The following is an evaluation of the Aerostich Darien riding suit as compared to the Fieldsheer 1-piece. This is one long-ass post.
Back in 2003, I decided to get serious with my riding gear and started researching the Aerostich line to see what would be the best fit. Of the three options (Roadcrafter 1-piece, 2-piece, and Darien), the Darien seemed like the best fit for me. I liked the modularity of the suit and figured that I could use the pieces in different configurations for different situations.
So for the last 40,000 miles or so, here's how I've been using the Darien.
Hot weather (85+ F): no use at all; I switch to a Fieldsheer mesh suit. I found that the Darien was a sweatbox and not worth wearing in the heat. However, if I'm riding in summer rain I do wear the Darien pants, a mesh jacket, and a regular rain jacket over the armored mesh. I plan to get a perforated leather suit for summer riding because it's just safer.
Pros for this temp range: Darien pants are very waterproof if you wash them with NixWax and properly seam seal.
Cons for this temp range: Suit is stifling hot. I'd never wear the Darien in this temp range.
Warm weather (70-85 F): Darien suit without liner is fine, with the vents open on an unfaired bike. For something like the FJR or the Concours, this may be too warm.
Pros for this temp range: Comfortable if you get good air flow.
Cons for this temp range: The suit gets very flappy in the wind without a liner installed. Material tends to bunch up around the chest area.
Cool weather (50-70 F): Darien with Kanetsu liner, no heat necessary yet. Comfortable.
Pros for this temp range: Perfect temp range for the Darien. And riding in general.
Cons for this temp range: None.
Cold weather (35-50 F): Darien with Kanestu liner, heat turned on, balaclava. Comfortable.
Pros for this temp range: Easy to layer clothing with the Darien.
Cons for this temp range: None.
Freezing weather (35- F): Darien with Kanetsu liner, heat turned on, balaclava, thermal undergarments. Not comfortable unless riding on a bike with a huge fairing and heated grips.
Pros for this temp range: Nothing stands out.
Cons for this temp range: The lack of a built-in liner really hurts with the Darien pants. It's hard to keep your legs warm when the wind is constantly sinking heat away. And with the Aerostich heated clothing system, there are no options for heated gloves or pants, so if you want some of those you'll have to install another power plug and spend more time hooking your suit up for the ride. Wind protection around the neck is terrible without a balaclava.
Darien Maintenance, Durability, etc.
The suit is extremely easy to clean. Just buy a bottle of NixWax wash-in cleaner and water repellant, throw it in the washer, and you're done. Make sure to seam seal the suit every few years.
Durability is excellent. The suit will last for years even with daily use. The only wear I have found is around the armor areas, where the armor velcro (male portion) has worn away at the gore-tex.
Fitment is questionable. The Darien suits are not as customizable as the Roadcrafters, and the size Large doesn't fit me exactly. I have 34" arms (slightly longer than average for someone my size), so I find that the suit arms fit just a bit short. Other fitment issues include excess fabric bunched up around the chest area when riding sportbikes, and lots of flapping material when riding without a jacket liner.
The Pants fit well. I am a size 34 waist, and the Darien size 34 pants fit perfectly over regular pants. Darien pants are PERFECT for skiing, so skiiers get a 2 in 1 package.
Overall, it's a very versatile suit with some minor issues. It's of course a status symbol thing to sport the trademark Aerostich reflective strip across one's back, but for the price I'd expect a better collar, better fit, and better cold weather protection. I spent $750 for my suit and another $250 for the heated liner.
Now on to the Fieldsheer.
When 2005 rolled around, I figured I needed to explore some other options due to the cold weather and fitment issues of the Darien. Humans tend to remember painful moments more than pleasurable ones, so I have the memory of freezing my ass off over 2 winter commuting seasons and wishing I had a warmer suit.
I decided to go for a 1-piece because I thought a 1-piece would have better rain protection and warmth. Now it was down to the Roadcrafter, the Fieldsheer, and some assorted cats and dogs.
I had been using Fieldsheer stuff for quite some time and always thought the build quality was excellent. So I bought it, and here's how I use my Fieldsheer 1-piece.
Hot weather (85+ F): no use at all; once again I use my Fieldsheer mesh suit.
Pros for this temp range: None.
Cons for this temp range: Suit is even hotter than the Darien due to its integrated, 3-layer liner.
Warm weather (70-85 F): This is the very top of the temp range for the Fieldsheer.
Pros for this temp range: Nothing stands out.
