Merlin Drifter D3O Explorer Jacket :: MotorcycleGear.com

Merlin Drifter D3O Explorer Jacket

The Merlin Explorer Collection has been designed to complement the rise in accessible, do-it-all motorcycles, along with the increased desire to get out and travel thanks to nearly 18 months of COVID-19 lockdowns. Also behind the design – the rise of younger motorcyclists, with Instagram’s heritage scene rapidly growing and the build-up of motorcycling in popular culture encouraging more young people to get their licences. Explorer offers rugged styling, durability and protection while incorporating the signature Merlin styling using only the best materials and components, such as Halley Stevensons® waxed cotton, D3O® armour and Cordura®.

Don’t be fooled by the Merlin Drifter jacket’s casual looks, this is a futureproof, sustainable and durable motorcycle jacket. The 100% organic Halley Stevensons® ripstop cotton outer receives a fluorocarbon-free water-repellent treatment, with weatherproofing further bolstered by the addition of a highly waterproof and breathable Humax membrane. Receiving an overall CE certification of Level ‘A’ and backed by D3O® armour fitted to the shoulders, elbows and back, Drifter is as protective as it is stylish. Available in green or black in sizes S-4XL.

To care for your jacket, remove all armour from the shoulders, elbows and back and also any removable inner liners. Use a lint-free brush or cloth to really get into any especially dirty areas, then hand-wash the jacket with a mild or diluted detergent in lukewarm water.

Materials:
  • 100% Organic Halley Stevensons® Ripstop Cotton Outer
  • Fluorocarbon Free Water Repellent Treatment Finish
  • 45% Less CO2e And 50% Less Water Usage During Production
  • Texland Humax Waterproof And Breathable Membrane
  • Premium Close-Knit Mesh
  • YKK® Zippers Used Throughout
Protection:
  • D3O® LP1 Shoulder And Elbow Protectors Pre-Fitted
  • D3O® Viper Stealth Back Protector Pre-Fitted
  • D3O® CP1 Chest Protector Pockets
  • CE EN17092 Level ‘A’
Pockets:
  • Multiple Zipper Pockets With Magnetic Side Entry Pocket
  • Ventilation To Front And Rear
Features:
  • Tank Guard Central Zipper Section
  • Fold Back Collar For Summer Riding
  • Adjustable Fit Points Through The Arms And Hem
  • Jacket-To-Jean Connecting Zipper
  • Euro Hoop Connecting Strap

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Our Price:
$479.95

Sizing Information

Below is the Merlin-published chest size for each jacket’s alpha size along with our estimate of max chest and max waist/belly. This particular style is a sport/street style so there is only a moderate taper from chest to waist, and with a style like this you can effectively tailor the fit of the waist with the side waist adjusters, which makes the jacket look great and fit great, so don’t worry if your waist/belly is smaller than the max. We only list this for those that have a belly so they can know what minimum size they’d have to choose to fit the belly.

Note: Add about 1” to your chest and belly measurements if you plan to add a back protector.

Jacket Size Merlin Published
Max Chest
Our Estimate
of Max Chest
Our Estimate
of Max Belly/Waist
XS 36-37 35-37 34
Small 38-39 37-39 36
Medium 40-41 39-41 38
Large 42-43 41-43 40
XL 43-45 43-45 42
XXL 46-47 45-47 44
XXXL 48-49 47-49 46
XXXXL 50-51 49-51 48
XXXXXL 52-53 51-52 50

Need help measuring? Get it here

Our Two Cents

The Drifter D3O® Explorer jacket from Merlin is a part of their Explorer collection (who could have guessed with explore in it’s name) and is designed as a more causal looking adventure jacket. The Drifters overall construction is a combination of a 100% Organic Halley Stevensons® Ripstop Cotton Outer that features a Fluorocarbon Free Water Repellent Treatment Finish (this yields 45% Less CO2e And 50% Less Water Usage During Production for the ECO minded) a Texland Humax Waterproof And Breathable Membrane, Premium Close-Knit Mesh and YKK® Zippers. Impact protection comes for the included D3O® level 1 shoulder and elbow armor, a D3O® Viper level 1 back protector which is also included as well as pockets for a chest protector that would need to be purchased separately. This combination of materials and armor yields a CE Level A rating.

Moving on to features, comfort and convenience, there are multiple pockets throughout the front of the jacket all of which are zippered, there is a magnetic entry side pocket, as well as a couple of internal pockets (one zippered Napoleon, one zippered regular and one button closure that is on the removable liner). Additionally there are ventilation ports both in the front and rear, a fold back collar for summer riding, adjustability points at the arms and hem, a tank guard section on the main zipper as well as a jacket to jean connection zipper and euro hoop connecting strap. Fair warning on Merlin’s connections, the short connection zipper is a good amount shorter than the ones I have seen on for example REV’IT! Jackets, and the jean loop hook is a single strap versus the two strap design that I have seen both Alpinestars and REV’IT! utilize, not necessarily a bad thing, but something to note (What is weird on the Drifter is that there are two extra loops on the sides that I haven’t seen on other Merlin Jackets and they can be used to further secure jeans making this jacket a totally weird setup compared to other Merlin jackets as it would then have a total of 3 jean loop hooks). Overall it’s a fairly simple and minimal looking jacket, in a way it reminds me of a windbreaker/rain type jacket in the way the main material looks, but it does have quite a bit going on with all the different pockets, vents and adjustability.

At the time of this review this jacket retails for $479.95 and I am a bit torn here as its quite pricey for a CE Level A jacket, plenty of jackets in this price range that are AA rated. Overall I think it looks good, especially in the black (its got a very clear British look and British riding weather thing going on and it works for it, especially if that is the style you are liking and going for), there are a lot of good features and pockets, but I’m still torn because of the protection level at the price. At that price point, if you like Merlin and you like the British look that I am talking about I would probably just spend an extra $20 and check out Merlin’s Edale II jacket as its AA rated and to me it just looks and feels better. Easily worth the extra $20. :: Damir 8/6/24

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