Man it's Been Hot

I don’t need to tell y’all it has been like a lake of fire out there this summer. This hot and humid weather pattern has prompted me to do something I thought I would never do. I have forsaken my traditional leather jacket for a textile hide. Now as I have stated before, I’m not a all the gear all the time kind if rider. But I do like to have some protection in the way of jacket, gloves and helmet. I’m also kind of a traditionalist and really like my old worn leather better than any other piece of gear I own.
This summer changed all that. It has just been way too hot to wear my leather on a regular basis. I guess I could have, but I would have been sopping wet everywhere I went and would have went through a fifty five gallon drum of Old Spice grooming products. With the fear of alienating every one I came within a nose shot from, I knew action needed to be taken. So I picked myself up a Joe Rocket Phoenix 5.0 textile jacket in black. I sat by the door wringing my hands in eager anticipation of the UPS truck to come to a halt in front of my house. I sprinted to meet my surprised delivery man and snatched the package out of his grip like a line backer stripping the ball out of the hands of the running back he just leveled. I ripped the package open like a five year old at Christmas. What I found inside was a well built light weight jacket with a removable liner for those cold mornings and armor in all the right places.
I quickly slipped it on and headed for the garage. I found that the mesh of the jacket let the air pass through like a summer breeze through a open window. With it’s light weight you barely know you are wearing it. The CE approved shoulder and elbow armor along with the dual density back pad gives you confidence that you're protected in the event you find yourself sliding down the road.There also is reflective piping across the front and back and down both sleeves so you don’t disappear into the night. Another neat feature is the sunglass pocket built into the left front just inside the zipper. It is fleece lined so it won’t scratch your favorite pair of shades.
So far I am happy with the Phoenix 5.0. It’s comfortable and light, offers the protection I was looking for and won’t empty your bank account. I ordered mine from Riders Discount for $157.49 not a bad price and also a Michigan based supplier. All in all I am pretty damn happy with this jacket and wear it all the time. I’m not going to completely kick my old leather to the curb. I will still wear it when the cooler temps of fall and spring arrive. I still love that old jacket, while I may stray from it when the when the summer temps threaten to cook me like a pig on a spit. It will still have a place among the gear I utilize in my day to day riding. I just will be spending a bit more time with my new found riding partner.

Till Next Time...................