Joe Rocket Survivor Suit

We tried on and measured a size Medium suit and an XL suit, both regular lengths. I thought the suits were comparable to the size chart provided by Joe Rocket. If you take a close look at the max chest listed for each size suit you’ll notice that the suits are sized about one size smaller than other “alpha” sized products. For example, I have a 45 chest and typically wear an XL shirt. The XL Survivor suit was a bit snug on me and I’d probably select an XXL for myself in this suit. So my advice would be to check your chest and belly with a tape and use the chart to select a size. Or, if you don’t want to bother with that, just choose one size bigger than you normally wear in men’s clothing. The waist has effective adjusters and will snug down. Also there are some adjusters on the chest which work well too. When in doubt, choose larger.

The suits are also available in short sizes. If you are shorter than average in your clothing size, then choose a short. I don’t know of a good way to quantify this for you. I found the “regulars” to be adequate for an average height rider, but putting figures on an issue of torso AND pant length would be difficult. You may have to return/exchange, but we are easy to deal with and the cost is minimal (no more than $8.99 for the whole process of a return/re-ship in the continental US). If you are paying for shipping outside the US, then be prepared for some expense if a return or exchange is necessary.

Need help measuring? Get it here.

I’m a fan of this new Survivor suit (with one minor exception) because of features to help you with fit and because it seems to be a good value. The Survivor Suit is an all weather, adventure style riding suit. The design is aimed at touring riders or even commuting. For cold weather riding, this suit will be great. It has a full length insulated liner, which should keep you quite warm in colder weather. The liner is also one piece, and secures in the suit with a zipper around the torso portion, Velcro at the sleeve cuffs, and snaps keep the legs in place (so that it doesn’t pull out when you are taking the suit off). The climate control scheme for warmer weather is innovative for sure, but has a drawback (the “minor exception” I mentioned above). Behind the main zipper is Joe Rocket’s patented Big Air System. The idea is to unzip the main zipper and secure in place the zippered mesh material positioned behind the main zipper. The mesh panel should flow a lot of air for sure, but when the mesh panel is used (but not the main zipper), the opening in front is about 2” wider, and therefore the main zipper is sort of stressed a bit down below. I wasn’t quite sure where they thought I should leave it… part way up (where it is stressed even more), or all the way down (which leaves an open gap below the mesh panel). Anyway, I don’t want to dwell on this since it won’t be a big deal for most people and it doesn’t make this a bad suit, but I just thought the buyer should know about it. We’ve got a whole bunch of pictures in our gallery that shows all the features (and what I’m talking about with the vent), so please take the “View Larger Images” link above to see those. Caught in the rain? The Survivor suit claims to be 100% waterproof, and the (also waterproof) main zipper has a double storm flap to make extra sure unwanted air and water do not enter the suit. One nice feature of the storm flap, the snaps used to close it can also be used to hold it open and out of the way when using the Big Air Vent. Will it be absolutely waterproof? I doubt it. This suit is just like any other jacket or pant that has waterproofing features…. there are enough zippers, snaps, seams etc, that there will almost certainly be a place where water gets in. And, a suit like this has a LOT of stuff going on, so I’d advise you to expect this suit to be “extremely water resistant”. Adjustability: The Survivor suit has Sure Fit™ Velcro straps just under the arms (for the chest), at the waist, on the upper legs, and Velcro closures at the ankles. There are also upper and lower arm snap take ups. All of these adjustments work together to reduce drag and flapping in the wind, as well as keep the armor securely in the right place. And the Survivor suit includes CE approved armor for the shoulders, elbows, and knees, as well as a dual density foam back pad, all of which is removable. There are two cargo pockets on the upper left leg, both have cargo flaps and waterproof zippers, while the pocket on the upper right of the torso has the cargo flap, but just a regular zipper on that one (not sure why). There is also a zippered document pocket on the interior of the suit. Full length leg zippers on both the suit and the liner, as well as the long main zipper on the front, make this suit fairly easy to get into and take off. There are nice large reflective panels down the back of the torso, on the upper sleeves, and on the lower legs; a very nice addition for nighttime riding (we have some night shots in the photo gallery). Lastly, the insides of the ankle area are covered with a melt resistant fabric, which is nice. Overall, I think this is a LOT of suit for the money. You’d have to spend twice this amount to get something that was notably better. :: Paul, 07-12-13