Tourmaster Elite 3.0 Rainsuit Jacket

Rainsuit jackets from Tour Master are oversized with the idea you will wear it over protective riding gear (like a jacket with armor), so you can choose a size based upon what you usually wear in men’s jackets or shirts. If you plan to wear the rain jacket over only a light shirt you will want to go down one size from what you normally wear.

I started out to do a “stand alone” review of this new Elite 3.0 Rain Suit jacket, but I quickly segued into telling you about the differences in the three main choices for a rain suit in the Tour Master line. I guess knowing the differences between products can be just as informative as knowing all about any one of them, so here we go: Tour Master makes two basic styles of rain suit jackets and pants that can be bought separately… their Sentinel, and this Elite model. Both are fine products and have lots of features. The main difference in the two models is the material. The Sentinel uses a thinner, lighter (and apparently more expensive) nylon rip-stop material (ever felt a parachute?). Because the material is thinner and lighter, it is also more pliable and packs away into a relatively small space. The Elite (which is a strange choice of name since it is the less expensive of the two), is made of a thicker PVC coated nylon. The material is noticeably thicker and doesn’t crunch down into a very small space easily, which might be an issue for you, but on the other hand, the jacket is less expensive. If you are not concerned about packing space or weight, then you’ll probably be just fine with the Elite and you’ll save yourself about $20 on a jacket and pant combo.

Not to further confuse the issue, but Tour Master also offers the Defender two piece rain suit. In construction, it is very similar to the Elite jacket and pant here. The Defender 2pc suit is less expensive than the Elite jacket and pant prices combined, but you lose a couple things buying a 2pc suit. First, you lose the choice of whether or not you want both a jacket and pants because they are packaged together. Also, you don’t have a choice whether you want the Nomex heat shield patches which can only be bought on an Elite or Sentinel pant. There are other very minor differences but these are the main ones.

So it is basically a “good, better, best” scenario with the Tour Master rain suit line. Good and Better are the Defender and Elite, which use the thicker material, and the Best is the Sentinel which uses the lightweight rip stop material. So if the idea of lightweight material and being able to pack light and small are a big concern, get the Sentinel. If you don’t care about that, then you can choose between the Elite and Defender. If you definitely plan to buy BOTH a jacket and pants and don’t care about having Nomex material on the pant legs (no exposed hot exhaust problems), then you can save money and go with the Defender. But otherwise, the Elite would be your best option. :: Paul, 05-01-14