Belstaff Long Way Up review | Rukka-beating motorcycle textiles?

Date reviewed: October 2024 | Tested by: John Milbank | Price: £1,250 & £850 | www.belstaff.com

The Belstaff Long Way Up jacket and trousers on review here are quite a change from the wax cotton and retro casual-style that’s usually associated with the brand, but having thrown pretty much every top-spec material and construction method at them, these textiles could be a very real challenge to brands like Rukka, Klim and Stadler.

Some might consider the Long Way Up badge sewn onto the chest of this Belstaff jacket as a simple marketing cash-in (Charley Boorman wore the gear for about 13,000 miles in his ride with Ewan McGregor from Argentina to LA), but having used it myself for several months – in all weathers – on a 2019 R1250GS and a Zontes ZT350-T, it’s proven to have some excellent design touches that make it an outstanding piece of kit…

Pros & Cons

Construction and fit

This is the ‘Dark Sand’ version of the Belstaff Long Way Up jacket and trousers, but it’s also available in ‘Grey/Black’ or ‘Olive/Black’. Sizes for the jacket range from XS to 5XL, and 28 to 44 for the trousers.

Fit is of course subjective, but I’m usually a size large, yet had to go for the XL jacket and 42 trousers. This all fits me great, but it’s surprising to find that the trousers only have one size available up from mine, yet the jacket has four more.

The trousers fit me great, but there are no alternative leg-lengths offered so if you’re long or short in the leg, do check carefully how well these fit, and whether the knee armour sits in the right place (though it is adjustable).

Thanks to the full armour throughout the jacket and trousers, this is relatively heavy kit, the jacket weighing 3.98kg and the trousers 2.38kg (640g heavier than the Rukka Kingsley jacket, but 80g lighter than the Kingsley trousers), but once on I didn’t find it a problem at all, whether off the bike or walking around.

What struck me when I first tried it on is that this Belstaff kit feels quite stiff, though within about 100 miles it was easing, and now it’s fine, only let down by the left forearm pocket, which tends to press into the crook of my arm, and the knee armour fasteners.

Set behind the back protector is a pocket for a hydration pack – which is a great addition – though as it’s inside, this can affect the fit a bit. I’d have preferred to see it on the outside of the back, which would also mean the pipe doesn’t have to be run under and out of the collar to the retaining strap on the outside of the right upper chest.

My only other minor niggle with the design is that the Velcro hooks on the collar can snag on my Arai Quantic’s cheek pad liner if I haven’t sealed the Belstaff neck properly or it’s clipped open for added ventilation.

A particularly notable design feature of the Belstaff Long Way Up jacket is that the main zip doesn’t go all the way to the bottom of the hem. It’s a fairly long jacket, but having the bottom start 17cm higher than I’d expect (on this size XL) means that when you sit on the bike the two sides lay across your legs, rather than bunching up uncomfortably.

The insides of the knees feature a large leather patch to protect your bike’s paintwork and provide better grip, while the bum has a grippy patch to reduce unwanted saddle sliding.

The Belstaff Long Way Up comes with a five year warranty.

Protection & Certification

The Belstaff Long Way Up jacket and trousers are certified to AA under EN17092, meaning the abrasion resistance, seam strength and tear resistance have been independently tested and proven to offer a combined level of protection that’s better than an A-rated garment, but not as good as AAA. AA is pretty typical now of most good textile riding kit, though advances in material technology are seeing more flexible and lightweight products meeting AAA. For context, all the waterproof textile kit I ride in now is AA-rated.

This Belstaff gear comes with D3O Level 2 (the higher impact protection), Type B (the larger size template) armour at the back, shoulders, elbows, hips and knees. Plus there’s Level 1 protection at the chest and a small, thinner (uncertified) insert over the coccyx.

Coverage is excellent, the D30 ‘Xergo’ armour far exceeding the minimum size requirements of the Type B template, but it’s not the latest tech in armour, being an off-the-shelf range that was originally designed to be the biggest and best available for Klim, the US brand having since moved to a more ventilated D3O ‘Aero Pro’ range.

The chest amour is more ventilated than the other protectors fitted to the Belstaff Long Way Up riding kit. It’s all a great size, with the important hip protectors being much larger than in a lot of other kit

That’s not to say that the armour fitted in the Belstaff is poor by any stretch, and the limb protectors are also tested for cold and hot conditions (an optional test for armour certification). Plus I love how the knees protectors – for instance – stay in place so well and cup the joint, while also wrapping more around the sides than usual.

But it’s the knee armour – or at least its pocket – that lets this kit down a little for me as the Velcro closure presses against my knee cap, which can feel a bit uncomfortable over long rides. It might be a personal fit thing, so try it for yourself when buying.

All the armour sits and stays in exactly the right positions, and the knee protectors can be adjusted through four positions to get them sitting just right when on and off the bike. Two sets of three-position popper adjusters on each arm, and a set on each lower leg also allow the outer to be cinched tighter to keep the armour snug.

