Protective riding gear has been part of my riding experience since I started riding at 12. I didn’t have riding mentors or even riding buddies, so I had to figure things out on my own. My invincible young brain understood why helmets, boots, and gloves mattered, but after my first fall I quickly learned that ordinary school jeans offered very little protection once they met the ground.

Fortunately, riding pants have come a long way. Today’s riders can choose from everything between lightweight technical riding jeans and full-leather race gear, each offering a different balance of comfort, protection, and price. At $249 a pair, Old Soul Moto AAA Armored Motorcycle Pants aim for the upper end of the protection scale. They combine a casual cargo-pant appearance with full EN17092-2:2020 AAA certification (the highest for motorcycle pants), CE Level 2 knee and hip armor (also the highest rating), a full DuPont Kevlar middle liner, and an unusually broad range of 48 sizes sold directly to consumers.

The Old Soul pants use a three-layer construction consisting of a cotton/Lycra outer shell, a full Kevlar middle liner, and an inner mesh comfort liner. Combined with CE Level 2 armor in the knees and hips, my size 34×32 cargo pants weigh just over 3 pounds. They feel substantially heavier than ordinary jeans or single-layer textile riding pants.

Old Soul offers 48 relaxed-fit sizes in the cargo pant style, from 28×28 to 52×38, with six lengths in each waist size; in case you’re wondering, the largest size will handle someone over 6-foot-4 and 300 pounds. I wear 34×30 in jeans and their 34×32 fit naturally over my street riding boots. The waistband has a full inch of stretch in it for a no-bind feel when in a riding posture all day.

The front and rear open-top pockets are of typical depth. The two front Velcro-flap and zipper-protected cargo pockets are ample without looking out of place. The knee armor pockets provide two height positions to better align the armor with your knees, and access zippers are hidden in the outer reinforced seams to allow for a regular-pant look.

After a 12-hour ride in temperatures ranging from 45 to 96 degrees, I noticed extra fabric was welcome at the lower temperatures. Yet, there was still enough airflow that I was never uncomfortable, even at 96 degrees. The following morning, however, I discovered 2-by-4-inch heat rashes on both hips, directly under the CE-rated hip armor. The CE armor used in the Old Soul cargo pants is 100% polyurethane. It has no ventilation openings, so there was no heat dissipation under them.

I also found that above 90 degrees, while the rest of my legs were getting evaporative cooling from the up-leg airflow with my feet on the highway pegs, sweat was dripping onto my kneecaps directly below the non-ventilated CE Level 2 knee armor. The pants are tested and designed in Waterloo, Ontario, Canada, so they may not have experienced temperatures nearly 100 degrees.

I installed a set of third-party CE Level 2 honeycomb ventilated armor in the hips and knees. The additional airflow on my next four-hour ride eliminated the hot spots above 90 degrees that I experienced with the original armor.

The inner mesh liner does create an air gap between your skin and the Kevlar liner, which improves overall comfort. After spending long hours sitting in the saddle, I found no uncomfortable bunching or pulling in the crotch area, either while riding or during mounting and dismounting. The pants moved naturally with me throughout the day without creating pressure points or restricting movement.

Off the bike, the Old Soul Moto cargo pants feel natural and move like a traditional cargo pant. While the added weight of the armor and Kevlar liner is noticeable, they never felt awkward or out of place when walking, sitting, or handling everyday tasks away from the motorcycle.

Fortunately, I have no firsthand experience with the pants’ crash performance. An Old Soul Moto promotional video of a controlled asphalt slide test and the AAA rating give me confidence that I will have the impact and abrasion protection I’ll need should I have a mishap.

Old Soul Moto AAA Armored Motorcycle Pants are built with one goal in mind: providing a high level of protection while still looking, feeling, and functioning like casual cargo pants. The three-layer construction, top-level AAA certification, generous size selection, and comfortable fit make them an impressive value for riders who place protection near the top of their priority list. Overall, the Old Soul cargo pants are comfortable on long days in the saddle, offer useful features, and deliver a level of protection that ordinary jeans simply do not match.

Old Soul Moto AAA Armored Motorcycle Pants Fast Facts

• Sizes: Dozens from 28×28 to 52×38.
• Colors: Grey; Black
• Armor: CE Level 2 knees and hips
• Certification: CE Class AAA EN17092-2:2020

Old Soul Moto AAA Armored Motorcycle Pants Price: $249/pair

Old Soul Moto AAA Armored Motorcycle Pants Review Photo Gallery