This Field Armor Compression Shirt from Icon, admittedly, does not completely check any of those boxes entirely, but it offers up a unique combination of impact- and-abrasion resistance that can easily up your protective-gear game on the bike.
This shirt has 5mm-thick die-cut D30 armor panels at the elbows, shoulders, across the shoulders, and down the spine. Plus, each one of those armor panels is sheathed in a genuine DuPont Kevlar shell, so they offer some palpable supplemental slide protection on top of the D3O.
To be clear this zip-up shirt’s armor is not CE rated, per se. All the jackets we sell come with or can be upgraded to CE Level 1 or Level 2 armor at the elbows, shoulders, and back. These certifications relate to how much force a protector can resist in laboratory conditions.
And while this supplemental layering piece doesn’t meet the threshold for Level 1 anything, it’s a hell of a lot better than riding in a t-shirt, flannel or, even sweatshirt. And when used as one of multiple layers, it offers some bona fide benefits in a super slim format.
Combine it with even that flannel, or a sweatshirt—or better yet a leather or heavy-duty canvas jacket—this Field Armor compression shirt becomes one of the easiest ways to up your protection on the bike.
When used as a smart extra layer, it certainly can help dodge bone trauma, bruising and the painful scraping off of one’s skin.
Details:
- DuPont Kevlar abrasion resistant panels
- Stretch Hydradry moisture wicking chassis
- D3O panels at shoulders, elbows and back
*Icon also makes a of the same construction that we highly recommend using whenever conditions permit—even under a pair of protective riding jeans.
