REVIEW: Pearson 1860 Mallory Jacket

For a riding jacket, I like something with a bit of space and give in it to allow for some layering (I’m talking mainly spring-summer-autumn here), decent repellency and some useful pockets, but not too many. I also like a hood. Definitely always keen for something rugged and hard-wearing; I’m off-road regularly and against my better judgment often try to squeeze down hawthorn-ridden paths to find something new (often I don’t) and as a result return a bit bloody and scratched.

It’s also going to have to wick well but also be a reliable buffer descending at speed in the chillier times. My ride times tend to average between two and five hours given the windows I get, so as long as the jacket can hold off rain for just about up to 60 minutes, that’s about all I need.

Fundamentally, I also find myself often doing urban versions of hike-a-bike and so I want a jacket that can be cross-functional to some extent. So – tough, long-lasting, useful and not MAMIL-wear, that’s about the size of it.

Definitely cut from a different cloth. This is apparently ‘a rugged red jacket taking its cues from the intrepid George Mallory, who, in the 1920s attempted to climb Mount Everest in little more than country wear. The jacket created in Mallory’s honour is, like the man himself, a wonderful blend of old-fashioned virtues and elite performance’.

The Mallory jacket looks and feels markedly different and to me has something of a Belstaff look about it. Another brand which leans into British adventure travel history for its aesthetics. There seem to be lots of features, pockets galore and a variety of different fabrics at play. It’s really quite intriguing. It almost feels like something Paul Weller would wear rather than a grizzled adventurer like Mallory but with its self-evident toughness, you can see where the crossover style is aiming.

The chest panel uses fabric from British Millerain, the historic UK company who, as far back as the 19th century (yikes!), pioneered the use of waxed cotton for outdoor use. You’ll find this material underpinning various hardwearing outdoor garments but also things like outdoor furniture. There’s also some unashamedly unsubtle vintage branding in the form of the Pearson-Millerain logo and the red rose (the Pearson symbol but also coincidentally the emblem heartland of the Millerain material, Lancashire) embossed on the sleeve.

When this garment was first released its RRP soared at the £150 mark which I would humbly suggest is pushing it a bit, despite the intricacies of design at play here. Now it’s settled at the £90 mark and this seems eminently more sensible and a much more accessible price point for a product-market fit. 

In more bitingly cold weather you’re like to boost it with a gilet and though it will withstand an hour’s shower or so, you’d again need something to see you through longer than that.

The fabric mix and its smart, tactical deployment in sensitive areas definitely fills me with confidence that the jacket will see a long and adventure-filled life, with a scrape or two along the way.