Cons for this temp range: Still pretty warm. The Fieldsheer vents are on the upper chest; pit zips would be much more effective. The Darien has pit zips BTW.
Cool weather (50-70 F): Fieldsheer without factory liner.
Pros for this temp range: Perfect temp range for the Fieldsheer. And riding in general.
Cons for this temp range: None.
Cold weather (35-50 F): Fieldsheer with Kanestu liner, heat turned on, balaclava. Comfortable.
Pros for this temp range: Super warm setup. Feels like 20 degrees warmer.
Cons for this temp range: It's hard to fit the Kanetsu liner underneath the Fieldsheer. But one you stuff yourself in there, the tight fit holds the heating elements closer to your body, which is great.
Freezing weather (35- F): Fieldsheer with Kanetsu liner, heat turned on, balaclava, thermal undergarments.
Pros for this temp range: Fieldsheer is a super cold weather suit. Warmer than the Darien in every way with a factory removable liner. I don't feel the need for electric pants with this suit.
Cons for this temp range: None.
Fieldsheer Maintenance, Durability, etc.
You can't wash this suit in the washing machine. There is no guidance on seam sealing.
Build quality is excellent, except for some very weak-ass zippers. Zippers on the vents are especially bad, and the main zips are cheap plastic. I've had two Fieldsheer jackets that have broken a tooth.
Extremely comfortable fit once the suit is on. Requires no more effort than an Aerostich 1-piece to get on.
Big problem: when seated, the material makes a cup around the groin area (just like any pair of pants when you sit down). Rain accumulates in the cup and soaks through the suit. Unless you're constantly pulling the suit taut, your groin will get soaked in heavy downpour. The Darien does not have this problem because the Darien jacker covers the pants - water just rolls off. Whatever ends up pooling in your groin while wearing a Darien is kept out by good seam sealing.
In summary:
Darien with Kanetsu liner - $1000: nice all-around suit, minor fitment issues, poor collar, good weather protection, not great in freezing weather, pants double as ski pants.
Fieldsheer with Kanetsu liner - $550: nice all-around suit, weak zippers, great build quality otherwise, not good for warm weather, excellent for freezing weather. For the price, this is more than a match for the Aerostich.
Well folks, that's all I got. Hope this helps some of you if you were on the fence about either suit.
Back in 2003, I decided to get serious with my riding gear and started researching the Aerostich line to see what would be the best fit. Of the three options (Roadcrafter 1-piece, 2-piece, and Darien), the Darien seemed like the best fit for me. I liked the modularity of the suit and figured that I could use the pieces in different configurations for different situations.
So for the last 40,000 miles or so, here's how I've been using the Darien.
Hot weather (85+ F): no use at all; I switch to a Fieldsheer mesh suit. I found that the Darien was a sweatbox and not worth wearing in the heat. However, if I'm riding in summer rain I do wear the Darien pants, a mesh jacket, and a regular rain jacket over the armored mesh. I plan to get a perforated leather suit for summer riding because it's just safer.
Pros for this temp range: Darien pants are very waterproof if you wash them with NixWax and properly seam seal.
Cons for this temp range: Suit is stifling hot. I'd never wear the Darien in this temp range.
Warm weather (70-85 F): Darien suit without liner is fine, with the vents open on an unfaired bike. For something like the FJR or the Concours, this may be too warm.
Pros for this temp range: Comfortable if you get good air flow.
Cons for this temp range: The suit gets very flappy in the wind without a liner installed. Material tends to bunch up around the chest area.
Cool weather (50-70 F): Darien with Kanetsu liner, no heat necessary yet. Comfortable.
Pros for this temp range: Perfect temp range for the Darien. And riding in general.
Cons for this temp range: None.
Cold weather (35-50 F): Darien with Kanestu liner, heat turned on, balaclava. Comfortable.
Pros for this temp range: Easy to layer clothing with the Darien.
Cons for this temp range: None.
Freezing weather (35- F): Darien with Kanetsu liner, heat turned on, balaclava, thermal undergarments. Not comfortable unless riding on a bike with a huge fairing and heated grips.
Pros for this temp range: Nothing stands out.
Cons for this temp range: The lack of a built-in liner really hurts with the Darien pants. It's hard to keep your legs warm when the wind is constantly sinking heat away. And with the Aerostich heated clothing system, there are no options for heated gloves or pants, so if you want some of those you'll have to install another power plug and spend more time hooking your suit up for the ride. Wind protection around the neck is terrible without a balaclava.
