Let it not be said that Mark Kincart is a disbeliever of his company’s product line.  After some scathing comments about my Firstgear Kilimanjaro, Mark contacted me and offered up The TPG Rainier jacket for a free 30 day test run.  How could I say no?  Although my trip from Raleigh, NC to Escondido, CA was postponed a few days, my body would receive these new threads to be kept safe and, hopefully, comfortable during my journey.  And if the jacket was not up to standard, simply send it back to Mark, no feelings hurt.

 I arrived at Barnetts Suzuki in Raleigh, NC, where the jacket was shipped, to receive my new digs.  Although I was skeptical, my excitement rose a little hoping this would be a great jacket.  When the jacket was presented, I was not disappointed.  I opted for the tan/gray color scheme.  It’s a great looking jacket.  Great lines and I love the color.  The material is fantastic.  600 denier nylon and CE approved shoulder and elbow protectors, back foam protector and reflective material along the chest, arms and back.  The jacket really felt tough.  This thing has tons of storage, too.  There are four waterproof cargo pockets, a cell phone pocket with a draw strap to help pull it out, which works even with gloved hands.  There is a pocket in one sleeve, one shoulder, two hidden pockets in the jacket flap, a large pocket in the back of the jacket, and two “hand warmer” pockets in the front.  Inside are two more pockets, one of which is for a cell phone.  You also have an adjustable waist strap (a given), a draw string for the bottom of the jacket, Velcro for the cuffs and a zippered arm to allow air flow.  Speaking of air flow, the absolute best feature of this jacket is the venting system.  There are two vents in the chest and two in the back.  What’s neat is that each vent has a draw string that “locks” the vent open.  These things work great!  More on that in a bit.  Oh, lastly, in the back of the jacket is a tab where you can put a small beacon light, to help the cagers see you in the dark.  I still have not used this, yet.

 So, everything is in order and I put the jacket on.  I forgot to mention that there is a zip-in liner that can be worn as a stand-alone jacket.  It has two hand pockets, a chest pocket and two inner pockets, one of which is designed to hold a cell phone.  The liner is actually pretty sharp and I use it alone quite a bit on chilly days.  Realize, though, that this thing is not substantial, at all.  If it is 50 degrees out and you have a t-shirt, the jacket and the liner, you are going to freeze your ass off!  This jacket definitely needs heated gear for those really cold days, as I learned.  Anyhow, once the jacket was on it looked really sharp.  I do, however, need to complain here.  For a jacket that lists for $399, it should fit as close to perfect as possible.  Here is where Firstgear still has a lot of room to improve.  S, M, L, XL, XXL, XXXL,  XXXXL, L Tall, XL Tall, XXL Tall.  Hey!  What about us short guys?  The biggest issue I had with the Kilimanjaro was that it

 was a poor fit.  Big in the chest and tight in the waist.  The Rainier fit better, but still not great.  It fit fine in the chest and waist, but it is too long in the arms and torso.  Also, I do not like the collar.  It is too short and cannot be adjusted.  When it is cold the wind rushes down your chest, especially if the liner is not in.  The collar has a neat feature, though.  You can unroll a hood from the back and this will help keep you a little warmer.  I simply did not find it comfortable.  It would be nice to have a collar that is a bit longer and the ability to adjust it tighter/looser, depending on weather.

 Well, my journey begins.  I traveled first from Raleigh, NC first to Jacksonville, FL and made several stops along the way to visit close friends and to see the sights.  The trip began warm and continued to get pretty hot.  I pulled over on the side of the road and opened up the front and rear vents, then loosened the cuffs and unzipped my sleeves.  It was in the high 80’s that day and I was very comfortable.  I must mention that although Firstgear makes a line of TPG Escape Textile pants, I did not want them.  I use my Firstgear Hypertex overpants and have no complaints about them.  I would have tested the new TPG Escape pants, but Firstgear does not offer them in tan yet.  This is important when riding in hot weather, especially the desert, where black pants and jackets get considerably warmer than the lighter color ones.  Once Firstgear stocks them, I will likely have them ordered.  Here is where FG gets it right.  The pants come in a variety of sizes, including long and short.  Way to go, Mark!

 After leaving Jacksonville Beach, FL, I headed west along I-10 until I got word that there were tornados and baseball size hail coming my way via southwest Texas.  So I decided to head north and bed down in Evergreen, Al, where I sent a dispatch to my Facebook.  I regrouped and decided to head up to Northeastern Arkansas and visit one of my men who served with me in Iraq.  So, the next day I was off to Imboden, AR.  Imagine the smallest town you can, then make it smaller.  This was Imboden.  The waters had risen and destroyed several homes near the rivers, which had risen higher than any of the locals had seen in years.  For about an hour I was bombarded by rain so heavy that I actually had to stop on the side of the road and wait for the squall to pass.  After maybe five to ten minutes, the worst had past, but the rain still continued.  The TPG Rainier held up well, but the water managed to seep into the chest area where the zippers are located and the reflective

 material.  And I assure you, the zippers were completely closed.  The Hypertex pants had no issues at all.  They worked perfectly.

