Viaterra Spencer Jacket and Pant Product Review: Introduction

The Background

The idea behind the Spencer range was to develop a riding gear that suits Indian weather as well as riding conditions. So, the folks at Viaterra focused on three primary aspects – protection, comfort, and weight saving. Now, India is known to offer some of the widest and wildest weather conditions. Be it the winter or monsoon, the heat and humidity are present for many hours in India. So having an all-weather jacket doesn’t make sense. Even in winter, the afternoons are quite hot in the majority of cities. I have always recommended people to invest in mesh gear because that makes the most sense for the money. During winters, just add one thermal layer inside. Simple!

The Jacket

Protection. Comfort. Weight saving. These primary requirements can easily be seen on this jacket. Firstly, the safety aspect is being taken care of in two ways – focus fit design and level 2 armours. The idea behind the focus fit innovation is to construct a jacket that allows the material to sit close to the body. Through this route, the armours will also sit close to the body and in case of an accident, the armours are right there to take the beating. Now, the second aspect – armours. Well, the jacket is equipped with a pair of shoulder and elbow armours and also a back protector. All are level 2 Sas-Tec armours with some interesting designs, which we’ll cover in a bit. The company is offering a chest protector as an option too. Here, they are offering level 1 as well as level 2 protectors. Also, the jacket is made of Cordura Nylon 66 – a material known to have high levels of abrasion and tear-resistant.

Now coming to the comfort, the Spencer has mesh panels that have been installed at places to maximise the airflow. There’s one on the chest, one on the back, and two on the arms. These combinations are expected to take care of the overall ventilation well during the peak summer. The Sas-Tec armours have a ventilated design too. And this is expected to increase the overall comfort.

When you combine the special armours and fabric that has been used to make the Spencer, the overall weight of the jacket shows some impressive figures — 1.9kg to be precise. This weight allows Viaterra to claim the Spencer as the lightest L2 jacket on the market. The closest rival is 800gm heavier.

There are a few more additions that make the Spencer a bit more enticing than the rest. These include things like a waterproof mobile pocket and a pocket design that is extremely unconventional but is claimed to offer easy accessibility when seated on a bike. There’s a pant connector as well.

The Pant

The same design and practical aspects have been incorporated in the Spencer pant as well. It gets the dual Cordura Nylon 66 construction. For comfort, there are a total of three mesh panels – one at the hip and thigh area, one at the back and the third one on the shin. These panels are expected to keep the ventilation at a high level and provide maximum comfort to the rider.

For protection, Sas-Tech L2 armours have been used. Hip, knee, and tailbone armours come as standard with the Spencer pant. Interestingly, these armours are wider than the ones in the market to provide wider body coverage.

The focus fit approach has been taken with the pants as well. The material hugs the body quite comfortably and there are adjustable straps that can be used to get the right fit for you at that moment. Then there’s a special construction in the groin area. The material looks stretchable and the idea behind this feature is to allow the rider to stretch more and move around the motorcycle seat. There are other features like easy access pockets, buckles for closure, and reflectors.

The Next Step

I’ll be spending a lot of hours in the Spencer gear, primarily while commuting to the office. Further, during the monsoon, I have some touring plans on my Royal Enfield Interceptor. This is when I’ll test certain waterproof aspects of the gear.

Photography by Kaustubh Gandhi

Product Details

Viaterra Spencer Jacket and Pant

Spencer Jacket – Rs 11,999 to Rs 14,999

Spencer Pant – Rs 8,499 to Rs 9,999

Can be purchased from viaterragear.com