For many years the trend in Adventure Motorcycling suits has been the all-in-one approach that includes waterproofing, venting and protection integrated into the shell. Suits of this design may be ideal for the long-range travelers that need to be prepared for unforeseen variations in climate, elevation and weather but these tend to be heavy, bulky and hot. For shorter trips, you usually know what you’re getting into temperature-wise before heading out and if the forecast shows warm days ahead, a less-bulky, fully-ventilated mesh suit with removable liners makes a lot more sense for max cooling and a less-restrictive feel.

Mesh suits are nothing new but they do traditionally lean more toward adventure touring  in their impact protection and cut. With the release of Leatt’s first adventure suit line last year, we anticipated the off-road brand’s FlowTour 7.5 full mesh jacket and pants would buck that trend, and we looked forward to its arrival for some relief during the hot summer months.

What You Get

As you may have guessed from the name, the FlowTour jacket and pants are all about air circulation. Notably, the suit offers a lightweight design that promises max cooling, while also providing high-level impact and abrasion protection for both dirt and street riding. For added versatility, the suit also comes with windproof/waterproof liners that can be added to match changing conditions when needed. 

As far as construction, the main shell is made of a Leatt RipStop Nylon with large X-Flow mesh panels incorporated into the design to provide fresh air directly to the body. The high-wear areas like the shoulders, elbows, back, and knees get the heavy-duty RipStop while the mesh panels keep air moving to the spots that need it the most like the chest, forearms, armpits, and thighs. Leather panels on the inside of the knees help protect your fuel tank from scratches while heat-resistant panels on the lower inside pant cuffs help protect the pants from singing on hot exhaust.

CE certified Level 2 armor for the elbows, shoulders and knees are becoming standard fare these days but the FlowTour takes protection a step further with the addition of Level 1 armor in the hips, a Level 2 back protector, as well as Level 1 protection in the chest. All the Leatt armor is made with a slim, lightweight, energy absorbing impact foam, which is perforated to ensure maximum airflow. Pads are all removable as well and to make things much easier when doing the laundry, the knee pads are removed from a slit near the pants leg opening and the elbows pull out of the exterior of the jacket. With its combination of abrasion and impact protection, the FlowTour 7.5 gets a CE Class AA garment rating both tested and approved​. And for even more protection, the jacket is Leatt neck brace-ready with all the shoulder straps required for quick and easy attachment.

With multiple pockets both small and large, storage isn’t an issue with the FlowTour. Starting down with the pants you get two large waterproof thigh pockets and two smaller front pockets. The jacket includes two large top-access waterproof front pockets as well with additional hand warmer openings on the sides, along with two phone-sized zippered chest pockets, a waterproof inner pocket, plus a large waterproof rabbit pocket in the rear with a second outer mesh pocket that allows you to air out wet items like a drenched pair of gloves. In addition, there’s an ID pocket with a clear window on the forearm and a hydration bladder pocket on the back with a hanger tab that connects a 1.5-liter bag to the shoulders for better weight distribution (i.e. avoids that choking pull on the neck). A routing channel lets you pull the sip-tube out of a hole on the right shoulder where there’s also a holder that snaps it in place.

As far as fit and comfort, the jacket collar is made with a soft neoprene stretch material that has a low, open design for direct cooling to your neck. Adjustment straps exist on the forearms, biceps, waist and calves to ensure a streamlined fit and to keep armor in place in a fall. The pants waist is secured with a ratcheting closure system instead of a button snap. There are also a set of removable suspenders so that pants stay up. The leg openings are generous as well to make them compatible with chunky motocross boots and a big Velcro closure flap ensures you can get a snug fit around the cuff.

There’s never a guarantee you’ll be riding in sunny weather, so a set of removable waterproof liners in the jacket and pants are an essential component of the suit. The liners not only offer protection from sudden downpours but they also help reduce the chill by blocking the wind flowing through the ventilated suit. Both liners are made with HydraDri Max material that achieves a rating of 30,000 mm for waterproofing and 30,000 g/m² for breathability. For comparison, that’s a higher rating than Gore-Tex Pro 3L with waterproofing at 28,000 mm and breathability of 25,000 g/m².

The jacket liner is fairly versatile in the sense than it can be worn either over the main jacket or under. It’s a ‘destination’ liner, meaning it looks like a normal jacket if you want to wear it stand alone around camp or out to dinner. Wearing it over the top helps keep rain from soaking into the main jacket and loading it down. However, there’s no abrasion protection on the jacket liner, so if you hit the ground it’s probably going to be toast. If you want to wear it underneath the main jacket, you can keep it an independent layer or, if you prefer an integrated feel, you can snap it to the jacket and zip-in the sleeves.

