Touring gear recommendations?
- Thread starter Motorcycle Mike
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homme de fer
Well-known member
Regarding Goretex jackets, I have a few reservations with "all in one" jackets like that; the water proof coating, so I've heard, eventually "rub off" after a certain amount of use. They also don't see to have as many vents (more vents = more opportunities for failure).
I had good luck with the Rev'It! Sand jacket and pants but didn't like having the water proof layer on the inside because, after a rain, the jacket would be soaked and weigh a ton. Worse yet, try camping in a small tent with a wet jacket. I've had really good luck simply packing an outer waterproof jacket and pant to go over my suit when needed.
That said, the Klim product line looks great; if anyone can get the goretex to work well it's Klim.
I had good luck with the Rev'It! Sand jacket and pants but didn't like having the water proof layer on the inside because, after a rain, the jacket would be soaked and weigh a ton. Worse yet, try camping in a small tent with a wet jacket. I've had really good luck simply packing an outer waterproof jacket and pant to go over my suit when needed.
That said, the Klim product line looks great; if anyone can get the goretex to work well it's Klim.
Damious
Member
This is exactly what I want to avoid, I went on a camping trip this summer to bon echo, it rained only on the way there but my gear was soggy for 4 days... Yuck.
I want an awesome outer layer, but everywhere i look on the internet is too vague and reviews are petty much non-exisitent. I'm totally over the words "completely waterproof" without some kind of mm count to back it up... Bah.
I gave up on breathable as gortex "wets" and then leaks.
I use the Icon and it is waterproof...BUT - you have to be very careful sealing any jacket around your neck and down the front....take the time as it pays off. Plus the Icon is super visible for riding in the rain and fog.
I had a black helmet, black rain jacket and a grey bike and realized I was completely invisible in fog/rain one night.
Got the Icon the next day....done well for a few years now.
That said - a second breathable layer as a jacket liner helps too with warm and dry.
The moisture goes between the that layer and the Icon - so the riding jacket might be a bit damp but you are dry.
The Icon is long as well which I like and packs down decently small into the hood.
I use it for both warmth and rain.
This morning it was 12 and bright sun and it was VERRRRRRY welcome on the slab S of Lake Erie.
It'll come off soon as it warms up.
Any goretex item that leaks can be sent to Gore and company for repair. I've got a few goretex items and not one has leaked. The outer fabric cover may have wetted through, but the membrane itself has never leaked. What happens is that a seam may go or something but the molecular make up of the membrane is such that the pores are physically not large enough to allow liquid water through but they let hot air out.
Put it this way, I once sat in McDonalds after a downpour in Ottawa after making the mistake of wearing race leather pants tucked into my goretex boots thus letting water run down my legs into the boots. I emptied about a litre of water, perfectly retained in my boots, onto the floor.
If you seal it - the Icon is totally waterproof....it's PDX - doesn't even pretend to breathe.
Icon PDX Rain Jacket and Bibs Review
Bryan Harley
Cruiser Editor|Articles|Articles RSS|Blog|Blog Posts|Blog RSSOur resident road warrior has earned his stripes covering the rally circuit, from riding the Black Hills of Sturgis to cruising Main Street in Daytona Beach. Whether it's chopped, bobbed, or bored, metric to 'Merican, he rides 'em all.
http://www.motorcycle-usa.com/410/4432/Motorcycle-Article/Icon-PDX-Rain-Jacket-and-Bibs-Review.aspx
http://www.motorcycle-superstore.ca/16957/i/icon-pdx-rain-jacket
The big key is getting the seals correct especially around the neck.
•••
The Goretex membrane might hold but you'll feel like it's leaking.
http://www.gore-tex.com/remote/Satellite/content/care-center/restoring-water-repellency
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skip
Well-known member
I actually have a Roleff Racewear "safetec" Motorcycle Jacket that I picked up for £22 when I was England last. Never had heard of them but I needed something quick and the price was right. 2 seasons latter It has impressed me and is still water proof. Much better jacket then I was expecting.
I also use Gaerne boots. Comfortable but the water does eventually seep through.
I also use Gaerne boots. Comfortable but the water does eventually seep through.
As far as I know most Goretex clothing has an outer layer. This outer layer can get wet so in general people put a Durable Water Repellent (DWR) coating on it so that the outer layer sheds water. There is talk of Goretex "Wetting out". This is when the outer layer is saturated so that the Goretex can no longer breath with the result that your perspiration does not have anywhere to go and you get wet from your sweat. I have to say I have never had that problem on either my Alpinestar Web Goretext boots or on my Aerostitch Roadcrafter (which uses Goretex as well.)
