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Touring duds

Which all weather/season riding suit?

  • Klim Latitude

    Votes: 7 63.6%
  • Aerostich Roadcrafter

    Votes: 4 36.4%
  • Joe Rocket Ballistic 14.0 (no pants though)

    Votes: 0 0.0%

  • Total voters
    11
Just a warning about goretex boots. The goretex is a thin membrane inside the boot and if you flex the boot too much (like wearing it to go hiking), the goretex will eventual develop cracks and will leak. I've owned many boots that use goretex (Sidi, the BMW All-Rounds pictured above, etc) and they do well in the beginning, but if you wear them all the time off the bike, they will not be waterproof for very long.

All waterproof membranes eventually lose their waterproofing gradually over time. But if you hike in your gore-tex boots, you're going to accelerate this process.

Learn from my mistake!

The boots I just replaced were also the AllRound's. Mine lasted four seasons, probably about 80k km's. Not a massive amount of hiking, but a fair bit of walking around here and there.

Great thing with Gore-Tex is their warranty. The process has been unbelievably easy. Sent them some pics of the boots current condition, some soggy feet, a copy of my receipt, and I'm getting the full amount back. Can't really ask for more.

Replaced with a pair of Dainese Trq-Tour (Gore-Tex too), will see how they compare
 
Thanks but hiking in anything these days is a very rare occurence.
I'll just hold Goretex to it's lifetime warranty :D

Follow up - you know something is working well when you entirely forget you are wearing them.
 
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my $.02

don't think you're gonna find outer wear that is completely waterproof
and does not also stifle you in the heat

most of the water proof gear is WP for the inner membrane only
while the outer garment gets completely saturated, and heavy
garments that are WP on the exterior are not gonna breathe

what works for me is a textile jacket with removable inner WP liner
liner removed, the textile jacket breaths pretty well, in light rain or cold I zip the liner in
for pants I carry a pair of Tourmaster WP textiles, they are okay, nothing fancy

for very wet days I carry a Helly Hansen Hi-Vis outer garment that goes over the jacket
it is 100% WP and is very easy to put on, over what I'm already wearing

this setup is also a lot less $$ than a do-it-all set of gear
 
my $.02

don't think you're gonna find outer wear that is completely waterproof
and does not also stifle you in the heat

most of the water proof gear is WP for the inner membrane only
while the outer garment gets completely saturated, and heavy
garments that are WP on the exterior are not gonna breathe

what works for me is a textile jacket with removable inner WP liner
liner removed, the textile jacket breaths pretty well, in light rain or cold I zip the liner in
for pants I carry a pair of Tourmaster WP textiles, they are okay, nothing fancy

for very wet days I carry a Helly Hansen Hi-Vis outer garment that goes over the jacket
it is 100% WP and is very easy to put on, over what I'm already wearing

this setup is also a lot less $$ than a do-it-all set of gear

That is what Gore-tex is. I would never have believed it before owning a gore-tex jacket and boots. I wear them all day, under the hot Utah sun in Moab and surrounding desert or high up in the mountains in Colorado, to the east coast riding in non stop rain for 2 weeks, Cabot trail and all that. Been all over and it has never let me down. Breaths well, vents amazing and does not let the water in. Costs a lot more, but it works and for me and how I like to ride it is worth its weight in gold.
 
That is what Gore-tex is. I would never have believed it before owning a gore-tex jacket and boots. I wear them all day, under the hot Utah sun in Moab and surrounding desert or high up in the mountains in Colorado, to the east coast riding in non stop rain for 2 weeks, Cabot trail and all that. Been all over and it has never let me down. Breaths well, vents amazing and does not let the water in. Costs a lot more, but it works and for me and how I like to ride it is worth its weight in gold.

Everything above. The one caveat is that it stops breathing if the item gets saturated causing you to sweat profusely.
 
Everything above. The one caveat is that it stops breathing if the item gets saturated causing you to sweat profusely.

when you say gets saturated, do you mean the garment gets saturated and heavy?
but the membrane keeps the water from getting to you?
 
when you say gets saturated, do you mean the garment gets saturated and heavy?
but the membrane keeps the water from getting to you?

Basically
 
Yes ....tho I don't feel the weight.....

The Klim jackets (Badlands) have an ingenious kidney belt in them that removes all the weight off your shoulders. Fabulous bit of kit. Love mine and wear them all year round. The pants vent really well too.
 
The Klim jackets (Badlands) have an ingenious kidney belt in them that removes all the weight off your shoulders. Fabulous bit of kit. Love mine and wear them all year round. The pants vent really well too.


are you from the UK?
military family?
 
The Klim jackets (Badlands) have an ingenious kidney belt in them that removes all the weight off your shoulders. Fabulous bit of kit. Love mine and wear them all year round. The pants vent really well too.

Love the kidney belt as well, so simple and makes the jacket fit and feel that much better.
 
OP - your budget leads me to believe we exist in wildly different tax brackets, but I thought I'd pop this here for others who are viewing the thread. I just ordered the ARC BattleBorn suit from Rocky Mountain ATV. I think something like ~CAD$600 for the jacket and pants shipped to my door. Reviews are all glowing, so hopefully they live up to the hype.

[video=youtube;Iby7JxubdX8]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Iby7JxubdX8[/video]
 
And I own two full Olympia suits - one Airglide and one Ranger and I have also extensively worn their AST and Moto-X. It's decent gear, but velcro and zippers often break apart and stitching often comes apart.

Man, *decent* doesn't mean what it used to. I have a permanently filthy Dainese D-Dry jacket from 2005 that's held up quite well to the rigours of daily travel. The matching pants had minor zipper issues but still serve well. Haven't tested them with an accident though.
 
