What do LDRiders prefer? Lets ask them.
WOTL Roadcrafter or Darien? My wife and I are scrapping leathers for riding suits. Tired of hauling leaky rain gear around and putting it on roadside in a rain event. Your input in particular Eric.
J.R. Johnston
I have over 300,000 miles on a Darien I bought in 2000. It's starting to
look worn but it still works perfectly. Never been wet, even in multi-day
downpours. Most versatile suit I know of: I have worn it in Death Valley
at 110+ and in 50's cold rain with nothing under it but LDComfort. Below
mid-fifties I need to add Darien fleece liner. My liner is electric but I
haven't plugged it in for years. I will soon order another Darien, but as
my riding has changed a bit I'm still trying to decide between Darien Light
and regular Darien. My personal opinion is that the key to 4-season
versatility is to find a suit that is unlined. Even a mesh lining feels
hotter on a hot day to me.
Hope this helps-
Mike Gragg
I have both a Roadcrafter and a Darien and my wife has a Teiz. These
days my Roadcrafter gets the most use but all three suits are great and
will do what you need. I've done multiple days of heavy rain with no
issues on trips and used mine in temps from the low 30's up to 100.
get's a little warm in traffic on a hot day but not as bad as you'd
think but with the wheels turning and vents open it's fine.
This is just my opinion but I think the Aerostich gear probably has a
longevity edge over the Teiz suits but the Teiz suit is great and they
really back their product and any of these will last years and years.
Now if you are the sort that prefers to buy products made in the States
most 'stich gear is while Teiz is made overseas.
Scott Correy
Just curious, why is their no mention of the Olympia suit or the Centurion.
William Kane
Not familiar with the Centurion.
If the Olympia suit you are referring to is the PhantomŠ Bought it, hate
it. Used 3 times. It's up for sale if anybody wants it.
The Phantom zippers aren't waterproof, not really even water resistant. It
relies heavily on velcro'd flaps for water repellency, and they are a
royal PITAŠ near impossible to operate when riding. No easy-in/out like
the RoadCrafter: two leg zippers that go up to the waist, plus the front
zipper with the funky piece of fabric that goes across it in the crotch
area making it harder to get in and out of.
Then there's the lack of armpit vents/zippers. We had a string of about 10
100+ degree days here a few months back. I rode in it once and swore never
again.
I think the Phantom is a decent suit. If I'd never had a real one piece
riding suit I'd like it, but after the RoadCrafter? No way. That being
said, I'm still considering a Teiz Power Shell if the guy would just
straighten up his act with pricing. Web site advertising $499, try to
order and it's $699. At $700, I'd spend the extra and go with a Darien or
Roadcrafter. His prices is all over the place. He seems to be jacking up
his prices $100 or so every few months trying to figure out what the
market will bear.
Rusty Atkins
Like Rusty I don't really have anything good to say about the Olympia Phantom suite. It leaks worse than anything else I've ever worn and temps above 90 are miserable. I have their mesh suite for summer time riding around town and it works fine for traffic and sunshine. For touring applications I've enjoyed the Olympia AST jacket for the past 5 years and found it to be pretty water tight until the zippers wear out. The Olympia ranger pants are great for cooler temperatures and rain. Your bottom half will definitely stay dry until the temps rise and then you're going to get soaked from your own sweat as there's no vents in those pants.
During summer months I'd just wear their mesh pants and carry a pair of Frogg Togg pants to slip on when the sky turned nasty. But like the original poster of this thread, I got tired of pulling over to slip on the rain pants.
I considered the 'stitch (didn't know about the Teiz). I went with the new Klim 2pc after I talked to them about the construction, warranty and washing instructions. I like the idea of having a 2 pc suit that I can machine wash and machine dry while I'm traveling. And the water resistance remains intact. So far, I really haven't been able to test the water resistance of the Klim stuff although several friends have offered to hose me down in my drive way.
Brian Walters
>So far, I really haven't been able to test the water resistance of the Klim
stuff although several friends have offered to hose me down in my drive way.
