Pharao Cedar Textile Suit review | A waterproof textile suit that's punching above its price tag

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When it comes to textile touring gear, we’re all looking for that go anywhere, do anything outfit – the Swiss army knife of riding kit, that we can wear all year round and face any weather with total confidence.

Now I’m not claiming that the Pharao Cedar textile suit is the ultimate all-rounder, but as part of a suit that costs just a fraction of the class leaders it certainly punches well above its weight, really holding its own on as a waterproof jacket.

How comfortable are the Pharao Cedar textiles?

The Pharao Cedar is essentially two separate suits – an outer Cordura shell for protection, with an inner Clime-Max liner designed to take care of moisture management and warmth. The jacket is cut in the typical long touring style, providing a significant overlap with the textile trousers, and they attach together with a full-length zip. The trousers are equipped with braces for those, like myself, who feel secure with a little extra support.

Certainly far as I’m concerned, the fit is true to size. I’m a 42” chest / 34” waist and the recommended large is spot on for both jacket and trousers. Fine tuning can be achieved by hook and loop adjustment at the waist and forearms, which also helps snug in the armour for a reassuring feeling of comfort.

The inner suit, or ‘membrane’ as Pharao call it, is fleece lined, and as such is suitably snug – most of the time. It’s fairly lightweight, so while not restricting mobility it does lose effective insulation below 5°C, and on sub zero days left me feeling somewhat chilly. Despite that, I like the fact that I don’t look or feel like Bibendum in a sleeping bag when wearing it.

Ventilation is excellent, with zipped intake panels on the chest, upper arm and along the thighs, with adjustable exhaust vents at the back. The lack of waterproofing in the outer layer means that it breathes far better than a laminate when worn on its own, but that same factor works against it in the cold.

How practical are the Pharao Cedar textiles?

The Cedar jacket has a good suite of useable pockets, four external and two internal. None are waterproof, and even have labels in the lining to that effect, however the internal pockets in the membrane are. It’s easy to get on and off, and zips together with a full 360 fastening.A zipped gusset at the wrist is a nice touch that makes it easy to get the sleeve over winter gloves.

Does the Pharao Cedar suit look good?

Looks are utilitarian, very much in the basic commuter/touring vein. The flash of high visibility fluo yellow and silver reflective strips add a bit of colour, but although it couldn’t be described as cool, it’s certainly smart – and that thrifty purchase vibe does give it kudos in certain circles.  

Is the Pharao Cedar suit good quality?

The Cordura construction feels durable, without any stiffness, and is as flexible as you’d expect a single layer, non-laminated fabric to be.

But where the Cedar really made me sit up and take notice is in its wet weather performance. It’s essentially two separate suits, with the outer layer taking care of protection, whilst the inner deals with temperature and moisture. Pharao call the inner, waterproof part a membrane, but it’s so much more than a drop liner and could easily be worn on its own off the bike as a destination jacket.

The key is how the two fit together. There are minimal attachment points, which means that although the outer layer quickly wets out, there’s no wicking up the sleeve, at the neck or around the waist because the openings are kept separate. It even has a built in balaclava stashed in a zipped pocket on the collar, which when unfurled it fits closely around the forehead and under the chin, with a large storm flap at the front. It’s effective against wind and cold, but I found it restricted head movement too much when looking to the periphery at junctions. 

The Pharao Cedar has been subjected to some truly horrendous conditions over winter and has remained bone dry inside. That said, because the outer wets through, it’s not particularly warm in sustained periods of rain in cold weather.

Does the Pharao Cedar suit offer a good level of protection?

On the safety front, the Cedar is certified to a reassuring CE AA standard and comes with level 2 ‘Safe-Max’ armour for elbow and shoulder. The outer shell is genuine Cordura, made from 100% recycled polyester, with rip-stop reinforcement panels at impact points. It doesn’t come with a back protector, although there is a pocket for one. Given the price of the jacket, it wouldn’t be too much of a hardship to add your own.

Is the Pharao suit good value for money?

It’s currently on offer at £99.99, with trousers at £99.99 and for a full textile suit that works in the wet, that’s incredible value for money. The overall construction feels like it should last a couple of years of daily use at the bare minimum, and I wouldn’t be surprised to get five or more years service from it.

So what’s the verdict?

Pharao is a German brand that’s relatively new to the UK and currently only available on these shores through retail giant Sports Bike Shop. I must admit to having not heard of them before, but I’m not one to be put off by the lack of a big-name logo and so far it’s outshone expectations.

It’s not the best looking, and you’ll need some extra layers in winter, but even at full retail I’d say it’s worth the money – and with the current discount it’s practically a steal.

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