Words by Issa Breibish // Photography by Nita Breibish

*UPDATE* Nita and I are always concerned with being open and honest about our reviews of products. We post these reviews with the hopes that they’re useful to other riders and welcome feedback.  Subsequent to our original posting of this review we’ve been sponsored by REV’IT! so we thought we’d take a moment to make that clear. We’d also like to say the the original review remains unchanged and provides the same, honest feedback it always has. When choosing who we wanted as sponsors it was important to us that they’d appreciate honest feedback to assist in product development and in the refinement of the gear we use. We also hoped to work with companies that understand the importance of honest, experience-based reviews for other adventurers who are considering their products for use. So there you go – we want you to know exactly where we stand!

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Putting miles on gear always reveals a products strengths and weaknesses. Since my initial review (where I gave the Cayenne Pro suit a 4/5), I’ve had many different temperatures, terrain and kilometres with which to confirm or dismiss my original impressions of this great piece of kit. I’ll admit that 25000 km of both on and off road adventures has revealed a number of weaknesses with the suit but I have to believe that this would be true with almost any bit of kit. Nothing’s perfect and the one thing about the folks at REV’IT is that they always seem to address concerns in the next rev of their offerings.

First, a little bit about the product.

The Cayenne Pro jacket and pants are made up of a protective layer of Cordura at varying specs, SuperFabric to provide resistance to abrasion, puncture and tears, Dynax mesh for ventilation, and waterproof Lorica. To protect against the occasional off they’re also equipped with CE-approved armor for your shoulders, elbows, and knees. For some reason instead of including the SAS-TEC back protector REV’IT chose to offer it as an optional upgrade – which considering the price of the jacket (nearly $600 USD at the time of this writing) seems like a strange omission especially when the comparably priced BMW Rallye 3 comes fully equipped.

On the inside, the Cayenne Pro comes with two removable layers – an Exkin Air thermal liner for warmth, and a Hydratex layer that provides waterproofing while remaining breathable.

Findings on fit

Full disclosure – I’m a big boy. I’m 6’3″ and 230lbs. That puts me squarely in the XL category for almost everything that I wear. Except REV’IT. I’m an XXL which almost certainly reflects the European roots of the business. So, for me a size larger than normal worked – especially with all of the liners in place. The suit is comfortable though I wish it was cut a little more on the relaxed side like Klim and Olympia though this is a purely personal preference. I love the design of the suit – it’s a beautiful marriage of form and function.

Findings on temperature range

In moderate temperature ranges the suit stands up well to the elements. In warm weather, wearing the shell alone with vents open provides a good amount of cooling to the rider. I found the suit sufficiently cooling (at speed) into the mid 30°C (90°F)’s – though I have to say I’d like to see more ventilation options on the pants. I’d also like to see a larger Olympia-style ventilation panel on the front of the Jacket. Riding through Death Valley during a 47°C (120°F) degree stint would have actually been more tolerable with these types of vents. Still, it performed admirably.

On the colder end of things we spent a week riding mountain passes which led us through a couple of snow-storms and temperatures that consistently hovered between -1°C  – +5°C  (29°F – 40°F). At these temperatures I found riding to be comfortable for about an hour if I put the gear on while still indoors. We had a couple of two hour stints in these conditions and I definitely had the chills. One 2.5 hour stint had me shivering considerably and a heated set would have been more appropriate.

So, while this suit is advertised as four season I think it’s likely more appropriate to give a comfort range much like sleeping bags. I’d rate this for 0°C – 35°C (35°F – 100°F) degrees, which is nothing to sneeze at.

Findings on rain protection

Over the past 25000 km we’ve seen a fair share of rain – from light to torrential. Outside of Kansas City Nita and I were caught in and unbelievable downpour and, without having time to slip into our rain liners we found ourselves completely soaked. However, with the liners installed I have yet to see a single wet patch on my under-gear. The resistance to rain with the Hydratex layer is astonishingly good. Through many storms I’ve traveled completely dry (except for my feet, but that’s another story).

As a side note, the shell is water-resistant not water-proof which means that in heavy rain it *will* get soaked – as expected. But it dries very quickly in a hotel room or a tent which makes for a happier next day. One thing to also note is that, of the four pockets on the front of the jacket, only two are waterproof – and even with that I found items stored within it, well, humid after a good storm. I’m not sure if that’s a side effect of the breathability or due to moisture actually entering the pocket. Still, it was minimal.