Tough, abrasion-resistant ‘Superfabric’ is located at the key impact areas of the shoulders, elbows and knees, while very effective 3M Scotchlite reflective logos – and a strip down the outside edge of each leg and cuffs – help with visibility. The large Belstaff logo on the rear is extremely bright!

From April 21 2018, all new motorcycle clothing is deemed to be Personal Protective Equipment (PPE). To meet this legislation, it must be tested to a recognised standard. For more information on the new laws, click here.

If you really wanted to, you could remove the logo on the chest pocket and it wouldn’t compromise the waterproofing as it’s just sewn into the top pocket flap

Pockets

The Belstaff Long Way Up jacket has two main waist pockets that are sealed with a flap and water-resistant zip, though these aren’t big enough for my large Google Pixel 7 Pro phone. My keys, wallet etc fit fine, and thanks to the way the bottom of the jackets opens up when sat down, they don’t dig into my legs like they do with some jackets.

There are two chest pockets, though these aren’t waterproof, and inside are a pair of Nelson pockets, tucked behind the zips that the chest protectors slot into, which are plenty big enough for my phone. There’s also a Velcro-closed pocket on the inside left lower, and below the back protector is a small hidden pocket that’s just about big enough – at a squeeze – for a passport (did you know that it’s the International Civil Aviation Organisation that’s responsible for passport standards, including size? Here’s a really interesting article on the world’s passports).

The left forearm also features a pocket with water-resistant zip that could be handy for toll cards etc (your passport won’t fit), but I found this sits a little too high on the arm, so the end of the zip digs into the inside of my elbow.

On the back of the jacket is a large, waterproof map pocket, while on the trousers you’ll find a top-entry (non-waterproof) pocket on the left leg with a small extra pocket inside, and a side entry one with water-resistant zip on the right leg.

Overall it’s a well-thought-out set-up that’s just missing the additional side-opening hand pockets with a warm lining that many are adding to jackets now.

Fastening

The jacket’s main zip is a chunky metal YKK Vislon puller running on smooth-action plastic teeth behind a storm flap. Another fun fact: YKK was registered as the trademark of Yoshida Kogyo K.K. in January 1946. The company was founded by Tadao Yoshida in January 1934, and the K.K. means Kabushiki Kaisha, literally translated as ‘stock company’, or as ‘Co., Ltd’.

Inside the jacket is an elasticated waist strap that can be removed if you don’t want it.

The trousers have a water-resistant fly with a gusset behind and a popper and clip top fastening. There’s also a set of removable braces on the trousers.

The front of the jacket has three poppers to keep the storm flap closed, and these have finger wells beneath them to make it even easier to fasten as you can get a finger on the top and bottom of them much more easily. It’s touches like this that will add to the production cost, but really are appreciated.

Adjustment

The Belstaff Long Way Up jacket has Velcro adjusters at the waist, two sets of three-position poppers on each arm and expansion zips at the bottom of each side.

The cuffs are closed with a zip and also have a Velcro strap adjuster to the side of this, which doesn’t bunch the zip up in use. Beneath this is an internal cuff that tucks under your gloves, but due to the size of the cuff, and the limit in how tightly it can be cinched shut, this Belstaff jacket can only really be worn with your gloves under the cuffs.

This is the best way to keep dry as water can’t run down the sleeves into the gloves’ linings, and the cuffs fold back easily making it quick and simple to tuck your gloves in. However, this does mean that you can’t quickly throw on a pair of gauntlet gloves, so unless you have short-cuff gloves, it’s an extra stage to kitting up that you’ll need to make. In future, it’d be great to see Belstaff move the flap further away from the zip and give a little more Velcro, so the cuff could be cinched to the bare wrist if you prefer.

The trousers have a Velcro belt on either side of the waist, a three-position popper adjuster below each knee, and plenty of space under the zip-closed leg bottoms for my TCX Drifter enduro boots, but enough Velcro to cinch up under smaller models well too.

Ventilation

There are an impressive number of vents on the Belstaff Long Way Up jacket and trousers:

• 2x chest vents with waterproof zips

• 2x side scoops at ribs with water-resistant zips

• 2x bicep vents with water-resistant zips

• 2x bicep exhausts with water-resistant zips

• 2x back exhausts with water-resistant zips

• 2x leg vents with waterproof zips

• 2x leg scoops at sides with water-resistant zips

The jacket’s collar can also be fastened back with a popper to allow more air to flow in around the neck.

The ventilation of any riding kit will be more or less effective depending on your riding position and the fairing on the bike, but I’ve found the Belstaff Long Way Up textile kit to be good, if not outstanding.

The main issue is the chest vents, which while a good 22cm in length and – like all the vents – allowing air direct to the body, don’t open up wide at all. The stiff, Tizip waterproof zips (which are supplied with a small bottle of lubricant) don’t flex easily, so without anything to pull the vent open, they don’t tend to let much air in. I’d have preferred to lose the two chest pockets and have large opening panels here.

