Representatives from the 509 brand reached out late last winter to offer an “exclusive” opportunity to test some of their yet-to-be-released 2026 riding gear. They had a caveat, though: None of the gear was supposed to be seen before September 5, 2025.
We agreed to their embargo in theory but pointed out that—despite the BS legal copy in videos—we in fact aren’t “professional riders on closed courses” but rather depend on the public trail system for all of our riding and testing. Could we wear it publicly in March without violating their embargo, we asked?
“Yes, we understand—just do it with discretion,” they said.
However, the first time we stepped out of our crusty U.P. hotel room wearing the bright yellow 509 Allied Jacket, we were immediately surrounded—like Taylor Swift, Scarlett Johannsen or J. Lo. on the red carpet at an awards show—by the paparazzi with their flashing cameras and prying questions about the designers behind our outfits!
This article originally appeared in the December 2025 issue of Snow Goer magazine. That means you could have enjoyed it long ago if you only subscribed! Go ahead and sign up today to get the print or digital edition of the magazine and feed your love of the greatest winter sport ever created.
Maybe it didn’t go down anything like that. But frankly the loud style of the 509 gear did make it rather eye catching, which made blending in rather difficult. But if anybody noticed something different during some high-mile days during which we encountered hundreds of other riders, nobody said anything to us.
The Allied jacket we wore was mostly a high-viz yellow, with a block of black material on the upper left chest and down the back and orangey-red from the elbows down on each sleeve. Want to be incognito? Don’t try it in this jacket! That said, it was a very stylish color combination for the person who likes to be loud and proud.
That outer material on the jacket was a new, 5Flex polyester material. By touch, the exterior was not like other snowmobile gear we’re worn— with a somewhat silky, slippery feel. It was stretchy enough to move with its wearer when twisting and reaching but not spongy feeling like some other stretchable gear.
For our test, the only jacket available was a size large, which worried us slightly given that we normally wear an XL over our 5-foot, 11-inch, 195-pound frame (plus a TekVest). But it fit comfortably and had proper length sleeves and a rather long cut to the body.
The 509 specs claim “new Zonal & Aurora waffle insulation,” with up to 100 grams of Synloft insulation all over and up to 300 grams of additional quilted microfleece in targeted locations. That sounded like a little bit of hocus-pocus at first, but the jacket kept us very comfortable riding in temperatures between 0 and 25 degrees Fahrenheit during our limited testing time with it. A sizeable zippered vent system allowed us to cool down when things got heated up.
Deep exterior waist pockets with soft interiors are complemented by a big cargo pocket in the upper left chest plus a small one in the left forearm. Quality features include lengthy gaiters at the sleeve ends, Velcro-utilitizing closures at the wrist with small tether cords, a soft lining at the neck and a zip-off hood. The main front zipper wasn’t covered by a snowflap, but we didn’t note any notable air intrusion.
We paired the Allied jacket with a set of Allied Insulated Bib pants. They were made with the same, silky-feeling 5Flex stretch polyester exterior.
They featured 200-gram Synloft insulation throughout, with additional Aurora microfleece material in the seat that was very comforting. One of our riding days with this gear ended with very moist falling snow, which essentially just turned into water on our snowmobile seat. None penetrated through the bib’s exterior—a good sign.
The Allied bibs offer all the features one would expect from quality snow pants—gaiters at the bottom with a snap to attach to your boot, adjustable shoulder straps, long side zippers, etc.
There were two differences from most bib pants we wear, though: First, the pants had kneepads, but they were notably slighter than those found in many other brands. Whether that’s a good or bad thing is up to the buyer.
Also, there were no pockets in the upper portion. But, as a friend we were riding with noted, “I rarely used those pockets in other bibs anyway.”