Dean Tanji wore a Klim suit in epic rain during his late spring run around
Europe. I think it rained every day for 3 or 4 weeks and he said the suit
never leaked so he was a happy camper.
Lisa Landry
I can vouch for the Klim Badlands Pro jacket and pants waterproofing - it is exceptional. As is the venting for both.
Bob Lilley
>
> Like Rusty I don't really have anything good to say about the Olympia
Phantom suite. It leaks worse than anything else I've ever worn
I think it would be helpful to indicate something about the bike being
ridden and maybe the rider's physical size.
I have both the one piece Roadcrafter and the Phantom. Neither has leaked
on me. Riding in 20 hours of rain in the 'stich & I am still bone dry yet
others complain of porous crotch areas due to water pooling there. Phantom
includes frog stranglers for several hours at a time but I haven't pushed
double-digit hours of rain in it.
My bike: R1200RT with Ztechnik windshield
Me: 5'9", 185lbs
I expect the fully faired sheltered nature of the RT helps keep me dry vs
folks riding less protected bikes. So someone riding a similarly faired (or
would that be fairinged?) bike should have similar experience. A naked bike
rider might have something completely different. Someone with a different
body type that causes bunching or gapping of velcro or zippers might also
find different results.
Jim Hatch
> I considered the 'stitch (didn't know about the Teiz). I went with thenew Klim 2pc after I talked to them about the construction, warranty andwashing instructions. I like the idea of having a 2 pc suit that I canmachine wash and machine dry while I'm traveling. And the waterresistance remains intact. So far, I really haven't been able to testthe water resistance of the Klim stuff although several friends haveoffered to hose me down in my drive way.
Klim gear is not water resistant, it's waterproof. I've had my Badlands Pro is several downpours and it does not leak. Provided you remember to close the zippers. :-)
Steven Hobart
Ditto. Best gear I ever owned - Badlands Pro model, I should add.
Bob Lilley
> WOTL Roadcrafter or Darien? My wife and I are scrapping leathers for riding suits. Tired of hauling leaky rain gear around and putting it on roadside in a rain event. Your input in particular Eric.
I'm guessing you called me out since we have the same riding
environment, at least for our local area rides. No harm there. Not
sure how much useful input I can offer since I haven't bought any new
gear in quite a while.
The Aerostich offerings have always been a matter of debate. The
Darien is waterproof, the Roadcrafter was water resistant in the past,
IIRC. A lot of people did not like the rough collar of the Darien,
but you can now get a ultra suede collar option, I believe. Some
prefer the 2-piece Roadcrafter for it's versatility, allowing jeans
and riding jacket, if that's your preference, rather than layering up
with the 1-piece. I would probably consider the 2-piece over the
1-piece if I was looking hard at the Roadcrafter, if only because it
allows greater flexibility if you want to wear mesh pants or some
other brand of pants. The 1-piece sort of locks you in, you're either
wearing it, or something completely different. Zipped together, I
have heard that the 2-piece is as good or better than the 1-piece in
terms of water resistance/crotch leak, etc. I view the 1-piece as a
fantastic commuter outfit, but not necessarily something I want to
lock myself into for every ride, but that's just imho, having not had
either of the Roadcrafters.
Currently I am riding with a 8 year old, (and one crash & repair),
~250k mile Darien and a 3 year old pair of Olympia MotoX pants. The
MotoX pants are water resistant, but very much so, in my experience.
They do have an inner zip in liner that is water proof. The main
reason I chose these pants is the massive front of the leg mesh vent
panel that easily un-zips. I've been quite pleased with these for hot
weather riding. That said, I did have to take them to a seamstress
that specializes in moto gear and have the knee pads moved up and the
pant legs shortened. For my girth at the waist, the size that fit was
long in the leg and the available methods to re-locate the knee armor
were not sufficient for me. I do also feel that due to the full
length zipper placement on the pants legs, the knee armor is slightly
out of position. It feels like the outside of my knee is slightly
less protected than other pants I have had in the past, (Joe Rocket
Alter Ego and Belstaff). The zipper placement simply won't allow the
knee armor to be moved any more to the outside. This will likely vary
with each individual and I have no idea if it has been addressed in
the current offering.