My Roadcrafter has about 250,000 km of use. It has been Brined several times (passing trucks spreading salt brine on the roads), had Death Valley temps over 50°c, been in multi day rides with solid rain, down in the minus teens C, all kinds of sand on it, had liquid cement on the pants part, and been in a low speed crash (about 50 kph on gravel.) It has never been washed enough. And while the DWR doesn't stick on the fabric any more so the Codura outer layer gets wet, it keeps me dry and comfy inside as long as it's done up all right. The Goretex has never leaked or wetted out on me.
..Tom
Touring - take along some microfibre clothes for visor, glasses and windscreen. I take a couple then wash them when I get home. If I remember I take along a small spritz bottle of good cleaner for glasses and visor.
Took the helmet into MacD's and did a number on the sun shield and visor and made a big difference.
Gunk and film builds up and the microfibre won't hurt the surface.
Soaked the bugs off the main windscreen with the sponge part of the squeegee ( carefully - no scrb just soak ) and then finished with the micro-fibre.
Was surprised how much gunk inside the windscreen - hate to think of what our lungs take in riding distance on the slab.
Clean up was a nice pick me up towards the end of the ride.
I broke my sunglasses and started using the drop down sunscreen and really enjoyed not having the glasses on tho a bit harder to read the GPS ( I need glasses only to read ).
Other must have is ear plugs. Makes for a very relaxed ride on the slab with just a bit of wind burble. I buy in bulk and reuse so a box will last for years. I use these. Really quiet....it's weird ....put them on in a noisy MacD's and the babble fades slowly away to nothing as they expand and seal.
These will knock down ambient 33 decibels.
http://www.magidglove.com/Howard-Leight-by-Sperian-Max-Disposable-Foam-Earplugs-MAX1-1.aspx
Took the helmet into MacD's and did a number on the sun shield and visor and made a big difference.
Gunk and film builds up and the microfibre won't hurt the surface.
Soaked the bugs off the main windscreen with the sponge part of the squeegee ( carefully - no scrb just soak ) and then finished with the micro-fibre.
Was surprised how much gunk inside the windscreen - hate to think of what our lungs take in riding distance on the slab.
Clean up was a nice pick me up towards the end of the ride.
I broke my sunglasses and started using the drop down sunscreen and really enjoyed not having the glasses on tho a bit harder to read the GPS ( I need glasses only to read ).
Other must have is ear plugs. Makes for a very relaxed ride on the slab with just a bit of wind burble. I buy in bulk and reuse so a box will last for years. I use these. Really quiet....it's weird ....put them on in a noisy MacD's and the babble fades slowly away to nothing as they expand and seal.
These will knock down ambient 33 decibels.
http://www.magidglove.com/Howard-Leight-by-Sperian-Max-Disposable-Foam-Earplugs-MAX1-1.aspx
I just take two microfiber cloths.. one dry. the other in a baggy wet. If bugs are real bad I will lay the cloth over the faceshield to soften then they come off easily and use the dry one for final cleaning Plexus is good stuff to really make it clear. I actualy keep them in my tank bag so I can use them while I'm riding if I get a big splat.
I completely agree about earplugs. I initially used the ones Macdoc mentioned above. then got a multipack of different ones to try and found a longer lasting solution. For the last couple of years i have been using ones molded to my ears and they are the best. Completely comfy, wearable day after day no issue.
..Tom
I completely agree about earplugs. I initially used the ones Macdoc mentioned above. then got a multipack of different ones to try and found a longer lasting solution. For the last couple of years i have been using ones molded to my ears and they are the best. Completely comfy, wearable day after day no issue.
..Tom
I'm lucky I seem to be fine with most any earplug but I do admit end of a long day they can get irritating. I wonder sometimes if it's the elevation changes - I noticed on this trip in the Smokies and BRP they would hurt on the way down.
I tend to use them for sleeping as well....get a very deep sleep with them but there is a catch to that.....
If you ever wake up extremely dizzy after wearing them ....don't panic....your ear stones have fallen out of place.
I kid you not....happened to me....doctor gave me an exercise to do to get them to roll back into place
http://www.webmd.com/brain/tc/benign-paroxysmal-positional-vertigo-bppv-topic-overview
I had it once before in Africa when the fruit trucks were rolling by about 10' from my bed ( other side of the wall but damn loud. Woke up and tried to get out of bed and total vertigo....like insane.....could not walk - finally fell against the wall with the room spinning like mad.
Went away by itself then - was scary thing ....second time in Aus also went away but then I found out the exercise.
Trivia for the day.
I'd be afraid of misplacing custom jobbies. That said I'd love my UltimateEars earphones custom molded for a good seal to get the best base response and to keep them in tightly.
The AFX-55 helmet is very good all around ( love the sun visor ) - almost zero noise at slab speed with the ear plugs in but for some reason cannot get the same seal as my Mag8 Bell gives me with the UEs - so no tunes on the slab ( it's okay at lower speeds but still louder than I like.
I tend to use them for sleeping as well....get a very deep sleep with them but there is a catch to that.....
