RST’s Paragon 7 touring jacket is tough, comfortable and built to go the distance in all weathers

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The RST Pro Series Paragon 7 textile jacket is a tough but comfortable all-weather, all-season touring jacket that is built to last. The official blurb says it is upgraded from the Paragon 6 with Level 2 CE rated armour, a ton more features, and a more relaxed fit.

My first impression was that I could ride anywhere in this jacket. It is a well-thought-out piece of kit and built for the open road, but after riding with a mesh jacket all last summer I wasn’t sure how cool it would be. The more I rode in it, the more I found out.

Is the RST Paragon 7 comfortable?

I got it during a hot spell and the first thing I did was look for ventilation. There are six intake vents on the front and two large exhaust ones on the back. They work well in pulling the breeze through and I’ve not yet felt uncomfortable on a hot day. Like all good textile jackets, the Paragon 7 material is breathable as well as waterproof. It is a rugged feeling jacket which inspires confidence on the bike.

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It does feel heavy to hold, but once I put it on it didn’t seem like a weight on my shoulders and the fit was perfect. Obviously when I remove the inner thermal liner there’s a bit more room, but I also wear an airbag vest so there’s plenty of space for that.

How practical is it?

It fits well out of the box so it’s easier than any of my other jackets to put on and take off, though as mentioned, it is heavy to swing around my shoulders. There are five outer and five inner pockets which are well placed and I find them all very useful. The two massive front pockets can actually fit most of the contents of my tank bag if I wanted them to. Cleverly placed – and almost concealed – on the sides of each of the front pockets are two zip up pockets that create storage space behind the front pockets.

On the inside of the jacket there are the standard zip-up phone pockets on both sides of the jacket and two inner fob pockets suitable for passports and documents. Of course, there’s the traditional map pocket at the back, which would again take most of the contents of my tank bag if I wanted it to.

Is it a good looking jacket?

As an adventure/touring jacket I think it looks great. I have the black version with tastefully placed Yellow Flo reflective strips that really stand out at night. It’s also well shaped and looks as good worn as hanging on the rack. There are adjustable waist and sleeve Velcro tabs so you can get the perfect fit.

It won’t look out of place riding around town or heading to the local bikers café, but it’s quite a hefty jacket and I think it’s more suited for crunching the miles in all weathers.

What about the quality of the RST Paragon 7?

The jacket itself is top quality – materials, design, functionality – but a couple of items let it down in my opinion. The main zip is temperamental and can take many tries before it successfully does up. It’s a chunky zip and should operate smoothly, but it often doesn’t. I’m not sure if my jacket has a faulty zip, but someone I know who worked at YKK says it doesn’t align properly at the beginning (see image below) so it sticks as soon as I start pulling the zip up.

My other problem is the sleeves don’t have zips like all my other jackets and only rely on Velcro to tighten snugly over my gloves. The Velcro strips are not long enough so there’s only so far I can tighten them on my summer gloves. That leaves loose spaces which lets the wind flow up my arms and it’s quite distracting on long rides.

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What level of protection does this jacket offer?

The RST Paragon 7 is constructed with a tough textile material called MaxTex and reinforced with Ballistic inserts. It comes with the highest rated Level 2 armour for the shoulders, elbows and back. There are also pockets for chest armour, which is sold separately. There’s a removable throat collar which I haven’t needed to use yet, but it looks like it would certainly keep the nasties out.

Does the RST Paragon 7 offer good value for the price?

There’s nothing flimsy or cheap about the RST Pro Series Paragon 7 jacket. It’s packed with useful features and will do what it’s designed to do, so I believe it is reasonably priced for a quality piece of gear.

Here are a few other textile touring jackets you could check out that are around the same price range:

• Alpinestars Hyde XT Drystar XF jacket
• Oxford Rockland Textile jacket
• Rev’it Ladies Lavante 2 H2O Textile jacket

My verdict

I expect this jacket to last for many more years of my riding and touring career. It’s good looking, tough, and built for travelling through rain, shine or freezing cold and I see it as a good long-term investment, despite a couple of foibles. It does come with accompanying trousers which I’ll be reviewing in the near future (spoiler – they’re just as good).

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