TESTED ADVENTURE SPEC MONGOLIA JACKET ADVENTURE SPEC AQUA PAC JACKET AS MONGOLIA £299.00 – AS AQUA PAC £235.00 www.adventurespec.com
The AS Mongolia jacket
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ow that we’ve passed the Summer solstice, doubtless members of the Wiltshire Group would have been down to the Henge in their finest robes, the perennial question of seasonal riding gear pops up. A phone call to Adventure Spec for their advice produced a Mongolia Trail jacket and Aqua Pac over jacket, all part of the ADV Layering system. The Mongolia jacket is designed as an outer layer for hot weather riding, just what’s required for 30 degrees C conditions. It is supplied with CE certified Forcefield, Level 2, five-piece armour. The construction and use of materials is quite complex; military-grade mesh forms the body of the jacket then 1000D Ballistic Nylon panels are used to reinforce the key impact and abrasion areas which are edged with hi-viz silver material. Features include two good sized front zip pockets, and a large rear pocket, zipped at either end, in which I stored the Aqua Pac (which folds into its own pocket), a 500ml water bottle and a pair of gloves. After a six-and-a-half hour event including a break for lunch I felt comfortable. I’d had one minor off, ridden through a single shower of rain which got quite cool as I had convinced myself it was going to stop at any moment so didn’t get the Aqua Pac out. I can see that as
68 Trail Summer 2021
the only drawback, The AS Aqua Pac has clever because if you get wet and draw strings top and bottom to keep everything dry keep riding, a high-airflow mesh jacket will dry quickly and you loose body heat. Hot tip – when it rains, stop and get the jacket out straight away. Under the Mongolia jacket I had a Craft long-sleeved ventilation T-shirt which was just about right for the conditions. The jacket cuffs have Velcro straps for adjustment, as does the Aqua Pac, which accommodates virtually any type of glove. The Aqua jacket has clever draw strings at the top and bottom and is waterproof and breathable and it comes in handy for walking the dog on warm, wet days too. The Adventure Spec layering system is very versatile and makes a lot of sense. It may have been developed for the Dakar Rally but it performed pretty well around Dorking too. Rick Kemp Contact: www.adventurespec.com 01422 882997 Adventure Spec is offering TRF members 10% off from now till 20 August. The discount code is TRF-STAY-COOL. The AS Aqua Pac waterproof outer jacket