If you ever wake up extremely dizzy after wearing them ....don't panic....your ear stones have fallen out of place.
I kid you not....happened to me....doctor gave me an exercise to do to get them to roll back into place
I had it once before in Africa when the fruit trucks were rolling by about 10' from my bed ( other side of the wall but damn loud. Woke up and tried to get out of bed and total vertigo....like insane.....could not walk - finally fell against the wall with the room spinning like mad.
Went away by itself then - was scary thing ....second time in Aus also went away but then I found out the exercise.
Trivia for the day.
I'd be afraid of misplacing custom jobbies. That said I'd love my UltimateEars earphones custom molded for a good seal to get the best base response and to keep them in tightly.
The AFX-55 helmet is very good all around ( love the sun visor ) - almost zero noise at slab speed with the ear plugs in but for some reason cannot get the same seal as my Mag8 Bell gives me with the UEs - so no tunes on the slab ( it's okay at lower speeds but still louder than I like.
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I have had issues with my ears since I was a kid. I stil have issues with my ears. When using non-custom earplugs I found that after several days of riding my ears would get sore. The foam ones you pictured earlier would be my backup as they were more comfy but didn't block as much sound as the ones I normally used. Once I went to custom made earplugs any discomfort disappeared.
..Tom
I could have been wrong on the sound rating of the ones I used. The foam ones you mentioned are 33db, the Rockets uncorded were rated at 26db. However, I found the the foam ones seemed to not seal as well after a while and I would get sound in while the rockets would stay put and do better job of sealing (and I know about spinning them in my fingers to make them smaller and holding them in the ear until they expanded.) Just that after 5 or 6 days and 5 or 6,000 km my ears would get sore with the rockets and I would switch to the foam for a day or two.
The custom made molded ones work very well for me.. all day comfort and Great sealing. I don't recall the cost of the custom ones but I think the cost of having one set of molded is less than all the semi-disposable ones I used.
..Tom
The larger the number the more the ambient suppression. ( it's a negative so 33 is reducing ambient by 33 db. -
26 is decent for both earplugs and earphones. Because dB is logarithmic the difference between -33 and -26 is quite large.
Here is an outline.
103 to 106 dB.
WHat is that equal to
It IS loud inside a helmet at speed. Now your ears will clamp down so percieved noise may not be so bad but you are damaging your hearing....think about how loud those examples are and then consider you might be listening at that level for hours on end.
What does the -33 take you to.?
It's still not all that quiet and you can hear ambient noises like sirens and horns.
I compare the inside of my helmet noise with the -33 dB to a quiet upper end car interior - bit of wind burble, bit of road noise, bit of car engine noise - very relaxing.
Here are the top 30 quietest car cabins
http://elevatingsound.com/the-top-30-quietest-cars-a-cabin-noise-test-by-auto-bild/
66-70 db.
Noise is tiring and makes you far less alert as it overloads your senses. ( that's why white noise works for pain ).
Now I'm behind a windscreen so quieter than most.
Buying a "quiet helmet" and not using earplugs is a fools game.
26 is decent for both earplugs and earphones. Because dB is logarithmic the difference between -33 and -26 is quite large.
Here is an outline.
http://consciousvibes.com/health/earplugs.html
103 to 106 dB.
WHat is that equal to
It IS loud inside a helmet at speed. Now your ears will clamp down so percieved noise may not be so bad but you are damaging your hearing....think about how loud those examples are and then consider you might be listening at that level for hours on end.
What does the -33 take you to.?
It's still not all that quiet and you can hear ambient noises like sirens and horns.
I compare the inside of my helmet noise with the -33 dB to a quiet upper end car interior - bit of wind burble, bit of road noise, bit of car engine noise - very relaxing.
Here are the top 30 quietest car cabins
http://elevatingsound.com/the-top-30-quietest-cars-a-cabin-noise-test-by-auto-bild/
66-70 db.
Noise is tiring and makes you far less alert as it overloads your senses. ( that's why white noise works for pain ).
Now I'm behind a windscreen so quieter than most.
Buying a "quiet helmet" and not using earplugs is a fools game.
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Put the hood up and then put your helmet on - No rain down the back. That's what a friend showed me to do with my Frog Togs and it works great
Motorcycle Mike
Well-known member
I use the Velocity heated glove. I seems to be very well made, and they are warm enough that I have barely used the heat on them yet. In fact, I am not even sure where my charger is for the batteries.
They did manage to get wet on my Newfoundland trip, but I am not sure if they leaked, I didn't have the cuffs sealed right, or if I brought the water in with wet hands when I took them off to do something. Anyway, that was not usual circumstances... I'm talking 10 hours of Newfie rain with some torrential downpouring. Regular rain and these have no issue.
If you are in the Mississauga area I'd give Jimmy at Velocity a visit and see if you like them, I think he sells them to GTAM members for $250 cash price.
