Long Term Test of Tourmaster Epic Jacket

I would like to thank Gamma Sales for sponsoring my touring jacket for The Planet Tour. For the past 2 seasons I have used the Tourmaster Epic series touring jacket as my only riding jacket.

In that time I have put it through 32,000+ kms of extreme conditions that have ranged from +3 Celsius up to +41 Celsius (37 F to 106F).  It has seen snow, rain, wind, dust, sunshine, campfire smoke, food spills and a pile of insects as well as protecting me from 2 bird impacts at highway speed.
Designed as a touring jacket it also had to pull duty as my daily garment in all situations and did so with impressive performance.
Unless I was careless in closing one of the many vents it never leaked even on all day rides in heavy rain.
On hot days, with all the vents open (4 in the front and 3 large ones in the back), it provided great ventilation while riding. Sure, it did get warm in stop and go traffic but as a touring rider that happens so infrequently. Not many jackets will keep you cool when stopped in rush hour although I did find good air flow once moving above 40km .
The shoulder vent openings could be folded over to resemble scoops that effectively rammed air flow into the jacket with such efficiency at times I thought I was wearing a mesh unit. Most vents I was able to open while in motion but to properly close them usually required pulling over.
It never leaked once although water would wick up the inside of the sleeve liner if my glove failed to keep the rain out of the gauntlet and running down my hand. It wasn't unbearable but you could notice it.

All outer pockets lived up to their waterproof claim. While I am on the subject, the waterproof hood hidden in the collar was great for those times one had the foresight to put it on. The hood fit under my helmet with no bulk and did a great job of keeping the rain from rolling down into my jacket as well as making a good wind blocker for the back of the neck.
I did have to replace the velcro on the neck closure tab. Perhaps I open and close that flap more than others or 23,000km was its life span? A quick stitching with some new heavy velcro and it's good as new.
The shell has started to show some UV fading. Nothing extreme but up close its easy to tell the jacket is well traveled but still looks totally functional.

It comes with a zip-in quilted liner for cold weather but I only used that in early spring or late fall as it was not wearable as an off bike jacket so therefore too much extra bulk for most of my touring. Apparently this is only with Canadian models and due to some government meddling of tariffs to protect a garment industry in a certain province (I'll let you figure out which) that does not even make motorcycle gear. To make it a wearable jacket/liner can add almost $150 in tariff costs I've heard. When will politics just die like the parasite of fun it is? To solve this I used a light jacket as a liner when needed and had an off bike jacket for cool weather.

Thumbs up

1. Waterproof shell as claimed yet the jacket was breathable. I never felt clammy on wet days.
2. Built-in kidney belt is great for saving the ol' organs as well as a great draft stopper. Cinching it closed keeps those nasty drafts from finding their way in.
3. Waterproof hood in collar is a great feature. I just wished it came with a reminder to use it
4. Storage compartment along the back is great for keeping much needed items handy. In there I stowed: First Aid kit, tire gauge, Oxford neck comfy, zip ties and a small folding knife and had room left over.
5. Comfortable with great adjustment in arms and waist to custom fit it. The arms had a natural bend perfect for riding.
6. Great ventilation for a full length touring jacket
7. Lots of pockets to store items. This helps keep the tank bag less cluttered.
8. Very good reflective piping for night visibility. Much of the reflective parts are the invisible style that you can't even notice by day (until you take a photo and leave the flash on) but glows nicely when headlights shine on it.
9. Nice styling. The jacket drew compliments from other riders.
10. Great value for the price. I was shocked at how inexpensive the garment was considering how well made and feature packed it was.
11. Zipper attachment for pants with extra zipper lead to sew on any non Tourmaster riding pants you may have.

Thumbs down

1. Velcro on neck tab wore out but was cheap to fix
2. Inner waterproof pocket was only on one side. I put my wallet and registration in there. Behind the pocket was another inside pocket for my smart phone. Together they stacked up and it got quite bulky. I would prefer an extra waterproof inner pocket or move one to the opposite side.
3. Liner was useless as a secondary garment (This is not really the fault of Tourmaster).

To sum it up, I think this is a great touring jacket especially when you consider its low cost. If you are like me and hate fussing with pull-on style rain gear and enjoy well thought out jackets for motorcycling I'd go check out the Tourmaster Epic series. In Calgary you can get them at Universal Cycle, my preferred bike shop.
I can see myself getting another season 20,000km, or more, use out of it still.