Halvarssons Optimal jacket and Targa trousers

[simonw]

Does anyone use either/both of these? Considering buying them from Branded Biker (excellent service) and wondered if anyone here had any experience of them...

Thanks in advance.

[desertraider]

I have the halvarrsons gloves and i will say their the best gloves ive ever had so the jackets and pants should be good

[devon john]

i have a halvassons jacket as good as Rukka but not cheap.(Odassy)2 yrs old now but as good as new , it has a self cleaning finish and is 100% waterproff but thye price has gone up alot since i bought it.
i have Rukka trousers again not cheap but great quality and waterproff.

you get what you pay for!!

john

[Redmurty]

Yes I use both and have never gotten wet, good quality kit jacket has pockets every where and you can take the two linings out I would recommend the kit cheers Spud

[simonw]

Thanks all, as I suspected!

@Redmurty - what's the cold weather performance like?

[LargeWayRound]

The Optimal jacket is nice, I was in trying one on couple of weeks back. Quality feel to the product ..

Thanks for bringing this topic up to get feedback , I have now decided that soon I will get myself the jacket .

Cheers Craig

[simonw]

The Optimal jacket is nice, I was in trying one on couple of weeks back. Quality feel to the product ..

Thanks for bringing this topic up to get feedback , I have now decided that soon I will get myself the jacket .

Cheers Craig

I think it's always useful to get some real-world feedback.

The Halvarssons stuff seems to be the same price everywhere but I'd definitely recommend Branded Biker for good service. Julian there gave me excellent advice on a new lid and clothing in general. I think I'm going to take the plunge too!

Best wishes
Simon

[scouse]

Got the suit and like it but as I am normally an all year round rider ... I have found the following gripes ... the material colour fades quickly when in use every day in all weathers , the velcro could be better as I am often refastening flaps as they undo when riding, the zips on the cuffs and the leg bottoms tend to catch and the arm vents can make it chilly even when they are closed as the cold insinuates it's way in.

Keeps you warmish and dry with the layers they provide. My tip is keep the outlast layer for Spring and Autumn riding and use a decent thin fleece in the Winter, and keep a cheap nylon jacket handy as the outer , like all textile jackets, can wet out quite considerably in prolonged heavy rain.

BTW the material is tough as old boots as I have also slid wearing it twice on gravel trails and the damage was simply dust getting into seams... would recommend it for protection.

[Paul_C]

I've had the jacket for just under two years. I agree with the fade issue. I had a dark brown jacket a few weeks ago. Their excellent customer service has now provived me with a new black jacket. Thanks guys. It still "worked" fine however. I did about about 25000 miles with the jacket and I was pleased... yes it needs a pully under it in the winter and it's worth spraying the outer with some of that NikWax textile spray so the outer gets less waterlogged. I used it in the Picos last summer and I never felt unduly hot thanks to the venting, though to make the most of this you need to remove the outer vest thing. Ideally a double cuff would help at the wrists. I've never used the storm collar thing, not needed in my opinion. Never leaked.
I was so pleased I bought a pair of the Targa trousers a few months ago. Being a short arse I took advantage of their tailoring service and had some made up 50mm shorter. Excellent job made. So far I'm pleased with the trousers too. Time will tell on the UV fade issue. I'm told it was a "batch" of fabric.

[Diesel Pete]

I have a Halvarssons Odyssey which I got for a (relative) snip as it was the last one in Custom Lids, Newcastle. The quality is superb, I havn't even had a zip snag in the last 12 months of ownership, the fit is perfect and it is perfectly waterproof.

The removable liner is the best quality liner I have had but I have not had cause to wear it in the UK yet.