The pants liner on the other hand is designed to only be worn underneath. The liner is attached with zippers around the waist and pants legs for a fully integrated feel with no hooks or straps to get caught on anything. Both liners pack down small so they can be stored away easily in your luggage when you don’t need them. 

How It Performed

Putting on the FlowTour shell, the first thing I noticed was the plush Nylon lining that runs throughout the inside of the main jacket and pants. This is especially important for areas like the elbows and knees, which can get chafed over a long, dirty, sweaty journey typical of adventure riding.

Despite the mesh design, the FlowTour jacket isn’t the lightest but it can be lightened by removing the backpad and chest pads, if you don’t mind the reduced protection. The ability to easily access and remove the elbow pads from the outside of the jacket and the knee pads from the bottom near the cuff opening is a huge time saver when reinstalling the pads. Anyone who’s ever washed an adventure suit knows what I’m talking about. Quick-removal of pads is also nice for anyone who wants to run enduro armor underneath for more-aggressive off-road rides.

Another nicety are the array of strap adjustments that allow you to contour the suit to the body for a custom fit. Although, I did notice the adjustment strap that goes over the forearms is a little too close to the inside of the elbow. At full bend, the strap cuts into my bicep. Longer sleeves or an attachment point lower on the forearm would remedy this. Stretch material around the jacket cuffs, along with Velcro closures are a nice touch though to ensure you get an air tight fit without cutting off circulation. And when you want to remove the jacket or get some extra airflow at the cuff, you can simply unzip the forearm zippers.

The pants legs offer a roomy leg opening that allows you to easily throw on a pair of tall moto boots. The Velcro closure flap ensures you can ride with lightweight ADV boots as well and taper down the pants legs for a tight fit. I didn’t have a set of knee braces to test but there seems to be ample room in the knees that should allow this. I also noticed there’s an elastic Nylon material that runs through the back of the knee, up through the crotch, that gives the pants some extra stretch, allowing for a tight but flexible fit. However, I would have liked to see this stretch material used on the jacket as well around the back of the shoulders and armpits for some additional mobility. 

As far as knee pad positioning, it’s a pretty simple process. There is a Velcro strip on the front of the knee pad that lets you position it up or down in small increments depending on your knee height. 

Speaking of comfort, the low collar design on the jacket shell is another stand out feature. It gets you the high airflow you want to the neck for cooling on hot days, without having a big open collar flapping around in the wind that can potentially chafe your chin. It also seals nicely around the lower neck with the use of neoprene stretch material.

I’ve never been much of a fan of suspenders before on adventure suits. They always seem to slip off my shoulders no matter how much I tighten them. However, these suspenders on the FlowTour stayed in place and always felt comfortable, allowing me to open up that waist strap a few clicks for some extra room for that post-Thanksgiving meal ride. Not having your pants slipping down is a nice thing too when you are walking around camp or need to work on repairs. 

Another thing I noticed when getting down on my knees for repairs was that the knee pads are some of the softest I’ve ever felt. All the Leatt 3DF armor in the jacket and pants is constructed with a soft, flexible energy absorbing foam that can handle multiple impacts while also shaping to the contours of your body for additional comfort. They’re also perforated for max airflow and are fairly lightweight.

I often hear riders complain about inner liners in suits and how they don’t like dealing with them. It’s true that it is an extra step that can be inconvenient if you are dealing with constantly changing weather but it does offer some advantage in reduced bulk and increased cooling on warm days with the liners fully removed compared to a jacket with waterproofing baked into the shell.

The FlowTour’s waterproof jacket liner keeps it simple with the ability to wear it over the top or underneath as a separate layer. When wearing it on the inside unattached, just tighten up the Velcro sleeves and the arms slip right through without getting snagged or riding up. It’s also fairly thin material so you don’t feel like it’s adding excessive bulk to the jacket. The Velcro collar on the liner is taller than the shell’s collar as well, which improves the wind protection around the neck without adding the extra bulk and pressure of heavy shell material. 

For those that like the integrated feel, you can use the attachment option. The jacket liner has 8 low-profile plastic snaps along the front zipper and one on the back of the collar, then the sleeves zip into the main shell. The zip-in sleeves are easy to attach because the shell has forearm zips that give you easy access to the liner’s zipper without digging for them. It’s a big improvement over the typical snap-on elastic loop attachments that many suits have that are a challenge to connect and seem to always get caught on things. The pant liners are also full zip-in at the waist and pants leg, which are reasonably quick to remove or attach.

