Cortech Vader Leather Mesh Jacket

We checked the sizing of this style with our Fit Check mannequins Huey and Dewey. They are wearing size Medium and XL jackets respectively. These are their “usual” sizes and they fit just fine. We also checked the chest and belly of the other sizes and find them to fit OK too. Therefore, we recommend you choose the size you normally wear in men’s clothing.

We also developed the size chart below to help you choose based on your chest/sleeve measurements. The chest measurements come from our observations and measurements.

The Vader jacket is not cut as aggressively as a full-on sport/race jacket so the drop is only about 2 inches from chest to belly. There are adjusters at the waist so you can tighten it up if you need to for a better fit. A jacket like this is made to fit snugly, but with the 4-way stretch paneling, it should still be comfortable for casual use.

Note: If you look up a Cortech size chart, you may find one that lists smaller chest sizes for each size listed above. Cortech has caused some confusion about sizing by switching size charts a few times over the last two years. But we’ve checked this out thoroughly and feel our sizing advice is sound.

Need help measuring? Get it here.

The Cortech Vader jacket is part of the Speedway Collection from Cortech and is a nice mix of sport and commuter that has liners to get you through 3-4 seasons depending on your location. This jacket reminds us of REV’IT!’s Ignition jacket, and that might be blasphemous to compare but if you like that styling and need to achieve it on a budget then this jacket has what you are looking for.

The Vader is a combination of fairly thick cowhide leather and tight weave poly mesh. There are also 4-way stretch panels on the sides of the chest, shoulders, and elbows for ultimate flexibility and comfort. The jacket is adjustable at the waist with hook and loop straps and on the biceps with a snap strap. The cuffs have a 5 inch tapered zip opening with a mesh gaiter behind it. A neat feature of this jacket is the Ideal Magzip front zipper. When you get the base of the zipper near the connecting half they come together thanks to magnets, so you don’t have to fiddle with trying to line it up. Nice! The cuffs and collar are also neoprene lined for an extra level of comfort.

The Vader has removable full sleeve waterproof and vest style thermal liners. You can use any combination to suit your riding conditions, and the thermal liner has 100g of insulation which should keep your core warm on cool rides. With everything installed I would say you could get down to fairly cold weather, but you would probably want to layer under for extreme cold. If you remove the liners the mesh will allow this jacket to breath very well in warm to hot weather, so depending on your location this jacket might be suitable for 4 seasons.

There are two hand pockets at the belly and one external napoleon pocket, on the interior the main jacket shell has a pocket on either side at the belly. The thermal liner has pass throughs to these pockets, but there are no pockets in the rain liner and of course, no pass through (wouldn’t be very waterproof if there was!).

The armor at the elbows and shoulders is SafeTech’s Viscoflex CE level 2. The foam back protector can easily be upgraded to match as well (see related products below). On the exterior at the shoulder there are also TPR protectors, these have a carbon fiber look that I haven’t seen on thermo-plastic rubber before. Pretty cool! There are reflective strips at the chest and back for great nighttime visibility.

The Cortech Vader jacket checks just about every box a sport/commuter rider could ask for. The colorways are subdued and fairly stealthy looking. Even the camo isn’t as in your face as you might expect. Stealth styling and multi-weather functionality will make this jacket a winner for many riders. :: Mike, 08/16/2022