Mesh Jackets

[ells]

Thought I'd try to lift this topic and quote from Wolfman's recent thread on 'Some of thoughts about recent observations' where this came up as sort of a side topic where it might get lost but of maybe wider interest.

Originally Posted by tkd

Mesh jackets. In the eyes of our (MSF) instructor, brand again was the least of his concerns. He did the same thing with 2 mesh Jackets. The mesh weave was virtually identical in pattern and the material was the same and both had CE approved removable armor. Other than a few minor cosmetic differences the jackets were extremely similar. Again, the name brand was $199 while the other was from ebay/motodirect at $68.

I looked at a few different mesh jackets and found big differences. Not so much in construction material or armor but other important things. Don't recall all the brands or models but some can be very rough-cut inside so are scratchy on your skin if only wearing a t-shirt. Some are size-cut strange, tight or short on waist for example. To me a raintight removable liner was important - some don't have them, some are breathable some are not. The non breathable ones can quickly become unbearable in much heat. Then there are other things like colors, designs and pockets more to personal taste but some functionality. And of course the extent and quality of the armor is important but as tkd indicated, most but not all do pretty well with that. I thought I did pretty well getting just what I wanted in the mid $100-$200 range but may have missed something, definitely did not want some of the ones I looked at.