Alpinestars Amok Air Drystar Jacket

These jackets are sold in US based “alpha” sizes. Alpinestars publishes a super-complicated size chart which can be used to pick a size based upon your chest and waist. We’ve condensed their chart down to make it easy to read (see below).

This jacket design includes two removable liners, and we are judging fit with those liners in place. Also, the jacket has already installed foam protectors in the chest and back. So given those pre-conditions, this is my advice for fit: * If you like a very trim fit, then you’ll like this style in the size you normally choose, but if you prefer a more “American” fit or you are between sizes, I’d recommend you choose a size larger than you usually wear.* And since this jacket has a pretty trim fit, you’ll also want to check your belly (if you have one) and make sure the jacket size you pick is big enough for your mid-section as well as your chest.

Need help measuring? Get it here.

Today I’m unpacking this new Amok Air Drystar jacket in the Light Grey/Dark Grey color. And last week, I spent some time reviewing new jackets from REV’IT, and among those jackets was the Tornado 2 jacket. My very first reaction in looking at this Alpinestars Amok jacket is that the aesthetics and feature list are almost EXACTLY the same! I guess I’m mostly referring to the overall look of the jacket with the two tone greys and accent colors. This “look” is the thing that is selling these days so everybody is on the same bandwagon it seems.

The outer shell of this jacket is about half mesh and half textile, so with the inner liners removed, this jacket should be quite comfortable even on very hot days. The liner I mention is actually two liners… one is a windproof/waterproof liner and the other is insulated. So as you go down in temps, and/or you find yourself in the rain, you can snap in the windproof/waterproof part which will block the air flow through to the skin and also keep you dry. If it gets colder, you can add the second liner too. It’s a nice system. And the liner itself looks OK to use as a windbreaker when you are off the bike, which would be a handy thing to save space on a trip.

The jacket comes with the CE level 2 Bio Air armor for the shoulders and elbows (see my note below). And beyond that, you have the option to upgrade the back and chest armor to more substantial units (see below). The back pad and chest pads that ship with the jacket are thin and while they may do some good, they’re really just placeholders, so you’ll want to think about upgrading.

The jacket has the standard zipper connection so you can attach the jacket to any one of Alpinestar’s pant options to make a really sharp touring suit.

Overall, this is really a very nice jacket… very versatile for the climate, and with an excellent armor system with lots of upgrade options. The styling is “current” and the materials and build quality are excellent. The price is also on par with comparative jackets (like the REV’IT Tornado 2 jacket I mentioned). For somebody who will only own one jacket, and who wants quality, this one would be a good contender. :: 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