Patrol Jacket
If you wanted a waxed cotton motorcycle jacket, until recently there's only been a few manufacturer's to choose from, usually with an eye watering price tag attached. Entering the fray from the East come Fogy Garage, a new motorcycle gear retailer bringing a vintage scrambler style to modern motorcycling.
Taking obvious styling cues from the Barbour/Belstaff waxed cotton jackets of the 70's, the Patrol jacket adds to these designs with nice additions such as corduroy and ribbed cotton at the cuffs and neckline. Zippers at the sides so the jacket can be splayed out when sitting on a bike are an excellent feature that I'd like to see on more jackets. It's a well thought out piece of riding gear, clearly designed by people that ride motorcycles.
A slight mix up on ordering meant that I was sent a size Small instead of a Medium, I'm genuinely gutted the jacket is too small for me to wear personally as it could well have become my 'go-to' riding coat. However, I've been looking for a jacket for my niece to wear when she joins me for rides and the Patrol fits her perfectly, the bonus being that it comes with a full suite of CE approved shoulder, elbow and back armour so I know she's protected while looking very stylish on the back on my modern classic bike.
Ethiopia Rasdashen Gloves
I've been through a lot of gloves in my short riding career, from the very expensive to the very cheap, it's been something of a personal crusade to find the perfect blend of style, safety and cost. These are up there with the best I've tried.
Immediately upon inspecting the Ethiopia Rasdashen gloves, the softness of the lambskin leather is apparent, it's an extremely nice glove to wear on your hand. Adding to the comfort, the leather is perforated for ventilation, allowing a cooling breeze through on those warm summer rides.
But don't be fooled into thinking these gloves are just style over substance, there's Poron® XRD® Extreme Impact Protection under the leather so there's a good amount of protection afforded should you slide down the road.
One thing to note, the sizes run small, so I'd recommend sizing up at least one size to get a great fit. I normally wear an Medium (8.5), these Large gloves are perhaps just a little snug but wearable, an XL might have even fit better.
If you'd like to check out Fogy Garage's great selection of motorcycle gear, you can do so by clicking the link below.
Neither the Ethiopia Rasdashen gloves or the Patrol jacket are currently CE rated for safety, which I'm sure will be a concern for many European riders. However having spoke to Fogy Garage about this, I've been informed that they are currently in the process of having their gear tested, with many of the glove options already certified. For me personally, in my opinion having seen how well this jacket and gloves are made, I'd have no worries about wearing them on a bike ride.
