Weise have been moving their products progressively more and more upmarket with regards to quality – and price – for a few years. Sticky samples their 4-season jacket with space-age temperature-regulating technology.
The Jacket
When it comes to jackets I prefer black. It doesn’t show the dirt or dead flies and stops you looking like a clown with a primary colour fixation. Equally I understand the appeal of being seen while on a bike so a moderate placement of reflective material is ideal. Tick…
The jacket is mid-length, stylish and feels very good quality. Tick…
The Baltimore is what Weise refers to as a 4-season jacket. Essentially you have a Nylon outer shell containing CE armour; which features zip-open and magnetically-held sections revealing large air vents for summer riding.
When it rains you can zip into the shell a waterproof Riessa drop-liner which has internal elasticated cuffs at the wrist. So far it’s never leaked, but in really bad weather I put a reflective SLUK Jacket over the top anyway.
If the drop-liner isn’t warm enough you can zip-in a thermal lining made of a material called Outlast which astronauts use and is made of finely woven magic.
Outlast – what’s the point?
The headline story of Outlast is temperature regulation – it works like a thermostat. Essentially the material absorbs excess body heat, stores it and only releases it when you cool down.
The advantage in terms of riding kit is that you can keep the lining in over a greater range of temperatures because it is supposed to keep you cool when it’s hot and warmer when it’s cold. Sounds far-fetched but…
Does Outlast work?
Yes, amazingly, watch the video above for an explanation.
In the cold the liner feels like a radiator. If you take it off, the side nearest your body continues to emit heat long after a normal liner would have dropped to room temperature. It’s spooky.
I’m a pretty cold-blooded individual so I can normally keep a liner in my jacket most of the year round, but for such a thickly-lined jacket I found it bearable on the scooter in the summer. This year I never had an occasion where I needed to wear it without the liner and ‘flaps open’ as it were. But we do live in Britain…
The important aspect of this temperature regulation in the jacket is it means far fewer occasions when you have to disassemble the bloody thing. All the ‘4-season’ jackets tend to be a bit of a pain in changeable conditions because you have to keep zipping in and out different layers and reattaching the liners inside the sleeves. This is the price you pay for adaptability and afflicts every brand equally.
Hang ups
The only thing stopping me from giving this jacket a rave review is the collar which has a Velcro fastening. When fully fastened it’s a bit too tight, but if you leave it looser then the ‘hook’ side of the Velcro rests uncomfortably against your neck, or annoyingly against a neckwarmer. It could be that those with skinnier necks don’t encounter this issue at all.
What I would recommend however is that if you like the sound of Outlast is that you check out the rest of the Weise range because they now boast not only several more styles of jackets but also men’s and ladies gloves with Outlast insulation.
How much?
The Weise Baltimore jacket was originally released in 2015 for £320, but currently you can find them for much less than that. There is another Outlast model called the Houston which you can pick up for around £160. That’s not bad for a jacket made with premium quality materials.
Sticky
More info on Wiese products at https://www.weise.co.uk/
Weise Baltimore specifications
- 4 Season Jacket
- 500 Denier nylon outer construction
- Removable REISSA waterproof, windproof and breathable drop lining
- Removable Outlast 140 gram thermal quilted lining
- Removable CE approved armour at shoulders, elbows and back
- Adjustable neoprene collar with loop and hook system for comfort in all weather
- YKK main zip with large popper and Velcro retained storm flap for weather protection
- Retractable bright neon arm covers for added visibility
- Reflective stripes and detailing for added night-time visibility
- Adjustable twin Velcro retained belt system at waist of jacket
- Two large vents with zip and magnetic snap connectors at chest
- Four vents, two at the front and two to the rear
- Single long vent across back at shoulders
- Two external hand warmer pockets
- Four external waterproof pockets
- Hidden rear map pocket with side entry
- One internal waterproof pocket
- Single Napoleon waterproof pocket
Visit the SLUK Shop
My Weise jacket is brilliant. It is really warm and water resistant but for me the best bit is the decent back plate armour. Far superior to some jackets where you get a bit of foam camping rollmat stuffed in the lining. I got mine on Ebay on sale for a song. Nice.