FirstGear Jaunt T2 Jacket - 2013 (Sold Out)

FirstGear has always offered a generous cut, but this jacket is running a bit large. They are running about one size larger than their stated size. We tried the jackets on our Fit Check mannequins (see a picture by taking the “View Larger Images” link above) and measured each size. The max chest and waist are consistently about two inches larger than they should be for any given size (about one size).

Below are the “Sizing Guidelines” offered by FirstGear for 2012. I’ve added the “Our Chest” and “Our Waist” columns to let you know what we observed with a tape measure. The sleeve length estimates FirstGear offered seemed about right, so I didn’t give an alternate column for those.

Tall sizes: FirstGear offers this jacket in talls. The body and sleeves of the jackets are 1 1/2 to 2 inches taller than the “standard” cut jackets. If you normally have to buy “talls” then these should work for you.

Our overall assessment is that most people should buy one size smaller jacket than they normally wear in men’s clothing.

09-29-12: My friend Rick at webbikeworld.com emailed me a couple days ago and confirmed my sizing advice on this jacket. He bought a large (which is his usual size) before seeing my sizing advice and wrote to say he would have to order up a size Medium to complete his review. Thanks for confirming Rick!

Need help measuring? Get it here.

Wow, I think the Jaunt jacket just took the cake for the best value around for a 3/4 length style. I say value because this jacket packs a LOT of features and the quality is very good and all for south of two hundred bucks! The features that make a jacket like this a favorite of commuters and touring riders is the longer length for more coverage and storage… lots of pockets. I see four large secure flap-closure pockets on front, a cell phone pocket and larger cargo pocket on the inside and also a wallet pocket near the zipper. One nice feature of all FirstGear jackets: they replicate the interior pockets in the jacket shell and in the liner, so whether the liner is in or out, the pockets are in the same places. Speaking of the liner… the jacket comes with a very plush and thicker-than-many full sleeve liner for warmth in the winter. But for warmer weather, you can remove the liner and open up the zippered vents to get some air flow. Let me digress a sec and talk about how this jacket accomplishes both waterproofing and ventilation. The polyester outer shell material is water resistant, and the jacket has a double storm flap over the main zipper. Some water will penetrate the outer shell, but there is a waterproof lining situated between the outer shell and the inner lining which should effectively keep out most all the water. With some designs like this, the zippered vents don’t allow air to pass through the mid-liner, but this one does. The shoulder vents and the arm vents have waterproof zippers, and when open provide a path all the way through the outer shell and inner lining which should provide very good air flow. And to make it even better, the shoulder vents have these nifty straps you can use to hold the vent open in sort of an air-scoop arrangement. I took some good photos of this, so click the “View Larger Images” link above to see that. Anyway, with this design, you get the level of waterproofing that a mid-liner provides, but you don’t miss out on good ventilation because of it. Neat! Other notable improvements over last year’s model is the improved nighttime reflective strips. You’ll find some night shots so you can see that in action also in the photo gallery. You also get a two way main zipper (zips up from the bottom) so you can allow the lower part of the jacket to lay across your lap if it feels like it is bunching up in front of you when leaning forward. The jacket is adjustable in the arms and waist by way of Velcro-close straps. I really just can’t say enough about the overall value of this jacket. Too bad they mucked up the sizing a bit, but if you’ll follow our sizing advice that won’t be an issue for you. :: Paul, 09-29-12

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