Oxford Hinterland 2.0 review | Benchmark affordable waterproof textiles

Date reviewed: January 2026 | Tested by: John Milbank | Price: £349.99 & £279.99 (RRP)| www.oxfordproducts.com

The Oxford Hinterland 2.0 on review here is an update to the first model of Hinterland, which wasn’t a particularly good seller. So why has Oxford bothered to make another one?

Anyone who rode in the original Hinterland quickly realised that it was totally waterproof and incredibly well-made, especially for the relatively affordable price… in my review I thoroughly recommend it.

But Oxford kept the design quite subdued, hiding many of the great features underneath the outer shell, so for 2026 the Hinterland 2.0 not only makes some great tweaks and additions, it’s introduced some more bold colourways.

I’ve been wearing it for two months through winter on a 2001 Honda VFR800 and a 2019 BMW R1250GS to find out if it’s still as good…

Pros & Cons

Construction and fit

Available in the black and desert colour-scheme on review here, black and grey or all black, the Oxford Hinterland 2.0 is described as an adventure jacket and trousers, with a laminated waterproof construction and direct-to-body ventilation.

The main outer is 500D nylon, with the stretch sections including 4% elastane. Overall construction is great, and looking through the soft mesh liner it’s obvious that Oxford has maintained its exceptional quality of seam taping for the new model.

It wasn’t many years ago that quality laminated waterproof kit was the reserve of the most expensive gear, because accurate and reliable seam taping is a difficult and hence costly process. And it’s the seams that almost always allow any water through.

Some sellers will try to convince you that it’s still the case that you have to spend a lot of money to get something that keeps you truly dry, but Oxford and others have consistently shown that that simply isn’t true.

I’m 5’10” and about 14 stone, so overweight. I’m usually a size large, and while this is snug, it still fits well, the only noticeable issue being that the top of the arm vents dig into the inside of my elbows sometimes when I reach up to adjust my visor. This is a shame, but it’s not enough to put me off wearing it.

The Hinterland 2.0 is what I’d describe as ‘mid length’, being longer than a sports jacket and reaching down far enough to not expose my back on the bike, but not sitting below my hips.

Despite its laminated waterproof membrane, the Hinterland is very flexible and easy to wear, never feeling restrictive or awkward on or off the bike. The collar has a comfortable, soft edge, and magnetic fastenings help with the ventilation.

My only slight disappointment is that some of the reflective area on the right arm is showing some signs of wear already.

Protection & Certification

Proving that you can have flexible, wearable protective motorcycle kit, the Oxford Hinterland is certified to Level AA under EN17092 for abrasion resistance and seam strength and tear resistance. AAA kit offers the highest level of protection under this standard, but AA is fairly typical of a lot of off-the-peg touring kit currently on the market.

The armour fitted to the elbows, shoulders, knees and hips of the jacket and trousers is Level 2 (the highest for impact protection), Type B (the larger size template) and T- (tested to remain effective at -10°C). No back protector is supplied, but Oxford offers a Level 1 insert of £21.99, or a Level 2 for £29.99.

Impressively, the elbow armour has a choice of two positions, and the knee a choice of three, making it easy to get a comfortable fit with the armour in the correct place.

The elbow and knee armour offers good coverage and stays in place well, though that’s always something you can and should judge for yourself before buying. I would say that the trousers in particular seem to position and retain the armour better than the previous model, and really you’ll not see much better on other kit with standard-sized armour. When you move to the much larger protectors fitted to the likes of Rukka, Klim and others, you’ll often notice far superior coverage of the sides of your limb joints. But this does come at a heftier price.

The amour isn’t ventilated, so it’s not as cool to wear as some options, but it is flexible and comfortable.

Pockets

The Oxford Hinterland 2.0 has two good-sized pockets at the waist that can take my quite large Google Pixel 7 Pro phone, wallet and keys no bother, without digging into my legs while I ride. The water-resistant zips are quite stiff in use and set an a slightly awkward angle to reach, so despite the toggles attached they can be difficult to close with gloves on. Still, everything stays dry in them.

There are also two quite large open pockets on the inside for your gloves or bottles of water when you’re off the bike and one zipped pocket, also at the waist that’ll take my phone. There’s no ‘Nelson’ pocket on the inside at the chest, but there is a large map pocket on the rear, which is big enough to tuck the jacket’s thermal liner in. The trousers’ liner can be shoved in too, but it’ll be quite a large lump on your back

And that’s it. Which I’d say would be fine except that there aren’t any pockets on the trousers…

While everything I need to ride with can be stored in the jacket pockets, when I’m off the bike I tend to leave that behind, but then there’s nowhere for me to tuck anything. The previous version of the Hinterland had a pair of pockets on the trousers, so it’s a shame to see them dropped here.

