff-road ride, and you aren't supposed to machine wash or dry cleanthe outer garment. The liners are removable and washable, but theoutside shell requires a thorough sponge bath with a non-biologicaltreatment. Sorry, Clorox, but no bleach action here.

The Fieldsheer gear has proven its versatility. It got my seal ofapproval when I wore it on our 1100-mile quest up the Californiacoastline, Bart wore it riding the 2008 Kawasaki ZX-14 one day whenthe local temps dipped into the 30's, and JC also abused it - Imean, used it on a two day test of the 2008 BMW GS1200. And no,it's not one size fits all, it just happens that all three of ushappen to have similar builds and are in the six-foot tall range,albeit JC probably had to really cinch in the pants tight becausehe's about 40-lbs lighter than me. After months of wear andnumerous excursions, there's not a loose thread visible anywhere.It has served us faithfully and gets Motorcycle USA's three thumbsup.

Buy it Now:

Fieldsheer Highland Jacket

Color Options: Black, Red, Silver and Tan

MSRP: $251.99

Fieldsheer Booster Pants

MSRP: $99.99

Color Options: Black, Silver

Find More: Fieldsheer Gear and Accessories

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