Oxford Omega 1.0 Air review | AA-rated women’s hot weather mesh jacket

Date reviewed: July 2025 | Tested by: BikeSocial member, Helen Milbank | Price: £169.99 | www.oxfordproducts.com

I moan a lot when I’m cold, and have never even considered a mesh jacket until this summer’s extreme heat. As I’m also going to Spain next year for my first overseas motorcycle holiday, the Oxford Omega 1.0 Air on review here seemed a sensible choice.

I’m a pillion, so I’ve been testing this highly-ventilated piece of kit while sat on the back of my husband’s R1250GS for rides over the past two months…

Pros & Cons

Construction and fit

Let’s get this out of the way right now – the Omega 1.0 Air isn’t just a pink-and-shrink exercise on Oxford’s part. A men’s version is available at the same price in black with white, green or grey details. The women’s one that I’m reviewing is properly cut to suit the female shape, and I do find it very comfortable, giving a good amount of space at the chest with room to move around easily, helped by the ‘action back’ expansion gussets on the rear and the large sections of stretch fabric at the sides. It’s available in black with white detailing, or the pink and camo that I chose.

I’m not usually a pink kind of woman, but this goes great with the flashes of pink on my boots, and I like the urban camo design on the upper arms. There are also two reflective strips printed onto each arm, and another on the lower back.

The Omega is a mix of tough mesh at the insides of the arms, chest and back, and a polyester fabric across the rest.

The top of the collar is a soft neoprene, but just below this is a slightly coarse mesh material. I’ve found it to be fine, but if you get a sunburned neck this might be a little aggravating.

A few small details make this feel slightly less premium than some of the leather jackets I’ve worn in the past, though those have also been considerably more expensive. While not ‘cheap’, the Omega Air is at the lower end of the price range.

My usual size 10 fits me great, and my only potential criticism of this Oxford jacket is that it’s quite short. It fits me great with a pair of Hood jeans, but I’m 5’3” with a fairly short upper body. Needless to say, we’re all different so try it on for yourself and see how you get on, though if you’re zipping it together with other kit it likely won’t be an issue regardless of your size.

Protection & Certification

The Oxford Omega 1.0 Air is certified under EN17092’s abrasion resistance, seam strength and tear testing to the mid-range Level AA that we’ve come to expect of good-quality riding kit of this type. There are very few AAA-rated mesh jackets on the market, and none at this low a price point.

Oxford includes Smoothways armour at the elbows and shoulders that meets the highest level 2 for impact protection. The elbow armour is the larger Type B template, while the shoulder armour is the smaller Type A, though both cover my limbs well and sit – and stay – in the right places, and the shoulders are capped with hard plastic sliders on the outside of the jacket.

A back protector isn’t included, which is a bit of a shame. Of course, with my airbag on it’s not an issue, but I also find a back protector provides useful padding against the top box on the bike, which doesn’t have its own cushion. Oxford says it doesn’t include a back-protector as not everyone wants one, so everyone should not need to pay for one, though some other brands are including them at similar or even lower price points.

Adding Oxford’s own Level 2 back protector costs £29.99, and it does give good coverage so if you want one, budget for that too. A Level 1 version is £21.99.

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 Omega Air has two vertically-YKK zipped pockets at the waist with handy toggles to make them easy to grab, along with a Nelson pocket over the left of the chest. All three of these are made using the same lightweight mesh material as the liner, allowing air to pass through well. Just watch out for keys catching on the material.

There’s also a Velcro-closed pocket on the inside left, which is big enough to tuck a bottle of water in while you’re walking around though for some reason this is made of a non-breathable material that blocks the airflow at the left of the waist so seems a slightly odd choice. Having said that, it’s low down so not in the most key area for wind to hit, especially when you’re riding. Still, using the thin mesh here would have been preferable, if perhaps not quite as hard-wearing for heavier items.

Fastening

The main zip on the Oxford Omega Air is a chunky-toothed, smooth-operating YKK with another handy toggle.

Inside are two connecting zips – one full length and one shorter – that are supplied with their opposite sides in case you want to sew them to any other gear that isn’t from Oxford.