Findings on durability

Durability is dependant on so many factors it would be hard to take them all into account. We used the gear on varying terrain that included asphalt, mud, dirt, mulch, sand, gravel and others. I’ve had a few offs in the dirt and some extreme weather. After 25000 km I found the gear in mostly good shape with some notable exceptions.

The button/loop system for fastening liners, which is present in many riding suits, has had to be repaired a couple of times. I really wish manufacturers would find a better method than this for fastening liners – it’s an obvious point of failure on any suit – especially an adventure-rated suit. Also, on hot days I wouldn’t zip the ankles all the way down to get some air into the pants. Unfortunately, the heavy duty velcro fastener found at the hem sawed it’s way through the zipper and frayed the fabric rendering the hem-zipper useless.

Other than that I’ve seen very little of the seam-fraying that I’ve seen on other sets of gear comparably priced with far less miles on them.

The call

All in all I feel that REV’IT Cayenne Pro is a solid piece of gear for the adventure-focused rider while offering good build-quality, excellent weather protection, and decent durability at a price that puts it squarely in line with other premium adventure gear offerings. Some attention to a few small design issues and the inclusion of a proper back-protector would definitely make this gear must-have.

Pros:

• Excellent weather protection
• Beautifully designed
• Mostly durable

Cons: 

• Pants need more venting
• Jacket needs larger vent panels
• Loop fasteners fail and hem wear

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From the Manufacturer:

REV’IT Cayenne Pro Jacket

The Cayenne Pro is a four season beast of a jacket with enough versatility to keep you cool in the summer heat, dry in a downpour, and warm in frigid winter temperatures.  See the reviews tab above for several extensive writeups on this jacket.

PROTECTION FEATURES

• Outershell: DuPont Cordura® 500D, DuPont Cordura® 1000D, Superfabric®
• Insulation: detachable Exkin® lining
• Protection: SAS-TEC® CE protection, Temperfoam back padding
• Waterproofing: detachable REV’IT! Hydratex 3-layer membrane
• Breathability: detachable REV’IT! Hydratex 3-layer membrane
• Visibility: laminated reflective panels
• Recommended Upgrade: SAS-TEC SC-1/12 Back Protector (not included)
  • Pocket fits SC-1/12 size back protector
  • All Cayenne Pro Jackets have the same size back protector pocket

ERGONOMIC FEATURES

• Fit: pre-shaped fit
• Adjustability: adjustable collar, adjustable waistbands, straps at the upper and under arm, draw cord at the hem, Velcro cuff tabs, stretch panel at the back
• Ventilation: ventilation panels on chest, ventilation zippers atthe back and under arm, ventilation pocket at the front
• Features: long connection zipper and double short connection zipper, stretch lips at the elbow
• Pockets: 2 waterproof pockets, 2 mesh and 2 slit pockets at the front, membrane storage pocket, document pocket, inner pockets

The Cayenne Pro can be worn by both men and women.

REV’IT Cayenne Pro Pants

These pants can be zipped to the jacket by a short or an all around 360 degree connection zipper. For the serious commuter or adventure / touring rider, this is the pair of pants that will fulfill your needs.

Available in standard, long and short leg lengths, the Cayenne Pro Pants will zip with any current model men’s REV’IT Jacket. While made to work specifically with the Cayenne Pro Jacket, the Cayenne Pro Pants also function very well when paired with the REV’IT Sand Jacket or  REV’IT Dragon Jacket.

PROTECTION FEATURES

• Outershell: DuPont Cordura® 500D, DuPont Cordura®1000D, SuperFabric®
• Insulation: detachable Exkin® lining
• Protection: SAS TEC® CE protection, Temperfoam hip padding, double textile seat
• Waterproofing: detachable REV’IT! Hydratex® 3-layer membrane
• Breathability: detachable REV’IT! Hydratex® 3-layer membrane
• Visibility: laminated reflective panels

ERGONOMIC FEATURES

• Fit: pre-shaped close fit
• Adjustability: adjustable waist, stretch panels at the knee and back
• Ventilation: ventilation zippers on the upper leg
• Features: short and long connection zipper
• Pockets: 2 slit pockets