When your riding day takes you from an alpine chill in the morning to low countryside heat mixed with drenching rain by mid-afternoon, your gear stops being just gear. It becomes your armor, your shelter, your second skin. That’s exactly the mindset I brought with me while putting the Held Carese Evo jacket and Torno Evo pants to the test. The result? A versatile, comfortable, and performance-driven combo that has become my go-to kit for serious travel. The star of the show is the removable Gore-Tex three-layer waterproof liner, which can be worn inside, outside, or entirely on its own. This isn’t just a convenient feature, it’s a real-world solution. On cool, rainy mornings, I zipped the liner inside and stayed completely dry. But once the skies cleared and temperatures spiked, I pulled the liner out and let the suit’s generous ventilation system do its thing. Airflow through chest, back, thigh, and arm vents was excellent, keeping me cool without compromising protection. If you don’t want your outer shell soaking up rain or the hassle of adding or removing internal liners, you can throw the Gore-Tex layer over the jacket and pants. That option makes a huge difference in humid conditions, where drying soaked gear overnight is almost impossible. Held clearly understands how riders move. Super soft yet durable materials inside and out, plus generous stretch panels, make these pieces feel tailored to my riding posture, whether I was standing up on the pegs or tucked in on the freeway. Adjustability at the arms, waist, cuffs, hips, thighs, and calves means I can customize the fit perfectly. Even the zipper pulls are glove-friendly, which sounds minor until you need to crack a vent mid-ride without taking your eyes off the road. At 5-foot-7 and 185 lb, I tested a size large in both the jacket and pants. The proportions were spot-on, and thanks to the strategic adjusters, I felt zero pressure points or bulk. After riding hundreds of miles in mixed weather, I felt surprisingly fresh at the end of each day – no pinching, no overheating, no fatigue from fighting stiff gear. The Carese Evo and Torno Evo feature 500D Cordura fabric that is AA certified for abrasion resistance, putting this suit in the top tier for serious road and ADV riders. The suit uses CE Level 2 Sas-Tec armor at the shoulders, elbows, hips, and knees, with optional back protection. The armor is low-profile and flexible, and I barely noticed it. That’s essential for touring and off-road adventures: high-level protection that doesn’t feel like you’re wearing football pads. This isn’t flashy gear – and that’s a good thing. The gray/black and blue/red colorways offer a clean, understated aesthetic that works whether you’re sitting on or standing next to a rugged adventure bike (like the BMW R 12 G/S shown above) or a sleek sport-tourer. Reflective trim is well-placed and subtle, keeping the look sharp while adding nighttime visibility. Read all of Rider’s apparel reviews here At $1,299.99 for the Held Carese Evo jacket and $929.99 for the Torno Evo pants, this isn’t budget gear. Between its full-season flexibility, smart weatherproofing, all-day comfort, and rock-solid protection, it’s some of the most capable touring gear I’ve ever worn. Shop for Held Carese Evo Jacket Shop for Held Torno Evo Pants The post Held Carese Evo Jacket and Torno Evo Pants Review appeared first on Rider Magazine.