Regular readers may recall my rant last month on the difficulties of finding high-end (read: waterproof) motorcycle jackets for women. The end of my quest did, in fact, end up being in Finland, home of Rukka. (I’ve been told to say “Roo-ka”!) Thanks to the fine folks at Premier Motogear, calls to Europe were made, orders were placed, and after 15 days and 5300 miles, The Jacket arrived on Saturday. When one blows this kind of money on a single piece of gear, capital letters are in order!

This report grew into a giant behemoth of a review, so you’ll have to click through the jump to keep reading.

Product Information

Manufacturer: Rukka
Model: Mia
Year of Manufacture: not sure, probably 2008
MSRP: 429,95 EUR ($597 USD as of publication date)
Size: 38
Color: 940 safety colour (i.e. high-viz yellow)
Purchased From: Premier Motogear

Manufacturer’s Description

Materials:

• Abrasion-resistant mc-approved Cordura 500.
• Reflective printed Cordura 500
• Breathable, wind- and waterproof with Z-liner Gore-Tex Performance Shell membrane

Protectors:

• RVP air Protectors meet therequirements of CE Norm EN 1621-1

Special:

• Detachable thermal-lining (60 g)
• Soft neoprene in collar.
• Width adjustment on upper arm
• Jacket and trousers can be zipped together
• Generous four pockets; two inside(waterproof) including mobile phonepocket and two outside

Colour
081 beige, 090 brown, 197 brown, 650 red, 940 safety colour, 990 black

Size
34-50; sizes 48-50 in colour 990

Weight
2,0 kg – size 38 with protectors

First Impressions

It’s somewhat ironic that the day my long-awaited jacket arrived, it was sunny, then cloudy, then a little of both, and not a drop of rain in sight. Don Weber’s phone call was music to my ears, and by the time I arrived at the shop, he and Debbie already had the jacket unpacked and ready to go.

Fit

I took a big chance ordering this jacket sight unseen, especially considering the price tag. When I placed my order, Don took down some measurements and sent them over to his contacts in Europe, who suggested a size 38. Since my Rev’it jacket is also a size 38, this helped reassure me that I was getting the right size. Still, I have to admit that I was holding my breath when I put the jacket on for the first time!

Thankfully, the Mia jacket seems true to size. I would say that the cut is slightly looser than with my Rev’it Angel jacket. Since I tend to run cold while riding, I specifically asked Don to err on the larger size to give me the room I needed to layer; yes, even in addition to the included insulating liner!

Rukka makes the Mia jacket as a companion to the men’s Marco jacket. The Mia is clearly designed to fit women. The shoulders are not as wide, the arms are more narrow, and there are adjusters on each side at the waist to fine-tune the fit. The Mia isn’t a true 3/4 length jacket as it only hangs down just past the top of my hips. The length is cut to provide extra coverage in the back, and it’s been more than adequate so far at preventing drafts from pushing cold air up into my back. The bottom hem has two adjustments on each side: a vertical zipper that can be opened to gain a couple more inches in circumference, and a horizontal hook-and-loop that can bring the hem in. I think I speak for most women riders when I say that the more adjustments around the hips, the better.

The sleeves are slightly longer than would be perfect, but I can live with that. There’s a button snap adjuster at each elbow for tightening the sleeves, with three possible settings that provide a wide range of adjustment. The cuff is tightened by a strip of hook-and-loop in lieu of a zipper or button closure. I prefer to wear my gloves with the gauntlet part under my sleeves, with the cuffs cinched down nice and secure. I’m not sure I would want to wear my gloves on top of the sleeves due to the bulk of the cuffs.

Materials and Workmanship

The first thing that impressed me is how thick the material is. The outer shell of the jacket is made from Cordura 500. The feel of the fabric is thick, but not overly stiff. Perhaps time and wear will cause the jacket to break in, but even if it doesn’t, I feel it would be just fine.

The jacket also has an inner liner made from quilted material. The liner zips easily into the shell via two zippers. Unfortunately, I still felt very cold with the liner in while riding in 40 degree F weather. Wearing my traditional fleece layer definitely helped. Yup, I wear four layers while on the bike in near-freezing weather: t-shirt, fleece pullover, jacket liner, and shell! Those of you who are more warmblooded are advised to layer accordingly. The jacket can accommodate.

A welcome feature that also helps during colder rides is the inch or so of neoprene that sticks up from the collar. The neoprene does a good job of blocking the wind, and it’s comfortably soft against my neck. Even better, it doesn’t seem to interfere with the chinstrap of my helmet. The collar itself is lined with a soft corduroy material that also feels very nice. The neck is secured by a hook-and-loop closure, and Rukka added a nice detail of an extra patch of loop to hook the free end of the closure to so it doesn’t fly around in the wind — useful when the weather is nicer and you don’t really need to close the neck completely.

