The most basic riding gear question .....

[jbell]

You already mentioned it, but I always have my Frogg Toggs with me.   Easy on/off, breathable and fold down very small and I've never had them soak through.  My bike is fully faired, so can't speak to their durability in the open wind.

[nighthawk]

I have an Aerostich R3 light, a bit of a bulky package when off(too big to store out of sight), but when I get where I'm going and take it off it's like I've just changed into fresh clean clothes. Wash the hands, splash some on the mush and I'm good to go. Been through all kinds of weather and felt safe and dry. If I have to kneel or lay down for some reason, the pads make it easier and keeps me clean on the inside. All the temperature things have already been covered so I'll only say that for me, I'm often surprised by the temporary chill when starting off on a hot day. Gauntlet gloves to cover the cuffs do a lot keeping the chill away when it's cooler. Been out on some dark and stormy nights and no place to stop, the large reflective pieces lent an air of security(like when the Cal III died in the dead of night west of KC).

[Texas Turnip]

Lannis,
I'd take the advice of the premier traveling authority, Mr. Kalal.
FrogToggs work sometimes, but not worth it.
Make the trip out west. I've been around to many "gonna do's" that never do it. You have the memory of the trip forever while the increase in your portfolio is soon forgotten.

Enjoy,
Tex

[Chuck in Indiana]

Lannis,
I'd take the advice of the premier traveling authority, Mr. Kalal.
FrogToggs work sometimes, but not worth it.
Make the trip out west. I've been around to many "gonna do's" that never do it. You have the memory of the trip forever while the increase in your portfolio is soon forgotten.

Enjoy,
Tex

Absolutely right, Tex.. although I think Lannis is a doer.. 

[Toecutter]

I'm always in wool... one piece. It's as constant as my helmet. If I'm riding, I'm wearing it. If it's hot... I don't wear a shirt over it.

I carry a pair of rubberized overalls with me, rolled up tight. They pack down small enough to fit in my bags, and they're easy to pull on in the rain. I find "moto specific" rain gear a PITA to pull on., but I also carry a "moto specific" rain jacket to go over my waxed canvas riding jacket.

I prefer to carry separate rain gear with me. It's not a big deal to pull it on when needed.

[Lannis]

I'm always in wool... one piece. It's as constant as my helmet. If I'm riding, I'm wearing it. If it's hot... I don't wear a shirt over it.

I carry a pair of rubberized overalls with me, rolled up tight. They pack down small enough to fit in my bags, and they're easy to pull on in the rain. I find "moto specific" rain gear a PITA to pull on., but I also carry a "moto specific" rain jacket to go over my waxed canvas riding jacket.

I prefer to carry separate rain gear with me. It's not a big deal to pull it on when needed.

I'm trying to visualize the "one piece wool" you're mentioning ... ?   The rubberized overalls I sort of know what those are.   

Lannis

[Lannis]

Absolutely right, Tex.. although I think Lannis is a doer.. 

I usually am, but the extra "make sure you do it" is appreciated.   There ARE things that I "always said I was going to do", and then never did them, and it was too late.   Usually visiting an aged relative or former teacher or professor ... put it off, put it off, then it's too late!

We were thinking about a European tour, based on when I was riding in the Rockies with LongRanger and just blown away by the scenery, he said "Yes, this is nice, but the Alps are a LOT more scenic" .... then Fay said "Why do we keep getting on airplanes to go ride, when we've never even crossed the Mississippi on a bike?"

So, while we're still hale and hearty (if a bit slower), we've blocked off late August and all September for a long U.S. ride.   I've mapped out the first part, from Virginia to Hartwick Pines State Park in Michigan to see a Kirtland's Warbler.   Then to the U.P. and across to Yellowstone, then up to Montana where my cousin is the superintendent of a national park up there and has invited us to stay.   Then probably down through Utah and then I don't know where yet .... highliting a lot of maps!

Tex is right - if we don't do it, something will come up, and then the next year something will happen, and pretty soon you're out of energy .... !

Lannis

[Toecutter]

Lannis... old-school, one-piece wool longjohns. Button in the ass and everything. Warm when it's cold, warm when damp, cool in the heat, Best gear for riding, ever.

