Rukka - Is It Only Their Laminated-Shell Gore-Tex Pro Stuff That's Super-Duper?

PhaedrusMC

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Given that there's a pretty wide range of types of gear that they do, from mesh summer gear to the laminated-shell Gore-Tex Pro heavy-hitters, what do folk mean when they state or claim that "Rukka gear is great"?

Parking for a moment the reported quality issues of the newer Asian-made stuff (these newer Asian-made garments still carry that lauded 5/6 year warranty, don't they?), is it the case that it's only these laminated-shell Gore-Tex Pro garments that have historically been highly regarded? Or is their stuff with Gore-Tex liners (whether removable or fixed) just as good? If you're not choosing one of their laminated-shell Gore-Tex Pro garments, then might you be as well looking at stuff from any other brand?

I had a search here for comments & info on the Flexius jacket, which has recently appeared on my radar, but there's not a lot. It looks like a decent piece of kit, and is much cheaper than even their "cheapest" :rolleyes: laminated-shell Gore-Tex Pro jacket, but has a Gore-Tex liner (fixed, IIUC).
 
Rukka's rep came before their range got so big. In short, Rukka is top notch if you go for their top of the line stuff. I had two furygan textile jackets which were total shit and not waterproof then bought a Rukka Argonaut which at the time was their second most expensive jacket and 4 years later it's still perfect. Any Rukka jacket less than £600 won't be worth the money.
 
I have two Rukka Suits- an Armaxis/Armaxion three season suit and an Airman mesh suit for summer touring.
Both are excellent and have had several years of use.

The mesh suit, in particular, is fantastic.
I was in Europe in 2015 in it during the months with the weather in the high 30's and was cool and protected.
Both have a 6 year warranty, but I'd had no reason to do anything about that.

I've also had Furygan jackets in the past.
They are better styled (if you like that sort of thing) but they were leaky and once wet they took ages to dry out.
 
NEC in November was the first time I ever came in contact with the "Dane" brand but from the look and feel of it....... I think I would definitely take a chance on it.

Sorry I know that's got nothing to do with your question.

Also, if I was spending Rukka Goretex Pro money, I would definitely have a look at getting a bespoke suit from Hideout Leathers. They tailor their own suits using the Schoellar laminated textiles (C-Change etc)
Their shop is very close to Stansted airport so a cheap Ryanair flight and you could have yourself measured up and end up with a top of the line, tailored Laminated suit with absolutely no fitment compromise's (and you always have to compromise on fit in one form or another when buying bike gear)

Just my tuppence......... sorry.

Sent from a OnePlusX
 
Just had a look (online) at the Dane Osted jacket & Lyngby pants - very nice looking gear, and great price for laminated Gore-Tex Pro stuff. I'd be curious/skeptical about the waterproofness of that chest pocket.

Some other brands (that I've found - there could be more) that do laminated Gore-Tex Pro jackets include Alpinestars (Managua, €816), Rev'It (Dominator, €1040), Klim (various, €680-€1840 :rolllaugh), Ixs (Clermont, €760), Held (Cadora, €700). So at €641 the Dane Osted is definitely priced very well.

I can't find anything on Dane's warranty info. Rukka's long warranty is a big factor in their stuff even being considered here. And the fact that another party would be footing the bill is an equally big factor in laminated Gore-Tex Pro garments being considered.
 
You can have a look at my laminated C-Change kit (Halvarssons) up in Donegal

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A motorcycle jacket/trousers with a drop-liner (aka Z-liner or Performance-Shell) can be water-proof. The water will soak through the outer liner, then be stopped by the waterproof membrane, which may give rise to a feeling of dampness, especially on the legs. The garment could also take several hours to dry-out. Some riders take a fold-away waterproof over-garment for very heavy rain.

A garment with a Pro-Shell-style bonded membrane ( Pro-Shell being a term that I first remember being used by Hein Gericke) will not let the water through the outer Cordura and is the best thing for a monsoon-like downpour.

You will find folks who commute to work on bikes will prefer a garment with a Pro-Shell membrane. I will only spend my own money this way, often seeking out "last-year's-model" to save money. Now is a good time to be buying as dealers clear out old stock ready for the new seasons clothes.
 
MY next purchase will NOT be a jacket with an inner liner (have a rallye pro 3 at the moment) - stop the water on the outside is best, not halfway in. Drier, warmer, lighter.
 
You can have a look at my laminated C-Change kit (Halvarssons) up in Donegal

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Cool, though it's possible a decision and purchase may have been made by then.

A motorcycle jacket/trousers with a drop-liner (aka Z-liner or Performance-Shell) can be water-proof. The water will soak through the outer liner, then be stopped by the waterproof membrane, which may give rise to a feeling of dampness, especially on the legs. The garment could also take several hours to dry-out. Some riders take a fold-away waterproof over-garment for very heavy rain.