There’s also a pair of popper-fastened belt-loops at the sides if you want to use them, which can help reduce the chances of the jacket pulling up.

Adjustment

The only adjustment on the Oxford Omega 1.0 Air is at the biceps with a two-position popper, and on the cuffs with a Velcro cinch strap. It really doesn’t need any more as the hips have 9 cm of stretch in the concertina panels on each side, and the stretch fabric on the sides of the body provides up to 4cm extra each.

Oxford Omega 1.0 Air ventilation

The armour supplied by Oxford isn’t ventilated, which can make those areas a little hotter than they could be, though I should say that I do find it lovely and soft.

There is kit out there that’s even more breathable than the Omega 1.0 Air, though it’s also usually more expensive too. As someone who complains a lot more about being cold than being hot, I think this is just the right balance.

Of course, being sat as pillion behind the rider restricts airflow to some extent, but the arms catch a great amount of wind, and there’s plenty of space between the two of us for me to still get a good breeze all over. As a rider, the mesh area of the chest brings even more air in.

I’ve worn this with and without my Dainese Smart jacket airbag, and of course wasn’t surprised that wearing it restrict the movement of air. I’m still far more comfortable in hot weather in the Omega 1.0 Air and Smart Jacket than I’ve ever been before, so the compromise is one I’m more than happy to make.

Warmth

The Oxford Omega is not a jacket you’re going to wear under about 23°C, so if you’re an all-year-round rider you’ll need other kit. If you very rarely go out in cooler conditions you could pop something windproof over the top to keep warm, but given the relatively affordable price I’d suggest this is a great addition to your other riding kit.

Realistically the Omega 1.0 Air is too bulky for year-round layering, but there aren’t many choices when it comes to women’s kit. For men, the Adventure Spec Supershirt 2.0 is perhaps the best option if you want something that goes as well under other kit as it does on its own.

Liner

The Oxford Omega 1.0 Air is fully lined with a lightweight soft mesh that’s comfortable against the skin, but that also allows plenty of air to move through.

Waterproofing

Wear the Omega 1.0 Air in the rain and you’ll get wet. That shouldn’t be a shock to anyone.

Cleaning

The Oxford Omega Air should be hand-washed only at 30°C once the armour has been removed. Don’t tumble-dry it or iron it – just leave it in a shady, well-ventilated area to dry out.

Three alternatives to the Oxford Omega 1.0 Air

There aren’t that many options when it comes to mesh riding kit specifically for women, but here are some others that you might want to consider

• Weise Ladies Scout, £139.99 | When BikeSocial reviewed the men’s version of this AA-rated jacket, it set something of a benchmark for relatively affordable mesh riding kit. It’s a great, affordable option, though the pockets can block airflow and the armour is only Level 1. Read the full review of the Weise Scout here.

• Knox Women’s Urbane Pro, £249.99 | BikeSocial has reviewed the men’s version of this AA-rated jacket and found it to be very good, with well-fitted Level 2 armour and superb ventilation. Read the full review of the Knox Urbane Pro here.

• Bowtex Elite Shirt Ladies V2, £349.99 | BikeSocial has reviewed the V1 men’s version of this AAA-rated jacket, which is also excellent for layering. The only disappointment with this is that the Level 2 armour is rather small. Read the full review of the Bowtex Elite here.

These are just three of many alternatives – you can find all theriding kit we’ve tested here  and be sure to regularly check for the discounts available through Bikesocial membership.

Oxford Omega 1.0 Air review: Verdict

I’ve reviewed the women’s version of the Oxford Omega Air and have been impressed with the comfort and fit of the cut; the men’s version would, I’d expect, be just as good, though fit is always subjective.

Given how hot our summers are getting, and of course if you ride – or go pillion – in even warmer climates, mesh riding kit can transform your trips, making you feel a lot more relaxed. That’s even more important for a rider of course, and it’s great to see Oxford making the effort to offer decent hot-weather riding kit for women as well as men. Even if you’ll only wear this on the sunniest days, it’s an investment well worth making…

If you’d like to chat about this article or anything else biking related, join us and thousands of other riders at the Bennetts BikeSocial Facebook page or at bikeclub.bennetts.co.uk.