Hot weather jacket?

[kirkemon]

First time I've heard of a mesh jacket melting. My summer jacket is a Dainese Super Speed. I love it, except the liner (which I've used maybe 3 times). The liner is a sweat box.
I've used this jacket with a Cooling vest crossing the Mohave in the summer.

 

[Darren Williams]

First time I've heard of a mesh jacket melting. My summer jacket is a Dainese Super Speed. I love it, except the liner (which I've used maybe 3 times). The liner is a sweat box.
I've used this jacket with a Cooling vest crossing the Mohave in the summer.

The better mesh jackets will have abrasion resistant material in the impact/slide areas, just like a pro level leather race suit. And you can get some pretty bad "carpet burns" under leather in a crash, just like textile.

On another note, from experience, the Cyclegear Freeze Out base layers will melt to your skin in a slide, even under the abrasion resistant areas. I suspect underarmor type base layers will do the same thing.

[Seventy One]

I had a Tour Master Intake 4.0 for several years. It nearly killed me.

I took a trip from south eastern Minnesota to Wyoming and back one summer and spent much of the trip pretty badly dehydrated. I just could not stay hydrated. At every stop I drank water, or a bottle (or two) of Gatorade and it wasn't enough. I even carried a couple bottles with me. At one point I mixed up my clutch and brake levers. Another time I sailed through a red light at an intersection at 60 mph.

Mesh does have its place. Use it in town (at lower speeds) or for commuting. I'd never recommend it for touring. I now wear an Aerostich Darien and while it vents less, I also go through less water and don't get dehydrated. Once moving, I don't feel much hotter than the mesh. I don't worry about mesh disintegrating in a slide.

After 3 years and 30k miles, the Tour Master was full of loose threads and the Hi-Vis fabric was badly faded so I gave it to a friend who uses it for dual-sporting. It's absolutely perfect for that. Mesh is far better suited to a tumble in the woods than a slide down a hot road. It also makes sense in a high physical effort/low speed application.

Those are my two cents.

[Testarossa]

Here's Ryan F9's take on it.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AWd4shge0qc

[kingoffleece]

Several years ago the IBA published a detailed paper describing what happens using mesh at higher than 98 degrees.


http://www.ironbutt.com/ibmagazine/IronButt_1002_62-66_Hot.pdf

[motogoro]

Here's my 2 cents. 

I've worn Roadcrafters for over twenty years.  Don't put on the miles anymore.  Life changes. 

My old black Tecknic mesh is just too hot in the sun above 88f here in SE WI. 

Rather than ride sans gear like I did on my way home from shopping last week. I'm shopping for a new light colored mesh jacket.   

Probably the First Gear Rush Air. 

Yes, mesh isn't the ultimate.  Had an "accident" twelve years ago.  Got off a 1100 Sport at 35-50mph (I say 35, motor patrol deputy said more likely closer to 50).  Pile drove my shoulder into the asphalt.  It happened so quickly, beyond the pain of the initial impact I don't remember the tumble.  Ratty old Roadcrafter 2 jacket didn't show a mark.  River Road mesh pants were shredded. 

My take on gear is something is better than nothing.  I try to avoid, sometimes unsuccessfully, riding like I did in the 'bad, old days'.  Sunglasses, T-shirt and Lee Riders. 

[Ncdan]

I rode to town today to get a pressure reduced valve for the house as mine went bad, after 18 years, imagine that. The temperature was 92 degrees. As I always do I put my Power Trip mesh on and took off. Did I get hot, why of course I did. Was I any hotter than if I only had a tee shirt on? I don’t think so because I e found that when it’s that hot direct sunlight yo exposed skin adds to the misery. Before I could get home did I wonder why in the heck didn’t I take the truck, yep. 👍

[Testarossa]

I remember that Ironbutt article and it makes a lot of sense. A water-soaked tee shirt under the mesh, or even a soaked cotton neckerchief, helps a lot for about an hour.

At my elevation we rarely see temps above 90 (though it hit 100 today). Around here if it's too hot you can be 2000 feet higher in 15 minutes.

When I commuted from Boulder to Denver early mornings were fine but going home was a miserable 40 minutes. I found it tolerable if I put a freeze pack in each pocket of the mesh jacket.

[kingoffleece]

Our own Moshe Levy wrote a very detailed review on the LD Comfort shirt and hot weather riding for one of the mags he scribes for.
His conclusion was that using the product as directed was a very effective solution to high temps.