I really like the Darien for my needs. I can leave the back vent
unzipped, (both to center), and open the under arm vents and collar
and get the jacket to balloon up nicely giving me excellent venting
when it's warm to hot, but also can zip up the collar and under arm
vents while riding if rain is ahead. Likewise, the arm zippers are
versatile enough that I can wear no gauntlet gloves when it's hot and
enjoy some arm air flow. When it's really hot, I wet down the
LDComfort and zip up the vents, just leaving minimal arm cuff zipper
open and minimal at the back vent and enjoy 1-2 hours of cooling
effect, depending on conditions.
If I ordered a Darien jacket today, I'd want the better zippers, the
softer collar and the magnets in the collar tabs to keep them open.
The last is offered on the one of the 'Lite' jackets, so I don't know
if it can be had on the Darien, but I sure would have liked it when
the left side collar was flapping away over all those miles on the FJR
or in cross winds on any bike.
I like the 3/4 length. It keeps me dry and I don't zip to the pants,
so no issue there. I like that I can wear any pants under it and the
jacket is long enough to shed water below the pants waist.
On other gear, the Klim stuff is very nice indeed. And it's priced to
reflect that too. My only gripes about the Klim gear is that the
pants zippers don't go up far enough for my taste. I prefer to put my
boots on first, and be able to don and remove riding pants with boots
on, (for that Brian Roberts Look™ at rallies). Klim is waterproof,
and they sold a lot of gear in Denver because it fits well, functions
well and they had excellent vendors with a lot of knowledge. Worth
noting is that Mark Kincart moved from Olympia, (where he did great
things for the brand), to Klim, where he is doing good things too.
That alone, made me take a second look at Klim.
I believe the Olympia gear is very good, though the one piece gets
some negative reviews. They also make women's gear that FITS women.
That alone is worth investigating for your wife. The Fieldsheer stuff
is at a lower price point, but also makes women specific gear that
fits real body shapes and their stuff holds up quite well. Fieldsheer
stuff runs small though, so if she normally takes an 8, you'll want to
look at 10 or even 12 to get a good fit. Cletha put a lot of miles on
some Fieldsheer pants, though she likes the mesh stuff, while I stick
to more water resistant gear with venting to deal with the variety of
conditions we face. Her current mesh pants are Olympia, which like
the Fieldsheer, have nice long leg zippers and she says the Olympia
fit better, with more freedom of movement.
Regardless of what you get, add a back pad/protector and depending on
what you get, consider upgrading the armor. Some good jackets come
with so-so armor. That said, I was perfectly happy with the standard
armor in the Darien when I slid down the pavement at 30-35 mph and
though it wore thru both sleeves and elbows, the armor did it's job
and I walked away with no more than bruises. That crash was with a
pair of Joe Rocket Alter Ego pants, which vent well, but are a lighter
piece of gear, though with excellent knee armor!
Figure out what features you want, go try on gear if possible, and try
to order from places that have good return policies if you mail order,
due to fit issues. In no particular order, all of these companies
make good stuff:
Aerostich
Klim
Olympia
Fieldsheer
Tiez
To a lesser degree, imho:
Joe Rocket
Technic
Note that only Aerostich repairs their gear, IIRC.
Eric Vaillancourt
Kitty adds:
Please don't forget about First Gear! IMNSHO, they make great gear for the money. Having crash tested First Gear pants and jacket, I'm also pleased with their protection. The only reason I didn't replace my FG pants and jacket with FG is because Bill Thweat's wife decided I should have her hardly worn Olympia (which I'm happy enough with so far, hope to never crash test)
Kitty
>WOTL Roadcrafter or Darien? My wife and I are scrapping leathers for riding suits. Tired of hauling leaky rain gear around and putting it on roadside in a rain event.
My first roadcrafter leaked at the zippers, as does my second. After I got the water resistant zippers installed last winter, the suit still leaks at the zippers. This on a Bandit. I like the roadcrafter but I never ride without a rain suit in the bag.