Rubberized overalls... bib overalls, welded seams. Standard work gear for in the rain, designed to be pulled on over work clothes and boots. I haul them on, no chance of seepage as they come up to my nipples. I have reflective daylgo Velcro straps (used by cyclists to keep their pants out of their chains) that I wrap around each ankle.

I'm a function over form kinda guy.

[Bulldog9]

I've had a Firstgear Kilimanjaro jacket and pants set for about 6 years. Very happy with both, though I only put on the pants for long trips or in very cold or wet weather.

I wouldn't want to wear it alone when riding 8 to 10 hours a day in the rain back-to-back, but for 3-4 hours I found them to be outstanding even full day, but they will load up a bit with water so Day 2 and 3 can be a drag. Because of this I keep some frog skin super thin for the outer layer if it looks like rain for days on end.

The jacket is my year round daily Ryder. With the zip in lining it's great for the winter and plenty of ventilation for spring and summer and as always the first gear products is full of pockets and gadgets snaps excetera. Qualitiy has been outstanding as well

[Dilliw]

Lannis it's all a compromise.  You need to flow a lot of air in the Southeast summers but you also need to endure rain.  And I've been in the 60's in August on the Parkway.

I've settled on Cordura for a material as it's the most versatile.   It's waterproof "enough" that I don't mind traveling without my rain liners on day-trips and such.  Cordura with vents and layers can get you from 25F to 95F and outside that range I don't care what you have  it will be too hot or not hot enough. 

Cordura with lots of vents will most likely take you to the Stich or Olympia offerings.  I went with Olympia because they discount closeouts and as you know I'm cheap.     But over the past few years Olympia has been discounting less so if I were in your boat I'd probably go Stich. 

[SmithSwede]

I have slowly evolved to this position.   Aerostich Darien jacket and the AF1 pants.  Sidi Waterproof boots.   

One huge advantage of this rig is that it is basically waterproof, thus you do not have to play that irritating game where you try to predict the weather, and are constantly taking on and off the rain gear.   Just ride.

The Aerostich is basically waterproof, and therefore perfect for short duration or intermittent rain.  But if you ride long enough in a heavy enough rain, it will leak a bit in  places.  Worse, the entire outer shell gets waterlogged and heavy.   So I still pack a cheap rain suit to wear over the Aerostich.   I will wear this if I know for sure that I'm going to be in rain for hours and hours.   If I wake up to heavy rain, and the forecast shows hundreds of miles of more rain, then I do put on the extra rain gear. 

I find the Aerostich as good as anything in really hot weather.   It breathes pretty well if you open up the sleeves and the back panel.   Maybe it doesn't work as well on a faired bike, but I find it to be ok on a naked bike.   

The real secret to dealing with very hot weather is microfiber underwear without seams.  And constant hydration. 

[Lannis]

I have slowly evolved to this position.   Aerostich Darien jacket and the AF1 pants.  Sidi Waterproof boots.   

..........

The real secret to dealing with very hot weather is microfiber underwear without seams.  And constant hydration.

As we absorb the experience presented here, I'm starting to realize that we don't have to match the top and bottom bits, although I would like them to attach together (obviously you don't have to worry about that in a one-piece).    When my son had his "Hey, I found my LIMIT!" experience, a hard low-side, he had on the right stuff, but it wasn't attached together, and as he slid down the road feet-first, the jacket slid up and he lost some meat off his back and side ....

I got the socks and underwear thing covered.   Doctor said either SmartWool or 70%+ Merino socks, so I've worn nothing but those on my feet for 5 years (and every foot problem I ever had went away), and I found "Ex-Officio" underwear myself.  They're expensive at $36 or so apiece, but absolutely worth it, and they rinse out and dry overnight so they're great for a long trip.

Lannis

[malik]

I have a friend who was given the top of the line BMW suit to test out in Eastern Europe, Turkey & the Sahara - he says it worked exactly as advertised (astoundingly) - warm when cold, cool in the heat, and dry when wet. But even he doubted whether he would have actually paid the price it cost.

For longer distances, I prefer leather - it bounces better on that odd occasion when needed - but my trousers are Aerostich's Transit pants (no longer available, I believe) - waterproof for a couple of hours heavy rain, with side zips to mid thigh, so boots don't have to be removed to get them on or off (big advantage when touring & camping. My leather jacket is vented front & rear, so it's mostly OK, but there have been times when a mesh jacket would have been preferable to cope with greater heat.

