Save, Spend, Splurge: Kevlar lined jeans

There’s a ton of kit to help keep for us bikers safe but sometimes you don’t always want go-faster stripes or fluorescent safety patches announcing your arrival.

Kevlar lined jeans look similar to a regular pair of jeans but key areas on the inside are lined with an abrasion resistant material. They’re designed to stop from tearing up should you go sliding down the road in an accident.

We’re not performing abrasion tests on these Kevlar lined jeans. Whilst safety levels may appear to increase with cost in this case, there’s certainly no doubt the jeans featured here would offer significantly more protection than a regular pair of jeans.

Save

Aldi Motorcycle Kevlar Jeans - £29.99

A lot of people might turn their noses up at motorcycle gear from a budget supermarket, but Aldi’s range of motorcycle kit is well worth a look. Especially for those of us who are counting the pennies.

And at a penny under £30, Aldi’s Kevlar lined jeans are cheaper than most pairs of casual jeans you’d find on your local High Street. At least there’s no ‘Aldi’ lable on the back of the jeans to advertise the fact you’re a cheapskate though.

The jeans feature double-stitched Kevlar/Aramid reinforcement lining on the bum, hip and knee areas. CE certified knee protectors are also included and fit in a non-adjustable pouch behind the knee.

The cut of the jeans is pretty basic and there’s no give in the denim at all. It’s no biggie, but they do border on ‘daddish’ if that’s a problem for you.

No matter what size waist within the 32-38” options available, these jeans all come with a rather large inside leg measurement of 34.5” inches. This was almost too much for my lanky legs whilst shorter members of staff had to resort to turns ups whilst trying them on for size.

Despite the long legs, the 32” jeans fitted me pretty well and I was happily surprised that the knee protectors actually covered my knees perfectly (unlike some other Kevlar lined jeans I’ve tried before). There are also inserts should you wish to fit your own hip protection.

They’re certainly well worth the money but the main downer is that you may be hard pushed to get hold of a pair. Aldi are known for great bargains on motorcycle kit but often only have them as ‘special buys’ when they can quite often sell out of stock very quickly.

What I liked
Large front pockets

Not so much
Poor availability*

Aldi Motorcycle Kevlar Jeans
Price £29.99
Colours Blue
Waist sizes 32-38”
Leg sizes 34.5” only
www.aldi.ie

*These jeans are actually made by Crane, and at the time of writing there are currently a couple of brand new pairs of Crane Kevlar lined jeans for sale on eBay.

Spend

RST Denim Dirty Jean - £89.99

Spend an extra £60 and you can get yourself a pair of RST Kevlar lined jeans. RST design all their gear at their R&D department in Derbyshire and know a thing or two about protection - They sponsor several BSB riders.

The RST ‘Dirty Jeans’ feature a similar surface layer of Kevlar/Aramid protection lining on the bum, hip and knee areas as the Aldi option. But the thickness of Kevlar on these jeans does seem to be ever so slightly thicker.

I certainly found these jeans comfier than Aldi’s offering and that’s mainly down to the attention to detail given to the knee area. An adjustable armour pocket allows you position the knee armour exactly where you want it. In addition to this, the knee armour itself is contoured for a better fit.

There are a hip pad pockets should you wish to add your own protection but these are removable if you're happy to ride without them. Just as well for me as I found the 32” jeans a little on the tight side around the hips and there’s no absolutely no give in the fabric (You may want to go up a size).

These jeans have a mixture of gold and white stitching with an RST logo embroided on both the rear pocket and the front money pocket (does anyone ever use those things?)

The styling was certainly enough to give the jeans a bit of character but without going overboard. These are the only jeans in this group to offer a choice of leg lengths. You may want to choose a length slightly longer than your usual though as any jeans will ride up when you sit on your bike.

What I liked
Adjustable knee armour pocket

Not so much
One of the side seams could have been a little neater

RST Denim Dirty Jean
Price £89.99
Colours ‘Dirty Blue’ and black (wax and cargo versions also available)
Waist sizes Waist 30-44”
Leg sizes Short, regular, long
www.rst-moto.com

Splurge

Draggin Next Gen Jeans - £199.99

Featuring stretch denim, the Draggin Next Gen jeans are seriously comfortable.

Unless you happen to recognise the yellow Draggin tab on the side seam, no one would ever realise these are actually a pair of safety jeans. They’re the world's first seamless motorcycle jeans so there’s no telltale panels or front seam to give the game away. Simply put, if you want your jeans to really look like regular denim jeans then these are the clear, if expensive, winners in this group.

But there’s more to these jeans than just their looks. Whilst they might not come equipped with any knee armour, Draggin are the makers of the only CE approved jeans in the world (for tear, burst & abrasion resistance).

The Draggin Next Gen jean’s protective area covers a larger area than that of the Aldi and RST jeans but it’s also stronger too.

A unique knit of Kevlar and Dyneema, the ‘world’s strongest fibre’, resists abrasion for more than 4 seconds. And Draggin claim that’s double the time of their nearest competitor.

They also feature sports net lining designed to keep you cool and comfortable.

As you would expect from a premium product, these jeans are finished to a very high standard. If you can afford them, you won’t regret buying a pair.

What I liked
Quality and comfort

Not so much
You’ll have to pay extra for knee armour

Draggin Next Gen Jeans
Price £199.99
Colours Blue and Indigo
Waist sizes Waist 28-44”
Leg sizes 34” only
www.thekeycollection.co.uk