Steve Munden
My FirstGear Kilimanjaro has never leaked over the 3 years and 60+k miles
I've had it. I love that it's waterproof on the outside and so I never have
to stop to put on raingear. That being said, it's too heavy/hot for me to
wear over 70 degrees. I ride a scooter with quite a lot of wind protection,
so the little chest vents are pretty useless. I've tried a FirstGear Rush
Tex (a lighter jacket with the same HyperTex waterproof outer material and
more vents) but I still overheat in that one over 80.
I've been very happy with my Kilimanjaro from 25 to 70 degrees. I don't use
heated liners by choice, just using a fleece base layer with the jacket
longer in the cold or LDcomfort in warmer temps.
Hammy (Jonathan Tan )
Contrarily,
My R/C Light (1 pc) with the new zippers has been through only about 10,000 miles of rain (riding near 2 hurricanes, etc.), it has yet to leak. I understand it may/will in the future but I couldn't be happier. This is one of the made in Pakistan models so that kinda sucks, but so far it just works whether 120 degrees or 40 degree near freezing sideways rain (Butt Lite, lol).
Joshua Mountain
There is another one people forgot about and that is Motoport
http://www.motoport.com/index.php?option=com_redshop&view=category&cid=18&layout=detail&Itemid=15
Jeff Augustine
>http://www.motoport.com/index.php?option=com_redshop&view=category&cid=18&l
ayout=detail&Itemid=15
For me, any riding gear that requires a waterproof liner is a no-go. I've
ridden through a tropical storm in a jacket with a 'Z Liner' and it was a
miserable experience. Water runs down the liner and into your gloves and
boots, your jacket is completely soaked and weighs about a metric ton; mine
didn't dry out for days. You have to stop, take off your stuff, add the
liner, blah blah. That and it doesn't breathe at all so it's not unlike
wearing a rubberized sauna suit. Who thought that was a good idea?
Yeah, but other than that, it was super. ;^)
Lisa Landry
> For me, any riding gear that requires a waterproof liner is a no-go. I've
> ridden through a tropical storm in a jacket with a 'Z Liner' and it was a
> miserable experience. Water runs down the liner and into your gloves and
> boots, your jacket is completely soaked and weighs about a metric ton; mine
> didn't dry out for days. You have to stop, take off your stuff, add the
> liner, blah blah. That and it doesn't breathe at all so it's not unlike
> wearing a rubberized sauna suit. Who thought that was a good idea?
A very valid point.
At some point, in regards to gear, you have to decide; Water proof,
or very water resistant?
Waterproof seldom vents well, or at least as well as very water resistant.
Water resistant will leak, always, but how long it takes varies. And
if that is 'Good Enough'© for you is entirely dependent on your needs.
I ride in a lot of heat, so I chose water resistant, with better
venting, for pants, but also choose waterproof for the jacket. It
meets my needs, but that is not to say it will meet others.
The kevlar Motoport stuff is awesome, custom fitted and expensive.
It's also a sieve. For extreme heat, that's not a good thing. Ditto
for rain. But for a lot of folks that see more middle ground, it's a
good alternative.
I rarely take my waterproof pants inner liner with me on trips. The
pants are water resistant enough for anything short of multiday
rallies, for me. OTOH, I also preach to gear up before the storm, not
in the middle of it. Used to be a standing joke that if I put my rain
gear on, it would be dry for the rest of the day, (and often was).
That's one reason I am not afraid to carry rain gear, despite wearing
a waterproof jacket. Ditto on the heated gear, it's always there,
even on summer trips. Cause you just never know. Wether I take it or
not depends a lot on if I have to ride thru anything, or will just
stop and relax for a bit.
Eric Vaillancourt
For years I have worn a Tourmaster jacket and pants. Recently I replaced the pants with Aerostich AD1 pants that have already been rain tested.
Both the Tourmaster jacket and pants have been crash tested. And they came through very well. After meeting Bambi in Canada, I used iron-on patches to repair them. The pants were no longer water repellent, and the crotch leaked like a sieve. However the jacket still works. It was crash tested again in June, and along with my Shoei Multitech it saved me very serious injuries.
