I recently got blown up. Not in the sense that my phone was ringing uncontrollably. I literally (not figuratively, people) got blown up by Alpinestars. And it was awesome.

Technically, I volunteered to have the Alpinestars team blow me up because I was curious about how the airbag in the all-new Tech-Air 3 Leather Airbag Vest worked. I wanted to know how it felt. And while I wasn’t keen on voluntarily ghost riding the Harley-Davidson Hydra Glide Revival I was riding during my evaluation, I fi gured the next best thing was to have the crew deploy the bag with a “tester” vest. I saw James Rispoli do it at a product demo and I thought to myself, “Self, that looks cool. Where do I sign up?” As it turns out, having the vest deployed on me was not as gnarly as I anticipated. It was instantaneous, and even though I was prepared for it to go off , it was still shocking. And that’s when it clicked, “I should wear one of these when I ride.”

Let’s dive into the tech and materials fi rst. Alpinestars’ crash detection triggering algorithm has been developed and refined with millions of kilometers of riding data and tens of thousands of crashes, allowing the system to accurately assess when to deploy the airbag ahead of an impact or other dangerous situation like a lowside, or highside crash. In the event the Tech-Air 3 detects the start of a crash, the system will activate the protective airbag in milliseconds, providing upper body protection, and reducing up to 95 percent of the impact energy transferred to the rider anywhere the airbag protects, which includes the full chest and back. The Tech-Air 3 also features Bluetooth connectivity to a Tech-Air App, which allows monitoring of both the system’s operational status and battery status, and mapping your journey via MyRide.

I’ll be honest, I’m not really a vest guy. I mean, if I’m going to take a tumble I know my arms would be pissed if they got road-rashed because I didn’t protect them. The Tech-Air 3 was designed to be worn with a motorcycle jacket, especially one with CE-rated armor.

In fact, I wore the Alpinestars’ Moto Streetwear Equipment Tartan Shirt in addition to the vest and I felt super confi dent. It’s a half shirt, half hoodie riding garment creating a totally unique approach to motorcycle apparel and individual rider style, while at the same time providing full protection.

In terms of styling, less is always more in my opinion. Alpinestars nailed it. They have two versions available, and both are minimally designed. There are no doo-dads or conches or spikes anywhere. Just the goods. We opted for the leather Tech-Air 3 (only available in black for $749.95), as opposed to the Canvas Tech-Air 3 (available in tan or black for $699.95). I honestly liked both, but because I felt like if I was going to go full “vest mode,” I better go for the gusto, right?

The vest is a bit hefty, which I’m not complaining about since I know it’s equipped with a freakin’ deployable airbag for crying out loud. And because the weight is pretty evenly distributed, I didn’t feel fatigued in one section of my body over another after a full day of riding.

Overall, I really liked the Tech-Air 3. While I wasn’t a vest guy before, I think you’ll see me wearing one a bit more often these days. Even if it’s under my jacket, because you can’t put a price on protection and the Alpinestars Tech-Air 3 is a great option that ticks all the boxes of performance, comfort, styling, and safety.