Fastening

The main body of the Hinterland 2.0’s jacket is secured with a chunky, easy-to-operate plastic-toothed YKK zip, while the collar fastens with Velcro.

The trousers have a YKK zip fly with a popper and clip fastening on the top, and they’re supplied with a comfortable (and removable) pair of braces. Brilliant.

The jacket and trousers can be zipped together with a ¾ length zip around the waist, or a short one at the rear. Oxford also supplies the other sides of the zips, so they could be sewn into other kit if you wanted.

The jacket cuffs are fastened with Velcro, while the bottoms of the trousers have long water-resistant zips that make it easy to get the legs over your boots, then a popper to secure the bottom of the zip.

Adjustment

Oxford has clearly thought those trouser legs through – the Velcro adjustment for the bottoms is separate to the closure, so you can set it to suit your boots then leave it alone every time you unzip them. Three large strips of Velcro make it easy to get a secure fit, and I was able to get them over my traditional touring-style Daytona Roadstars, and the much bigger adventure-style Sidi Taurus boots.

The jacket sleeves are cinched tight with a large Velcro flap, and the lack of any zip means they’re not bulky. Another point for Oxford over some competitors that have a zip that gets rucked up when adjusting.

These aren’t the largest cuffs, so check your winter gloves, but I was able to get mine underneath (it’s easiest without a watch on). If you have battery-powered heated gloves you might struggle more – I could just get my Five HG Prime GTXs under, but they were a bit of a fiddle. I’d like to see a zip on the opposite side of the adjustment to make it easier to get the sleeves over my cuffs. Check your gloves with the Hinterland 2 if you want to wear them under the cuffs (which is the best way to stay dry).

There’s also a Velcro strap adjustment at the waist of the jacket and at the biceps, with an elasticated Velcro belt on either side of the trousers.

There’s not much adjustment in the Velcro of the collar, but at the rear is an elasticated strap that secures in place when it’s pulled upwards. I find the collar a good fit as it is, but you can draw it a bit tighter if you want.

Brilliantly, the hem of the jacket can also be drawn tight with two elasticated toggles, which further prevents any water getting in around the base. Just don’t forget to undo these, or tuck them away as they seem to find all the door handles I walk past.

Ventilation

While adventure-influenced in its styling, the Oxford Hinterland 2.0 doesn’t have the large chest vent panels of many dedicated adventure jackets, and there’s no venting at the upper arms or shoulders either.

The original Hinterland had ‘scoop’ vents at either side of the chest, whereas on the new model the main chest zip can be left open, with a mesh panel securing – via a separate zip –in its place to provide 4cm of airflow across the entire height of the chest. The storm flap that covers the upper half of the chest can also be pinned back with two magnets for maximum airflow – a clever design that allows a good amount of air to move around the body and out through the single full-width back vent. The extra width at chest does make it a bit more baggy, but this again allows more air in and around your torso.

The original Hinterland (top) had larger arm vents than the new model

There are 11.5cm-long forearm vents, and 18cm vents on the sides of the thighs to allow more air in, though it’ll depend on your bike’s fairing as to how much difference the wind makes – on the VFR I couldn’t feel much difference at all with these open or closed, which may be due to them being smaller than on the previous model.

Finding the right balance between hot weather ventilation and heavy rain protection is always hard, but Oxford has struck a fairly good balance here. Ventilation performance will of course depend on your bike – if it has a huge fairing and screen the wind won’t be anywhere near as effective at dragging the heat away, and while I’m writing this review in winter I will keep it updated. To be honest though, when it’s that hot it’s worth investing in one of the many AA and AAA-rated mesh jackets available, which you can find the best of here.

Warmth

The Hinterland 2.0 has removable thermal liners in the jacket and trousers. It’s not got a ‘destination’ jacket that can be worn off the bike, and Oxford isn’t using down or a premium insulation, but it certainly helps a lot in cooler weather. When it gets really cold, a set of baselayers will be worth the investment (the Zerofit Heatrubs are very effective), or go for heated kit – you can find the best here.

Oxford has also released its own ‘Atmos’ range of base and mid-layers, which we’re currently reviewing.

Liner

The Hinterland 2.0 is lined with a comfortable soft polyester lining that doesn’t get horrible and sticky in the heat, and with no irritating patches or fasteners inside

Waterproofing

The Oxford Hinterland 2.0 is a laminated construction, which means that the waterproof membrane is bonded to the back of the outer shell material. The advantage of this construction is that water doesn’t soak right through the outer shell before it’s stopped by the membrane, meaning it tends to dry out more quickly. It can also allow for better direct-to-body-ventilation and less heat in the summer due to one less layer to trap air.

The disadvantage is that it’s a more expensive construction method due to the seam taping, those seams have to be very well applied, it can make materials stiffer and it can be colder in the winter due to that one less layer to trap air.

