REV’IT! Valve H2O Pants Hands

Nov 07, 2023

I recently reviewed the REV’IT! Valve H2O Jacket for wBW and was thrilled to have the opportunity to complete the suit, so to speak, by reviewing the matching pant. In fact, it is probably fair to say that I was even more excited to test and review the pant than the jacket. I have been on something of a mission to find the "perfect" touring pant and have consistently come up dry.

I’m a lean, athletic 155 pounds and most touring pants look baggy on me. Or they have mediocre waterproofing or thermal properties. Or they’re really bomb-proof ADV pants that are overkill for road riding.

Would the Valve H2O pants be the unicorn I was looking for? After reviewing the jacket, I was cautiously optimistic. My appreciation for REV’IT! only grew after testing the jacket so I was stoked to see if the pant would bring a similar level of technical specification without sacrificing form.

I also wanted to test REV’IT!'s assertion that the Valve H2O pants were "created and suitable for all-season riding" and "the combination of waterproof CORIUM+® leather on the hips, knees, and rear and the breathable 3L hydratex waterproof laminate on the body of the pants" made the rider "fully protected from bad weather".

As noted above, I’ve been on a Grail-like quest for a comfortable, highly functional pair of motorcycle pants for touring. The kind of pant that you can literally live in for days on the road. While I love the look and feel of leather, and the inescapable "cool factor" that goes with it, I just didn't think it was a viable option for touring.

The blend of laminated leather and textile in the Valve H2O, however, intrigued me. REV’IT! has done the leather-meets-textile combo well previously with their Ignition jacket and pants, and the Valve H2O ups the ante by laminating the waterproofing directly to the leather rather than relying on a drop-liner. Suffice to say, I wanted to see if the performance matched up with the promise – and justified the hefty price tag.

Right out of the box the REV’IT! Valve H2O exudes quality and a reassuringly "protective" feel. The pants are robust, without the constricted feeling that a new pair of 100% leather pants often conveys. The fit is what I would call true to size; I typically wear a size 28 waist in REV’IT! riding jeans and the size small (European size 46) on the Valve H2O fit me well.

A little snug at first, but as the leather and textile softened with some saddle time the pants quickly conformed to my body shape and were comfortable for all-day riding. Adjustment tabs on either side of the waist allow the rider to dial in the fit, and a band of textile immediately below the waist at the rear of the pant functions like an accordion stretch panel to give you additional levels of comfort.

The combination of leather and textile works well here; leather motorcycle pants offer that unmistakable fit and feel that only leather can provide (to say nothing of the abrasion resistance), while the textile offers stretch and extra levels of comfort.

REV’IT!'s background in the adventure and sport touring spaces is very much on display with the Valve H2O pant – it doesn't "look" quite like another pair of leather pants, but neither is it the stereotypical sport touring (i.e. textile) pant either. It has a different and decidedly cool vibe.

The Valve H2O also features a detachable, full-leg thermal liner that actually offers real warmth without too much additional bulk. Late 2022 and early 2023 riding with air temperatures just above freezing (and the effective temperature while riding much cooler) made for a great test of the efficacy of the thermal liner and it came through with no problems.

The combination of the leather and textile main chassis and the thermal liner kept me toasty. I would say, however, that with the thermal liner in my freedom of movement on the bike was slightly reduced.

If I sized up in the pant this would probably not be an issue – though it may make the pants too big when the thermal liner is removed. Not a huge issue, but just a little frustrating in my search for a do-everything pant.

The Valve H2O also features some additional creature comforts such as a mesh lining for days when you take the thermal out, and both long and short connection zips to create a one-piece suit effect (especially when zipped into the Valve H2O jacket).

REV’IT!'s marketing department says "we took our time when it came to the design of the Valve H2O pants; to make sure they were created and suitable for all-season riding. Thanks to the combination of waterproof CORIUM+® leather on the hips, knees, and rear and the breathable 3L hydratex waterproof laminate on the body of the pants, you are always fully protected from bad weather". After several months of riding with the jacket in cool-to-cold conditions, I’d tend to agree that from a fit and comfort perspective, the pants generally deliver the goods.

If I have a nitpick here, I would say that with the thermal liner zipped in the pants are just snug enough that I feel I lose some of my feel for the bike; it takes me just a hair longer to move myself into position and feel totally in command. It's not a deal breaker, but when you’re spending north of $1000 on a pair of motorcycle pants you really want to have everything just right.

