Helmet? Check. Jacket with armor? Check. Gloves with knuckle protection? You bet. Chaps? Ugh, hold on. I’ll be ready and waddling out the door in about five. I owned a pair of chaps, but honestly, I never wore them. I typically just threw on my sturdiest pair of jeans and then laced up my riding boots. But I always felt a little vulnerable when it came to my legs – until I discovered motorcycle jeans.
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The Highway 21 Blockhouse Jeans are a classic straight-leg pant made of 12-ounce denim with Aramid fiber reinforced panels over 70% of the jeans – from the hips to below the knees in the front and about halfway down the thighs in the back. They include CE Level 1 removable knee armor and removable hip armor pockets (hip armor sold separately).
The Blockhouse Jeans have some pros and cons in my book. For starters, I’m not crazy about the color. I opted for the Oxford Blue, and it turned out to be a much lighter blue than it appears on the Highway 21 website, almost a baby blue color. It’s not bad, but it’s not my preference. They also come in Black.
My biggest gripe is the pockets for the knee armor. These are supposed to look like regular jeans, so a pocket on the exterior wouldn’t look as clean, but the interior access on the Blockhouse Jeans is below the knee where the pant leg is narrower. I have a different pair of riding jeans where the pocket access is above the knee, and it’s worlds easier to get the armor in. With the Blockhouse Jeans, it’s a fight to get the armor out and back in every time I wash them. Also, even though the product description says the pockets are adjustable for different heights, given the size of the armor, I’ve only been able to fasten the hook-and-loop in one position.
However, in the bigger picture, the Blockhouse Jeans are comfortable and roomy without being baggy. I have worn them over a pair of heated pant liners, and while it was a little snug pulling the jeans on at first, they quickly loosened up to be just about right. Speaking of the heat, with the Aramid panels separate from the denim, they’re warmer than my other pair of motorcycle jeans that have the protection woven into the denim. To give you an idea, on a recent interstate ride on a naked bike on a particularly cold day (28 degrees with a 10-mph north headwind), I had forgotten my heated pant liners and only had long johns, the Blockhouse Jeans, and rainsuit pants to block the wind, and my legs were perfectly fine. When the weather is colder, these are definitely my go-to pair.
The Highway 21 Blockhouse Jeans come in men’s waist sizes 30-42 (Tall sizes available for 32-38) for $129.95.
