Fieldsheer Air Tour Mes Jacket

[isuace]

Anybody have any experience with this jacket? I was at the stealership today making an appt for my switch recall and saw this jacket. Looks like a nice mesh jacket, and I like the Hi Viz color. I don't have any experience with Fieldsheer products though, so I'd like any input from current/past Fieldsheer owners (and if anyone actually has any experience with this particular model, that would be even better).

Here's a link to the official Fieldsheer site:

https://www.fieldsheer.com/site2009/ff/prod...airtourmesh.htm

 

[zip]

I have the Quattro in hi vis, and it's pretty good. The belt thing is a little dorky, but on balance, the gear is heavy and fairly well constructed.

Prior to getting the Quattro, I had ordered the Aqua Sport, which I think is a great looking jacket. Oddly, though, the collar was like 22 inches - huge and totally ineffective. I exchanged it for the Quattro.

In doing a lot of shopping, my sense of Fieldsheer is that it's a relatively low-budg brand. I'd rather have more expensive gear, but this is getting it done for me right now.

(The mesh jacket you see in my avatar is the Olympia Airglide II, which is also a pretty good piece of kit.)

On the day-glo coloring, I feel like a dick wearing it... and twice as safe as I did in more fashionable colors. The day I donned it for the first time, it was obvious that other vehicles were noticing me faster and more regularly. Despite the fact that I'd rather wear a normal color, I wear high vis in both mesh and solid, and believe it is vastly safer.

 

[isuace]

Thanks. I have the Olympia AST jacket for the cooler seasons, and had been looking at the Air Glide. I saw this today and thought maybe it would be a slightly less expensive alternative (times is tough, ya know?).

I need to wait a couple weeks to see if I make it through the coming round of layoffs anyway, hopefully by then I will be able to get some more info on this particular model to help me make a decision.

 

[isuace]

So I've been doing some more research, and I think I may want to go with the Olympia gear over the Fieldsheer since the Olympia mesh is nylon as opposed to the polyester mesh in the Fieldsheer.

Any opinions on Nylon mesh over Polyester mesh?

 

[user 6393]

So I've been doing some more research, and I think I may want to go with the Olympia gear over the Fieldsheer since the Olympia mesh is nylon as opposed to the polyester mesh in the Fieldsheer.Any opinions on Nylon mesh over Polyester mesh?

It's ALL gonna melt when you start to slide...

That said, I have a Fieldsheer mesh set, and I love it.

 

[luvtoride]

Aren't nylon & polyester fairly close... or actually the same thing?

 

[user 6393]

Aren't nylon & polyester fairly close... or actually are to the same thing?

close at least I think, but the more important property would come from how the fibres are constructed; filament or spun

 

[luvtoride]

They both melt the same, I know that! (not personally)

If it were me, & it's not, I'd be looking for mesh gear with leather in high impact areas. I do wear mesh... but would much rather my full gear. I just do not feel as safe.

My mesh is the Cortech GX Air. It has leather & armor in high impact areas.

 

[isuace]

Found this on a fabric site:

* They are similarly priced

* Their melting points are nearly identical (approx. 480°F, 295°C)

* They are similarly strong, with nylon having the edge.

* They are quick-drying and mildew resistant.

* Arguments exist on both sides about which fiber is better suited for UV resistance, and both will experience significant strength degradation over time with extended UV exposure.

* Because nylon modestly outperforms polyester in abrasion resistance testing and is easier to dye, nylon is favored in outdoor luggage and sports applications.

* Polyester is more resistant to stretching and shrinking than nylon, making nylon the preferred fiber for applications where stretch and shock resistance are required, such as in parachutes.

* Both fibers are relatively non-hydrophilic, but being less moisture absorbent polyester is preferred in many anti-wicking applications, such as substrates for pressure sensitive diaphragms.

* Both fibers retain their excellent properties under very low temperature conditions making either fiber an excellent candidate for upper and outer atmosphere applications.

Looks like it may just come down to whichever one fits best

 

[PhilMills]

I have a Fieldsheer Mach 4 mesh jacket that I got when I first got a bike 4 years or so ago. The armor is decent, but I'm pretty glad that I haven't crashed in it because I really don't think the mesh would last too long.

Chances are that they've improved the material they're using, though, in more recent products.

I've also got an Olympia Stealth mesh suit, and I like the Olympia mesh material a lot better - it's denser, tighter and thicker than what's in my FS jacket.

The Air Tour looks like it's got a lot more reinforcement and solid textile holding the armor where it's supposed to be than the "leather" on my Mach 4.

Rather than a full-mesh jacket, I'd rather have a mostly-solid jacket with some mesh patches in it in NON-IMPACT areas for airflow. I'm looking at the Scorpion HatTrick (if I can find somebody who's got long-term reviews) - it's got solid textile outer sleeves, shoulders, sides, upper back and chest with mesh in the underarms and lower torso - places you're not really expecting to spend much time on.