Hey everyone!
I’d like to tell you all about my experience with the new Lynx Kevlar Hoodie. I’ve been wearing mine for a couple of weeks now and it’s easily one of my favourite hoodies that I own. Since I got my hoodie early to test it, it doesn’t have the Black Logo on but I assure you its the exact same hoodie apart from that little detail. Upon picking the hoodie up for the first time, I was surprised by it’s weight. It’s not that it was too heavy, I was expecting something a bit heavier to begin with, it was just a bit more than I was expecting and when I opened it up I saw exactly why. The whole of the inside is lined with Kevlar. Except for the cuffs, waist and hood, it’s like you’re essentially wearing a Kevlar jacket underneath the hoodie for full protection and abrasion resistance in the event of an unfortunate slide. And it’s 100% pure, 220gsm DuPont Kevlar. Nothing watered down or diluted about it so you know you’re getting the good stuff and this can literally save your skin. Don’t know what Kevlar is? It’s a synthetic fibre invented in the 1965 that is used in all kinds of things from tires, boat sails and is even used in body armour. It has very high tensile strength in proportion to it’s weight, if you were to make steel fibres the same size and weight of Kevlar fibres and weave them the same way into a fabric, Kevlar would be five times stronger than the woven steel. That’s why Kevlar is so cut and abrasion resistant. It also isn’t very good at conducting heat, which actually benefits this hoodie. The Kevlar helps to retains enough heat to keep you warm but doesn’t keep absorbing it to a point where it gets too hot just by standing around.
The outer material of the hoodie is a 350gsm [That means it’s thick] fleece construction, so the jacket is both plenty warm and isn’t too bad at breaking through the wind. It also has double stitching so you’re getting as much tear resistance as you can on the seams. Cold air is kept from flying up and under your sleeves as much as can be by the elasticated cuffs forming a gentle seal around the wrists and the same concept has been applied in an elasticated waist. Back to talking about the inside- Sandwiching the Kevlar between the outer material is a micro mesh inner lining. Despite being full of tiny holes the hoodie glides on remarkably well and I’m still surprised at how it doesn’t snag on anything whenever I slip it on. It also works great for breathe-ability, as long as you’re not getting a workout and doing a lot of legwork, I’ve found I’ve never been too hot in it. But when you’re wearing it, you can tell you’re wearing more than just a hoodie and you feel layered up.
It also features armour pockets for back, shoulder and elbow protection so adding an extra layer of protection is really easy to do. From as little as £24.99 you can purchase the 5 Piece CE Approved Soft Armour that I have found goes great with it to keep things flexible and low-profile. Because that’s the true purpose and power of this hoodie. It’s definitely designed as a casual hoodie that you can throw on and not have to go through a whole routine of disrobing out of more restricting gear when you get to where you’re going. It’s a fantastic addition to anyone’s summer gear collection for that reason alone especially if you’re fond of shorter rides to go socialising.
Now, to prove that I’m not just going to gush over the quality of this hoodie- I’m going to tell you about the gripes I have with it.
Firstly is the back protector pocket. If you’re like me and you use a thicker armour like the soft armour that I use, the armour can try to hang down at first and try to poke through the velcro at the bottom of the pocket. The back armour can’t actually slip out due to it’s shape in the pocket but it was just a little thing that bugged me a bit. Although- it only ever did it the once and it’s been fine since.
The second gripe- there’s no washing instructions label. I was pretty scared about washing the hoodie through fear of using a wrong setting and warping the Kevlar somehow. But apparently the hoodie is actually quite forgiving in the wash. I put mine on a 40°C quick wash and then threw it in the tumble dryer on a low heat and it was still the same hoodie when it came out instead of being a couple of sizes smaller like I feared.
My third and last gripe – the pockets. The pockets have no way being sealed unless you plan on sewing in your own zips. I wouldn’t trust my phone or wallet to still be in there when I get home if I forget to put either in my zip pockets on my pants.
But for what you are getting with this hoodie it is excellent value for money. £69.99 is a bargain when you consider the prices and features of other hoodies we sell at Ghostbikes.com. The Richa Atom, for example, is a great quality hoodie in it’s own right. It has the zip-up pockets and also has pockets for armour. But the zips on the pockets aren’t worth £50 to me at a £119.99 price tag. It also doesn’t have any Kevlar in it, so you’re arguably getting a far superior hoodie in terms of protection for £50 less when you buy the Black Lynx. Or even the Bell Hoodie, while it is a comfortable, quality hoodie for only £59.99, it is literally just a hoodie with zero protective features for wearing on a motorcycle. So from that point of view, you’re getting the Kevlar lining, armour pockets, micro mesh lining and double stitching for just £10 extra on top of a normal hoodie. £69.99 is practically a giveaway when you consider the thought and protective technology that has gone into into the Lynx hoodie
The boss even cut open another hoodie for me so that I could showcase the Kevlar beneath the micro mesh. I’m very glad I didn’t have to sacrifice mine! It took several attempts with the scissors before we managed to get a proper cut in the Kevlar so that I can show you how thick it is. So what’s the verdict?
Pros Cons
-Warm and breathes well -Insert location/Velcro for back protector
-Comfortable even with armour -No washing instructions label
-Protective Kevlar with armour pockets -Unsecure pockets
-Very easy to wash
-Perfect for short/social rides/summer
-Value for money
Over all I have to give this hoodie a personal 4/5, it’s a great quality biker’s hoodie. While it’s not so good in the cold and wet, I’ll definitely be thankful for it in the hotter weather and not having to peel myself out of the typical kind of sweaty leather and textile jackets when I go places in the summer.
If anyone is looking into Lynx Kevlar Hoodie, I hope this helps
Regards!
MattW at Ghostbikes.com