I was very lucky and Santa brought me a Dirtlej dirtsuit pro edition in the women cut. I wanted to do a review for you.
What is A Dirtlej dirtsuit?
A dirtsuit is an all in one waterproof biking suit. It has been designed with mountain biking in mind and its Dirtlej slogan is no more excuses and this is the item of clothing to wear on the wettest and the muddiest days on the hill. There are 5 versions of the Dirtsuit, I have the pro-women version.
Price on Dirtlej €249. These are on sale on
What Dirtlej say
The reimagined version of our classic gives you more comfort, more air and more pro-feeling. Because who gives everything, should also get everything: an optimized membrane and additional air inlets for the legs. Our pro edition is the best choice for all enduro and all-mountain athletes who love to play longer and more intensive in the dirt.
Ladies cut
The pro edition is also available as a ladies’ cut. The tapered shape gives you enough space and protects you from wind and weather. We love seeing ladies who play in the dirt!
Sizing
I was lucky to have a friend who already has one of these and told me they run really small. She also very kindly let me try on her one. Which is extra small. I am a size 8/10 I have hips, bum and boobs so the extra small was a very tight squeeze on me. These run super small on the hips and ass. They are very roomy on the top section I am guessing for layering underneath. I got a size small. Which is definitely the right size for me. I would say it is very loose on me in the middle but I am an hourglass shape so my middle tends to be the smallest part of me. They do have a size guide on their site which will help you choose a size. This is worked out on your weight and height.
What is special about the Dirtsuit.
Where do I start? This is waterproof riding gear taken that bit further. This is, in my opinion, the best option for those days where there is more mud and water than anything else on the trails. The Dirtlej dirtsuit pro-women cut is water-resistant up to 15,000 mm and has sealed zippers all over to make sure all the vents and pockets maintain the water resistance.
There are 6 vents in the suit, Two on each leg, two on the chest and two very large on the underarm area. These, when opened, make the dirtsuit really airy and stops me from overheating.
The Dirtsuit is wind resistant meaning you will no longer be cold and wet on the mountains.
No longer do I have to sit about in muddy gear. I love that I can pop this one on bad days and change super quickly back at the car. Keeping most of the dirt off me and my car. Of course, I still have dirt on your legs as this is the short version. I think this is the perfect items of clothing on the worst days.
The Dirtsuit Pro is made out of super durable material. I have yet to have a fall in this but I think it would stand up to most of my over the bar moments. I am saying it is durable this does not mean it is stiff to wear is super comfortable to wear and easy to move in.
The design features which stand out.
There has been some real thought put into the dirt suit. I love that there are lots of storage pockets. Two on your legs, One on your chest and one of your arm and two on your butt. All the pocket expect the butt pockets have waterproof sealed zips. The butt pockets have velcro to keep things safe in there. I store my iPhone 7 in its big protective case in my chest pocket with ease. I will say the cut on the shorts on my hips is tight this means I couldn't fit much in my leg pockets But this is due to me being a strange size. The arm pocket is handy for any uplift passes so you would need to remove it for passing the uplift turnstile.
The legs.
The legs are baggy without being restricting. I can fit my race face knee pads under the shorts with ease. My race face knee pads are the bulky kind.
The sleeves.
The sleeves are a fantastic length. Not too long like some women's biking wear. I also love the attention to detail in the cuff. This has a circular bit at the end which means water will slide off it. Meaning no more water in this area. Plus it helps to keep my Garmin watch nice and safe under it. Such a well thought out design. I love an adjustable cuff of biking jackets so this is awesome. It really helps to keep the sleeves out the way.
The Hood
A really nice feature is the hood. It is nice and big. I would fit over a smaller helmet than mine with ease. I do love a nice hood. There is also a nice addition of a way to store the hood away. Buy rolling it up and it stays in place with velcro.
Waist adjustment.
Now, this is always welcome in woman's biking shorts. It is always nice to be about to sinch in your waist or let it out. Us women go through a lot By this I mean bloating, period pains etc so It is always nice to be able to make an item more customisable. So this is a welcome addition.
The Butt.
Yes I went here, come on we all have an ass and I want some room for movement in the ass region when I am biking. A lot of biking is having that ass sticking out. So the dirtsuit needs to have freedom of movement and this has that with very cleverly designed ass area with a stretchy panel.
The colours.
I really like the colour on the dirtsuit pro-women version. I really like pink and turquoise details. I do like that the woman version is a bit more on the feminine side. I like to be seen on the trails and I really feel this does the job.
The riding review.
I wore this on a day when it was lightly raining but the ground was the wettest I have seen in a long time. I wore paddled 3/4 length tights and a thin endura biking top. I did a 10-mile ride around Nevis range hitting the trails. I found it easy to wear. I will say it is a bit hot on the climbs but this is to be expected and nothing I haven't dealt with before when wearing waterproof short and jacket. Like all waterproof shorts, there is that noise when pedalling. If you have worn waterproof shorts before you will know what I mean. I tried cycling uphill with all the vents closed and this was hot but by no means unbearable. With the vents open it was nice and airy.
On the downhill it was amazing. I felt comfortable and I could move around the trail with ease. As you can see from the photos above I out it through its paces and it really holds up. I went down very muddy rooty trails splashed through huge puddles and really tested it out.
When I got back to the car. I was a little wet on the butt nowhere near what I normally am. It was heaven to quickly take off the dirtsuit and pop on fresh clothes. This is it's own is a great feeling. No more horrid wet and soggy changes this is a onesie with a mission, the mission is mountain biking in the extreme and it does that.
I really like the Dirtlej Dirtsuit pro I think it really is the best item for the worst weather. It would be amazing on an uplift day when the conditions turn on you. Pop it on and you are ready to go. To me, it is worth its money and I wouldnt recommend you something I didn't really like myself.
Feel free to ask me any question you might have.
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