I plan to buy a new Tourmaster Transition Three jacket, now that it is made in blue. I know there is a lot of very good riding gear out there. Since I have good fortune with this brand, I plan to stick with it.
Dave Nelson
J.R. Johnston
I have over 300,000 miles on a Darien I bought in 2000. It's starting to
look worn but it still works perfectly. Never been wet, even in multi-day
downpours. Most versatile suit I know of: I have worn it in Death Valley
at 110+ and in 50's cold rain with nothing under it but LDComfort. Below
mid-fifties I need to add Darien fleece liner. My liner is electric but I
haven't plugged it in for years. I will soon order another Darien, but as
my riding has changed a bit I'm still trying to decide between Darien Light
and regular Darien. My personal opinion is that the key to 4-season
versatility is to find a suit that is unlined. Even a mesh lining feels
hotter on a hot day to me.
Hope this helps-
Mike Gragg
I have both a Roadcrafter and a Darien and my wife has a Teiz. These
days my Roadcrafter gets the most use but all three suits are great and
will do what you need. I've done multiple days of heavy rain with no
issues on trips and used mine in temps from the low 30's up to 100.
get's a little warm in traffic on a hot day but not as bad as you'd
think but with the wheels turning and vents open it's fine.
This is just my opinion but I think the Aerostich gear probably has a
longevity edge over the Teiz suits but the Teiz suit is great and they
really back their product and any of these will last years and years.
Now if you are the sort that prefers to buy products made in the States
most 'stich gear is while Teiz is made overseas.
Scott Correy
Just curious, why is their no mention of the Olympia suit or the Centurion.
William Kane
Not familiar with the Centurion.
If the Olympia suit you are referring to is the PhantomŠ Bought it, hate
it. Used 3 times. It's up for sale if anybody wants it.
The Phantom zippers aren't waterproof, not really even water resistant. It
relies heavily on velcro'd flaps for water repellency, and they are a
royal PITAŠ near impossible to operate when riding. No easy-in/out like
the RoadCrafter: two leg zippers that go up to the waist, plus the front
zipper with the funky piece of fabric that goes across it in the crotch
area making it harder to get in and out of.
Then there's the lack of armpit vents/zippers. We had a string of about 10
100+ degree days here a few months back. I rode in it once and swore never
again.
I think the Phantom is a decent suit. If I'd never had a real one piece
riding suit I'd like it, but after the RoadCrafter? No way. That being
said, I'm still considering a Teiz Power Shell if the guy would just
straighten up his act with pricing. Web site advertising $499, try to
order and it's $699. At $700, I'd spend the extra and go with a Darien or
Roadcrafter. His prices is all over the place. He seems to be jacking up
his prices $100 or so every few months trying to figure out what the
market will bear.
Rusty Atkins
Like Rusty I don't really have anything good to say about the Olympia Phantom suite. It leaks worse than anything else I've ever worn and temps above 90 are miserable. I have their mesh suite for summer time riding around town and it works fine for traffic and sunshine. For touring applications I've enjoyed the Olympia AST jacket for the past 5 years and found it to be pretty water tight until the zippers wear out. The Olympia ranger pants are great for cooler temperatures and rain. Your bottom half will definitely stay dry until the temps rise and then you're going to get soaked from your own sweat as there's no vents in those pants.
During summer months I'd just wear their mesh pants and carry a pair of Frogg Togg pants to slip on when the sky turned nasty. But like the original poster of this thread, I got tired of pulling over to slip on the rain pants.
I considered the 'stitch (didn't know about the Teiz). I went with the new Klim 2pc after I talked to them about the construction, warranty and washing instructions. I like the idea of having a 2 pc suit that I can machine wash and machine dry while I'm traveling. And the water resistance remains intact. So far, I really haven't been able to test the water resistance of the Klim stuff although several friends have offered to hose me down in my drive way.
Brian Walters
>So far, I really haven't been able to test the water resistance of the Klim
stuff although several friends have offered to hose me down in my drive way.
Dean Tanji wore a Klim suit in epic rain during his late spring run around
Europe. I think it rained every day for 3 or 4 weeks and he said the suit
never leaked so he was a happy camper.
