Weise Ozark review | Laminated waterproof motorcycle kit

Date reviewed: November 2024 | Tested by: Andy Shewbridge | Price: Jacket £299.99 Trousers £259.99 | www.weiseclothing.com

I have worn this textile suit for 10 months and covered around 8,000 miles of commuting duties, riding to events and also on biking tours to Wales and Scotland. Most of the miles have been covered on my BMW S1000XR, though I’ve also spent time on a BMW R1300GS. I’ve worn the suit in all kinds of conditions, including probably the wettest day’s riding I’ve ever endured, which made for a very good test of the Weise Ozark suit.

Pros & Cons

Construction and fit

The Weise Ozark is a waterproof, windproof and breathable textile suit with a laminated construction, which means the waterproof membrane is bonded to the polyester outer shell. This helps repel water at first contact and to prevent the outer layer getting saturated.

The 600-denier polyester outer gives the suit a shiny appearance when new and is an indication of the suit’s reasonable price point. The shiny appearance was more noticeable in direct sunlight, but it didn’t concern me.

I’m 6ft 2in tall with a chest measurement of around 44 inches and a waist of around 36 inches. I selected an XL size in both the Ozark jacket and trousers.

The jacket fits well and has good adjustability. I have broad shoulders and the accordion stretch panels at the back give an extra level of comfort when riding. I like this feature because jackets sometimes feel tight across my shoulders.

The trousers have 680-denier panels on the knees and calves, as well as a double-layered seat panel for increased durability. They fitted well around the waist but were not long enough for me when in the riding position. The trousers often rode up above my boots and required constant adjustment - something I was very conscious of in wet conditions.

The Ozark trousers are only available in regular (32in) or short (29in) leg lengths and given my experience I fear taller riders will struggle with the trouser length.  

Protection & Certification

Both the jacket and trousers achieve an overall CE safety rating of AA, which is the middle level of three.

The suit comes with superior CE Level 2 protection on the shoulders, elbows, hips and knee, while there’s a back protector with a basic CE Level 1 rating. The armour is soft, flexible, comfortable and provides a good level of protection. It is great that the full armour is included - for many other suits you need to purchase back protection separately.

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.

Pockets

The Weise Ozark jacket has three external pockets, two on the front and a large map pocket on the lower back. All three have waterproof zips and I didn’t have any issues with the contents getting wet while riding in the rain.

The jacket also has three internal pockets - a zipped ‘Napoleon’ pocket and two good-sized internal pockets fastened by Velcro. The right-hand internal pocket is designed to store a mobile phone and has a Velcro securing flap.

I found the flap a bit annoying as it tended to get in the way when I was trying to access the pocket, particularly if I had gloves on.

If you remove the thermal lining you lose two of your pockets, leaving only the ‘Napoleon’ pocket for use - something to bear in mind if internal storage space is important to you.

The Ozark trousers have two external pockets on the hips with waterproof zips. I didn’t find much use for these, but they are there if required.

Fastening

The jacket fastens with a robust YKK zip with a tag for easy access. The zip is covered by a storm flap, which is secured by a continuous band of Velcro from the collar to the waist.

I like this feature as it’s an effective way to stop drafts or water breaching the chest area. The base of the storm flap has an additional panel of Velcro to secure to the jacket, which I like as I prefer Velcro to poppers in this area.

The collar has an adjustable press stud to secure it and a neoprene section to ensure a snug fit against the elements.

The cuffs have an expandable waterproof zip panel to allow access for gloves and have Velcro for adjustment. I struggled to get my winter gloves under the sleeve of the jacket. It was doable but wasn’t easy. If you wear winter gloves inside your sleeves I’d suggest you test they fit before purchasing.

The trousers have a waterproof zip fly with a storm flap secured by Velcro and two poppers. The trousers can be attached to the jacket via a connecting zip, which I found difficult. The zip that attaches the braces to the trousers is in the same area, which makes it tricky to feel what’s going on.

