Drayko Cargo Riding Pants Review

Most moto-jackets offer ample pocket space, but sometimes it’s more convenient to have something like toll change or bubble gum within easy reach in a mid-thigh pocket. The velcro closures on the pockets ensure even a gloved hand can gain easy ingress, and the pockets’ expandable design keeps items within from annoyingly poking through to your skin as the non-expandable hip pockets are wont to do.

Like cargo shorts, and unlike many other riding jeans, the Drayko cargo riding pants are designed with relaxed, loose-leg fitment. This is especially nice when humidity and sweat make your thighs feel like overcooked sausages inside tighter-fitting riding jeans. Constructed from cotton twill, the Drayko cargo pants are also lighter, and thus more hot-weather friendly.

Drayko’s claim to safety fame is centered around the company’s use of Dyneema (a brand of ultra-high molecular weight polyethylene), which can be found in a variety of products from synthetic ropes to armored vehicles, and DuPont Kevlar. The blended lining is CE-approved and is used in all Drayko riding pants in the areas most in need of abrasion protection. Double stitched to the inside of the cargo pants, the Dyneema/Kevlar blend wraps your entire derriere in near bulletproof protection. A diaper-type feel is inescapable, but is reduced due to the cargo pants’ relaxed fit, as well as the breathability and flexibility of the fiber.

Like many apparel reviews, it can be hard to prove safety claims of the manufacturer, and this review is no different. In other words, no crash test dummies (me) were hurt during the review process of Drayko’s cargo riding pants. Unlike many other apparel products, Drayko has furnished some pretty convincing video evidence of its products’ ability to perform as advertised.

When purchasing a European brand, a person oftentimes finds sizing to run small, necessitating upsizing to ensure a good fit. Drayko’s sizing reflects actual U.S. rider sizes. The 34-inch waist I ordered is a true 34, requiring me to wear a belt to get a snug fit (I’m normally a 32- to 33-inch waist). No big deal as I usually wear a belt when I’m riding. What I don’t like about the sizing is the inseam only comes in one length regardless of waist size: 34 inches. This length has the back of the pants dragging on the ground around my heels. I can only imagine that a person with a 30-inch waist – and most likely shorter than me – will nearly get tripped up with amount of excess material. Sure, you can hem the length of the pants, but I’m no tailor and my wife’s no seamstress, so choosing from a wider variety of inseam lengths would be preferable.

Even with the extra length I still found the cargo pants riding a little high when bent into a standard motorcycle seating position (see main image above). A cruiserish feet-forward seating position will suffer less high-water rise. The loose-leg cut of the pants provides plenty of room for wearing over the thickest of riding boots, but also to the point of excessively flapping in the wind, and allowing a lot of breeze coming into the bottom of the pant leg.

At $179.95 the Drayko cargo riding pants feature mid-level pricing, but among a sea of riding jeans, this pair of cargo pants has only a few competitors. The cargo pants come in colors black and khaki, and waist sizes 30 – 44 inches (as noted, all inseam lengths are 34 inches). The cargo riding pants are rivetless

Drayko is distributed by HardDrive to most U.S. motorcycle dealers. They’re also available from online sources, but you may want to try on a pair before purchase. Check out the Drayko cargo riding pants and other products at its website.

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