The jacket liner is a true ‘Destination Liner’ and I wouldn’t feel weird about wearing it out for a night on the town. There’s really no hint that it’s a specialized waterproof inner jacket liner unless you are looking closely at it. Zippered side pockets and inner breast pocket make it practical to use for a quick hike off the bike and there is also an elastic pull cord around the waist if you want to tighten things up in wet or cold weather. 

The FlowTour has no thermal liners, which reduces its versatility to more of a 3-season suit but anyone buying a mesh suit is likely heading out to ride in a warmer climate. For those chilly mornings, you can simply incorporate a set of thermal underwear and retain the windproof/waterproof liners until the day warms up. If it’s really cold out, there’s enough room for a lightweight puffy coat underneath.

Temperature range for the FlowTour is definitely on the higher side for an Adventure Suit. Typically when temps reach the 80s F adventure suits start to really heat up and get uncomfortable, especially if you are working hard on a trail moving slowly. I found the FlowTour to be generally comfortable in the mid to high 80s, and even into the low 90s as long as air was running through the suit. Triple digit temps are never really comfortable no matter what you wear but it was a lot more bearable than most suits. I did notice that once you stop or slow down for a break in the hot sun and build up some sweat, then get moving again, there is a strong evaporative cooling effect that is almost like air conditioning. On a few occasions, the instant cooling from evaporating sweat made a hot day downright chilly.

One adventure that really tested the versatility of the FlowTour was our trip to the Redwood Coast. Heading through the valley on the way to the coast we saw triple digit temperatures. Then it dropped down to around 55° F once we arrived on the foggy coast. For a lot of suits this is when you might want to throw on an extra layer. With the FlowTour, I was ready to start putting in the windproof liners whenever it dropped down below mid 60s F. With the liners in, I was toasty down to about 50° F and both the jacket and pants were able to handle the bit of light rain and drizzle we encountered without any problems. 

From spring to fall, I rarely ride in weather lower than 50° F and that’s about the lower end for riding comfortably in the FlowTour with the liners in. Personally, hot weather is a lot harder to deal with than cold weather. You can always just add more thermal layers as needed if it’s cold. But if you are wearing a hot suit, there’s not much you can do other than take it off. So it’s nice to have a suit that maximizes comfort in the warmest temps. 

Who’s It For

The FlowTour 7.5 is a true 3-season adventure suit that maximizes comfort in warm to hot weather. It’s ideal for those that do a lot of exploring in arid climates like the desert, especially those that are looking for max impact protection for off-road riding. It has the ability to handle wet weather as well, but the need to install liners limits its convenience if you often ride in areas where the weather changes frequently.

Our Verdict

It packs a lot of features for a mid-priced adventure suit like the large, heavy-duty strap on the back of the jacket that makes it easy to carry or hang, the extensive armor, or the integrated hydration pouch that is designed to pull from your shoulders rather than your neck, and I also appreciated the ID pocket on the forearm that is an easy place to stash earplugs, a small wallet, cash for tolls, or a credit card. Seamless neck brace integration and easy knee pad positioning are other nice touches that really set the FlowTour apart.

What We Liked

• Excellent value with a ton of features for the price.
• Impressive cooling on warm to hot days.
• Easy padding removal from the knees and elbows.
• Integrated water bladder doesn’t tug at your neck.
• High level of standard protection with the ability to easily add a neck brace.

What Could Be Improved

• Move the jacket forearm straps down lower.
• Add stretch fabric to the jacket along the back of the shoulders for more flexibility.

FlowTour 7.5 Specs

Jacket Colors: Steel, Stealth, Desert
Pant Colors: Steel, Stealth
Sizes: Jacket (SM-5XL); Pants (SM-4XL, XL Short-4XL Short)
Price: Jacket ($499); Pants ($379)

Shopping Options

Jacket

Pants

Photos by Ely Woody

Author: Rob Dabney

Rob Dabney started a lifelong obsession with motorcycles at the age of 15 when he purchased his first bike – a 1982 Honda MB5. Through his 20’s and 30’s he competed in off-road desert races, including the Baja 250, 500 and 1000. Eventually, his proclivity for exploration led him to dual sport and adventure riding. Rob’s never-ending quest to discover what’s around the next bend has taken him on Adventures in Latin America, Africa, Europe, Asia, and throughout the American West. As a moto journalist, he enjoys inspiring others to seek adventure across horizons both near and far.