Even so, I do take along rain gear - the jacket big enough to get over the leather easily, and the trousers zip up from ankle to waist, so that on & off is merely a wrap around with zip - no balancing act or contortions required. I found these trousers in the UK, but others are available, if lightly advertised. Jacksonracingcomau 's suit version looked good, if expensive; Andy Strapz was selling a decent-looking set of trousers with similar features, but we here in this corner of the world are not as blessed with the choice other parts of the world seem to have.

If your main concern is waterproof gear, go the experts in Finland, say, or Scandanavia, where rain is a constant feature - so Held and Rukka are more likely to satisfy - they build for their conditions. Their gear also seems to have a reputation for long lives - thankfully, given the cost. Good hunting.

[Chuck in Indiana]

Really good thread with hundreds of years of combined experience here.. 

[Lannis]

Really good thread with hundreds of years of combined experience here.. 

Yep, and Fay and I will take advantage of every word of it .....

Lannis

[wheaties]

I haven't been riding that long, but I started with  an Aerostich Roadcrafter (single piece).  I sent it back after five years to have the zippers repaired.  It doesn't look new any longer, but it works fine. 

On a group ride, I got jealous of the folk who could take their jackets off as they went into the restaurant, so I got a second suit, the Darien with a pair of AD1 pants.  Now the hard part is deciding which to put on.  Both are great, there are enough vents to cool off while moving in heat, and both button up to keep the wind out and heat in when it's cold.  I also got a vest you can soak with water to help keep cool in the heat.  The claim is the Darien is more waterproof than the original Roadcrafter.

Some things that others haven't covered:

Aerostich has a nice chart/matrix to help size your suit, jacket, or pants.  You can also ask someone for online assistance.  Measure yourself, and they will recommend a suit.  There is a long list of customizations they do on a regular basis.

Another thing Aerostich will do for you is send you a stock suit so you can try it on.  If you don't wear it out for a ride, you can return it for the cost of shipping (?) and have a custom suit made based on the alterations needed based on the stock suit.

Aerostich will service, repair, or alter your suit as needed, including restoring the weatherproofing.  Work with them and they will work with you.

Both my suits are black and hi-viz yellow.  It's not like the international green/yellow used on emergency gear, so it's a little easier on the eyes, but I still get questions.  "Doing road work this time of year?"  Little kids ask if I'm with the police.

[POP0404]

Tiger Angel, Guardian Suit. Mine is 8 years old and still going strong (and waterproof).

Pete

[kirb]

'Depends'

What are your 'must haves' for gear?

I have a Klim Badlands jacket and Latitude pant that is a great armor/cold/wet weather combo. The pants are a bit bulky to pack due to the armor, so long tours I tend to gravitate to Klim Traverse pants. No armor in the knees or hips, but the tradeoff is OK with me as I can pack the pants if I want or wear them for abrasion resistance/waterproof. All have plenty of vents and are OK when moving in the heat.

I have a Traverse jacket that I wear locally and really hot days. These have huge side vents and are easy to keep cool (arm vents would be nice). I am thinking of upgrading to a good mesh jacket to replace. All the traverse are waterproof, but no armor. Klim has a traverse style gear called overland that add the armor, but not as bulky as the Latitude. I have not tried them.

I am a fan of pockets for long trips, so the Badlands is ideal all around jacket for that. The number of zips is crazy, but it flows well. You can find these on closeout at the end of a gear season for a few hundo off regular price.

Badlands- heavy, hot if sitting, bulky with all the armor, great all around jacket, tons of vents
Latitude- lighter, but style is not my thing in the jacket. I like the pants, but they are NOT overpants
Outland- good bridge between armor and no-armor, limited features.
Traverse- what got me into Klim, waterproof (mostly), and light. No armor. Pants are overpants, jacket is more of a shell.

As with all gear- I would find a good retailer to try them out.

[Lannis]

Tiger Angel, Guardian Suit. Mine is 8 years old and still going strong (and waterproof).

Pete

I'd never heard of those before, so I did a little on-line searching.   They sound somewhat like the discontinued Aerostich Transit leathers - hydrophobic leather exterior and Gore-Tex liner, custom-fitted, these are from Australia so that's a long way to be shipping leathers back and forth if the first fit isn't perfect, but worth a look.