The smaller ‘scoops’ on the arms and sides of the body do work better though, and air can be felt moving around, so it’s far from a bad system – I just wish it could have been a little more powerful.

The main leg vents are the same waterproof zips, with additional scoop vents at the sides; with my legs spread out a bit on the GS – or when standing up – I can feel the air moving around well.

More air can also be allowe

The waist strap is removable, but can ensure an even better fit

Warmth

There’s no thermal liner supplied with the Belstaff Long Way Up kit, so you’ll need to provide your own layering or thermal kit. A down-type jacket would work well, as would base-layers, particularly the Zerofit Heat Rub reviewed here.

Liner

The jacket and trousers are lined with a comfortable, antimicrobial mesh that doesn’t feel sticky when hot, and slides easily over your skin.

Waterproofing

The Belstaff Long Way Up is a three-layer laminate construction using GoreTex Pro. This waterproof, windproof membrane is bonded to the back of the outer shell to make two layers, with a third ‘scrim’ layer that protects the inside of the membrane (it’s the very fine mesh that you can see on the inside).

Gore-Tex guarantees the product to be waterproof, and this license is part of the reason kit using it is more expensive. It’s also breathable, but of course there are limitations to what any membrane can do. The point is that while outer layers can ‘wet out’ and get soaked with water, preventing moisture from inside getting out, this will dry out quickly on a laminate construction. When you’re not riding in pouring rain for very long periods, moisture inside can still escape. In practice, the difference between riding in a breathable waterproof membrane or a simple over-suit is obvious to anyone putting in plenty of miles in all weathers.

In two tests of over an hour each riding in extremely heavy rain, the vent zips let through no water at all. The main zips are submersible, so this shouldn’t be a surprise, but the water-resistant scoop zips also showed no signs of allowing any rain through.

During my first test, a very small amount of rain did manage to find its way to my belly, but the main point of entry was at the neck, where I didn’t have the gaiter fitted and I got a wet patch down my front as I hadn’t pulled it quite as snug as I should have.

On the second test – in even heavier rain than the first – I used the neck gaiter (which is easy to zip on and off and can be stored in the rear map pocket) I stayed completely dry everywhere and would have been happy to keep riding for many more hours had I not been getting cold (I’d only worn a tee-shirt, to ensure I could see and feel any moisture that got through). The gaiter of course gives the best seal, but it’s not essential if you pull the collar tight.

It’s worth noting that the main vent zips need to be pushed right up into the ports at the top to fully close, but once properly sealed, the Belstaff’s waterproofing is – as you’d expect – impressive.

Cleaning

The Belstaff Long Way Up jacket and trousers can be washed as delicates at up to 30°C, but you do need to remove the armour first. They shouldn’t be tumble dried.

Three alternatives to the Belstaff Long Way Up textiles

This is at the premium price range, so certainly not an impulse purchase. Here are some others to consider when researching what’s best for you…

• BKS Made-to-Measure £2,549.99 | Not to be confused with off-the-peg BKS, which is a completely different, un-associated brand, BKS Made-to-Measure textile suits offer a perfect fit, the ability to adjust and repair if needed in the future, and much higher levels of proven safety through EN13595 Level 2 certification and Bennetts High Performance Award Diamond Plus. Often worn by police officers, you can read a full review of BKS Made-to-Measure textile kit here.

• Hideout made-to-measure £2,275 | Also offering EN13595 Level 2 protection, and achieving the Bennetts High Performance Diamond Award, Hideout also offers bespoke textile riding kit that can be repaired and adjust if needed. It too is worn by the police, and you can read a full review of Hideout made-to-measure riding kit here.

• Rukka Kinglsey £1,549.99 & £1,199.99 | More expensive than the Belstaff, but the Rukka jacket does come with a down jacket. Excellent armour coverage, rated AA under EN17092 and superb waterproofing make this a versatile off-the-peg suit. Read the full review of the Rukka Kingsley here.

These are just three of many alternatives – you can find all the textiles we’ve tested here  and be sure to regularly check for the discounts available through Bikesocial membership.

Belstaff Long Way Up review: Verdict

Does this Belstaff Long Way Up kit make me a Charley and Ewan wannabe? Well, I wannabe protected, I wannabe dry and I wannabe comfortable, so maybe yes, because it does all of that very well.

The attention to detail here is superb, and I’m obviously impressed with the Belstaff gear. It is versatile all year round, but in very hot conditions having a waterproof membrane will always be a compromise. Still, in changeable conditions you'll be seriously grateful not to be stopping to fit a waterproof over-suit or liner before you hit the rain.

There’s room for refinement in some areas, and I really hope that Belstaff continues to develop its laminated touring kit, but it’s already proven with the Long Way Up textiles that it can make extremely high-quality all-weather riding gear. If you’re in the market for a top-of-the-range suit, this comes as a recommended option.

Do you own these textiles? Tell us what they’re like, or ask us questions about them at bikeclub.bennetts.co.uk.

Charley Boorman talks through the Belstaff

Watch Urban Rider’s useful video about the Long Way Up jacket