Transit 3 Waterproof Leather Jacket

I like my Transit jacket. I was just surprised how fast it faded in just one season. If you buy one , add a bottle of the Corium liquid to your order.

@John - Sorry about the unusual fading. We are sending you a bottle of Corium leather treatment which preserves and re-darkens the leather. Information about this product is here https://www.aerostich.com/corium-leather-care.html Let us know how it goes.
- Aerostich customer service

Transit 3 jacket owned about 2 years and maybe 8k miles. I previously had a first generation Transit jacket. I ride unfaired bikes in the southeast, so it’s often humid.
The good: The jacket is totally waterproof even riding interstate speed for hours in pouring rain. The leather is more pliable and comfortable than the first gen leather. It feels cooler and more comfortable than you would expect. On a humid summer day I would probably pick the Transit over my Roadcrafter suit.
The bad: The black leather fades a lot, and quickly, in the sun. I usually wear a Helite vest over mine, and the leather that is not covered by the vest has faded to the color of tree bark. Sort of a yellowish brownish grey. Quite noticeable due to the stark contrast to the black leather under the vest. It looks weird. In comparison, my first generation Transit has barely faded at all.
The different: With jackets of the same size designation the 3rd gen jacket fits much looser than the 1st gen especially around the middle. I liked the trim fit of the 1st gen. The 3rd gen would work better for those with a belly. Also the armpit vents must help some, but I can’t feel much difference with them open or closed.
Note, my 3rd gen is an early one, where the zipper is on the wrong side compared to the USA standard. Maybe they made changes in later production, I don’t know. With all that said I do like the jacket and tend to choose it over other suits for travel because it isn’t clammy in hot weather, it’s totally dry in the rain, and the leather is soft enough to be comfortable. I just wish it had a more trim fit and kept its black dye color better.

When my T3 Jacket arrived the Aerostich folks kindly requested reviews. I've worn it for several rides (I commute 14 miles daily) and errands, so these are my initial thoughts, but not brand new out of the box thoughts. Meaning that I will amend and add.

I ordered and received a 40R jacket. I commute on a 2018 Bonneville. This is the first leather jacket I've owned. I also have a Falstaff which I bought in 2006 or thereabouts, and Darien pants that are maybe 2 to 3 years old. I live in Sacramento CA, which is colder in the winter and hotter in the summer than the SF Bay Area. But not as cold as Duluth....

Parts and fit: leather is supple out of the box, just beautiful. Zippers appear to be top notch, but I have a standing complaint about zippers on Aero product - they fail prematurely IMHO. The fit of the jacket is surprising - just about perfect. There are no baggy parts that catch wind, no flutter, the sleeves are just a little too long which is great, the length is perfect as it covers the pants sufficiently. There is no wind coming through. It traps heat well so I have to wear fewer layers.

The armor is noticeable but because of the design/tailoring of the jacket they are almost ignorable.

The fit across the shoulders is perfect. I had to take out the armor on my Falstaff and get a Bohn spandex armor shirt because the armor in the Falstaff fell off the shoulders and rubbed wrong. This armor is in a much better place and the general tailoring of the jacket is perfect. (Maybe I bought the wrong size Falstaff...)

I give a 9 out of 10 to this jacket for look, feel, function, performance at this point. The 1 point missing is a combo of the following critiques. None of these are deal breakers, btw, except for one.
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- the neck hole is a little tight, and especially so when wearing a vest with a collar. Suggested fix: tailor it to have a hookloop band like my old Falstaff has at the neck.

- Pockets? I think part of the design is minimalism as compared to the Darien or Onesie. I think I could use a couple more pockets, but it may also be what I'm used to.

- Wrist hole:This is a bit clumpy, but a matter of me getting used to it. The fold hump at the seam end doesn't disappear like my Falstaff.

- Main zipper: another getting used to - why is the pull on the left side? I suspect there's a reason, I'm not smart enough to figure it out, and I'm starting to become accustomed to it. And note that I believe traditionally zipper pulls are on the left for women and right for men, so validity of this critique would depend on gender.

- The only deal breaker that I can see is the issue of what is the right jacket for what you do. If you need pockets because you are retired and touring a lot, get a Darien or Onesie, IMHO. Pockets for reading glasses, keys, ear plugs, sunglasses, phone, etc are a good thing despite having to double check if everything is zipped up. For Commuting the Transit is right, but it's also a $1000 jacket, and that is a privileged position to be in to afford one. (The jacket is worth it, just saying that $1K is a lot of money.)

- If you are hardcore Made In America, fyi this jacket uses the finest German leather tech (I'm a Hamburger once removed so I'm ok with that ;-)), not sure where the leather is sourced, jacket is constructed in Pakistan, I imagine it's designed in Duluth, and there are probably other lands involved - this is a global jacket. No judgment one way or the other on that, just facts.

Remains to be seen: I commute rain or shine, and have not yet commuted in the rain. I've started to not use a screen to cut down on wind turbulence so that will be a good test.

It's a shame the Transit jacket and pants are being discontinued. I was too big but dealing with diabetes has brought me into the range of remaining stock. It was necessary to shorten the jacket sleeves but this being Arizona, there are still tailors accustomed to working leather. The alteration wasn't cheap, but it's impossible to tell that it was done.

The jacket is well-designed and made. From the description I had the impression that it is necessary to upgrade the armor but I was wrong about that, the armor I bought is already installed, so I now have extra.

