Halvarssons Dalen jacket review

Before we get in to Halvarssons' laminated Dalen suit I wanted to get a few things off my chest.

And that's because whilst we accept that laminated membranes offer some benefits to some people, laminated jackets and pants have a much higher propensity to fail. And by fail, I mean leak. And that's because they are intrinsically more difficult and more complex to put together. All it takes is one piece of tape to be improperly applied, and the result will be water ingress.

In the motorcycle world, every manufacturer is in a battle to offer more utility for less money. And so the natural way of things is for companies to cut corners. To allocate less time to the making of a jacket or pant, and to save a few bucks by using slightly cheaper fabrics and materials.

But when it comes to laminated garments, that's a recipe for disaster.

The problem is that almost every motorcyclist out there has managed to convince himself that if he's going to go out in the rain he needs a laminated outfit. That's complete and utter bollards. 95% of bikers don't need one, but they're swayed by some know-it-all down the pub who told them they did. And so there are lots of laminated, motorcycle jackets and pants out there. And they work fine for those who very rarely go out in the wet. But the more you ride in the rain the more likely it is that your jacket/pant will fail. Now if that happens within the one, two or three year warranty period you will be covered, but after that you'll be on your own. And, in our book, a motorcycle suit that only does its job for a couple of years makes no sense at all.

And that's why, historically, we have always been of the view that if you wanted a truly reliable laminated jacket or pant, you should go for one with a Gore-Tex membrane. You will pay a little bit more, but with Gore the membrane will be guaranteed for life. So if your jacket springs a leak in 10 years' time, Gore will replace it or repair it. Often they will just send you an cheque. And it's a guarantee that stands up. It really does.

No other membrane manufacturer guarantees its membranes, but Gore feels it can because it has confidence, firstly, in the quality of its membranes, but also because they instruct the clothing manufacturers on how to put their garments together. They don't allow the corners to be cut.

And so if you want reliable protection from the wet stuff you have two choices. You go with something with a much more dependable, drop-liner membrane, or if you insist on going laminated, you go with something with a Gore-Tex membrane. For us it has long been this simple.

Halvarssons laminated products

We like the Halvarssons brand. They make solid, dependable gear. But they have in the past struggled with their laminates, and their failure rate has historically been higher than we are comfortable with.

Come into the shop for a Halvarssons laminated suit, and we will always explain the issues. But those who don't ride big miles have often been prepared to accept the risks. Whilst others simply cannot afford the extra cost of garments with Gore-Tex laminated membranes. Because, as I’ve mentioned, they will always be more expensive.

Halvarssons, as a company, was bought by a distributor a few years ago. The company promptly dropped our favourite drop-liner suit. And we didn't think the laminated suits they replaced them with always came up to the mark. Indeed, we actually felt that there was a bit of a drop in quality across the entire Halvarssons range.

But it is clear that Halvarssons has listened to criticisms, and their latest, laminated suit, the Dalen, appears to be cut from a different cloth, so to speak. We have taken the Dalen apart, and examined it in detail, and the taping of the membrane looks just like it does in a Rukka suit, and that's encouraging. Such that we feel we can get behind the Dalen. Although, in truth, only time will tell whether it performs as one would hope.

And so what I am going to do now is talk through the jacket and pants in some detail. At the end I will circle back to talk about pricing, warranties and so on, because whilst the Dalen appears to offer good value, with Halvarssons you are are only going to get a three-year warranty on waterproofing; and not a lifetime one!

The Halvarssons Dalen jacket

Halvarssons really has done a great job on the spec. of this jacket. They have thrown everything at it; the best bits from all the Halvarssons jackets that have gone before. And so they have managed to create a jacket that is going to protect you from the elements just as well as it will in the event of an accident. It's going to be comfortable to live with, and easy to wear. We like the way it looks too.

Anyway, let's get in to it.

The outer chassis of the jacket contains a good deal of stretch. We're seeing this a lot more in motorcycle gear, and it's important because who doesn't want to be comfortable on the bike? Concertina banding in the elbows and behind the neck further contribute to the cosseting nature of the Dalen, as do the adjustable, elasticated straps at the waist and on the biceps. A nice, little touch is a soft panel at the front of the collar to cushion the adam's apple. Comfort really is what the Dalen is all about.

We also like the cut-out at the front of the jacket that will serve to prevent the collar from pushing up into the neck.

