Having saved up for a Rukka Nivala jacket and finally bringing myself to terms with parting with £1100, I went to my local dealer to buy one. Didn't fit - sleeves were way too long for my required frame size (and I don't consider myself to be particularly unusual in size). Went back over the weekend to see what else they had. My criteria:
Having looked at several jackets that failed the above criteria in some fashion, my local dealer showed me the Macna Impact Pro jacket. It has velcro on the lower pockets and velcro at the cuff, except it's a special type of velcro (less "fluffy") that seems more sturdy and the cuff velcro is designed in such a way that it doesn't need undoing all the time - I've found I can just set it once and leave it. The jacket is laminated - admittedly not GoreTex but it's their own equivalent. It fits really well, and the back protector pocket was large enough to take a full size level 2 protector that goes all the way to the base of my spine rather than exposing the bottom 2 inches as many seem to. The jacket fits really well, is very comfortable and crucially is a lot 'lighter' than other jackets, without compromising on warmth - it just feels less bulky. Wore in torrential rain yesterday and light rain today; totally waterproof and fabric did not get sodden. When I got to work I shook it and hung it up and it was dry within a couple of minutes. The jacket has an 'inner' storm flap zip which I did not use, so I stayed perfectly dry just using the main single zip.
Overall very impressed and far cheaper than models with similar features (£340 RRP.... I got 10% off). Apparently it's a Dutch brand that has low market penetration in the UK as not many places stock them but popular on the continent and mostly very good quality. This model has built-in attachments for adding in a heated vest (their brand) or connecting a hiviz tabbard, which is a good idea. I got the jacket in black with hi-viz flashes at the shoulder and sleeves. Here's a review on Sportsbikeshop: https://mag.sportsbikeshop.co.uk/reviews/macna-impact-pro-jacket-review/
- must be 'laminated' rather than drop-liner or zip-in liner for waterproof
- no velcro
- must be capable of holding a back protector that covers the lower part of my spine
- must not have a secondary fold-over/press stud storm flap along the main zip (they annoy me - I want one zip and 'done')
Having looked at several jackets that failed the above criteria in some fashion, my local dealer showed me the Macna Impact Pro jacket. It has velcro on the lower pockets and velcro at the cuff, except it's a special type of velcro (less "fluffy") that seems more sturdy and the cuff velcro is designed in such a way that it doesn't need undoing all the time - I've found I can just set it once and leave it. The jacket is laminated - admittedly not GoreTex but it's their own equivalent. It fits really well, and the back protector pocket was large enough to take a full size level 2 protector that goes all the way to the base of my spine rather than exposing the bottom 2 inches as many seem to. The jacket fits really well, is very comfortable and crucially is a lot 'lighter' than other jackets, without compromising on warmth - it just feels less bulky. Wore in torrential rain yesterday and light rain today; totally waterproof and fabric did not get sodden. When I got to work I shook it and hung it up and it was dry within a couple of minutes. The jacket has an 'inner' storm flap zip which I did not use, so I stayed perfectly dry just using the main single zip.
Overall very impressed and far cheaper than models with similar features (£340 RRP.... I got 10% off). Apparently it's a Dutch brand that has low market penetration in the UK as not many places stock them but popular on the continent and mostly very good quality. This model has built-in attachments for adding in a heated vest (their brand) or connecting a hiviz tabbard, which is a good idea. I got the jacket in black with hi-viz flashes at the shoulder and sleeves. Here's a review on Sportsbikeshop: https://mag.sportsbikeshop.co.uk/reviews/macna-impact-pro-jacket-review/
