Alpinestars T-GP Pro Jacket - 2016

These jackets are sold in US based “alpha” sizes. For most Alpinestars styles we recommend choosing the size you normally wear, but this style is running a bit smaller… in fact about one size smaller. I’ve put together a chart below that shows you Alpinestars chest size estimate for each jacket size, and I’m also including our estimate of max chest. In the very small sizes, the jackets are close to what you might expect… maybe a half size small, but in the larger sizes, they are one full size smaller (maybe even a bit more in the multi-X sizes).

The best thing to do to choose a size is to measure your chest and belly and choose a jacket size that will be big enough to accommodate both, and for most, that will put you in a jacket that is about one size bigger than you normally wear.

The taper of this jacket is about average (taper means how much smaller the waist/belly is than the chest). As you can see from the chart, the belly is consistently about 4” smaller than the chest which will be great for nearly any type of street riding. If you are a bit smaller in the waist, you can use the side adjusters to snug up the waist to suit.

Need help measuring? Get it here.

The T-GP Pro Jacket for 2016 is an upgraded continuation of the model. We put the “2016” in the name of this model to differentiate it from previous styles of the same name. This jacket is a sport cut textile style. This season, I find the overall fit to be decidedly more “sport” and smaller for a given size than before, so be sure and look over the sizing advice before ordering.

This jacket is a solid textile style with a substantial removable thermal liner and just a bit of zippered venting, so the comfortable temp range will be from cold to warm weather… maybe even occasional hot weather. The venting consists of two torso vents up around the shoulders, each about 3” long, and then there are just a few micro-perfs in the shell about mid chest. I like the thermal liner because of the above average quality materials and the fact that the two large patch pockets mirror those in the lining, so no matter whether you are using the jacket with or without the lining, you’ll have the same pocket layout.

The jacket comes with the CE level 2 Bio Air armor for the shoulders and elbows (see my note below). This jacket is fairly unique as compared to other brands we carry in that you have the option to upgrade the back and chest armor to more substantial units (see below), and in fact the back pad and chest pads that ship with the jacket are really just placeholders. Sure, they’d do some good, but they are thin and are not rated. Also, this year the jacket gets the built in hard plastic protectors on the shoulders. They look great and they are substantial too, and will add to the overall armor effectiveness.

To complete a riding outfit, use the all-around zipper for connection to pants. You can choose from any of the pants that also have the mating zipper. Take a look at our close-up pics to see the liner, the zipper, pockets and all the other details. Also, we’ve put together some night photos to show you the reflectives.

So, in summary, I see an improvement of the previous model with the addition of the more substantial shoulder armor, some great nighttime visibility and the plush removable liner. Just be careful with the size selection! :: Paul, 03-28-16

Update about armor: This jacket includes Alpinestars new Bio Air CE Level 2 ventilated armor (see our photo gallery for pics). In recent marketing materials, Alpinestars has not made clear this armor is “new and improved” and also rated CE Level 2 as compared to their longstanding standard armor, called Bio Armor. But we have verified the jackets are constructed with this new armor. :: Paul, 09-13-16