But none of this means that the Dalen gives away anything in terms of its strength. And indeed the jacket is AA-rated for abrasion resistance under EN 17092. Halvarssons cites the use of Hi-Art for extra reinforcement in the elbows and shoulders. And you get added Keprotec-style panels that run across the shoulders and down the forearms. But that doesn't necessarily mean that these components deliver abrasion resistance over and above AA. They may just be the reason the jacket meets the AA standard in the first place. This isn't clear.

As we all know, EN17092 is not an indicator of a garment's protective qualities. More important in many ways is the armour. And the good news here is that the Dalen features Halvarssons' super-pliable, super-vented and super-large, Level 2 armour. We rate it highly. What we rate less highly is Halvarssons' optional, back protector. It's not very nice, so we would always go for a Level 2, D3O protector instead. If you want to go the whole nine yards you could also add in Halvarssons’ chest protector.

The 3-layer membrane in the jacket is Halvarssons' own Dryway membrane. Now this is a tried and trusted membrane, and Halvarssons tells us that it scores 20 and 20 for both waterproofing and breathability. That's impressive. It's not quite Gore-Tex, 3-layer impressive, but with this membrane you can still be confident that you'll stay both cool and dry in the Dalen.

Another thing that Halvarssons always highlights is that their garments feature a Durable Water Repellant waterproof coating. And undoubtedly that’s the case, but it's no big deal. Every waterproof jacket or pant will be treated with one. It's this DWR that acts as the first barrier against the rain; and to prevent wetting out.

One of the benefits of a laminated jacket, of course, is that the venting is direct-to-body. If the membrane is laminated, or bonded, to the inner surface of the outer shell, when there's a vent there is nothing to impede the airflow to the body.

And to maximise this benefit Halvarssons has endowed the Dalen with huge, huge vents. On the chest both vents are accessed by twin zips. You then get a strap that goes around the centre panel in order to maximise the airflow to the chest. You get a similar arrangement on the back of the jacket. The zips at the ends of the sleeves can also serve as vents if undone from the top. In all honesty, there can't be many better vented touring jackets out there. The Dalen isn't classed as an adventure jacket. In Halvarssons' world that would be the Mora or the Sunne. But actually the Dalen would work as well on an adventure bike as any laminated jacket. And much better than some.

In terms of insulation, the Dalen is fully lined with Outlast. Now Outlast is clever stuff that works well in motorcycle garments. It stores heat to keep you warm when the temperature drops. And it will absorb heat from the body when you overheat in order to help you stay cool. It’s not an insulator, per se; it’s more a temperature regulator.

But as high as our regard for Outlast is, we do have a problem with a fixed Outlast liner in a laminated jacket, because it will simply impede that much vaunted, direct-to-body venting.

The Dalen also comes with a gilet, although it's nothing particularly special. It’s wadded with a material called Innoborne that is similar to Primaloft or Thinsulate. The vest could be worn as a destination jacket, but truth be told it’s not a particularly stylish affair. Our inclination would probably be to replace it with something more technical; something thinner; something warmer!

The other stuff, really, is just detail. So two external, supposedly-waterproof pockets, although we would think of them more as water resistant. You get one pocket in the Outlast lining. There are no pockets in the vest. There’s a large map pocket on the back of the jacket. At the neck of the jacket you get a removable, storm collar. Finally, there’s a zip to connect the jacket to a Halvarssons pant. The jacket also features some hi-vis, reflective panels.

As is nearly always the case with a suit, the Dalen pants mirror the jacket in most aspects of their design and construction.

So the same, stretchy, outer shell. The same 3-layer, laminated membrane. The same AA rating under EN17092. The same Level 2 armour. The same fixed, Outlast lining. The same removable, Innoborne-filled lining. The same Keprotec-style overlays. And so on.

You get two zip pockets and two cargo pockets. There are incoming and outgoing vents on the thighs. At the waist you get a neat, double-sided, elasticated adjuster.

For comfort there's concertina banding at the knees and in the back of the waist. There's a small patch of material - probably not real leather - to prevent sliding around in the saddle. At the bottom of the legs are zips to enable the trousers to go over a touring boot, or even a crossover, adventure boot. There's also a bit of hi-viz banding at the bottom of the leg.

The pants come with braces, but also with a 360 degree zip to allow you to connect the pants to a Halvarssons jacket.