Lisa Landry
I can vouch for the Klim Badlands Pro jacket and pants waterproofing - it is exceptional. As is the venting for both.
Bob Lilley
>
> Like Rusty I don't really have anything good to say about the Olympia
Phantom suite. It leaks worse than anything else I've ever worn
I think it would be helpful to indicate something about the bike being
ridden and maybe the rider's physical size.
I have both the one piece Roadcrafter and the Phantom. Neither has leaked
on me. Riding in 20 hours of rain in the 'stich & I am still bone dry yet
others complain of porous crotch areas due to water pooling there. Phantom
includes frog stranglers for several hours at a time but I haven't pushed
double-digit hours of rain in it.
My bike: R1200RT with Ztechnik windshield
Me: 5'9", 185lbs
I expect the fully faired sheltered nature of the RT helps keep me dry vs
folks riding less protected bikes. So someone riding a similarly faired (or
would that be fairinged?) bike should have similar experience. A naked bike
rider might have something completely different. Someone with a different
body type that causes bunching or gapping of velcro or zippers might also
find different results.
Jim Hatch
> I considered the 'stitch (didn't know about the Teiz). I went with thenew Klim 2pc after I talked to them about the construction, warranty andwashing instructions. I like the idea of having a 2 pc suit that I canmachine wash and machine dry while I'm traveling. And the waterresistance remains intact. So far, I really haven't been able to testthe water resistance of the Klim stuff although several friends haveoffered to hose me down in my drive way.
Klim gear is not water resistant, it's waterproof. I've had my Badlands Pro is several downpours and it does not leak. Provided you remember to close the zippers. :-)
Steven Hobart
Ditto. Best gear I ever owned - Badlands Pro model, I should add.
Bob Lilley
> WOTL Roadcrafter or Darien? My wife and I are scrapping leathers for riding suits. Tired of hauling leaky rain gear around and putting it on roadside in a rain event. Your input in particular Eric.
I'm guessing you called me out since we have the same riding
environment, at least for our local area rides. No harm there. Not
sure how much useful input I can offer since I haven't bought any new
gear in quite a while.
The Aerostich offerings have always been a matter of debate. The
Darien is waterproof, the Roadcrafter was water resistant in the past,
IIRC. A lot of people did not like the rough collar of the Darien,
but you can now get a ultra suede collar option, I believe. Some
prefer the 2-piece Roadcrafter for it's versatility, allowing jeans
and riding jacket, if that's your preference, rather than layering up
with the 1-piece. I would probably consider the 2-piece over the
1-piece if I was looking hard at the Roadcrafter, if only because it
allows greater flexibility if you want to wear mesh pants or some
other brand of pants. The 1-piece sort of locks you in, you're either
wearing it, or something completely different. Zipped together, I
have heard that the 2-piece is as good or better than the 1-piece in
terms of water resistance/crotch leak, etc. I view the 1-piece as a
fantastic commuter outfit, but not necessarily something I want to
lock myself into for every ride, but that's just imho, having not had
either of the Roadcrafters.
Currently I am riding with a 8 year old, (and one crash & repair),
~250k mile Darien and a 3 year old pair of Olympia MotoX pants. The
MotoX pants are water resistant, but very much so, in my experience.
They do have an inner zip in liner that is water proof. The main
reason I chose these pants is the massive front of the leg mesh vent
panel that easily un-zips. I've been quite pleased with these for hot
weather riding. That said, I did have to take them to a seamstress
that specializes in moto gear and have the knee pads moved up and the
pant legs shortened. For my girth at the waist, the size that fit was
long in the leg and the available methods to re-locate the knee armor
were not sufficient for me. I do also feel that due to the full
length zipper placement on the pants legs, the knee armor is slightly
out of position. It feels like the outside of my knee is slightly
less protected than other pants I have had in the past, (Joe Rocket
Alter Ego and Belstaff). The zipper placement simply won't allow the
knee armor to be moved any more to the outside. This will likely vary
with each individual and I have no idea if it has been addressed in
the current offering.