Adjustment

The jacket has fit adjustment from poppers just above and below the elbow to help reduce billowing. Accordion panels run from the back of the shoulders to the armpit for flexibility. I found these effective and very comfortable when riding. The jacket also has pleats at the hips, which provide another two inches of room on each. This can also be used for ventilation, so opening them in bad weather will leave a gap for cold air and rain to get through.

The trousers have an adjustable waist via a belt system and Velcro tabs on the ankles to provide adjustable, secure fitting. They also have stretch panels in the inner thighs and accordion stretch panel above the knees and at the lower back to improve flexibility.

Ventilation

The jacket has six vents - two on the chest, two on the biceps and two on the back. The vents are small but effective; I could feel air flowing through when they were open. There are the additional vents in the pleats at the hips and the trousers also have two small vents on the thighs.

The ventilation on the suit could be better. Ideally, I’d like to see bigger vents to increase airflow on hot summer days. 

You also need to remember that opening the air vents separates the waterproof membrane, so if you forget to close them when it’s raining you will get wet.

Warmth

The jacket and trousers are equipped with a 100gsm quilted thermal liner, which provides a good level of warmth.

When riding in cold conditions I found the warmth of the suit to be good. In the Scottish Highlands, with temperatures as low as 3 degrees Celsius at points, I was perfectly comfortable for a full day with a base layer and windproof mid-layer under the suit. I found that extremely impressive for a suit that feels light and is not at all bulky.

Liner

When you remove the thermal liner for use on warmer days, the suit is still very comfortable thanks to the mesh lining. One downside is there are no pockets in the mesh liner.

Waterproofing

I found having the waterproof membrane bonded to the polyester outer shell effective. A laminated outer repels water at first contact, keeping your gear drier, lighter and giving you the best chance of staying warm. Generally, I had no issues and the kit dried out quickly after riding in ‘normal’ wet conditions.

However, at the end of September, when many areas of the UK were subjected to flash flooding, I experienced rain of biblical proportions. Riding for over three hours in these extremely wet conditions was the ultimate test for the suit.

My first concern was the stretch panel area on the trousers, where I began to feel damp. Then as the suit had reached saturation point I started to feel cold on my arms, chest and thighs.

Plus, I was also getting water inside my boots due to the short trouser legs not covering my boots adequately.

When I got home, despite feeling damp and cold, the only wet items of clothing were my boots and socks, because of the lack of trouser overlap. After such a prolonged soaking, the suit took a couple of days to dry out fully.

Three alternatives to the Weise Ozark

The Weise Ozark sits towards the lower end of the price range, but packs a lot in. Here are some others you might also consider...

• Oxford’s Stormland D2D jacket and trousers match the Ozark’s AA rating under CE and impressed our reviewer Simon Roberts, although at £700 it’s £140 pricier. Read his full report here.

• RST’s Pro Series Commander suit is a near-perfect match for the Weise Ozark in terms of price and CE-rated protection. Jon Mansfield found it watertight and great value when he reviewed it for us.

• Our kit guru John Milbank found the value hard to beat when he reviewed the cheapest laminated suit around at the time - the Lindstrands Transtrand/Berga combination comes in at £470 total. You can read John’s full report here.

These are just three of many alternatives – you can find all the Helmets we’ve tested here (link to the relevant section of reviews) and be sure to regularly check for the discounts available through Bikesocial membership.

Weise Ozark review: Verdict

In my opinion the Weise Ozark suit represents good value as an all-season laminated suit. It’s well made from good-quality materials, is comfortable and has a full set of armour, so it has a lot going for it.

I’ve covered many miles in this suit, and genuinely liked it. It kept me warm and dry when it needed to.

The Weise Ozark provides good performance for a reasonable price. If you are a rider with a short or regular inside leg (29in to 32in), this suit is well worth consideration.

Sadly for me there was one issue I couldn’t get over - the trouser length. When they were in a comfortable position on my knees, the base of the trousers rode up above the top of my boots. Too often I found myself in a battle to adjust the trousers, which was not ideal when I was on the move.

This issue also meant I was often worrying about water getting inside my boots if it rained, which eventually it did. It is a shame Weise don’t have a longer leg length available. If they did, I’d be quite happy to adopt the Weise Ozark as my daily go-to suit.

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