I have a thing for details, particularly with garments. This is probably a throwback from growing up poor; mom went over every potential purchase with an inspector’s eye for detail. After giving the jacket my own thorough inspection, I have to say that it more than passes muster. The stitching is neat and even, with very few loose ends (and only at the end of the stitch where the thread has been tied off). Even areas of more complexity — where the body and side panels meet an external pocket, for example — exhibit excellent sewing. Quality sewing seems to be an area where the European brands excel, regardless of the point of manufacture.

Features

Another area where the Euro brands do very well is in the small, but extremely helpful features that are almost too obvious when you notice them, the why doesn’t everyone do this? factor if you will. The Mia jacket does not disappoint. All the front buttons are covered with rubber to protect paint. The rubber has “Rukka” and small grooves imprinted on it, which makes it even easier to grab each button while wearing gloves. Inside the cuffs, there are color coded buttons that make securing the sleeves of the liner absolutely trivial. No more sticking your arm down the sleeve to make sure the liner isn’t twisted up! The zippers securing the liner to the outer shell are also color coded.

Perhaps the most interesting feature is the strap that hangs down perpendicular to the back zipper where you’d attach matching pants. I’ve been trying to figure out the best way to explain this, but I just can’t mince words here and get the point across. So here it is: it’s a strap that goes from the back and around the crotch area to secure to the front. My guess is that this is Rukka’s way of preventing the dreaded “wet crotch” that often accompanies a true downpour. I haven’t had a chance to test it out yet, but in the meantime, it’s secure in an out of the way spot via hook-and-loop tape.

There are four pockets on the Mia: two zippered pockets on the front, and two chest pockets, one on either side. The chest pocket on the left (while wearing the jacket) is presumably waterproof, and also has a small cell phone pocket inside. Adventure riders who love fishing-vest style jackets will be disappointed with the Mia. For me, four pockets is enough.

The Mia comes with shoulder, elbow, and arm protectors. A zipper on the arm provides access to the armor pockets; shoulder armor to the top pocket, and elbow/forearm to the lower pocket. The “RVP air” protectors are CE certified and are of an open-cell type construction. The armor is comfortable, and I’ve been told that it should break in with time. The lack of any back protection is disappointing, though there is a generously sized pocket in the back to add armor after the fact.

Water and Windproofing

I commute on my bike year ’round, and I had two requirements for this purchase: it had to be 100% waterproof, and it had to have high-viz color. Once-every-generation “Arctic blasts” notwithstanding, Oregon winters are pretty mild, generally staying above freezing. On the flip side, it rains from late September to June. So I needed a jacket that could handle lots and lots of water. At this point, I don’t have a reason to doubt my choice in the Mia. I finally hit some real rain today and it beaded up and rolled off the outer surface. The more serious downpours will have to get through the jacket’s Gore-tex liner, which I believe is an integral part of the shell. Regardless, three days is not sufficient time to evaluate the true capabilities of the waterproofing in this jacket, and so I will be posting six month and twelve month reports with updates in the future.

Lest I forget, the jacket also has a storm closure over the front (main) zipper. The following steps are required to close the jacket: zip up the liner, zip up the shell, fold the waterproof storm flap over, then button up and secure the neck. I’m not sure anything’s getting through that kind of protection.

Since 100% waterproofing was my goal, I’m not bothered by the fact that there are zero vents on this jacket. In fact, it does a great job of keeping the wind out. If this jacket’s going to breathe at all, it’s going to have to live up to Gore-tex’s reputation. As I’ve said previously, I run cold and don’t really need venting until summer, which is when I pull my mesh jacket out of the closet anyway.

Visibility

The Mia is the only women’s Rukka jacket that has a high-viz color option. As you can see from the pictures, the high-viz doesn’t cover the entire jacket. Instead, there are high-viz panels on the arms, front, and back of the jacket. The rest of the shell is black. Personally, I like how this jacket looks and think it’s a good tradeoff between the 100% high-viz of the Aerostich Darien and the zero visibility I had with my black Rev’it jacket. In addition to the high-viz, the jacket has 3M Scotchlite piping running all over the outer shell, and the Rukka “ladder” logos are also printed with retro-reflective material. See the pictures in the gallery, as they demonstrate the reflectiveness of the jacket better than words can.

Speaking of logos, the jacket has a Rukka logo at the neck closure, another on the chest, one on a cuff strap, and another on the lower back. Compared to my Rev’it gear, which has logos plastered over nearly every square inch of surface, the relative subtlety of the Rukka branding is a welcome change of pace.

Summary

The Rukka Mia is a jacket built for bad weather. The cut is clearly feminine and the jacket features plenty of adjusters to fine-tune the fit. Tough materials and solid craftsmanship indicate a quality product, though the insulating liner leaves something to be desired. The Mia includes CE certified protective armor, plenty of retro-reflective areas, and a high-viz color option. The jury’s still out on the waterproofing capability, so further updates will be posted in the future. And if you really, really read this far, I salute you!

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Tagged as: jacket, mia, Motorcycling, review, rukka