The only other nitpick with respect to fit and comfort is the ventilation scheme (more on that below). I haven't yet tested the jacket in warm to hot weather, nor have I tested it in higher humidity, but the robustness of the leather, and the relatively small vents lead me to believe that this is best seen as a 3-season riding option.

It would just be too warm on the hottest of motorcycle riding days.

I’m thinking of a ride I did last year that included several days in the Mojave Desert in California. My riding buddy, Andreas, wore a pair of BMW DarkNite leather pants because he rarely, if ever, rides in anything but leather and he was understandably hot. I couldn't imagine wearing the Valve H2O pants on a ride like that, even with the ventilation on offer (which, it should be said, is better than on BMW's leather pants).

Overall, the Valve H2O is AA rated under the EN 17092 Standard.

Working from the outside in, the outer shell material of the Valve H2O is a combination of CORIUM+® ripstop 3L, CORIUM+® SMART LEATHER, and CORIUM+® stretch 3L. The specific mix is 45% Leather, 45% Polyester, 8% Polyamide, and 2% Elastane.

CORIUM+® is a genuinely versatile leather technology created to add real weather protection to the abrasion-resistant characteristics of leather. In this way it transforms a product we all love for its "cool" factor into a fully waterproof, windproof and breathable product – all while remaining comfortable to wear.

For someone like me who logs between 10,000 and 15,000 miles each year in literally all weathers, this added versatility is a potential game-changer. I live in the foothills just east of the Rocky Mountains in Alberta, Canada and my local riding, even in Spring and Summer can feature dramatic shifts in weather.

I didn't receive the Valve H2O pants for testing until late 2022 so I immediately put them through their paces at a time of year when many riders are putting their bikes in storage. Riding outside of Edmonton in late October I felt perfectly warm at 60-70 mph in single-digit temperatures.

Like the Valve H2O jacket, the pants seem virtually impenetrable to the wind. And like the jacket, the stretch capabilities and waterproofing baked into the pants (the latter not fully tested yet) make for a compelling outer protective layer. I might say that the pants seemed just a little less stretchy than the jacket, but this could be a break-in issue. The difference is not much, but I noticed they didn't move with me quite as easily and smoothly as the jacket.

REV’IT! uses safety seams on the pants in all areas of increased risk of impact. Safety seams have a visible as well as an invisible seam. This construction keeps the material of the outer shell together, even when the visible seam is worn. I would add that the stitching on the Valve H2O is very clean; no loose threads or stray stitch lines. Again, you might say that this should be a given on a pair of pants with this price tag, but I’ve seen plenty of expensive pants (and have had the painful experience of buying a few of them myself) where the quality of the stitching did not measure up to the purchase price.

As you would hope for pants of this quality (and price), the Valve H2O comes fully kitted out with REV’IT!'s own award-winning SEEFLEX armor in both the hips and the knees. The protectors are CE-Level 2 certified in accordance with the latest EN standards (EN1621-1:2012) and easily exceed the standard for performance across a wide temperature range. This is an often-overlooked feature when discussing protection; the wider the temperature range over which the armor performs the greater the safety and comfort.

In my testing of the Valve H2O, I can attest to the comfort of this latest generation of SEEFLEX armour; it is every bit as comfortable as my D30 Ghost Armour while offering considerably more protection.

The protection scheme is rounded out with laminated reflective strips on zipper coverings at the lower leg gussets, and leather reinforcements on the inner lower leg.

Ventilation on the Valve H2O is good, but not great. The pants feature REV’IT!'s VCS|Aquadefence ventilation system. Two flaps on each thigh can be opened up and secured with a magnetic Fidlock® closure. While REV’IT! claims this can be done with one hand while riding, I wouldn't recommend it – you need to be pretty dextrous to pull this off, especially at speed.

"On warmer days you can easily direct cool air to your upper legs with the help of our VCS|Aquadefence system. Just open up the flaps on the legs and secure them with the magnetic Fidlock® system. All of this can be done with one hand, with gloves on, while riding".

And of course, as with any pant with a thermal liner, you want to remove the thermal before opening up these flaps to maximize air flow to the body. The only problem, or limiting factor, is that this is the extent of ventilation options; the slit pockets on the pants could be opened, but they are not mesh-lined and do not flow air to the body.

So, with the two VCS I Aquadefence system vents on the upper thighs of the pants open there is decent air flow that will be fine in cooler climates, and on days that are warm, but not hot. So, no Mojave Desert riding in the Valve H2O. On truly hot days, you probably want a dedicated mesh pant, anyway. Something like REV’IT!'s Airwave 3 or Tornado 3, or Klim's Baja S4 or Rukka's 4Air.

