Tested by: Dave
Miles used: 20,000+
Price: $221.99
Contact: tourmaster.com
Style: 16/20
Price: 20/20
Durability: 20/20
Street cred: 15/20
Performance: 20/20
Over the last two years I’ve racked up 22,000 commuter miles, and for the majority of that time I wore the Epic simply because it’s so versatile and comfortable. Don’t get me wrong, I didn’t wear it to any bike nights because it’s not the best looking jacket on my rack, but when it comes to comfort and function it’s without question the best riding jacket I’ve ever used.
This particular model is actually out of production, but there’s an updated Epic that replaces it so I’m confident it will perform similarly. But what makes it so damn good? After some reflection it boiled down simply to comfort and how effortless it is to wear. If that sounds bizarre it’s because you haven’t worn enough jackets to get finicky about certain features: various zipper sizes should fit the task, waterproof should indeed mean you’re not soaking wet after a light shower and an all-weather jacket shouldn’t have 15 liners to get tangled up in. Furthermore, once said liner is removed it should be easy to put back in without feeling twisted and awkward. When I open vents I should actually be able to feel air flowing through the jacket as well. A lot of jackets can handle one of two of these features but then get tripped up over the others. The Epic has mastered them all thoughit keeps you warm and dry in crappy weather, yet you can still wear it for protection on 85-degree days without melting (do I really need to mention the functional vents again?).
OK, so it looks a little dorky, but I really don’t care. It just works too well! Hell I might even go for the high-visibility yellow option when this one eventually needs to be replaced. That could be a while still, because aside from the general smelliness and a zipper tab that recently broke it’s still keeping the weather out and the comfort in.