Kevlar Leggings

[Zephyr]

I purchased a set of Kevlar leggings a while back and wanted to do a review for folks who may be interested in an alternate to jeans or riding pants.  Here are the leggings I decided to purchase:

https://www.bowtex.net/product-page/elite-leggings

As of right now I do not believe that you can purchase this item in the US.  I purchased through bikeexif / urbanrider.co.uk website as they had the best price and stock availability.  This product seems to be quite new to the marketplace, so I'm not sure when/if they will restock and future iterations may be slightly different than the item that I have.

This product is a base layer undergarment.  It is made from Dyneema/Nylon as an alternate to Kevlar.  The leggings have velcro pockets for knee and hip protection (sold separately) and an elastic ankle cuff and waist band.  All seams are flat stitched and no blemishes could be found in the construction of the item.

I chose this product over your typical kevlar leggin for 2 reasons:

1.  They are made from a more breathable fabric than kevlar.

2. They have the option for impact protection as well.

I had trouble finding a product that provided both slide and impact protection and I feel confident that these will serve that purpose admirably given the need.

Pros:

The fabric inside feels slippery which makes putting them on easy.

Excellent craftsmanship of product.

Provide both slide & impact protection.

Minimalist profile means that they can go under almost any pants, except for slim/skinny fit.

Breathable *

Cons:

The sizing is a bit off.  The website states "match to your favorite jeans", which would put me in an XL-2XL.  Measuring put me in a 3XL at the naval.  Reality is that a Large would probably provide the best (snug) fit.

The cut is a touch strange.  They are made to ride at the naval, which I'm ok with, but the crotch is cut a touch high, so that to place them at the naval leaves the inseam giving me a front wedgie (pick a side boys).  

The slickness and slightly strange cut means that throughout the day the waist tends to slide down like a pair of socks.  I reverted to folding them over the top of my pants to try and help hold them in place.  I feel like a pair of suspenders underneath would serve me well and allow me to tuck in my shirt again.

The leg length is good, bordering right at the edge of being long.

They may be the most breathable kevlar style legging available, but they will still overheat you pretty quick if you are doing any movement / strenuous activity.  They would be great for anyone in a dry climate and anyone that is in a cool climate where a little extra warmth is ok.  I live in Hawaii and don't think that I'll be able to wear these from June until September - basically any day above 78F and 60%rh, unless I'm just out for a ride.  

 

I have included a picture of the CE rated armor that they offer versus the D30 from my Klim K-Fifty 2 jeans.  I personally like the armor that they offer as it has a long taper to the edge making it "disappear" both in feel and looks better than the D30.  The D30 does feel like it would offer larger protection area for the knee, although the ACF hip armor felt like it sat better than the D30.  The ACF is a bit softer and more pliable than the D30 which further enhances the "invisible" look/feel of the leggings.

 

Overall I would purchase these again in the size I felt like I should have (Large).  Improvements could be made to the breath-ability aspect by adding mesh/breathable fabric in non critical areas (behind the knee; inner thighs; etc) basically where you shouldn't require abrasion protection.  The waist band could be lowered so that it sits just above the pants waist rather than high at the naval.  They could even add a mesh liner in the upper half to promote airflow to get it closer to a true 4-season piece of gear.

(My mindset for purchasing was to allow for the flexibility to wear any "off the rack" pants and still maintain proper protection.  I think that I'll get a lot of use out of the leggings, specifically when commuting to job-site & client meetings, etc where I need to have more business oriented attire.  I'll likely continue to use my Klim jeans for any day where I'll be walking the job-site or doing inspections, especially as we enter into the hotter months of the year.  For general rides, then I would be happy with either option.)