They don't give prices on their website - you have to submit a Request for Quote (RFQ).    The only RFQ's I've submitted have been for multi-million dollar power-plant projects, so I'm preparing for sticker-shock when I do submit one .... !

I'll let you know what I find ... !

Lannis

[Lannis]

'Depends'

What are your 'must haves' for gear?

I have a Klim Badlands jacket and Latitude pant that is a great armor/cold/wet weather combo. The pants are a bit bulky to pack due to the armor, so long tours I tend to gravitate to Klim Traverse pants. No armor in the knees or hips, but the tradeoff is OK with me as I can pack the pants if I want or wear them for abrasion resistance/waterproof. All have plenty of vents and are OK when moving in the heat.

I have a Traverse jacket that I wear locally and really hot days. These have huge side vents and are easy to keep cool (arm vents would be nice). I am thinking of upgrading to a good mesh jacket to replace. All the traverse are waterproof, but no armor. Klim has a traverse style gear called overland that add the armor, but not as bulky as the Latitude. I have not tried them.

I am a fan of pockets for long trips, so the Badlands is ideal all around jacket for that. The number of zips is crazy, but it flows well. You can find these on closeout at the end of a gear season for a few hundo off regular price.

Badlands- heavy, hot if sitting, bulky with all the armor, great all around jacket, tons of vents
Latitude- lighter, but style is not my thing in the jacket. I like the pants, but they are NOT overpants
Outland- good bridge between armor and no-armor, limited features.
Traverse- what got me into Klim, waterproof (mostly), and light. No armor. Pants are overpants, jacket is more of a shell.

As with all gear- I would find a good retailer to try them out.

Our nearest "Klim" retailer is more than a day-trip away, but I agree that before dropping 2 or 3 big ones, actually being able to see it and try it on would be a plus ....

Lannis

[kirb]

Our nearest "Klim" retailer is more than a day-trip away, but I agree that before dropping 2 or 3 big ones, actually being able to see it and try it on would be a plus ....
Lannis

The large retailers like Revzilla have return policies that allow you to return the items. This is great, but a PITA when you are not sure on what you want.

The problem with local Klim retailers is they don't usually stock anything or stock one jacket in one size (not mine). I can't blame them... having a bunch of $$ sitting on the floor where anyone can go online and undercut you is not a great way to stay in business.

The badlands sells itself after a long, wet ride. I take my jacket off and am one of the few who are dry. The price becomes much less of an issue at that point.

[Tusayan]

For longer distances, I prefer leather - it bounces better on that odd occasion when needed - but my trousers are Aerostich's Transit pants (no longer available, I believe) - waterproof for a couple of hours heavy rain, with side zips to mid thigh, so boots don't have to be removed to get them on or off (big advantage when touring & camping. My leather jacket is vented front & rear, so it's mostly OK, but there have been times when a mesh jacket would have been preferable to cope with greater heat.

I've worn two riding suits since the mid-80s, both two-piece custom leather, and I rarely wear anything else when riding.  If it gets cold or wet, I wear a waterproof fabric riding jacket over the leathers, with or without lightweight rain pants as required.  If it gets really hot, I remove the leather jacket and wear the fabric jacket only, generally with vents open.   I don't see myself ever changing that 'old school' system as its usually providing the best possible crash protection and also a lot of layering flexibility.  The downside is that two people touring and riding double on the same bike, using this system, are unlikely to have the space for two extra jackets.

[Lannis]

The downside is that two people touring and riding double on the same bike, using this system, are unlikely to have the space for two extra jackets.

Yep.  If we had more room, the options would be wide open ....

Lannis

[Lannis]

Tiger Angel, Guardian Suit. Mine is 8 years old and still going strong (and waterproof).

Pete

So, just for what-the-hecko, we submitted an RFQ to Tiger Angel of Australia for a custom-made waterproof leather touring suit for Fay.

There are 27 separate measurements that you need to submit, and if you weren't married before the measurement process, you HAVE to get married afterward (I'm given to understand).

This is to get a quote; I expect that when I DO get the quote, I will stagger backward with my hand on my chest like Fred Sanford hollering "It's the Big One Elizabeth, I'm comin' to see ya now" BUT before final submission if we go this way, I would probably have a (lady) tailor redo the measurements, or make real sure myself after talking to the folks.