A garment with a Pro-Shell-style bonded membrane ( Pro-Shell being a term that I first remember being used by Hein Gericke) will not let the water through the outer Cordura and is the best thing for a monsoon-like downpour.

You will find folks who commute to work on bikes will prefer a garment with a Pro-Shell membrane. I will only spend my own money this way, often seeking out "last-year's-model" to save money. Now is a good time to be buying as dealers clear out old stock ready for the new seasons clothes.

MY next purchase will NOT be a jacket with an inner liner (have a rallye pro 3 at the moment) - stop the water on the outside is best, not halfway in. Drier, warmer, lighter.

All true, and those are the very reasons we're looking at laminated shell stuff now.

If my own personal funds allowed, I'd adopt the same approach as Octatonic - laminated shell for three-season cold riding, and a mesh (or very well ventilated) suit for hot/dry conditions, with a separate waterproof over-jacket & pants.
 
I would definitely have a look at getting a bespoke suit from Hideout Leathers. They tailor their own suits using the Schoellar laminated textiles (C-Change etc)
Their shop is very close to Stansted airport so a cheap Ryanair flight and you could have yourself measured up and end up with a top of the line, tailored Laminated suit with absolutely no fitment compromise's (and you always have to compromise on fit in one form or another when buying bike gear)

And you get your inside leg measured by the lovely ladies at Hideout................
 
MY next purchase will NOT be a jacket with an inner liner (have a rallye pro 3 at the moment) - stop the water on the outside is best, not halfway in. Drier, warmer, lighter.

I agree - I have the Rallye 3 trousers and don't bother removing the waterproof liner - my jackets have fixed waterproof layers under the outer fabric and I prefer this type of garment, preferably with some zipped vents to give air flow, rather than having to remove layers.
 
I agree - I have the Rallye 3 trousers and don't bother removing the waterproof liner - my jackets have fixed waterproof layers under the outer fabric and I prefer this type of garment, preferably with some zipped vents to give air flow, rather than having to remove layers.

But this design means that a) the outer shell can become saturated, and b) air entering any zipped vents is instantly blocked by the waterproof liner, which effectively means no venting. I'm not judging or knocking your preferences - just voicing an observation.

My current jacket is a Dainese D-Stormer which has a removable waterproof liner (and a removable thermal liner). Can't yet comment on waterproofing as I haven't been caught in any serious rain, but I can say that with the liners removed and all the vents open (2 x chest, 2 x full-length sleeves, and the entire back panel of the jacket), the venting is very effective. With the liners in, the vents are ineffective.

I fully expect the outer shell to become saturated when I do get caught out in heavy or persistent rain. And drying it out for the next time I use it will inevitably be a challenge. As already commented, for commuting or touring this could be a very big problem. So my solution will be a separate waterproof outer jacket & pants - PITA, but for guys rocking a jacket with a waterproof liner (whether fixed or removable), that's really the only effective solution to the saturation issue.

This is all where my original question comes from - the Rukka stuff with fixed liners can surely only hope to match the performance of similarly-designed jackets from other brands, because any jacket with a waterproof liner will suffer those same two drawbacks (saturated outer shell and ineffective venting).

Rukka's laminated-shell Gore-Tex Pro jackets - and other brand's proprietary equivalents - provide an effective solution to the saturated outer shell issue, but less so for the venting element. I struggle to understand how any zip-open vent in a laminated-shell jacket doesn't let in water, as the vent is effectively a hole in the waterproof layer. Perhaps the zips are so whizz-bang they just are actually waterproof?

So again - the one-solution-covers-all-conditions is (IMO) simply unattainable, so compromises are necessary. I'm thinking my compromise will be:

  • 3-Season cold (autumn/winter/spring) - whatever laminated-shell outfit we decide on.
  • 3-Season warm (spring/summer/autumn) - my heavily-vented D-Stormer outfit, backed up with a separate waterproof outer jacket & pants.
I could be proved wrong, but I think my D-Stormer will vent well enough for touring hot countries, negating the need for a third (mesh) outfit.

Anyway, this is all stuff covered in the many other threads on the topic. For my purposes here, the long 5/6 year warranty from Rukka is a big factor. Can anyone tell me how Dane's warranty compares?
 
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And you get your inside leg measured by the lovely ladies at Hideout................
That is would definitely be one of the plus points alright. I met the girls at the NEC.......... lovely bunch of ladies.

Sent from a OnePlusX
 
But this design means that a) the outer shell can become saturated, and b) air entering any zipped vents is instantly blocked by the waterproof liner, which effectively means no venting. I'm not judging or knocking your preferences - just voicing an observation.