 After another hour in more moderate rain, I arrived at my destination.  It was good to get these wet clothes off and get out for a burger.  On the positive, all the gear dried quite nicely overnight.  I was set  to leave the next morning for Fayetteville, AR to see another war buddy, who is attending school over there.  Not much to say here as we put the bike on my friend’s truck and drove the four hour trip.

 There isn’t much to say about our five days in Fayetteville, AR that has any merit for testing motorcycle gear.  Use your imaginations.  First I stopped by the National Guard unit I served with in Iraq as they had some things for me.  The plan was to visit another friend, but I wanted to see Missouri first, since it was right there near Rogers, AR.  So, off I went.  And went I did.  I didn’t stop.  I wanted to see the Gateway Arch, So I headed for St. Louis.  Along the way, I got this nagging feeling – wasn’t the Gateway Arch between Kansas City, KS and Kansas City, MO?  I was tired, declared myself a genius and started toward Kansas City.  Once at Kansas City I realized, “Hey, where the hell is the Arch?”  Open map, look to St Louis and there she is.  Damn!  So, off I go towards St. Louis.  I rode until I was three hours away and needed sleep.  This was going to be my SS1000 and things were FUBAR.  The next morning I was still trying to make phone calls, clean up my

 room, pack and eat something.  Got the clerk to do a witness statement, cool.  Got my receipt, I’m good to go.  And a Aaaaaaaaaaaawwwwaaaaaaaayyyy we go!

 Damn windy out here.  Guy at the counter said 30 mph gusts.  Great.  I got Jesse Safaris 11.5 on and a huge ruck sack on the pillion seat with over 150 lbs, plus my 170 lb fat ass.  I’m going to get the shyte beat out of me out there.  But here I go, on my ‘07 R1200GS. Yippee!

 The three hour stint up to St. Louis was not bad.  Once there I took a few photos of the bike with the Gateway in the backdrop.  Not my best work, but it suffices.  Now, off I go for my next adventure in Santa Fe, NM to see some very close friends of the family.  This is where it gets bad.  The winds had picked up tremendously from the north, keeping my bike down quite a bit, forcing me to crab my way along.  This was pretty stressful, especially when driving slowly in ‘relative’ calm when all of a sudden, a 50 mph wind gust slaps you upside your face.  It helped tremendously to open the back vents so I didn’t “balloon” up and get knocked around worse by the wind.

 With that wind, it is still very challenging.  On my SS1000 I drove across Missouri, Texas and New Mexico.  When still in Missouri I decided to take a break and get a Subway sub.  Big mistake.  Every stop I made I took off my helmet, used the restroom, drank water and chatted up the curious locals.  This took way too much time.  The first portion of Texas was a nightmare.  I froze more than my ass off.  Anyway, I was so tired that I began seeing things in the woods.  Rabbits would dart along the road (they weren’t there), trees would move backwards.  Bushes would grow .  There were people in the road, but would vanish when I go close.  I needed sleep.  The next rest area had to do.  I first tried a couple of motels, but both were at full capacity.  People were sleeping in their cars.  So I went down the road to the rest stop and just slung myself over the gas tank.  Very uncomfortable.  After an hour,  I banged my hands and feet to get the blood moving.  I drove down the

 road and grabbed some water and a hot dog.  Off we go.  The wind was still kickin!  30 to 50 mph gusts.  Most of the time my bike was at a seemingly 30 – 40% angle while going straight.  I have a 5.3 gallon tank on the GS and I had to stop every 150-160 miles to fill up.  My fuel economy was trashed.  Then, I hit Amarillo.  Holy mackerel was it ever cold there.  I pulled off the highway and at the stoplight, the bike just went down.  Between fatigue, exhaustion, soreness and freezing, I just couldn’t hang on.  I got pissed and lifted that bastard with 150lbs gear right up, no problem, then went to the local gas station and had a big cup of coffee.  My hands were literally shaking, as was the rest of my body.  I debated on staying there, but instead threw on another sweater and my FrogToggs.  I was good to go.

 After another 150 or so miles I made it to Newkirk, NM at exactly 23,000 miles which means I have driven 1,098 miles.  Woo Hoo!  It was such as tough ride.  At the end of my SS1000 I still needed to get another two hundred miles to my friend’s house.  It started snowing.  Well, I sure as hell was not staying where I was when a warm bed in Santa Fe awaited.  So, off in the snow I go.  For a couple more hours I trudge through the snow without mishap.  Made it to my friend’s, had some coco and life was good.

 I have to say that the ride was the most challenging ride of my life.  Wind is a bitch and there is little to do about it.  Luckily I had back vents to circulate the air instead of sailing me off the bike like a giant kite.  They worked fantastic.  The size is less to be desired, especially for shorter folks.  If the same size issue still exists when I am in the market again (years away), and FG has not changed, I will shop elsewhere.

 Anyway, 1,098 miles in just under 24 hours.  Woo hoo!  It was such as tough ride.  I can’t wait to do my 50CC next!  Shit!  I still haven't submitted my paperwork!  Anyway, ‘like’ the Rainier, don’t ‘love’ it, but it is hands down better than the Kilimanjaro.

 Keith Martinson

2007 BMW R1200G

LDRider is a Service Mark, owned by Joe Denton, 1996, California