[Review] Olympia AST jacket

elizilla

Guest
(from old forum)

The jacket in my userpic is the Olympia AST.

I bought the men's version because the sleeves on the women's version are too short. I'm 5'11". The jacket fits me better than most men's 3/4 length jackets because it has zippered hip gussets that help a lot. (I also think the men's version is more attractive than the women's - I like that it has more hi-vis and less black.)

The armor stays in place pretty well, except that if I put the liner in, the hip gussets are no longer quite wide enough to keep the back protector from sliding up and hitting my helmet. If I were a guy I'd have a longer torso and narrower hips so I wouldn't have this problem. I may try to modify it a bit at the hips, open those gussets farther.

It has a lot of nice features, like large waterproof pockets, good waist cinching straps, and lots of well designed vents. I especially like the chest vents which have little straps you can cinch down to hold them open, and the great long zipper vents on the arms. All the vents have mesh screens in them so bugs won't fly in. For high summer I prefer to wear one of my less bulky jackets. But this one does have reasonable enough venting that you could wear it year round and be reasonably comfortable as long as you are moving.

The outer skin of the jacket is supposed to be waterproof, and it also has a waterproof/insulated liner. The outer skin is not as waterproof as claimed, though. The sleeve vents leak even though they have those fancy rubberized waterproof zippers in them. No matter how carefully I close them, water seeps in there in heavy rain. The liner doesn't have these vents, so it would probably keep the rain out just fine. I have not tried this because of the aforementioned problem with hips and keeping the back protector in place.

The liner is designed in such a way that you can wear it separately, around camp in the evening or whatever, and it looks like a normal jacket.

It's well constructed and made from quality materials. I expect to wear it for years. I might even wear it for skiing. :)
 

1TRAK

Guest
Good Morning Katherine. I recieved a sand AST last Xmas. Looks great, I especially like the liner jacket. Appears to be as good as my other Olympia apparel which has always worked great. Thanks for the review! :smile: Steve
 
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elizilla

Guest
I tried on the matching riding trousers at the motorcycle show, and they were actually long enough, which was really startling! I tried them on a couple years ago and they were not so long; they must have changed them since then. (Alas, the women's jackets are still hopeless.) I went home and immediately ordered the trousers.

The woman who was in charge of the women's riding gear corral at the show, told me I should contact Olympia and tell them about the leaking arm zippers. So I did. They recommended I treat them with one of those waterproofers you use on tents. They also sent me some extra hi-vis fabric to match the jacket, which I can use when I widen the hip gussets. I was pleased with their support even if I'm not convinced that the tent waterproofing will help the zippers.
 

1TRAK

Guest
I tried on the matching riding trousers at the motorcycle show, and they were actually long enough, which was really startling! I tried them on a couple years ago and they were not so long; they must have changed them since then. (Alas, the women's jackets are still hopeless.) I went home and immediately ordered the trousers.

The woman who was in charge of the women's riding gear corral at the show, told me I should contact Olympia and tell them about the leaking arm zippers. So I did. They recommended I treat them with one of those waterproofers you use on tents. They also sent me some extra hi-vis fabric to match the jacket, which I can use when I widen the hip gussets. I was pleased with their support even if I'm not convinced that the tent waterproofing will help the zippers.
Not sure about the womens but the mens Ranger pants come with a 36 inseam and are made to be custom hemmed. I'm with you on the tent sealer, while it works great on my tents I can't see how it would on a zipper. I have though used candle wax on zippers to make them work better and it seems to seal them a bit. Good to know about the customer service as I'm sold on Olympia gear. They're one of the few to use dupont cordura nylon, most now use carbolex which is cheaper to manufacture and doesn't breath as well. I believe Aerostitch, Firstgear, and Olympia are the only ones still using cordura. RIDE SAFE
 

Husker

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Joined
Apr 17, 2012
Messages
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Location
Omaha Nebraska, United States
Bike
Red 2010 NT700V
I got one of these and love it.Don't know why I waited so long. Quality product and materials. Found it at my local bmw dealer for the same price as on revzilla.
 

