Tourmaster Transition Series 5 Jacket for Women (SOLD OUT)

We checked the fit of this jacket and found it to run true to the sizing chart. For the fit test, Laverne and Shirley are standard size 6 and 12 respectively and they are wearing sizes Small and Large (please click through to view their chest/waist/hip measurements). Take the “View Larger Images” link above to see how our test subjects look in their jackets.

Below is the Tour Master chart provided for this product. All measurements are in inches and consider these to be “max” measurements as the jackets can be adjusted down to customize the fit:

Need help measuring? Get it here.

The Series 5 Transition is new and improved for 2017. The Transition model gets improvements every 4 years or so and has become Tour Master’s go-to touring jacket. It provides a TON of feature, but at a very affordable price. The price is entry level, but the quality steadily improves and this jacket remains a great value. All kinds of street riders, commuter and touring riders will love it. Sizing is more trim for this version so visit our sizing advice above.

The Transition now has Armadillo brand armor in the shoulders and elbows. Its a rubberized, CE approved armor which is comparable to CE armor we see in most other standard brands. The jacket also includes a foam back pad. The shell material feels sturdy and there are reinforcements in key areas like the shoulders and elbows.

This jacket offers a waterproof/breathable barrier between the outer shell and the inner mesh lining to keep out rain. This design really works well. Ordinarily a fixed liner setup like this will take away from the effectiveness of zippered vents because the air inflow can’t reach your skin directly, but with this jacket, they’ve used a waterproof zippers on six of the eight front zip vents and so there is direct flow of air which can pass from the outside all the way to the inside of the jacket when the zippers are open (called the Pipeline system). This is the best-of-both-worlds scenario in my opinion. You get the effectiveness of an integrated rain barrier, but also the good direct air flow through the vents. The two larger vents nearest the main zipper don’t have the flow through setup, but rather than double as pockets. You’ll get air past the outer shell with those two pockets which will still be partially effective for cooling. Anyway, there are at total of 11 zip vents, most of which are direct flow and so the overall venting should be very good for a full textile touring style like this.

Another feature this jacket has to make the front shoulder vents even better is the flap design that allows you to shape the vent into a “scoop” to catch even more wind (hard to describe but you’ll get the idea). All eight vents in front are set up like this. Overall, this is a pretty effective setup.

For colder weather, you zip all the vents shut and use the removable full-sleeve thermal liner. It is easy to put in and take out and they even color code the connection points to help you get it right easily. The liner is plush and should give good insulation. One other nice feature is the rain hood that is concealed in the collar. That hood can be deployed when you are expecting rain. You wear it under your helmet and it will provide a barrier to keep water from getting in your jacket around the neck opening. Neat!

Considering all the climate control features, I’d recommend this jacket for cold weather all the way up to warm weather, and of course wet weather. In really hot weather, you’ll probably get warm. Depending upon your climate and riding habits, this could be either a 3 1/2 season or even a four season jacket.

Folks who buy a jacket like this usually like plenty of storage. With this jacket you get two large cargo pockets, two hand warmer pockets and two chest pockets in front, a fanny pouch in back, and four storage pockets of different configurations on the inside. The pocket configuration is the same whether you are using the thermal liner or not which is a handy setup.

Night reflectively is very good. We’ve taken some dark pictures for our photo gallery so you can see the reflectives. The Phoslite material used by Tour Master really lights up well. We still recommend this jacket because of the feature list, good quality and very reasonable price. :: Paul, 12-21-17

Back pad upgrade: Tour Master’s standard back pad in this jacket is just standard fare… kind of thin and not CE approved (one of the few nits I have to pick with this jacket). Those who want a CE approved back pad should check out the D3O brand of aftermarket back pads as a replacement of the stock unit. If you are unsure about the need for an upgrade you should order the jacket and then evaluate for yourself the need for an upgrade. .