Dutch gear manufacturer REV’IT! has long been recognized for its high-quality, innovative gear, and it’s also become known for the special attention it pays to the female ADV market. It sells gender specific gear, of course, but there’s also a feeling of community. An uplifting created by the brand’s encouraging vibe and backed up by a highly inspiring group of riders on the REV’IT! Women’s ADV Team. 

The latest example of this commitment to a female ridership is the all-new four-season Lamina GTX jacket and pants. It’s a suit designed with female riders for female riders, not some afterthought born from an existing men’s version, as we see with the lion’s share of women’s gear. Nope, this time around REV’IT! says it’s “ladies first” and it’s the men’s version of the Lamina GTX that follows.

Input for the design came from REV’IT!’s huge crew of ambassadors, which includes famous travelers like Noraly Schoenmaker (Itchy Boots) and Kinga Tanajewska (On Her Bike), along with an army of loyal consumers who are invited to provide feedback. Even the suit’s in-house development team was made up almost exclusively of women.

Many gear companies enlist ambassadors, though it’s usually for the sole purpose of influence marketing. REV’IT! takes the ambassador role to new heights, relying heavily on the feedback of its enlisted riders when updating gear or creating all-new products like the Lamina GTX Ladies jacket and pants, a process it calls “design by dialog.

One such REV’IT! Rider we spoke to, Golnoosh Namazi, who goes by “G,” tested a pre-production version of the suit in the varied and often wet conditions of north west coastal British Columbia, saying of the experience “I knew I would be able to put this suit to a proper weather test.” She could see right away that feedback she provided on previous suits had been incorporated into the Lamina GTX. “REV’IT! definitely designs suits for the people who use them, and the difference can be felt in the form, fit and design.” 

The physical manifestation of all this input from the world’s most prominent female adventure riders is impressive, beginning with a premium, fully laminated Gore‑Tex shell. The jacket ($679.99) and pants ($499.99) employ two-layered Gore-Tex laminates in low stress areas and three-layered laminates where needed, while neoprene has been incorporated to provide stretch. A double layer mesh lining moves freely while German-made Tizip MasterSeal “submersible” zippers completely lock out moisture and cold air. 

G, who lives in a part of the world where waterproof shells and layering are a way of life, says the Lamina GTX quickly became her favorite riding suit for its comfort and crossclimate versatility. She says the Lamina jacket, with Gore-Tex laminated to its nylon base, feels more like a high-quality reinforced shell than her other, thicker riding jackets and this makes it ideal for layering the base and mid-layers so useful for adventure riding where you’re not only switching climates, you’re changing levels of physical exertion. 

To help keep from getting too steamy, ventilation on the jacket is activated with zippered vents along the upper arms, but the main player is a ventilating panel behind the jacket’s main zipper, which reveals a 1.38-inch mesh-style panel with its own zipper. This system allows cool air to rush in without unzipping the jacket’s front, which could compromise safety. Zippered exhaust vents on the back of the jacket expel any warm air. 

Protection is king for any adventure rider and the Lamina jacket doesn’t skimp here either. REV’IT! uses its proprietary SeeFlex CE Level 2 removable pads for elbows, shoulders and back. Part of Europe’s Level 2 requirement is for armor to perform to impact standards across a wide range of temperatures. Because today’s armor isn’t rigid, it can be a tricky challenge to balance the comfort of flexibility and reliable impact protection, but REV’IT!’ claims its SeeFlex entry surpassed all requirements.

Pockets on the jacket are plentiful, with two zippered slit pockets at the waist, another at chest level and a document pocket on the back, while one small pocket located on the lower left sleeve allows reliable access to things like ear plugs or toll money.

One of the most valuable features is the suit’s adjustability, which allows for a tailored fit. At the neck a drawcord is integrated into the collar to adjust fit and seal out drafts, and there are adjustable tabs on each sleeve cuff as well. Another drawcord shapes the hem, while adjustable straps at the waist cinch the mid-section. Lower arms can be made more snug, and in a smart move, REV’IT! has made its elbow armor pocket adjustable, allowing the CE armor inserts to be worn at three different heights. Comfort based on the female body is also addressed with added features like front and rear shoulder pleats designed to avoid inward pressure around the bust area, even when the jacket is completely zipped up.

The Lamina GTX pants are made with the same attention to the feminine form and incorporate the same level of high-end attributes. You’ve got 2L and 3L Gore-Tex technology, SeeFlex CE Level 2 armor for the knees and CE Level 1 SeeSmart inserts for the hips. There’re adjustable waist tabs, as well as tabs to snug the calf area and a series of hook-and-loop fasteners to batten the ankle area to your boot. As with the jacket’s elbow armor, the position of the knee pads on these pants can be adjusted to three heights.  

There are long and short connection zippers so the pants can be temporarily mated with the Lamina jacket. They will also accept REV’IT!’s Strapper suspenders. A very important feature for off-road riders will be the grip panel in the seat area, which provides a reassuring connection to the motorcycle whether you’re dealing with a slippery wet seat or shifting your body weight around for counterbalance. Plus there are pockets up front that run really deep, starting around the zipper connection line and going all the way down past the mid-thigh area for extra storage.

Air flow is achieved via long zipper vents front and rear that are positioned off to the side so they can be more-easily accessed while seated.

As a female adventure rider myself, I can tell you one of the most vital elements of gender-specific apparel is cut and fit. Back in the 80s when I started riding dual sport there were no ladies-only options. You just made it work with men’s gear, with the big shoulders and sad, saggy crotch. In the 90s women began to get noticed as a segment and in came the princess gear, stuff that looked ‘cute’ but lacked comfort and safety features serious riders were pleading for. 

Lots of progress has been made in recent decades and I can attest that REV’IT! is a top company leading the way. There is no “girly” in the looks, no sleeves or waist that ride up the moment you’re positioned on the bike instead of posing for a photo. This is real gear for real riding, and believe me — women are out there adventuring just as seriously and successfully as their male counterparts. Their gear goes through the same abuse and needs to provide the same level of protection, and this is why a suit like the Lamina is such an important step. 

REV’IT! Rider G, who rides her Ténéré 700 and WR250R like a boss, says that when she sees companies like REV’IT! invest in making high-quality ADV suits designed specifically for women, it tells her she’s seen and supported. “That in turn encourages more women to take up the sport.” 

“REV’IT! really sees how far and wide women in the ADV scene are going, and their products are inspired by that spirit of going further and not stopping when the road gets difficult.” For G, the magic of the Lamina GTX suit and the evocative marketing that supports it “is about empowering women to go beyond their perceived boundaries, to do so boldly and believe they can, and to trust that their gear will stand up to whatever the conditions demand.” 

For more details on the new Lamina GTX gear and how it was developed, go to the REV’IT! website.

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Author: Jamie Elvidge

Jamie has been a motorcycle journalist for more than 30 years, testing the entire range of bikes for the major print magazines and specializing in adventure-travel related stories. To date she’s written and supplied photography for articles describing what it’s like to ride in all 50 states and 43 foreign countries, receiving two Lowell Thomas Society of American Travel Writer’s Awards along the way. Her most-challenging adventure yet has been riding in the 2018 GS Trophy in Mongolia as Team AusAmerica’s embedded journalist.