RedLdr1

Site Supporter
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Dec 12, 2010
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Woodstock, Georgia
I'm also looking at the FirstGear Kilimanjaro jacket.
I highly recommend the Kilimanjaro. I wear a Version 5 Kilimanjaro in high vis yellow. It replaced a Kilimanjaro Version 2 jacket that after about 8 or so years was a bit faded and dated as far as ventilation. When my son bought his first bike a couple weeks ago I gave him the old Rev 2 as it is still in more than good enough shape for him to wear while he decides what he wants to buy later....
 
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Joined
Mar 28, 2012
Messages
205
Location
SW Michigan
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Sprint GT, 2010 NT, MS950
I have the AST-2 and like it a lot, with a couple of caveats. Here's a short comparison of the AST with my Tourmaster Flex:

Olympia AST-2 good stuff: softer, higher collar that seals better. Liner actually meets and zips in the middle, while the Flex zips onto the shell in the middle and leaves a big "cold stripe" down the center. Better zippers and covers. MUCH lighter in weight, with better armor, including CE-rated back armor instead of the TourMaster's foam pad. Real Cordura fabric instead of a knock-off. AST bad stuff: had to do a lot of adjusting to keep cold air from coming up my back, harder to adjust the elbow armor position, more zippers and snaps to fasten when taking it on and off, but it seals up better.

I have ridden with the AST-2 in temps down to freezing this week, and was comfy with no electrics and just a long-sleeve waffle shirt underneath. I also wore lined riding pants, so hold the amusing comments, Katherine! I haven't had a chance to test the vents yet, and probably won't until next year.

At $269 I would go for the Olympia - that is a really good deal. I got mine for a bit less, but it was the blue one on closeout. The Hi-vis would have been my first choice but the extra $150 is going toward a new lid instead.

Hope this helps.
 

Warren

2
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Dec 13, 2010
Messages
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Location
O'Fallon, MO
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2019 Yamaha XMAX
I'm looking at both the Olympia AST 2 and the TourMaster Transitions 3 jackets right now. The local motorcycle shop has the AST for $269, which puts it fairly close to the Transitions jacket. I'm also looking at the FirstGear Kilimanjaro jacket. All would be in hi-vis "don't hit me" yellow.

I've looked at the video review on Revzilla a couple times, and it appears like TourMaster is coming close to duplicating the Olympia jacket. The biggest flaw I'm seeing on the TourMaster Transitions 3 jacket, is the collar is short and doesn't have much of a flap to close it with.

So how do you like these in the real world? Any recommendations?

Chris
I have both a Transitions 3 and a Kilimanjaro. The Kilimanjaro is a far better quality jacket. You are correct about the neck on the Transitions jacket. Not good for winter use. I also have two other jackets that I think are better than either of these two. A Sliders Quest 4 Kevlar in high viz orange and a Scorpion Commander in hi viz yellow. Both are well made and great quality. The Sliders jacket is also a great value and I paid $139 for it. It's a Competition Accessories house brand.
 
Joined
Sep 6, 2012
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265
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Sanford, FL, USA
For hot, humid, rainy Florida I have found the Joe Rocket Alter Ego 2.0 to be the ticket to ride. The armor is built into the inner mesh jacket which is a stand alone jacket and what i wear 99% of the time. For the rain I slip the outer Alter Ego jacket over the mesh jacket and it becomes a great rain jacket. Most jackets have the rain lining inside which seems really dumb to me as that requires you to remove the outer jacket to put the inner lining on. In any case I have found it to be a perfect combo for Florida weather. I think that the price was around $250. I also got mine in Hi-Viz. Wendell
 
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2010 NT700V, 2015 CB500X
I'm also looking at the FirstGear Kilimanjaro jacket. All would be in hi-vis "don't hit me" yellow.
I've had a Kilimanjaro in Hi-Vis for a year. The good: keeps me dry in the rain. Really great at preventing road rash and limits bruising after bouncing on asphalt. The Bad: Stuffy, vents don't really vent enough on warm days(>70F). One underarm vent got so stuck on the inner mesh that the mesh had to be removed. Too many pockets within pockets within a 3rd pocket (adding to bulk). The snaps are nearly too small to distinguish as snaps with a gloved hand. Inner liner is best replaced with something better...I use a goose down liner that is lighter, warmer, less bulky when wearing, packs smaller when not wearing, and can be zipped up as a stand alone jacket when not riding.