My current jacket is a Dainese D-Stormer which has a removable waterproof liner (and a removable thermal liner). Can't yet comment on waterproofing as I haven't been caught in any serious rain, but I can say that with the liners removed and all the vents open (2 x chest, 2 x full-length sleeves, and the entire back panel of the jacket), the venting is very effective. With the liners in, the vents are ineffective.

I fully expect the outer shell to become saturated when I do get caught out in heavy or persistent rain. And drying it out for the next time I use it will inevitably be a challenge. As already commented, for commuting or touring this could be a very big problem. So my solution will be a separate waterproof outer jacket & pants - PITA, but for guys rocking a jacket with a waterproof liner (whether fixed or removable), that's really the only effective solution to the saturation issue.

This is all where my original question comes from - the Rukka stuff with fixed liners can surely only hope to match the performance of similarly-designed jackets from other brands, because any jacket with a waterproof liner will suffer those same two drawbacks (saturated outer shell and ineffective venting).

Rukka's laminated-shell Gore-Tex Pro jackets - and other brand's proprietary equivalents - provide an effective solution to the saturated outer shell issue, but less so for the venting element. I struggle to understand how any zip-open vent in a laminated-shell jacket doesn't let in water, as the vent is effectively a hole in the waterproof layer. Perhaps the zips are so whizz-bang they just are actually waterproof?

So again - the one-solution-covers-all-conditions is (IMO) simply unattainable, so compromises are necessary. I'm thinking my compromise will be:

  • 3-Season cold (autumn/winter/spring) - whatever laminated-shell outfit we decide on.
  • 3-Season warm (spring/summer/autumn) - my heavily-vented D-Stormer outfit, backed up with a separate waterproof outer jacket & pants.
I could be proved wrong, but I think my D-Stormer will vent well enough for touring hot countries, negating the need for a third (mesh) outfit.

Anyway, this is all stuff covered in the many other threads on the topic. For my purposes here, the long 5/6 year warranty from Rukka is a big factor. Can anyone tell me how Dane's warranty compares?
babd2db1414c9a03bf66fbc4144432f7.jpg


Look at the top right hand corner of the attached image!!!

Sent from a OnePlusX
 
The jackets are usually treated so the water does not get absorbed by the thread in the fabric - yes, it gets wet but soon drains out. Just put a treated jacket on a chair in a cafe after riding in the rain - there will be a big pool of water under the chair. I tend to give my jackets an annual wash in Nikwax TX which replenishes the waterproofing.

I think the vents do work - on my Hein Gericke Cruise 3 jackets the goretex is not bonded to the outer fabric so you get airflow between the cordura and goretex layers. This airflow will assist with evaporation of sweat from the goretex layer. The increased evaporation will have a cooling effect.

This type of jacket is fine for winter use or summer use below 30C. Any hotter and I will whip out a lightweight mesh jacket - it is a cheap Black branded job from Ghostbikes with limited protection but being comfortable is safer than melting inside a cordura jacket with armour (even one with removable goretex will not keep you cool once temperatures rise over 30C)
 
Oooooohhhh. That's interesting. I feel an email to Dane coming on...

:thumb
 
Given that there's a pretty wide range of types of gear that they do, from mesh summer gear to the laminated-shell Gore-Tex Pro heavy-hitters, what do folk mean when they state or claim that "Rukka gear is great"?

Parking for a moment the reported quality issues of the newer Asian-made stuff (these newer Asian-made garments still carry that lauded 5/6 year warranty, don't they?), is it the case that it's only these laminated-shell Gore-Tex Pro garments that have historically been highly regarded? Or is their stuff with Gore-Tex liners (whether removable or fixed) just as good? If you're not choosing one of their laminated-shell Gore-Tex Pro garments, then might you be as well looking at stuff from any other brand?

I had a search here for comments & info on the Flexius jacket, which has recently appeared on my radar, but there's not a lot. It looks like a decent piece of kit, and is much cheaper than even their "cheapest" :rolleyes: laminated-shell Gore-Tex Pro jacket, but has a Gore-Tex liner (fixed, IIUC).

I have (now discontinued) flexius jacket. Yes it is good but not as good as laminate jackets, as it absorbs water rather than bounce off it. I also had it returned for repairs under warranty as I was getting wet inner elbows and belly (water ingress through main zip) in the heavy rainfall. Other that that it is a nice jacket.


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I have (now discontinued) flexius jacket. Yes it is good but not as good as laminate jackets, as it absorbs water rather than bounce off it. I also had it returned for repairs under warranty as I was getting wet inner elbows and belly (water ingress through main zip) in the heavy rainfall. Other that that it is a nice jacket.


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So it was a nice jacket---but defective.:blast
 


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