Spada Hooded Air jacket review | AA mesh jacket tested

Date reviewed: May 2025| Tested by: John Milbank | Price: £149.99 | spadaclothing.com

The Spada Hooded Air jacket on review here is a mesh design that allows plenty of airflow for hot weather riding. I’ve been wearing it on a 2019 BMW R1250GS and a 1999 Kawasaki ZX-6R to find out if it’s as great a value piece of AA-rated summer riding gear as it seems…

Pros & Cons

Construction and fit

Made of 100% polyester, the Spada Hooded Air is a fine mesh all over the jacket, with a coarser-hole mesh at the chest and back, making it incredibly breathable.

It could be worn with other gear over the top to layer up in colder or wetter weather (turning it into an abrasion-resistant armoured base layer), but the non-removable hood would get in the way. While this perhaps limits its versatility, layering can be less practical than having dedicated kit, and given the price I’d consider the Spada Hooded Air to be worth the money simply for comfortable summer rides.

Having a fixed hood might put some people off, but I haven’t found it annoying on the bike as I simply don’t notice it – it doesn’t catch on my lid or anything. A clever magnetic design helps it fold down neatly at the back, but ultimately the hood will come down to a personal style choice, though I would say that my head gets hot when I put the hood up.

Build quality is good, with neat, consistent stitching throughout, and the Spada logo on the hood and back are reflective without looking like the additional safety features that they are.

The length is good, coming down to my hips and not riding up in use.

There are two elasticated straps with popper fastenings in the rear that can be looped around your trouser belt to prevent flapping, though I don’t tend to use them. They could also help keep the back down in a slide, but they open fairly easily so their value here would be limited. If the worst did happen, the back protector should help keep the back down, and any area that might become exposed would likely be limited.

Protection & Certification

The Spada Hooded Air is certified to Level AA under EN17092 for abrasion resistance, seam and tear strength, putting it in the mid-range of protective performance under the current certification methods.

The limb armour sits in the right places on my 5’10” frame, and while it can move around a little at the elbows, it’s a good size (it’s the larger Type B template) and it’s pre-curved, so tends to stay where it should. Made specifically for Spada by Keeptech, it’s all Level 2 (the higher impact protection standard), and it’s certified to T-, meaning it retains its protection down to -10°C.

A back-protector is also included, which is a Full-Back design also reaching the higher Level 2.

It’s great to see any brand reaching for higher levels of protection, and especially one keeping the price of its kit so reasonable.

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 Spada Hooded Air has useful zipped pockets on either side of the waist, with large Velcro-closed pockets on the inside that could be useful for popping your gloves in when off the bike, for instance.

Fastening

All the zips on the Spada Hooded Air are YKK, the main front zip being chunky with a cord tab on the upper slider. I found it a bit stiff at first, but a drop of silicone oil on each side cured this. There’s also a slider at the bottom of the main zip that allows you to open up the hem while keeping the front secured. As the jacket is a good length, this might help some riders on some bikes, or just when sitting down at a table with the jacket closed.

Adjustment

The hood can be cinched a little tighter with a pair of toggles on an elasticated cord, but while that’s the only adjustment on my version of the Spada Hooded Air, the design has since been tweaked – after customer feedback – to also incorporate a similar adjuster at the hem. I wouldn’t have suggested it was needed, and don’t miss having it, but it’s there on the new models if you want it.

My only real problem with the Spada Hooded Air is with the adjustment at the cuffs… or rather the lack of it. There’s a zip at the end of each sleeve, but I don’t need to open it to put the jacket on over my hands – the sleeves are that big, I can actually get both wrists in one cuff.

This means that the sleeves could pull a fair way up my arms in a slide, so I’d like to see the cuffs tweaked in future to be a little tighter when the zips are closed. Velcro straps could help, but they’d have to be carefully considered in order to not add bulk, and to not ruck the material up too much.

Ventilation

The Spada Hooded Air couldn’t really be any more ventilated – the only material that isn’t mesh is the top of the hood and the reflective strip across the back. As summer jackets go, this is excellent.

Warmth

If you wear something windproof over the top of the Spada Hooded Air it should do a great job of keeping you warm thanks to the pockets of air trapped in the mesh (remember string vests?), but that hood – while not overly bulky – might get in the way under other kit. This isn’t a jacket for winter use.

Liner

A lightweight, comfortable mesh liner covers the inside of the Spada Hooded Air, helping to keep it comfortable against the skin.

Cleaning

The Spada Hooded Air can be machine washed at 30°C after you take the armour out (which is easy to do). Don’t tumble-dry or iron it – just hang it up in a well-ventilated shaded area.

Five alternatives to the Spada Hooded Air

Over the last few years, mesh kit has become extremely popular. Here are five rivals well worth considering…

• Weise Scout, £139.99 | If you want a mesh jacket at a great price, and you don’t want a hood, this is the obvious choice. It’s not as breathable as the Spada, and the amour’s only Level 1, but it is AA-rated for abrasion, tear and seam strength. Read the full review of the Weise Scout here.

• Adventure Spec Supershirt 2.0, £249 | Possibly the best option when it comes to an AA-rated highly-breathable top as it can also be very easily used as a base-layer with warmer and/or waterproof kit over the top. It is a lot more expensive than the Spada, but it’s got the potential to be more versatile (we just wish it had pockets). Level 2 armour is supplied at the elbows and shoulders, with back and chest protectors being optional. Read the full review of the Adventure Spec Supershirt 2.0 here.

• Knox Urbane Pro Mk3, £259.99 | A great standalone jacket, the Knox is also intended to form part of the brand’s ‘Seasonless’ layering system, though it’s not quite as compact and lightweight as the Adventure Spec Supershirt 2.0. The armour is Level 2, and you get the back protector as standard. Read the full review of the Knox Urbane Pro Mk3 here.

• Pando Moto Commando, £359.99 | A AAA-rated jacket / base-layer, we were impressed with the large Level 2 D3O armour fitted to the Pando Moto.  We’re not sure about the MOLLE loops on the front (we’d prefer pockets), but this is an impressive piece of kit. Read the full review of the Pando Moto Commando here.

• Bowtex Elite Shirt V2, £369.99 | The Bowtex Elite is an AAA-rated base-layer, which can also be worn on its own thanks to the included Level 2 elbow and shoulder armour. We haven’t reviewed the V2 (which now has pockets), but we’d like to see larger armour fitted. Read the full review of the original Bowtex Elite here.

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

Spada Hooded Air review: Verdict

Mesh jackets can make summer rides so much more comfortable and enjoyable, and if you use your motorcycle through the year, you might be able to save money by going for a layered set-up (though this method can have some convenience limitations in winter).

Though the hood limits its use as a base-layer, the Spada Hooded air is so keenly priced that it’s worth buying just for the summer months. The hood hasn’t got in the way while riding, but I would prefer to be able to remove it, and I’d suggest the cuffs need to be made smaller in future versions, but otherwise this is good value way to stay cool on the bike without limiting your protection.

In fact, covering up with mesh – in my experience – keeps you cooler than riding in just a tee-shirt as it keeps the sun off. Being safer doesn’t mean you need to be uncomfortable.

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.

Do you own this jacket? Tell us what it’s like, or ask us questions about it at bikeclub.bennetts.co.uk.