Review | Alpinestars ST-7 Gore-Tex jacket and trousers

Alpinestars needs little introduction. The Italian action and motorsport clothing manufacturer started in skiwear (hence the name) in the 60s before moving into motocross then motorcycle boots in the 70s and, more recently, textiles, leathers, gloves and even helmets. The ST-7 is new for 2024 and intended to be a mid-price, more lightweight but still multi-season textile suit for adventure and touring riders.

ST-7 Gore-Tex jacket

Choosing a multi-season textile jacket or suit can be something of a minefield, with an enormous choice available offering a baffling variety of features and prices ranging from under £100 to more than 10 times that. On that spectrum Alpinestars is one of the more premium brands, the new ST-7 a mid-price product in its range combining premium touches like Gore-Tex fabric while being lighter and simpler than some of the more sophisticated multi-layer and all-season options. It’s smartly styled with shades of adventure clothing, particularly in this ‘Gobi brown/Black’ colour combo and the ‘Alpinestars Exploration Equipment’ logos, with sizes ranging from Small to 4XL. We’ve worn it a good few times already and, if so far spared the extremes of cold or biggest downpours, it’s proved impressive. The fit and cut is good and there are plenty of quality touches for a rugged, durable feel. There are loads of adjustment straps, the two ‘hip’ cargo pockets are large and come with waterproof zips and flaps, there are useful ventilation flaps for warmer days on the shoulder and upper arm plus a zip out quilted liner. As such it’s not quite as warm as a the higher-end, three-layer Alpinestars jacket we’ve tried previously but it’s enough for most of the year, seems to successfully keep the water out and has the kind of quality you’d expect for the price.

ST-7 Gore-Tex trousers

The ST-7 trousers are designed to complement the jacket but come separately and in black only, albeit with the same Small to 4XL size range. As with the jacket there’s a Gore-Tex laminate construction with a zip-out removeable quilted thermal liner and CE Level 2 armour in the knees. Again, they’re well made, ooze quality, have neat features like arge cargo pockets, stretch panels in the crotch and back, a quality zip and an adjustable belt buckle. We found the fit good and the zippered vent panels useful on warmer days, while overall reasonably warm if perhaps not quite as insulated as full-on three-layer equivalents. Saying that a set of thermals underneath should see you through colder days. While we’ve not been caught in a full-on downpour they’ve proven waterproof thus far and have a quality, rugged feel suggesting they’ll last for years. For the price they tick a lot of boxes with the combination of fit, protection, comfort, protection and quality.

We’re swamped with choices when it comes to multi-season motorcycle textiles, which is why premium brands such as Alpinestars need to deliver to justify their higher prices. Thankfully, the ST-7 combo it does just that. Its adventure style, features and colours immediately make it stand out without compromising its touring or all-round abilities. The choice of sizes and fit is good, it has all the features you actually need with the Gore-Tex, zip-out thermal liners, quality armour, waterproofing, decent pockets and ventilation yet avoids the feature overload of some pricier garments. No, it’s not quite as warm or sophisticated as some, but it’ll do most of the things most people want for most of the time and, at this price, with this label, that’s very tempting.