Savvy about riding gear from the launch of its Can-Am Spyders in 2007, Bombardier Recreational Products markets a broad range of accessories for the riders of its “roadsters” (as the company prefers to call its Spyders). For hot-weather use, for example, the all-black Can-Am Russell mesh jacket (MSRP $199) is offered to Spyder Ryders who need something to block the sun while allowing the skin to breathe through two ventilated layers. This is of course far from breakthrough riding-gear technology, although the Russell jacket (a name not meant to associate it with any particular person, according to Can-Am) has several features that set it apart. For example, it is collarless, a design feature apparently favored by those younger riders seeking “authenticity” in moto-design, and a design which I encountered first in 1967 when I ordered Webco racing leathers from an ad in CW. I still have those leathers, but don’t personally favor collarless designs, because I’ve had three melanomas, all due, my dermatologists say, to youthful ignorance of skin-protection. I didn’t worry much about such sun-protection as a kid riding and racing in the ’60s and to judge from the moto fashions I see daily among motorcyclists in California, shunning such protection is still common among younger riders. 
Obviously alert to “authentic” rider fashion, the Russell designers shunned Velcro fasteners for snap-buttons on the jacket. On such a lightweight jacket, it took me a while to get used to those relatively heavy snaps at the waist, cuffs, sleeves, and throat. Though Can-Am says fashion dictated their use, not crash-worthiness, they do of course work, and extras are supplied with the jacket, which also has red zippers, highly stylized reflective bits, a nice-looking shoulder section and “action-back” design, along with an easily accessed inside pocket with a built-in wire guide for those who need to stayed jacked-in at all times to whatever device is in the pocket. What does this jacket say about its owner? Maybe this: “I don’t care what you think about my Can-Am or about me, dude. I look cool and am cool.” Riding my 2014 RT-S Spyder, with its vented windshield and adjustable side wind vents acting to duct high-speed air into the cockpit, the Russell was indeed a cool jacket to wear on the triple-digit California summer days, despite its all-black color. Because it is so lightweight, I found myself reaching for it every time I rode in the record-breaking heat this summer in California. And when cooler air made riding more enjoyable at night, sometimes I even used the zip-in liner. 
A motorcycle rider since 1963, I asked myself if I really missed having armor in the arms, on the shoulders, and on the back as I rode the three-wheeler. With air through the mesh and inner-layer vents keeping me cooler than the curious onlookers in air-conditioned cars could probably imagine, the honest answer was: “No.” Conclusion: the Russell does its job, like the Spyder itself—at least for some. UPs: --collarless design considered “cool” by many riders --mesh layers work to keep rider’s skin cool --snap closures keep tabs closed as Velcro can’t --zip-in and snap-in liner gives jacket three-season utility --reflective sections help show rider at night --light weight easy to bear on super-hot, super-muggy days DOWNs: --snap closures don’t allow range of adjustments that Velcro does --lack of armor means it’s less suited to needs of motorcyclists --collarless design requires use of additional scarf to shield neck from sun --no declaration of sun-protection-factor (SPF) of materials by BRP 
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