Absolutely great jacket. Gore Pro leather is a rare find and this one comes in a versatile cut. Leather is thick and durable. Armor is a little stiff but sits in place. I'm 6'1" 240 built like Baloo and 46 reg fits a little snug in the gut but fine overall. Sleeves are a bit long and will require break in as the cuffs run down into my hands a bit. The textile pieces in the elbows and underarms bunch without pinching or restriction. Exquisite design throughout. Only ridden in 40sF and I was OK wearing just a union suit and a T shirt underneath. I'm confident it will be OK in warmer weather when I open the pit vents and the back vent. I think I can open the cuff zippers for some air too. The thing drips quality. Don't hit the road without it.

Have just under a year of riding in this jacket. Loved my previous 'stitch which literally saved my life but the fit and feel of this jacket is ideal. Absolutely love it and zips together with the transit pants. Breaks in nicely. So well thought out with riding in mind. If I ever wear this one out I'd get another without a second thought.

I went big on my first purchase from Aerostich and purchased the Transit jacket. It's unparalleled waterproof-ness, underarm vents, tasteful styling, and availability in a tall size, sold me. I've waffled back and forth since receiving the jacket about whether or not I'd made the right decision to spend so much money. But I have to admit- the more I wear the jacket, the better it gets. I wanted it to fit like a glove right out of the box but as can be expected, the leather seems to have required a break-in period. The collar of the jacket dug into my Adam's apple in a disconcerting manner on my first ride and it seemed to bunch and lightly pinch in my underarms even though I ride in a generally upright position on my VFR. I was concerned the "long" size I ordered my not have been right but the sleeve length is perfect (my arms are very long for my height) and the jacket sits perfectly below my waist. I've since left the collar partially unzipped to allow the leather to soften and bend to my shape with good success. The jacket becomes more supple with each ride and is beginning to feel "custom", after only a couple hundred miles. The jacket is absolutely waterproof, as tested by my 25 mile (one way) highway commute in Pacific NW spring rains. I've dropped an entire layer from my torso thanks to the jacket's windproof properties. Even when the temperature is in the mid 30's, a t-shirt and long-sleeved fleece keep me comfortable at 75 mph. It'll be interesting to test the Transit's summer breathability with the aide of the added pit zips. As for it's winter capabilities, it's rock solid and only getting better. I'm looking forward to the Transit conforming even further to my fit.

This is an awesome jacket that is very slightly marred by bulky armor and lack of proper venting. It's truly wind and water proof. The fit is generous without being bulky--it works well with just a t-shirt or over several layers. It's not a summer jacket.

The coverage is very good--it closes tightly at the neck and is long enough at the waist and arms to really keep out drafts and rain.

I've had good luck with Gore's warranty (They replaced by leaky Roadcrafter without question) so I have confidence that they'll take care of me if this jacket leaks.

I wish Aerostitch was able to repair the transit in house.

I replaced the armor with armor (suggested by another company) which made it much more comfortable. The armor pockets and mesh liner could be better quality considering the price.

There's a back vent (ala road crafter) but no other vents. It could really use chest and arm zipper to let in air on a warm day.

The pants did not fit me at all, the jacket seems to run a size large but fits me very well.

Overall this is one of the nicest leather jackets I've seen.

After about a month I love this jacket. At first I thought I may have ordered a size too large but have since realized it is perfectly sized for wearing alone and with layers. I chose a size larger than my jacket size and in a regular length. Before ordering I spoke with a ‘Stich customer service rep and he was fantastic. We discussed what my layering requirements were and my sizing details. He went and tried on a Transit and related it to his sizing as a reference. Because of his efforts I got the perfect size jacket. Many thanks to him.

The jacket has begun to “soften” up and become mine. I love the fit and finish. And it looks absolutely fantastic. Last week I dropped my GSA for the first time (not a pavement queen but a real adventure bike) in an uphill hairpin on a mountain logging road covered with deep gravel. My right forearm took the brunt of the fall and slid through some pretty gnarly gravel for about two meters before I stopped. The Transit doesn’t even have a scratch on it and the armor did its job completely. After brushing the dust and marks from the gravel off my Transit is as good as new. I hope that is the last test of the durability and armor…

Though I have not ridden in heavy rain for a long period I have gotten wet. There has been no water migration into the interior of the jacket. The collar is great but not enough to seal completely at the back of the neck so I will use a Rooster Aquafleece Neck Gaiter over it when things get wet. There is no way to make a collar do absolutely everything and still be comfortable so I think the Transit collar is just right. The jacket dried quickly and did not get heavier when wet.

Sitting in the sun at traffic lights is a bit weird. I expected to feel like I was baking in a leather oven but did not. It still gets hot but you can actually feel the sun NOT penetrating the leather. It’s like you are standing in the shade but you are in the direct sunlight. Ambient heat is a reality but the increasing temp from sun baking is greatly reduced. Really impressive.

No problems with sleeve length or the cuffs. They are supposed to be a bit long and the closures work very well. And as is the case with the overall jacket they look awesome and add to the classic styling.

So far I love the function of this jacket and the way it looks. It is very well made, versatile (I also wear it when touring on my GTL), awesome looking, durable and everything else one could want. What could be better than Gore-Tex mated with leather???!? This is a simple, purpose-built garment that has all the right features and none that you don’t need. It’s not a “Swiss Army” adventure jacket with all kinds of stuff that you don’t need even if you’re running The Dakar. This is a faithful companion that I suspect I will be wearing much more often than any of my many other jackets. If and when it continues to perform and does hold up for many more years I might even say it’s almost perfect.