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[Hawg]

Does anyone have this jacket and if so what is your opinion?

[porthole]

I don't have it - but every time I go to eh local shop I check the discount rack - it is on my list - but I won't pay the list price for it.

So far the small and mediums have been on the rack. As soon as it is discontinued I guess the rest will be there

[Midnight Rider]

Does anyone have this jacket and if so what is your opinion?

I don't have that exact jacket (yet...it's coming from a discount house), but had one of the original versions back in '07-08 and LOVED it, though I never used the waterproof liner.  The outside panels on the jacket are very water resistant, but when it's really raining, I stop and put on breathable rain gear to keep from getting that "clammy" feeling (I have the paclite breathable HD jacket, and some Arc'Teric (sp?) bib type shell pants)  Using it on a 10 day trip that included temps from 90 degrees down to 50, it was all I needed on top of a short sleeved t-shirt.  If it was colder than that, I'd probably put on a lightweight fleece jacket/or pullover underneath it, and perhaps the waterproof liner for an extra layer, if needed.  My old jacket was very versitile, so I expect this one to be the same, as it is designed exactly the same, just a different color.  I love my Fox Creek Leather Jacket best, but when the temps get above 80, it's just too much, and it's hard to store 'cause it's such thick leather.  The zip off panels on the Switchback jacket come off easily, and store without taking up much space at all...then you have a nice mesh jacket that still offers some decent protection from road rash.  When temps reach 90-100 down here in Alabama, as long as you're moving, the mesh works fine, but NOTHING is cool enough down here in the summer with 80% humugity sitting in traffic...

[ice6900]

I have one of them jackets, bought off the sale rail!
when I first bought it, I wasnt convinced at the point of having the rain liner on the inside of the Jacket. Why get your jacket wet? So just be careful what you keep in the jacket pockets. I must say the rain liner prooved to be a great asset as a wind break and I wear it even when its not raining when the temps are a bit chilly. I dont keep the rain jacket attached to the main jacket, I wear them seperate which makes the whole set up easier to take off and forgetting that I am wearing the rain liner.
 i have had the jacket 3years now, during that time I have only once removed the mid panel and sleeves to use it on a hot summers day. Its not a two minute job to take it off any on again. It did proove a great asset on a very hot summer day, as the protective liners are still fitted in the light weight summer set-up.
 
I would buy this style of Jacket again!

[Hawg]

Thanks for your input, what about the armor what do you think about it?

[Buy early]

 My wife has the women's version. She loves it. Very flexible.

[ice6900]

Thanks for your input, what about the armor what do you think about it?

Well I have never put it to a road rash test. There is some removeable protection within the jacket which probably might save your skin on a short slide, the armor is not uncomfortable to wear, after a while you dont even notice the armor.

I have on an occasion I did road test a winter jacket on a 90kph slide on a motorway, the garment clothing and the elbow protector worn right though and I received minor road scaring on my elbow, on my hip the leather jeans wore through and also wore out one leather riding boot also burning my inside ankle knuckle a tad!

[Midnight Rider]

Thanks for your input, what about the armor what do you think about it?

Again, going by my older version, the armor was never an issue, nor uncomfortable while riding.  It does make the jacket a bit harder to wad up and store in a saddlebag, but then it's not doing you much good if it's riding in the saddlebag.   The armor is flexible enough not to be a comfort issue, IMO, and if it bugs you, it's easy to remove.  All in all, it's probably about as good as it gets for riding in warmer weather.  Judi (my BSR) has an Olympia Airglide 3...very similar jacket in function, though different in that it does not have the outer panels, but does have both a rain liner and a thermal liner, both of which are removeable, and can be worn by themselves.  It's one of the nicer mesh style jackets I've seen, and was a real contender for me until I found the one we're talking about.  The Olympia might be just a bit more versitile because of the thermal liner, but on the other hand, it does not have the zip off outer panels.  I figure I'll just carry my thin, lightweight, windproof fleece jacket for those times when I might need an extra thermal layer.  Judi likes her Olympia though, and that is another option worth a look.

[porthole]

Judi likes her Olympia though, and that is another option worth a look.

I have a pair of their pants - like those too.
Bought them several years ago while in Maggie Valley and freezing my butt off.

[Midnight Rider]

OK...got the Bracket Jacket in and immediately sent it back.  While it is a nice jacket overall, the zip off part of the jacket is only about 8" wide, running around the middle part of the jacket, front to back, horizontally.  That is NOT enough ventilation, IMO, for temps over 80 degrees, which is my whole purpose for having a jacket like this.  So, I got something else, non HD.  I'll sew a patch on it