Long-term Review: REV’IT! Horizon 2
Words: James Mellinger
Photos: James Mellinger, James McCormick, Bree Poland, Steve Kamrad, Toby Stevens
The Rev’It! Horizon 2 jacket and pants are one of Rev’It!’s first forays into bonded waterproofing with their proprietary Hydratex Lite barrier. The set has similar features to its higher-priced sibling, the Poseidon GTX, with the VCS Aquadefence chest and thigh vents with Fidlock fasteners, SeeFlex armor, and a removable thermal liner but for half the price. What do you lose with the Horizon 2 jacket and pants? A pouch on the lower back of the jacket, more easily accessible pant pockets, Gore-Tex waterproofing, and SuperFabric reinforcement at the shoulders and elbows. But, by going with the Horizon 2 you also gain access to a size Small, something Rev’It! currently doesn’t offer in either of their Gore-Tex bonded jackets the Poseidon and the Dominator. And they even have the same Horizon 2 jacket and pants in a women’s cut as well!
Photo: Steve Kamrad
The fit of the Horizon 2 gear for me is great, I’m 5’4 with an athletic build (38” chest and 32” waist with a 28” inseam) and I’m wearing the Small jacket with Medium-Short pants. I usually find with riding gear that I am making a handful of compromises when it comes to fit. But, the Horizon 2 pants have just enough break at the ankles to be at the perfect length when on the bike, especially with adventure boots. The arm length is intentionally on the slightly longer side as this is a touring jacket where you are sitting mostly upright and reaching decently forward for the controls.
Photo: James Mellinger
I have not found that the sleeves are too long though, they mate well with my summer weight (Sand 3 and Cayenne Pro) and winter weight gloves (Dominator GTX). I quickly ditched the thermal liners as I prefer to use my own mid-layers so I can stay warm off the bike as well. When not using a mid-layer, I use the adjustment straps and snaps to snug up the jacket in the waist, biceps, and forearms. The included SeeFlex shoulder, elbow, and knee armor along with the SeeSmart hip protectors all land in the right spot for me as well. Rev’It! still does not include their $50 SeeSoft back protector, in the belief that some customers may want to use a different style back protector such as a road racing armadillo style one.
With the entry-level pricing, I was nervous that the gear wouldn’t stand up to the PNW rains and the amount of crashing I do off-road on my Triumph Tiger 800 XCX.
Photo: Bree Poland
But before I could test it out on my Tiger, I got flown down to Texas to ride the new Royal Enfield Himalayan. Try as I might, I did not succeed in crashing, and I tried. Flat tracking through sweepers, jumps, ruts, rollers, I never hit the ground. But while I wasn’t able to test the armor and integrity of the gear, I was able to test out the VCS chest and thigh vents with their FidLock magnetic closures.While idling through a transfer section, I was able to open all of the forward-facing vents rather easily with my left hand. As to be expected, the back vent of the jacket would have to be opened while the jacket is off, or by asking someone to open it for you. With weather in the mid 70’s, the venting worked rather well for the amount of effort I was putting in on the bike.
It wasn’t until a few weeks later at the Desert 100’s Adventure Bike Poker Run where I was able to torture test the gear. With multiple days of downpour leading up to the event and even more rain during the poker run itself, the conditions were quite sloppy. The Adventure Bike Poker Run, had it been dry would have been a fun and relatively easy ride for all skill levels. I say the mud made it even more enjoyable, granted a whole lot harder. Our group comprised of three riders, James on his Honda XR650L, Toby on his Honda NC700X, and me on my Triumph Tiger 800 XCX. After trudging our way through a tall grass field and gravel farm roads in the still constant rain, I chased James into what turns out to be a deep mud bog. His much lighter bike was able to veer its way to the firmer ground after plastering me with thick mud while I pinned it and just hoped for the best. Successfully staying upright, I made it through the bog and burst into laughter pulling up next to James. My black and grey Horizon 2 gear may now have been mostly brown, but I was still clean and dry underneath.
Photo: James Mellinger
Throughout the ride, I was thrown off my Tiger many times at varying speeds. The low-speed tip-overs in the rocky single track made me grateful for the SeeSmart hip protectors. While the decently paced high side may have left me with a slightly twisted up knee, the armor did its job quite well protecting me as I hit the ground. While I waited for Toby to catch up and help me get my augured in Tiger out of the mud, I looked over the gear and was glad to see not a single tear, hole, snag, anything. After getting the Tiger back up, we continued on through the muck. A few big puddles later I was wondering why my thigh was feeling wet when the rest of me had stayed so dry. Turns out I left the VCS thigh vent wide open after inspecting my gear. With that closed, I was back to staying dry.
Photo: Toby Stevens
We eventually made our way back into town after a handful more crashes and slide outs. After relaxing with a beer at the local brewery, we noticed there was a high-pressure hose nearby that riders were cleaning up with. After spraying who knows how many pounds of mud off the Tiger that I still had to race the next day in the Desert 100, I had Toby help me spray myself down. No longer completely brown with mud, my gear looked almost good as new with a few set-in stains that would take some soap to get out. And, I was still bone dry.
As always, there are a few things I believe Rev’It! could improve on for the next generation of the Horizon line. 1) Include the back protector, even if it means raising the price. 2) The vertical entry pant pockets are difficult to get into, and when there are objects inside they tend to bunch up and make sitting uncomfortable. The side entry pockets on the Poseidon are easier to access and more useful. 3) With the collar folded back, the hard square corner seam with the neck comfort fabric above the zipper, is well, uncomfortable and digs into the neck. 4) More exterior pockets would be handy for long trips.
Photo: Steve Kamrad
Through the many months I have worn the Horizon 2 since, it has still yet to fail me. From commuting, weekend moto-camping trips, to dual-sport thrashing, the gear has been comfortable for a wide range of temperatures and motorcycles. If you’re looking for an excellent set of gear to ride around the PNW in and not break the bank, look no further than the Rev’It! Horizon 2 jacket and pant.
The Rev’It! Horizon 2 is available to purchase on our eBay store!
Jacket $429.99 men’s sizes S-4XL, women’s sizes 36-46
Pants $329.99 men’s size S-4XL, S-3XL Short, M-2XL Long, women’s sizes 36-36, 38-42 Short, 38-42 Tall