REV’IT! typically does a great job with zippers and pockets and the Valve H2O is no exception. There are two vertical slit pockets on either side of the front of the pants, each with YKK Aquaguard zippers. The main or central zipper on the pants features a beefy pull tab that makes it easy to open or close the zipper with or without gloves.

In addition to the zippers at the top of the pants, the Valve H2O features zippered gussets at the bottom to assist in putting the pants on, or taking them off, and crucially, fitting the pants over motorcycle boots. I wear a pair of Daytona RoadStar GTX boots that, while hardly slim, are not ADV or MX in style. As a result, I had no issues sliding them under the Valve H2O.

Zippers throughout are YKK aquaguard which aligns well with the waterproof credentials of the jacket. All roll very smoothly and I don't anticipate any issues with durability. The pull tab on the main front jacket zipper is burly and easily used with gloves on – a nice touch.

Visibility on the Valve H2O is not a strong suit. It is, after all, a pair of black leather pants. REV’IT! has designed and positioned reflection panels on the lower leg gusset zippers to provide night-time or poor light visibility, but no one is going to mistake these panels for hi-viz. As on the Valve H2O jacket, the panels are welded rather than stitched to the fabric, making the pants stronger and safer – seams create potential areas of weakness that could tear in a spill.

My comments on visibility here notwithstanding, I’ve had absolutely no worries about wearing the Valve H2O pants at night or in poor light; headlights definitely pick up the reflective panels on the lower legs and in any case I rely on other visibility aids in my jacket, helmet and gloves to ensure that I’m seen.

The Valve H2O are perhaps the most unique pants in my gear closet. They are neither leather nor textile, and therein lies their appeal – and their shortcoming. So far, in predominantly cool to cold weather riding I have found them to be very capable and comfortable, but I have yet to put in big mileage days in warm – or wet – conditions.

The pants have broken in nicely, not that there is much break-in needed. As noted above, I found them to be pretty comfortable right out of the box and the comfort has only improved with use. Off the bike the pants are pretty obviously motorcycle or "technical" pants, so they’re not well-suited to walking around or meeting a friend at an upscale restaurant. For a ride to a favorite coffee shop or burger joint, however, they’d be just fine – and someone would likely comment on how cool they look.

In truth, I feel a bit torn about the pants. I likely need to wear them a bit more, put more miles on the bike with them and see how I feel. I just don't yet have the same "ahh" sensation that the Valve H2O jacket gave me. Maybe I need to keep searching for an awesome textile pant or try another pure leather pant? Or maybe I just need more time with these ones to render a more complete assessment? They are unquestionably better than many other pants I’ve bought, including REV’IT!'s Globe GTX, and Alpinestars Andes pant, though in fairness to those pants they come in at much lower price points. Still, they’re not quite there for me, and at this price I need the pants to really deliver.

Value for Money

Value for money is a subjective, or personal point. The Valve H2O are expensive pants, there's no other way to look at it. Further, they are not textile pants with some strategically-located leather reinforcements, but neither are they "pure" leather pants.

The hybrid nature of the pants’ construction makes them something with few direct competitors. From a touring perspective, riders willing to spend north of a $1000 on a pair of pants may find the Klim Latitude or Kodiak more compelling options – they each have a solid track record from a reliable manufacturer.

REV’IT! itself has several alternatives for the touring rider, at similar (and lesser) price points. The Dominator 3 GTX pants and the modular Stratum GTX are similar in price to the Valve H2O, and the Offtrack 2 H2O is roughly half the price. Each offers impressive levels of technical specification. But none of these has the cachet of leather that the Valve H2O offers.

Does this make it worth the money?

Ultimately, that's a personal decision that will be shaped by each rider's desire for style, function and protection. For myself, I would say that the Valve H2O hasn't completely won me over – yet. It's a pair of pants that I will continue to wear, though, until I find something that feels better. It's maybe the best that I’ve tried, but I’m going to keep searching while I ride in them. And as I ride I’ll keep revising my thoughts about the Valve.

There's a lot on offer here.

The Valve H2O pants are not cheap, but the build quality is exceptional and there is something intangible about them that you have to experience first-hand to truly appreciate them. While they may not be perfect, they are arguably the best pants I’ve ridden in, so I’m definitely keeping them in my rotation.

They offer solid protection and high levels of functionality for both the sport touring rider and daily commuter. The active-fit design, laminated waterproofing, and premium materials have got you covered.

And let's face it, black leather is just plain badass.