I really like the Darien for my needs. I can leave the back vent
unzipped, (both to center), and open the under arm vents and collar
and get the jacket to balloon up nicely giving me excellent venting
when it's warm to hot, but also can zip up the collar and under arm
vents while riding if rain is ahead. Likewise, the arm zippers are
versatile enough that I can wear no gauntlet gloves when it's hot and
enjoy some arm air flow. When it's really hot, I wet down the
LDComfort and zip up the vents, just leaving minimal arm cuff zipper
open and minimal at the back vent and enjoy 1-2 hours of cooling
effect, depending on conditions.
If I ordered a Darien jacket today, I'd want the better zippers, the
softer collar and the magnets in the collar tabs to keep them open.
The last is offered on the one of the 'Lite' jackets, so I don't know
if it can be had on the Darien, but I sure would have liked it when
the left side collar was flapping away over all those miles on the FJR
or in cross winds on any bike.
I like the 3/4 length. It keeps me dry and I don't zip to the pants,
so no issue there. I like that I can wear any pants under it and the
jacket is long enough to shed water below the pants waist.
On other gear, the Klim stuff is very nice indeed. And it's priced to
reflect that too. My only gripes about the Klim gear is that the
pants zippers don't go up far enough for my taste. I prefer to put my
boots on first, and be able to don and remove riding pants with boots
on, (for that Brian Roberts Look™ at rallies). Klim is waterproof,
and they sold a lot of gear in Denver because it fits well, functions
well and they had excellent vendors with a lot of knowledge. Worth
noting is that Mark Kincart moved from Olympia, (where he did great
things for the brand), to Klim, where he is doing good things too.
That alone, made me take a second look at Klim.
I believe the Olympia gear is very good, though the one piece gets
some negative reviews. They also make women's gear that FITS women.
That alone is worth investigating for your wife. The Fieldsheer stuff
is at a lower price point, but also makes women specific gear that
fits real body shapes and their stuff holds up quite well. Fieldsheer
stuff runs small though, so if she normally takes an 8, you'll want to
look at 10 or even 12 to get a good fit. Cletha put a lot of miles on
some Fieldsheer pants, though she likes the mesh stuff, while I stick
to more water resistant gear with venting to deal with the variety of
conditions we face. Her current mesh pants are Olympia, which like
the Fieldsheer, have nice long leg zippers and she says the Olympia
fit better, with more freedom of movement.
Regardless of what you get, add a back pad/protector and depending on
what you get, consider upgrading the armor. Some good jackets come
with so-so armor. That said, I was perfectly happy with the standard
armor in the Darien when I slid down the pavement at 30-35 mph and
though it wore thru both sleeves and elbows, the armor did it's job
and I walked away with no more than bruises. That crash was with a
pair of Joe Rocket Alter Ego pants, which vent well, but are a lighter
piece of gear, though with excellent knee armor!
Figure out what features you want, go try on gear if possible, and try
to order from places that have good return policies if you mail order,
due to fit issues. In no particular order, all of these companies
make good stuff:
Aerostich
Klim
Olympia
Fieldsheer
Tiez
To a lesser degree, imho:
Joe Rocket
Technic
Note that only Aerostich repairs their gear, IIRC.
Eric Vaillancourt
Kitty adds:
Please don't forget about First Gear! IMNSHO, they make great gear for the money. Having crash tested First Gear pants and jacket, I'm also pleased with their protection. The only reason I didn't replace my FG pants and jacket with FG is because Bill Thweat's wife decided I should have her hardly worn Olympia (which I'm happy enough with so far, hope to never crash test)
Kitty
>WOTL Roadcrafter or Darien? My wife and I are scrapping leathers for riding suits. Tired of hauling leaky rain gear around and putting it on roadside in a rain event.
My first roadcrafter leaked at the zippers, as does my second. After I got the water resistant zippers installed last winter, the suit still leaks at the zippers. This on a Bandit. I like the roadcrafter but I never ride without a rain suit in the bag.