It's a good jacket, but I won't be only looking for a Kilimanjaro when it gets replaced.
 

CommuterNT

Guest
Chris-
You will find it to be an awesome 3 season PNW daily jacket. Mine served me well during the two years I wore it. It still works fine with no issues, I just have a newer jacket and it is my backup. I also forgot to tell you when I saw you that it had been in a lowside where I slid a little ways with the left elbow down. You would be hard pressed to see the point of impact on the jacket and the armor kept me from getting any injuries to my elbow. One of the big selling points for me was the materials that Olympia uses. All real Cordura with very high denier fabric at the impact points.
 
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Port Townsend, Washington
Chris I also have the Olympia AST and have had it three years. I also bought it at Cycle Barn. Kim there is kind enough to always give me a 10% discount since I've bought many things from them. I've taken the liner out and wear my Gerbing under it when it's chilly. There is something about having heat added with the electrics, versus simply trying to keep the warmth in with the liner. I wash mine in the washer about twice a year and it's held up well. I was going to write earlier but didn't that about a week ago I bought a Olympia One Piece suit at Cycle Barn--the Odyssey. It seems to be about half the price of the Aerostich, but so far in my limited use, I like it a lot--great venting, great collar.

Terry
 

SCBWV

Guest
After a lot of research, I bought the Olympia AST2 jacket and Ranger 3 pants. I considered the Aerostitch, and even used this forum to ask about the Tiez Powershell. I used to ride a lot as a kid and never could afford genuine motorcycle gear, so I have no experience as to what works. Now that I can afford gear, I didn't want to make an expensive mistake by getting the wrong stuff.

I purchased the gear from Revzilla. Their policies are great and have fast, free shipping. The blue jacket was on sale (seems they recently raised the sale price) and the color is just fine with me. I appreciate their videos and sizing advice.

I found user advice on sizing helpful, so here it is. I'm 6'2", 190 - Long and slim with a slight middle age gut. I wear 36x36 jeans. I bought a large jacket. At first I thought the jacket was a little snug with the liner, but after wearing it all weekend, it's perfect. Sleeves are long enough for my 34/35 niche shirt size arms. I bought the 36 pants, which are great. I can wear them over jeans. I could use a little more length given the NT riding position, but it's not bad at all. I may see if I can get some Cordura to add to the bottom for a perfect fit.

Together, there's more pockets than I have things to carry. The opening on the "hand warmer" pockets is a little tight, but how can you warm your hands wear driving?

Saturday was sunny, but cold with constant 10-20 mph winds. Temperatures were 42-44 where I rode, with 2-3 inches of snow in one place. It was cold enough the engine never rose past the first mark on the temperature gauge. The jacket and pants were perfectly warm. The high collar seemed to seal out some wind and make the rider quieter. The little bit of extra padding in the seat seemed to help with comfort and I was able to ride longer with my boney butt before needing to stop.

The downsides - the jacket does have a tendency to ride up, as Kathryn said. I opened the bottom, which helped. I'm confident I would stay dry in the rain even with the bottom opened a bit. There's a lot of snaps, and the pants have a lot of Velcro. I'm not sure how one would ever zip the jacket to the pants without help or being a contortionist putting them on. The pants do go on over boots, but reaching the bottom Velcro is "fun." The last snap near the collar is a pain to get to, and it often comes undone when closing the collar Velcro - so far not a big issue.

Naturally, I can't speak to their use in warmer weather, but I suspect one would have to open vents before the jacket was put on. There's too much Velcro to line up otherwise. There's a ton of vents, so there's a good chance it may work in warmer weather.

Overall, I'm really pleased with the quality and protection. I'm also pleased with the NT. I have yet to find insulated gloves I like, so I used fire fighter extrication gloves, which have similar protection. My hands stayed fairly warm. I'm thinking with the addition of the wind deflectors, the NT will provide enough protection for the temperatures in which I'll ever ride.
 
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