Adventure Spec Linesman Jacket Review: The Riding Jacket I Keep Reaching For

It doesn't feel like traditional motorcycle gear

This is my favourite thing about the Linesman. It doesn't feel like I'm wearing a motorcycle jacket at all.

On a technical green lane, I'm constantly standing on the pegs, moving around the bike and shifting my weight. Freedom of movement makes a massive difference there, and the Linesman gives me that. It's comfortable and flexible, and it isn't restrictive the way some conventional riding jackets are.

That's not just about comfort. Off-road, being able to move naturally on the bike matters. I'm far happier moving around, leaning the bike and changing position when my jacket isn't fighting me.

The zip-off sleeves are brilliant

Removable sleeves sound like a gimmick until you've used them. Then you get it.

If it's warm, or I'm spending most of the day off-road, I take the sleeves off and it feels much more like an off-road shell. When the route has a decent amount of road riding, they go back on. It's a simple idea, and it makes the jacket far more versatile. It suits green laning perfectly, because a lane day is never just lane after lane. It looks like this:

A jacket that works for both halves of that day is exactly what I want.

The quality is superb

There isn't much I can fault in how it's made. The materials, zips, fasteners and finish make it feel like a piece of equipment rather than fashion clothing that happens to be motorcycle-related.

Even the small details are well done. There's an emergency whistle clipped inside one of the pockets, which is a nice touch in itself. But it isn't a cheap plastic afterthought: it's anodised metal and feels like a quality bit of kit in its own right. That's a tiny thing to mention in a jacket review, but it says a lot about the whole jacket. Someone has actually thought about the details.

The styling is spot on

I really like how it looks. It's technical without shouting "motorcycle jacket" at you. That matters to me, because I don't want to arrive somewhere, take my jacket off and look like I've just stepped off a race bike.

The Linesman has a much more understated outdoor look. It looks good on the bike and off it, and for something I'll wear all day, that's a big plus.

The pockets are excellent

There's enough storage for what I actually want to carry, without the jacket turning into a piece of luggage: phone, keys, small essentials and whatever I've picked up during the day. The pockets feel properly designed, not added because a jacket is supposed to have pockets.

Venting is really good

This is another area where the Linesman suits green laning. Off-road riding generates a surprising amount of heat, especially on technical ground where you're going slowly and working the bike hard.

Being able to open it up makes a huge difference. The vents, plus the light, flexible feel of the jacket, mean I don't get that horrible boiling-inside-my-own-kit feeling some conventional jackets give you. Back on the road, I close everything up again.

What about protection?

This is the big caveat. My Linesman didn't come with armour, and at this price that will bother some people. You don't put it on and have a fully armoured motorcycle jacket.

For me it isn't a deal-breaker, because I bought it knowing exactly how I wanted to use it. I've fitted D3O armour into the armour pockets. My jacket is quite close-fitting, so I preferred that to wearing a separate armoured layer underneath. It keeps everything streamlined and gives me the protection I want.

There are two good ways to set it up:

Why I love it for green laning

Most of my riding isn't six hours off-road without touching tarmac. It's road, green lane, road, green lane, road. That's where the Linesman is brilliant.

On the lanes, I get freedom of movement I really appreciate, instead of fighting a stiff jacket every time I stand up on the pegs. But when I leave a lane and ride several miles of road to the next one, I'm still in proper protective kit, not an ordinary outdoor jacket. That's the sweet spot for me: freedom off-road, without giving up protection on the road sections.

Is it worth the money?

This is the difficult bit, and the one criticism I keep coming back to. The 1.0 is expensive for a jacket without armour, and once you've added decent D3O armour, you're spending serious money. Next to a conventional jacket that arrives with CE armour, it can look expensive.

I don't think that's quite the right comparison, though. It's a different idea: a very well-made, highly mobile outer layer, and you decide how to build your protection around it. If you already own an armoured base layer, it makes even more sense. If you're happy to add your own armour, it's a fantastic bit of kit.

What I'd change

Honestly, not much. I'd have liked armour included, even at a slightly higher price, so I could buy it as a complete protective system. Adventure Spec has done exactly that with the 2.0, which now ships with shoulder and elbow armour. A back protector still costs extra, and I'd like to see that included too.

I do understand the thinking behind the original approach. Adventure and off-road riders want different levels of protection and different layering, so leaving the choice to the rider is fair. I'd call it a buying consideration rather than a flaw.