Steve Munden
My FirstGear Kilimanjaro has never leaked over the 3 years and 60+k miles
I've had it. I love that it's waterproof on the outside and so I never have
to stop to put on raingear. That being said, it's too heavy/hot for me to
wear over 70 degrees. I ride a scooter with quite a lot of wind protection,
so the little chest vents are pretty useless. I've tried a FirstGear Rush
Tex (a lighter jacket with the same HyperTex waterproof outer material and
more vents) but I still overheat in that one over 80.
I've been very happy with my Kilimanjaro from 25 to 70 degrees. I don't use
heated liners by choice, just using a fleece base layer with the jacket
longer in the cold or LDcomfort in warmer temps.
Hammy (Jonathan Tan )
Contrarily,
My R/C Light (1 pc) with the new zippers has been through only about 10,000 miles of rain (riding near 2 hurricanes, etc.), it has yet to leak. I understand it may/will in the future but I couldn't be happier. This is one of the made in Pakistan models so that kinda sucks, but so far it just works whether 120 degrees or 40 degree near freezing sideways rain (Butt Lite, lol).
Joshua Mountain
There is another one people forgot about and that is Motoport
http://www.motoport.com/index.php?option=com_redshop&view=category&cid=18&layout=detail&Itemid=15
Jeff Augustine
>http://www.motoport.com/index.php?option=com_redshop&view=category&cid=18&l
ayout=detail&Itemid=15
For me, any riding gear that requires a waterproof liner is a no-go. I've
ridden through a tropical storm in a jacket with a 'Z Liner' and it was a
miserable experience. Water runs down the liner and into your gloves and
boots, your jacket is completely soaked and weighs about a metric ton; mine
didn't dry out for days. You have to stop, take off your stuff, add the
liner, blah blah. That and it doesn't breathe at all so it's not unlike
wearing a rubberized sauna suit. Who thought that was a good idea?
Yeah, but other than that, it was super. ;^)
Lisa Landry
> For me, any riding gear that requires a waterproof liner is a no-go. I've
> ridden through a tropical storm in a jacket with a 'Z Liner' and it was a
> miserable experience. Water runs down the liner and into your gloves and
> boots, your jacket is completely soaked and weighs about a metric ton; mine
> didn't dry out for days. You have to stop, take off your stuff, add the
> liner, blah blah. That and it doesn't breathe at all so it's not unlike
> wearing a rubberized sauna suit. Who thought that was a good idea?
A very valid point.
At some point, in regards to gear, you have to decide; Water proof,
or very water resistant?
Waterproof seldom vents well, or at least as well as very water resistant.
Water resistant will leak, always, but how long it takes varies. And
if that is 'Good Enough'© for you is entirely dependent on your needs.
I ride in a lot of heat, so I chose water resistant, with better
venting, for pants, but also choose waterproof for the jacket. It
meets my needs, but that is not to say it will meet others.
The kevlar Motoport stuff is awesome, custom fitted and expensive.
It's also a sieve. For extreme heat, that's not a good thing. Ditto
for rain. But for a lot of folks that see more middle ground, it's a
good alternative.
I rarely take my waterproof pants inner liner with me on trips. The
pants are water resistant enough for anything short of multiday
rallies, for me. OTOH, I also preach to gear up before the storm, not
in the middle of it. Used to be a standing joke that if I put my rain
gear on, it would be dry for the rest of the day, (and often was).
That's one reason I am not afraid to carry rain gear, despite wearing
a waterproof jacket. Ditto on the heated gear, it's always there,
even on summer trips. Cause you just never know. Wether I take it or
not depends a lot on if I have to ride thru anything, or will just
stop and relax for a bit.
Eric Vaillancourt
For years I have worn a Tourmaster jacket and pants. Recently I replaced the pants with Aerostich AD1 pants that have already been rain tested.
Both the Tourmaster jacket and pants have been crash tested. And they came through very well. After meeting Bambi in Canada, I used iron-on patches to repair them. The pants were no longer water repellent, and the crotch leaked like a sieve. However the jacket still works. It was crash tested again in June, and along with my Shoei Multitech it saved me very serious injuries.
I plan to buy a new Tourmaster Transition Three jacket, now that it is made in blue. I know there is a lot of very good riding gear out there. Since I have good fortune with this brand, I plan to stick with it.
Dave Nelson