So no decision yet, just continued investigation ... thanks again to everyone for the info and ideas, they'll all go into the decision ....

Lannis

[Green1]

I've been really happy with my Klim Latitude jacket and pants,gortex is the answer to the waterproof issue and its easy to add or strip a layer as needed.Have some Rev'it gear in the closet and it stays there now,waterproof for about 20 min the Klim stuff ive ridded in for 7 hrs and stayed dry

[redhawk47]

Aerostich.  I absolutely love not having to deal with “looks like it might rain but I don’t want to stop” or “sure wasted a lot of time putting on that rain gear for nothing”.   With Aerostich you just ride and you have some of the best protection available.

:1: This are the exact reasons I wear waterproof gear. We get a lot of short, but often intense, showers.

I bought a used Darien fifteen years ago, after I realized that my Joe Rocket was not waterproof. Got some AD-1 pants to go with it. Worked well for me, but after a few years I thought I wanted more ventilation so I bought an Olympic that looked good. Vents were good but it was a PITA to close it all up watertight. So I tried a First Gear; the vents looked good but didn't provide much air flow.

Recently I have gone back to the Darien and have been very pleased; the venting results are as good or better than the others, and more convenient to adjust. As it gets warmer: 1. open the cuffs to scoop up air and blow it thru the jacket. 2. Open the back vent. 3. Open the armpit vents. I am so pleased that I will be ordering a new Aerostich Roadcrafter 2-piece.

Pants: Last year I decided that I wanted some new pants with vents (and waterproof). Finally found some that looked OK. They were the type that you pulled on and then put on your boots. I hated them almost immediately. My Stich have full length zippers; I can put them on and take them off without removing my boots. I normally wear street clothes under the pants, so when I stop for lunch or for the day I can easily remove the pants.

BTW: When temperatures get above 95F it is recommended that you close all vents and seal up the jacket. The hot air won't cool you and will dehydrate you. I agree; I tested it in Death Valley at 114F.

[redhawk47]

Lannis, I have two Olympia jackets.. and *on the trip you are taking* I would give the nod to the AST. Those full length sleeve vents are awesome when it is "too hot for a Stitch.."    It is very good in the heat, considering it is a "cold wet weather" jacket.
http://www.canyonchasers.net/reviews/gear/olympia-ast.php

I had one of these jackets. the "Velcro" that held the flaps closed was too good. I had to take the jacket off and use two hands to separate the Velcro. Also, the Velcro was stronger than the stitching holding it to the jacket; I had several pieces rip off.

[redhawk47]

A comment about hi-vis yellow/green jackets:
I have an Olympic hi-vis that I wore for about six years. I noticed that it was looking a bit grungy so I washed it. In the next couple of months I had at least six comments "don't you ever wash that jacket?" I never had that comment before I washed the jacket.
A bit of thought and I found the reason for the comments. The jacket was stained gray in places that got rubbed often, and the other parts were bright. Another washing, with a long soak in OxiClean, got rid of some of the stains.
Bottom line: They are going to get dirty, but even dirty the visibility is significant.
PS: I like what Aerostich has to say about their hi-vis.

[Lannis]

:1: This are the exact reasons I wear waterproof gear. We get a lot of short, but often intense, showers.

More good input in these last few posts.  I checked over on "advrider", which is huge site compared to this, and there's not a thread about this subject as informative as this one.

Short, intense showers are the reason we're going to do waterproof gear rather than non-waterproof with a rain suit.   

By the time you KNOW it's going to rain, there's often no convenient place to stop except on a narrow shoulder, you have to find a place, get off, unpack the gear, then two of you fight your way into it (especially if it's already damp from the last storm) and get back going.   Sometimes you don't even hit the rain, or it was just black clouds and thunder and no rain, and 3 minutes later the sun is back out and no human being can stay in a full rain suit in 95 degF/80% humidity for long.   

So you repeat, and change back, and 30 minutes later you're doing it again.   At least that's life in summertime Virginia, and I've found it's that way in much of the country.  Coming back from the New Hampshire National I ran into 4 such storms between Keene NH and Harrisburg, PA and I called it a night about 6:00 PM as I rode toward an ugly squall.

We just want to ride ...

Lannis

[Thunderbutt]

Have you and Miss Date decided which bike you will be using?  The Stelvio or the Triumph?