Okay, so I’ve been meaning to upgrade the protection in my riding jacket for a while now. Just the standard stuff it came with didn’t feel like enough, especially after a couple of close calls on the road. I finally got around to doing it, so here’s how it all went down.
Getting Started
First things first, I pulled out the old armor. My jacket has these pockets at the elbows, shoulders, and back. The original pads were pretty flimsy, just thin foam. Popped those out no problem.
The New Armor
I went with some CE Level 2 armor I found. Figured it was worth the extra investment for better impact protection. They’re definitely thicker and more substantial than the old ones. You can feel the difference right away.
Fitting It In
- Elbows: These slid in pretty easily. The pockets in my jacket were a good fit, and the armor shaped to my arm nicely.
- Shoulders: Same deal here. Slipped them in, and they sat in place just fine.
- Back: This one was a little trickier. The pocket was a bit tight, and the armor was a bit bigger than the original pad. I had to work it in there, folding it slightly to get it to fit. Took a bit of wiggling, but I finally got it in.
The Result
Once everything was in, I put on the jacket. Definitely feels a bit bulkier, but in a good way. Like I’m actually wearing some decent protection. I moved my arms around, did a few stretches, just to make sure everything was comfortable and didn’t restrict my movement too much. Felt good!
I haven’t had a chance to test it out on a long ride yet, but just wearing it around the house, I already feel much more confident. It’s like, you know, you hope you never need it, but it’s good to know it’s there. Anyway, that’s my little armor upgrade project. Pretty straightforward, and definitely worth doing!