Demand from consumers has led to more factories being able to do it, which has brought the cost down. Quality seam taping is also no longer the reserve of the premium brands, as can be seen in the pic below. While a little stiffer than it would be without the membrane laminated to the back, there are very few truly ‘stiff’ jackets and trousers now. But you can judge that for yourself when buying.

The Hinterland uses a ‘tri-laminate’ construction: Layer one is the outer material, then the waterproof membrane is bonded to that as layer two, then the final layer is a fine mesh, also known as a ‘scrim’ layer. Tri-laminates (or three layer laminates) aren’t more waterproof, but they are likely to stay more waterproof for longer as the scrim layer protects the membrane from wear and tear.

Most bike kit has a DWR (Durable Water Repellent) coating on the outside, which is crucial to making the water bead up and fall away, rather than soak in; once any kit is fully soaked, the membrane beneath will struggle to allow any moisture from your body to escape. Many ‘forever chemicals’ are now banned in the construction of new kit, and that’s had a big impact on brands making waterproof gear as most DWRs used them. Oxford has chosen CZero for its DWR, which is PFAS-free and is continuing to work well on my Hinterland 2.0, but like any DWR it’ll wear over time and with washing.

It’d like to see magnets in the channelled storm flap behind the jackets main zip that could help it locate properly for wet weather riding, but it only takes a few seconds to ensure it’s correctly in place, and the upper half of the body (which of course is more likely to take a battering when riding in rain) has a large, very effective storm flap over the zip.

An excellent design feature that I’d like to see on more jackets is the ability to cinch the Hinterland 2.0’s hem tighter with the elasticated cord that runs all around the bottom edge and through two spring buckles, which stops water blowing up around the waist – a common cause of a wet belly and groin.

The trousers have a gusset behind the fly, and while the bottoms of the legs open fully to more easily get over your boots, the water-resistant zips are both backed by channelled storm flaps.

All this comes together to make the Oxford Hinterland 2.0 a great jacket and trouser combo for wet weather riding – in my testing it’s kept me totally dry all over. The original Hinterland shocked me with its great performance, so it’s great to see that it’s still a superb piece of gear.

Cleaning

As with all motorcycle riding kit, you need to take the armour out before washing. Oxford says you should handwash The Hinterland jacket and trousers at 30°C, and leave them to dry naturally.

It is important to keep your gear clean as dirt builds up in the fabric that stops the membrane from breathing properly, so moisture collects inside. Keep any gear wiped down with water and a soft cloth and you should rarely need to give it a really thorough cleaning.

Three alternatives to the Oxford Hinterland 2.0

I’d put the Oxford Hinterland 2.0 into the mid-tier price point, which does pitch it against a wide range of alternatives. Hopefully this review will have helped you decide if it’s right for you, but here are some other you might want to consider…

• LS2 Apollo, RRP: £799.98 (jkt & trs) | This is one of the very few AAA-rated off-the-peg motorcycle textiles, with great ventilation, superb three-layer laminate waterproofing and incredible attention to detail. Our disappointment is with the armour, which is only the smaller 'Type A' template. Adjusters let you get a good fit and retention, so check for yourself. This is great gear that would be almost perfect if it had larger armour. Not cheap, but excellent value for money. Read the full review of the LS2 Apollo here.

• RST Pro Series Commander, RRP: £549.98 (jkt & trs) | Tested by a motorcycle instructor through all weathers, all day and every day, the excellent waterproof performance, pocket space and choice of leg lengths mean this comes highly recommended. The main thing to consider that our tester pointed out is that it can be too warm in the summer for slow-speed urban riding. Read the full review of the RST Pro Series Commander here.

• Weise Ozark, RRP £559.98 (jkt & trs) | Our tester was very impressed with the waterproof performance and comfort of the Ozark, though did point out that the ventilation could be better. The main thing to be aware of is that it’s not available in short or long leg lengths, so as always, do try it on before buying. Read the full review of the Weise Ozark here.

These are just three of many alternatives – you can find all the textiles we’ve tested here  and be sure to regularly check for the discounts available through Bikesocial membership.

Oxford Hinterland 2.0 review: Verdict

Oxford had a great product in the original Hinterland, but too few people realised. Now, with the Hinterland 2.0, a bolder design should get it on the radar of more riders looking for a good value set of versatile, protective waterproof motorcycle textiles. And if that’s you, I strongly recommend you check them out as the jacket and trousers are very well featured with some great design touches.

I can see where Oxford is coming from in calling this an ‘adventure’ jacket, but to be honest I think of that more as separate layers and very high performance ventilation (the Rev’It Sand 5 reviewed here is a superb example). But whether you’re an all-year commuter, a touring rider or just looking for something to wear in all weathers for shorter rides, the Oxford Hinterland 2.0 is a benchmark in motorcycle kit  that’s well worth considering.

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