I have olympia and an AGV italian suit and a Klim jacket. I rank the Klim over anything else in my closet. I'm a big fan of dry and comfortable. Watching people sit and shiver over a coffee , shaking saying ...no I'm good. I'll pay for good gear thanks.

Funny I just checked 2 pair of hiking boots , they are both gor-tex.

if you ever get a stone or bit of gravel in a gor tex boot, it will wreck the seal in about 10 min, sort of fragile.
 
I'm a big fan of dry and comfortable. Watching people sit and shiver over a coffee , shaking saying ...no I'm good. I'll pay for good gear thanks.

A long day covering miles when you're cold and wet is a terrible feeling.

At some point I gave up some of my innate cheapness and bought gear that I was confident would keep me dry and warm.
 
I move sailboats, occasionally offshore. I've spent days in 80 kms wind and raining sideways with 15m waves thrown in. I love gortex, my sail boots are leather/gortex, my jackets and pants are Musto gortex. Riding a bike for a couple days is a picnic. But I'll still spend the coin to be happy. There is no need to shiver with wet feet. Technology has fixed that for us.
I'd quit riding before I went to the dept. of "its ok"
 
So, I'm not saying no to the Klim yet, but just wondering if there isn't something cheaper that will fit the bill. I was taking a look at Olympia the other day and it seems like good gear. I know it isn't going to be on par with Klim, but I doubt it is half the quality even though it is half the price.

I am specifically looking at their "Troy" or "Richmond" jackets. I like the Troy for the large zip open mesh panels which would be handy come the warm weather, especially on my warm ST. The down side to the Troy is the over/under rain liner. I was hoping for hear that I wouldn't have to mess with a rain layer. The Richmond is supposed to have a waterproof breathable outer shell and good venting but probably not as much air flow as the Troy.

Then there are the pants. I like their "Sentry" pants mostly for the fact that they are waterproof without having to add a liner but wondering if they will be super hot in the middle of the summer given that there are no vents. Then there are their "Moto X 2" pants that have the zip open panels and an over/under rain layer but no thermal layer.

Decisions, decisions. I'm still not ruling out the Klim Latitude but would like to hear from anyone here if they have experience with Olympia gear and especially if you have the gear mentioned above.
 
So, I'm not saying no to the Klim yet, but just wondering if there isn't something cheaper that will fit the bill. I was taking a look at Olympia the other day and it seems like good gear. I know it isn't going to be on par with Klim, but I doubt it is half the quality even though it is half the price.

I am specifically looking at their "Troy" or "Richmond" jackets. I like the Troy for the large zip open mesh panels which would be handy come the warm weather, especially on my warm ST. The down side to the Troy is the over/under rain liner. I was hoping for hear that I wouldn't have to mess with a rain layer. The Richmond is supposed to have a waterproof breathable outer shell and good venting but probably not as much air flow as the Troy.

Then there are the pants. I like their "Sentry" pants mostly for the fact that they are waterproof without having to add a liner but wondering if they will be super hot in the middle of the summer given that there are no vents. Then there are their "Moto X 2" pants that have the zip open panels and an over/under rain layer but no thermal layer.

Decisions, decisions. I'm still not ruling out the Klim Latitude but would like to hear from anyone here if they have experience with Olympia gear and especially if you have the gear mentioned above.

I had an Olympia jacket before and it was actually really good. The only reason I sold it and went with Klim was that a couple of the arm vents leaked a little in torrential rain and the fit wasn’t brilliant. It vented amazingly and was pretty waterproof for 99% of the time.
 
gosh, I have had everything mentioned. I started with Joe rocket back in the day. the ballistic series which I likes, at that time there were some very nice features provided for the cost but I wouldn' look at JR now. I have a oylmpia ast and the Ranger pants both which I like , again some very good features including a very nice full quilted liner for both pieces but not waterproof despite their claims that it is.

I have had a number of areostich, currently a one piece and a two piece. I kinda prefer the one for complete ease of use but yes, you look dorky. I never take the two piece apart since the pants won' stay up on their own. it does provide a "better" fit than the onesie.

I have a KLIM overland AND a KLIM latitude misano. I prefer the overland, it' a bit less " crunchy" than the latitude. a few less features as well, mainly pockets really. I crashed pretty good in a misano suit and there was no shifting of armour and no concerns at all of safety. and I was wearing a men' fit.

the suit crashes very well. I have sent my first misano back to gore for gore due to leakage. the entire suit was replaced. THAT RIGHT THERE is the reason I will never go with anything other than gore. you clutch your chest at the cash register and spend a few sleepless nights thinking of the money you spent, but it' worth it.

I will never go back to fussing with liners. more to pack, dangerous to stop on the side of the road to Don your layers, and it usually stops raining 5 min after you went through all of that to wiggle into it. inner layers I dont understand.....I have to take my jacket off in the rain, put on my liner, then put jacket back on? no thanks.

the stitch can be warm in the summer, but if you are wearing synthetic active t and shorts, open up the long generous vents, you'r OK. I find the KLIM to be bearable in the summer not as hot as the stitch. the oylpmpia used to have good vents that you could velcro open.

I would love to try a rukka or revit but I fear moving away from gore. I have never had any of my gore gear gets "saturated" or feel "saturated".

it' about what you can afford and what you are comfortable in. if it's not comfy, you won't wear it. my boots are sidi canyons and Daytona. both gore. feet bone dry. I am not interested in "lower end" brands. if you can, spend the extra coin, or like the others have said, score a deal off kijiji.

there are some nice BMW suits and revit suits on there now that I wish fit me. I just like to try and have different gear to wear.
 

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