Jacket Review: Fieldsheer Mach 7

Just received my Fieldsheer Mach 7 Mesh jacket (http://www.motorcyclecloseouts.com/sport/mesh+motorcycle+jackets/fieldsheer_mach+7+mesh+jacket) today from Motorcyclecloseouts.com...what a DEAL.
$116 instead of $140ish from everywhere else...and fast shipping to
Kauai..no complaints!!
Took it for a short spin this evening...more riding tomorrow.




The Front. man...I'm...nevermind. I look nothing like my Avatar. hm.




(Apologies on the crappy photochop job)
The back with my uber HJC CS-12 helmet and Red Start Hawaii sticker.
For improved...awesomeness...

Yes, I feel silly on my scooter in this gear. I intend on keeping my skin.

Breathability
Pretty dang good. I drive a scooter at the moment, and it started airflowing very well before I was out of the driveway.
Without the rain liner, it's about like a T-shirt.
We'll see how it does tomorrow when it's warmer, but I doubt that'll be any problem.

Armor
Hard armor...I guess Fieldsheer is known for this. Helmetharbor did a video on this brand...and yes, the armor is just like that. GREAT stuff...
hard on the elbows and forearms, and huge shoulder pads.
Shoulders are in a weird spot for my taste, but I think that's more taste than anything else.
The back pad is just that...not really armor, so if you want armor in the back, buy it to add it in.
The back pad is removable, the rest is in place. But I have no worries if I go down when it comes to armor.

Material
Soft on the inside and out, I wish it was a little coarser and tougher, but it
IS mesh. Looks pretty well made to me, but not like a textile jacket.
Then again, in heat, I wouldn't imagine textile breathing this well.
The arms and shoulders are textile-styled fabric...where you'd rub if you fell.
I like this feature a lot.

Fit
I'm tall and lanky, so I ended up with a Large. With the liner in, it's about right.
It's a bit big in the chest with the liner out...
I'm comparing to a Textile SS jacket I tried on this last weekend that fit me like a glove.
This doesn't fit like a glove, but for a guy with long arms, it's not bad.
The arms have tightening straps that work well...like 4 or 5 snap spots.
Thick arms, or pencil arms like me, you have flexibility.
Being pencil necked, the neck is a bit big too...maybe that's supposed to be
that way.

Accessories
pockets on the outside....tightening straps on the waist...
glasses/phone pocket on the inside...
all in all not bad for just over a hunnerd bucks. I'd not spend $170 and
be so impressed, but still. There's the traditional zipper in the back
and a snap as well to link up to a belt loop. Nice!
Also the piping is reflective...noticeable in the pic with the retard model in the jacket.
The top neck and zipper are covered by two different
velcro fasters, a nice touch.

Padding
There's some "just for looks" pads on the front of the shoulders...
kidney pads and back pads that aren't much, but they'd help.
This is in addition to the removeable back pad...so the padding does
add up. Again, I wouldn't expect to take a fall more than at my scooter
speeds and have it do much, but again, this is a hot weather jacket.

Liner
rain liner...haven't gotten it wet yet.
Looks really basic, but it has a lot of nice snap ins that hold it in place.
It zips on either side and comes out and goes in fairly easy.
It also has two snaps per sleeve at the ends to hold the sleeves in place
at the cuff.


All in all, I'm good with the jacket...I made the mistake of trying on a
textile jacket that fit me like a glove and was REALLY nice and that
feeling stuck in my head. I may be able to trade with a local store
for the SS textile but I'm not sure yet. I love a tight but ample fit.
If they won't trade me I won't cry too much...the Fieldsheer is a nice jacket.
I'm just picky about the fit--and that's really my only beef. And that's a personal thing.
The SS was similar to this jacket here at Bike Bandit: http://www.bikebandit.com/product/15978
HOWEVER.
This Fieldsheer does have more padding in the back and it probably WAY more breathable.
That textile jacket relies on vents, but the Fieldsheer just BREATHES.
So my underwhelmed feelings (which are very mild) are not really fair...
I've compared apples and oranges and it's mostly based again, on FIT.
For a hundred and sixteen bucks this thing is great. Many of the other
jackets I saw in the store had crappy padding...this is ARMOR.
For an armored jacket that won't cook you, I think you'd
be hard pressed to find something better for this price.
My little bro paid almost this much and I don't think his is as well armored.
Anyway.
Hope this helps some newbies out there or anyone looking at jackets, or
anyone who wanted to read something lousy by an amateur writer. :D
Can anyone comment on textile breathability vs mesh? Can anyone comment on the fit?