Like the jacket, the pants cover a wide range of sizes; in fact, from 48, a 30" waist; up to 62, a 44" waist. In the past, Halvarssons' trousers have often come in short, regular and long lengths. Unfortunately, there's no long leg in the Dalen pant. But inexcusably there's no short leg in the two, largest waist sizes: 42" and 44". And that's simply a mistake. Tummies are not always proportionate to heigh. Unfortunately, as we get fatter we do not also get taller and, in our experience, people with 42” and 44” waists are not seven foot tall. They tend to be shorter of leg; and for these people it would have been nice to have a short leg option.

This is something that Rukka understands, but clearly right now Halvarssons doesn't.

Still; not the end of the world. Nothing's ever perfect.

So where do we get to?

The Dalen is a lovely suit. It is going to be nice to wear, you should stay dry in it, and it shouldn't wet out. If it all goes Peter Tong it will protect you.

The jacket costs £650. The pant costs £480. And whilst that doesn't make for a cheap suit, a little over £1100 doesn't seem unreasonable for a laminated suit of this quality, and of this spec..

But it perhaps doesn't look like quite such good value when you compare it with something like the Rukka Kalix 3. Now the Rukka costs £1300; just £200 more. But for that extra £200 you get a six-year manufacturer's warranty as opposed to Halvarssons' three-year one. More importantly, of course, you get a lifetime Gore-Tex waterproofing warranty with the Rukka, whilst with the Halvarssons you will only get the same three years.

And so, in terms of warranties, the Kalix 3 suit offers a lot more reassurance for not a lot of extra money. £200 just doesn't seem a lot for an extra three years on the product itself, and the added bonus of waterproofing guaranteed for life.

But here's the thing.

If you're a Police rider, and that's who the Kalix 3 was produced for, the six-year warranty on the suit and the lifetime warranty on waterproofing might be important. But the Kalix is not a particularly nice suit to wear. It is functional, and does a job, but it has none of the bells and whistles that make a suit pleasant to ride in, and easy to live with. And with its venting, the Halvarssons is going to be so much nicer than the Rukka in hot weather.

Another option might be the Rukka Kemi. On a pari-pasu basis, it’s the same price as the Kalix. It’s much more comfortable than the Kalix, but the membrane isn't a Gore one, so you get a six-year warranty on waterproofing rather than a lifetime one. Still, six years is much better than the Dalen's three.

There's also the Gore-Tex, laminated Latitude suit from Klim. This is meant to be a road suit, but the bagginess of the pants might suggest otherwise. Now the Latitude is about £200 more than the two Rukka outfits; and therefore £400 more than the Halvarssons. But, as with the two Finnish outfits, you're going to get a lifetime waterproofing warranty with the Klim suit. In addition to their somewhat-misleading lifetime warranty on manufacturing faults!

Our point here is a simple one. Not everything is as it first appears. We like the Dalen, but the more miles you do, the more important the warranty becomes. And three years is not massively reassuring. For not a lot more money, you can get a lot more reassurance elsewhere.

Of course, as the Dalen is so new we cannot be sure how it will stand up to the rigours of motorbiking. We don't know how reliable the laminated membrane will be. And whether the long vent zips will be totally waterproof. But if you're somebody who rides, say, 5k miles a year, the Dalen will probably be more than you need. If you're a 10k+ a year rider, then you may find the reassurance of a suit with a Gore-Tex membrane a bonus.

But, as ever, it's a gamble. Nobody knows the right answer.

Making sure you get it right

We have long been the Halvarssons people. We know the gear. We know the good stuff and the stuff that’s not-so-good. Importantly, we will be able to tell you what will work for your kind of riding. These days, you'll find Halvarssons in the chains, but visit one of the multiples and you'll be largely left to your own devices. They won’t know much about the brand, and how it works. You are simply not going to get the advice you need. You will be on your own.

You are also going to discover that not many dealers hold much of their gear on the shop floor. Even the largest stores lack the space to do justice to the Halvarssons' collection. We are the only shop in the country that's large enough to always hold the entire Halvarssons range in all its sizes. And what this means is that if you don't want to waste a lot of time you should perhaps come and visit us here in Guildford.

As ever, we'll do it right. And if we reckon that the Dalen is, for whatever reason not for you, we'll do that right too!

You can buy a Halvarssons Dalen jacket with free next day UK delivery online, or visit our store in Guildford to try it on.