Waist Cut VS ¾ Length Jackets

Waist cut jacket pros:

  1. Good for leaning forward, sport bike riders, road racers.
  2. A closer fitting jacket. Some prefer the look over the 3/4 length.
  3. In most cases does not push up on the neck from bunching at the waist area. Note: If 3/4 length is broken in or made in the correct length it will not bunch at neck area.
  4. When zipped together with a full circumference zipper, jacket/pant become a one piece suit.

Waist cut cons:

  1. Size specific. If you gain/loose weight fit is bad. Want to layer in cold weather and still fit with nothing underneath for hot weather is difficult unless our Aero-Tex Liners are used.
  2. Certain body styles don’t fit a waist cut jacket. 50 inches or larger chest size, 46 or higher waist measurement, when the belly is 2″ or more larger than the waist, are all cases where a 3/4 length jacket should be worn. See the Ultra II or Marathon Jackets available in different material choices. Note: All of our jackets can be made in shorter/longer lengths. The longer jackets pockets in front can be omitted or made to look like the waist cut jackets.
  3. Pant must zip to jacket to stay in place while riding and in a tumble.
  4. Waist cut can restrict movement. Not usually good for riding off road.
  5. Cannot extend back protector same length as 3/4 length jacket. Note: We have Sacrum Armor available. This armor is put in a Velcro secured pocket in the lower waist area of our pant as a custom order. See Sacrum Armor in the Option Section on all our pants.

3/4 length jacket or Marathon jacket pros:

  1. Our most versatile fitting jackets. Designed to both layer in cold weather and wear nothing underneath in hot weather. Can gain up to 30 pounds. or loose up to 30 pounds. and fit can still be ok.
  2. Does not need to be zipped to the pant. 3/4 length jackets cannot ride up the torso. Note: As a general rule the jacket length should be a minimum of 2 inches below the waist belt line. If these jackets are less than 2 inches below the belt line a zipper to pant connection should be used.
  3. More pockets. Even the two part Aero-Tex Liner will fit into a zippered pocket inside the back of jacket.
  4. Works great for riding off road.
  5. In most cases the back protector can be longer than the waist cut jackets.

3/4 length jacket cons:

  1. Some don’t like the look. Riders think the jacket looks too bulky. In many cases we remove the upper cargo pockets adding another flat zip map pocket to the right chest also. This makes the jacket look better to some riders. The different pocket styles can be seen on both the Marathon and Ultra II Air Mesh Jacket photos. The 3/4 length jackets should not fit snug. They are designed to fit a very wide variety of body shapes. If you prefer snug fitting apparel, jean style pants or waist cut jackets made with Stretch are the best choices.
  2. If length is too long jacket can push up on the neck. With the Ultra II Air Mesh Jacket, in some cases, until the material softens, it will push up on the neck. Note: In all these cases it is possible to unzip from the bottom up the front main zipper to relieve any pressure on the neck. We can custom tailor the length of all the jackets we make here in house. When the length of the jacket gets close to the riders waist, the jacket can ride up the torso both while riding or in a tumble. The 3/4 length cut doesn’t work well when zipped to the pant, unless the length is less than 2″ below the belt line.
  3. Some of our customers ride “Track Days” at the different road racing courses. Even when the 3/4 length jackets in the longer length cannot ride up the torso, the track still requires the jacket to zip to the pant. We can install the zip to the pant option on the 3/4 length jackets. Only a 13″ maximum length zipper can be installed on both the jacket and pant with a 3/4 length jacket. When longer zippers are put in the rider cannot bend in comfort.

Note: See the new Marathon Jacket available in the both the Mesh or Stretch. The standard length of the Marathon is in between the waist cut and 3/4 length Ultra II Jackets. The Marathon has the same advantages of the 3/4 length Ultra II but is a more stylish jacket to some riders.

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