GEAR REVIEW: Dainese Laguna Evo Pelle Lady Non-Perforated Jacket

My Rating: 4 / 5  

Originally Posted May 2016 (See Below for the Updated Review)

It's a Dainese. It's a beautiful looking jacket. It has great protection and great reviews. It has a removable liner. It has the pant to jacket zipper connection. This model has sadly now been discontinued. The good news about that is that it was therefore on sale as it was a clearance item...SOLD and mine!

I bought this in a Size 46 as I wanted it for early Spring/Fall Riding and plan to use it for my work commute as well (so I can wear a sweater or hoodie etc under it plus my heated liner on those cooler mornings). I kind of wish I had bought the 42 or 44 to wear as a more everyday type jacket as I *love it*. The 46 definitely fits too loose for my likes if I remove the liner or wear only a thin shirt. Although I'm sure I will be happy to have it in the size 46 when Fall rolls around and I want to wear a thick shirt with my Warm & Safe Heated Jacket Liner. Plus it will give me a good excuse to eventually purchase the Dainese D1 Racing or Rev'It Xena that I currently have on my Wishlist ;)

I will add a more comprehensive "impressions & review" once I have put some miles on this jacket so stay tuned! (Updated - scroll down a bit and see below).

Note: The Dainese Manis D1 G1 back protector that I ordered does NOT fit in this jacket. Numerous sites I visited stated that for the Manis D1, the G1 was the size to order for the Dainese Ladies' Jackets. My experience is that this was not the case for this jacket so just thought I would offer a heads up on this. On that note, perhaps it fits in the larger sized jackets in this model ??  but I really don't have one to try that with. One of the store associates that I ordered the back protector from assured me that she was able to get it in a similar sized jacket of the same make/model but that it had to be bent and stretched to get it to fit and it involved a lot of pulling on the zippered opening....the instructions that came with it specifically stated to not stretch the back protector so I chose not to. Additionally, I was really not keen on pulling so hard on the insert pocket to risk damaging it. I actually just went ahead and grabbed my Alpinestars Nuc. KR2i from my A* GP Plus R Leather Jacket and it fit just fine. So I may exchange the protector between the 2 jackets until I can find a different protector that will fit and is hopefully CE-Level II rated. If anyone has any suggestions for something that will work for this jacket, I am all ears and would love your suggestions!

UPDATE - June 2016. I exchanged the Manis D1 G1 for the Wave G1 and it fits 100% PERFECT in this jacket. I actually prefer the feeling of the A* KR2i (seems to fit a bit less bulky) but I did put that one back into my A* GP Plus R Perforated Leather Jacket where it technically belongs. Now to wait for the weather to warm right up so I can actually wear that jacket :).

UPDATE - Jacket Review June 2016. So now that I've had the chance to ride about in this new jacket, I feel pretty confident about giving it a 4/5 stars.

Sizing wise and based on my measurements, if I did not want to wear a thicker hoodie and my Warm & Safe heated liner in it, I would have likely been better off with a 42. On that note, I specifically wanted this particular jacket for not only the protection features, but also because I felt it would be a great option for Spring and later Fall riding since it does have a removable liner, does not move much air, and the collar sits a bit higher up. The arms are also a bit of a looser fit so layering the hoodie and additional heated liner does not cut off the circulation to my lower arms and hands when in a riding position. For this purpose (good protection + keeping me warm while I have the extra layer on), the jacket has performed very well indeed. I do have a lightweight rain overcoat that I can throw on as well if needed. I really probably could have gone with a more versatile textile jacket but I'm really still far more partial to leather at this point in time although I definitely have my eye on a couple really great textile choices (Rev'It Sand, Neptune, etc).

My Pros: Style is flattering. Classy look with low-key brand labeling. Quality leather. Very nice workmanship for seams/zipper. Zip attachment to pair with Dainese pants. Higher collar. Comfortable in both a more relaxed and more aggressive riding position. Protection rating (with the added back protector which needs to be purchased separately as it does not come with one otherwise). The price was right (on sale). Removable thermal liner. One inner pocket in the liner that is a generous size (fits my Samsung Note 4 phablet perfectly) and 2 outer pockets.

My Cons: I find the cut of the arms is too wide/loose overall. This can be a benefit/pro if worn with layers as I am and as I have described in my earlier narrative. If I was wearing this as a regular jacket with only a base layer/simple shirt, I would definitely find that the arms fit way too loose for my liking. It is like they almost "puff out" around the elbows and just below the elbows (upper lower arm area if that makes sense). The zipper to pant attachment is not a full 360 so I feel that my abdominal area would not be as well protected as it could be - it seems that even when connected to the pants, there is alot of movement of the jacket around my front waist area. This could be because the jacket has a more relaxed/looser fit overall in addition to it being a tad on the larger size for me (because I wanted to wear my heated liner and thicker hoodie under it). The liner attachment at the wrist area could be better - sometimes trying to take the jacket off results in the arms of the liner wanted to bunch up in the jacket.

All in all, overall it's a keeper in my books :)

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