Darien Maintenance, Durability, etc.
The suit is extremely easy to clean. Just buy a bottle of NixWax wash-in cleaner and water repellant, throw it in the washer, and you're done. Make sure to seam seal the suit every few years.
Durability is excellent. The suit will last for years even with daily use. The only wear I have found is around the armor areas, where the armor velcro (male portion) has worn away at the gore-tex.
Fitment is questionable. The Darien suits are not as customizable as the Roadcrafters, and the size Large doesn't fit me exactly. I have 34" arms (slightly longer than average for someone my size), so I find that the suit arms fit just a bit short. Other fitment issues include excess fabric bunched up around the chest area when riding sportbikes, and lots of flapping material when riding without a jacket liner.
The Pants fit well. I am a size 34 waist, and the Darien size 34 pants fit perfectly over regular pants. Darien pants are PERFECT for skiing, so skiiers get a 2 in 1 package.
Overall, it's a very versatile suit with some minor issues. It's of course a status symbol thing to sport the trademark Aerostich reflective strip across one's back, but for the price I'd expect a better collar, better fit, and better cold weather protection. I spent $750 for my suit and another $250 for the heated liner.
Now on to the Fieldsheer.
When 2005 rolled around, I figured I needed to explore some other options due to the cold weather and fitment issues of the Darien. Humans tend to remember painful moments more than pleasurable ones, so I have the memory of freezing my ass off over 2 winter commuting seasons and wishing I had a warmer suit.
I decided to go for a 1-piece because I thought a 1-piece would have better rain protection and warmth. Now it was down to the Roadcrafter, the Fieldsheer, and some assorted cats and dogs.
I had been using Fieldsheer stuff for quite some time and always thought the build quality was excellent. So I bought it, and here's how I use my Fieldsheer 1-piece.
Hot weather (85+ F): no use at all; once again I use my Fieldsheer mesh suit.
Pros for this temp range: None.
Cons for this temp range: Suit is even hotter than the Darien due to its integrated, 3-layer liner.
Warm weather (70-85 F): This is the very top of the temp range for the Fieldsheer.
Pros for this temp range: Nothing stands out.
Cons for this temp range: Still pretty warm. The Fieldsheer vents are on the upper chest; pit zips would be much more effective. The Darien has pit zips BTW.
Cool weather (50-70 F): Fieldsheer without factory liner.
Pros for this temp range: Perfect temp range for the Fieldsheer. And riding in general.
Cons for this temp range: None.
Cold weather (35-50 F): Fieldsheer with Kanestu liner, heat turned on, balaclava. Comfortable.
Pros for this temp range: Super warm setup. Feels like 20 degrees warmer.
Cons for this temp range: It's hard to fit the Kanetsu liner underneath the Fieldsheer. But one you stuff yourself in there, the tight fit holds the heating elements closer to your body, which is great.
Freezing weather (35- F): Fieldsheer with Kanetsu liner, heat turned on, balaclava, thermal undergarments.
Pros for this temp range: Fieldsheer is a super cold weather suit. Warmer than the Darien in every way with a factory removable liner. I don't feel the need for electric pants with this suit.
Cons for this temp range: None.
Fieldsheer Maintenance, Durability, etc.
You can't wash this suit in the washing machine. There is no guidance on seam sealing.
Build quality is excellent, except for some very weak-ass zippers. Zippers on the vents are especially bad, and the main zips are cheap plastic. I've had two Fieldsheer jackets that have broken a tooth.
Extremely comfortable fit once the suit is on. Requires no more effort than an Aerostich 1-piece to get on.
Big problem: when seated, the material makes a cup around the groin area (just like any pair of pants when you sit down). Rain accumulates in the cup and soaks through the suit. Unless you're constantly pulling the suit taut, your groin will get soaked in heavy downpour. The Darien does not have this problem because the Darien jacker covers the pants - water just rolls off. Whatever ends up pooling in your groin while wearing a Darien is kept out by good seam sealing.
In summary:
Darien with Kanetsu liner - $1000: nice all-around suit, minor fitment issues, poor collar, good weather protection, not great in freezing weather, pants double as ski pants.
Fieldsheer with Kanetsu liner - $550: nice all-around suit, weak zippers, great build quality otherwise, not good for warm weather, excellent for freezing weather. For the price, this is more than a match for the Aerostich.
Well folks, that's all I got. Hope this helps some of you if you were on the fence about either suit.
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