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Reach for a Knox Impass
02 September 2026
Reach for a Knox Impass
Knox, the motorcycle protective gear specialist much beloved of Paul Browne, has reached an Impass.
Actually, the company has launched an Impass range which makes bold promises for keeping the wet and windy stuff out.
The word means impassable or progress is impossible.
While applying the word to, say, a trade negotiation may be a bit depressing, it’s very good news when applied to waterproof motorcycle clothing and its relationship to rain.
To this end the new Impass Waterproof Collection from Knox is making some rather wonderful promises.
They’ve billed it as the “Ultimate barrier against wind, rain, and storms, for riders who demand weather protection without compromise”.
Think pieces
I really like Knox’s range because of the thought that goes into it. The designers embrace a lot of outdoor features within carefully constructed kit.
Obvious is the fact that it’s been designed by someone who rides a motorcycle and does so in inclement weather. The construction has been well thought out.
The lift and lock on the cuffs is a welcome relief from Velcro and its unpleasant effects on other pieces of kit.
Stitching is eliminated on the hems of jacket and trousers, as well as the cuffs where it’s replaced with bonding instead.
The trousers have an elasticated waist whilst the jacket comes with a groovy sideways closer, or, as adults call it, an asymmetrical zip. It’s designed to reduce bulk and complement the waterproofing, but I like it because it looks very cool and I’m very vain.
There’s a big chest compartmentalised pocket for all the stuff I don’t need, but am in the habit of carrying with me anyway.
Layer up
Rather than being a piece of armoured clothing, Impass gear is designed to go on over the company’s base layers.
The waterproof membrane – a 20k affair – sits on a soft and stretchy fabric which is designed to keep the elements at bay. Couple with those base layers, it will withstand all the challenges that being worn on a powerful motorcycle can throw at it.
There are three colours from which to choose. Black, a very cool ‘Smoke Blue’ as well as ‘Tobacco’. I’m not too sure I have what it takes to carry off the last one, but the blue could pry me away from black as my first choice.
String attached
One of the things that interests me is the fact that the jacket comes with a hood and a drawstring collar.
This would suggest that someone at Knox has been walking up hills in the Cotswolds and are adapting some of the kit for purposes other than motorcycling. I’ll be looking to extract a confession at EICMA later this year…
The Impass suit, as well as the rest of the range, is available from MotoKingdom in Kerry where they’ll run you €219.99 for the jacket and €179.99 for the trousers.
