Is a Stich waterproof

[mehaffydr]

I just ordered a new aerostich roadcrafter 1 piece. I was talking to a riding buddy and he said he bought one and the first ride in the rain he was wet. He said wet crotch chest and some on arms.

I have always read good things about the Stich.

Its alot of cash if it doesnt do the job. I want this for all around riding including IBA rides and Rallys.

I dont want to be wet!!! I already have crapy gear for that.

 

[Warchild]

Sorry, but you will get wet. If you truly wanted a waterproof outfit, you needed to go with the Darian.

Now, that said, there are things that you can do to mitigate the problem, but the fact is, most Roadcrafter wearers get wet in the rain.

 

[msfchris]

I stay fairly dry except in the heaviest of downpours. Then they do then to have a crotch leak (It's not Friday yet!)

 

[Mcgyver74]

I have a friend who runs with a Darian jacket ..

He rides a lot of IBA stuff and has ridden through just about every kind of weather imaginable. I asked him and he said that the jacket never leaks even in monsoon like conditions although in extreme conditions it can get down your collar etc.

FWIW, I am too big to use a Stich, but everyone I know who has the Darien absolutely loves them and also agree they are quite warm.

Me personally, I went with the Air Mesh II Kevlar from Cycleport for both Jacket and pants, I got the optional rain liners and with the liners in, I have ridden through some monsoon like conditions and not gotten wet, however the outer shell does get wet (You stay dry)

My personal preference is I'd rather stop and put on rain liners and be cool while riding in the mesh then not have to stop, My friend is the opposite, he doesn't want to stop for anything except fuel and calls of nature

However, you can't go wrong with a stich

 

[Shane Stump]

I just ordered a new aerostich roadcrafter 1 piece. I was talking to a riding buddy and he said he bought one and the first ride in the rain he was wet. He said wet crotch chest and some on arms.
I have always read good things about the Stich.

Its alot of cash if it doesnt do the job. I want this for all around riding including IBA rides and Rallys.

I dont want to be wet!!! I already have crapy gear for that.

I have NO experience with the Aerostich but I do own a Rev'it Infinity.

I have ridden through a couple of long, heavy rainstorms and I did NOT get wet.

The Infinity though isn't good for temps above 85 with my limited experience with it so far.

Best Regards,

Shane

 

[KYRider]

This is from real world experince. Yes you can get wet. My Roadcrafter, which I have had for 5-6 years does get wet in prolonged downpours. It can leak along the main zipper during these downpours. For riding in and out of typical rain it is fine, even prolonged light rain or drizzle. But in a long downpour it can be a prolem. More of a damp feeling rather than a soaking through feeling. Still very satisfied with the Roadcrafter. Quite frankly when it has leaked the rain has been so hard I probably should of pulled over and stopped riding until it let up.

 

[Ignacio]

My riding partner for the first leg of the IBR was Doucc wearing a Roadcrafter and he definitely got wet. A rain jacket mitigated it a bit. I was running a Klim Goretex snowmobile jacket and found my wrists and neck got wet...his whole upper body was wet.

I didn't get a Darien until the next season, but was told by Stich staff they tend to be more water resistant....and found it even better than my Klim. It's now been my best friend for two years....I believe!

I and other LD riders are convinced there is no such thing as a waterproof system. To paraphrase Jim Owen (who I think runs a Darien), "You get something is water resistant as possible....the neck area is the failure point...and you live with it."

 

[Mcgyver74]

To paraphrase Jim Owen (who I think runs a Darien), "You get something is water resistant as possible....the neck area is the failure point...and you live with it."

Every time I've gotten wet in either a "waterproof" jacket or in FrogTogs etc, it was always when water ran off my helmet and down my neck.....

 

[doctorJ]

I just ordered a new aerostich roadcrafter 1 piece. I was talking to a riding buddy and he said he bought one and the first ride in the rain he was wet. He said wet crotch chest and some on arms.
I have always read good things about the Stich.

Its alot of cash if it doesnt do the job. I want this for all around riding including IBA rides and Rallys.

I dont want to be wet!!! I already have crapy gear for that.

In one word "NO". Mine leaks at the leg zippers and front zipper too. It is one of the best protective suits you can get and convenient to get into and out of, but I sure wish they could design it to be waterproof like the Olympia Phantom one piece. I ordered a cheap 2nd bib style frogg togg and put in on under the RCwhen looks like rain. But that is inconvenient and occasionally I don't have a place or time to change before a frog strangler hits. If I want waterproof and warm, I wear my Olympia AST jacket and FirstGear Hypertex overpants (just got a new pair of TPG overpants that seem great too).

doctorj

 

[mehaffydr]

Thanks for the replies.

I purchased off there website sale sitems . I called them and they said that as long as I keep it in new condition I have 30 days to decide.

The Superman Rally is 2nd weekend in july so I was hopeing to be covered by then.

It sounds like I should return the suit and get the Jacket.

How about the Darian Pants do you have them to go along with the jacket or something else for pants?

 

[Mcgyver74]

I'm kinda biased, I have the Air Mesh II from Motoport/cycleport and LOVE it....but that's just my opinion!

 

[iboldguy]

I am on my second 'stitch, first one lasted 11 years, looked bad but it was still usuable. On my C10 Concours, was in some heavy rain at times, never got wet except a spot in the crotch once. But then the C10 had one of the best fairings for protection in motorcycling.

This Stitch, in its second full season on the FJR, has been in and out of rain showers, once heavy rain for 20 mins, no problems at all. The material is waterproof, Aerostitch people say it can leak through zippers and seems but you can seal these pretty well. You will need to stuff a bandana around your neck to stop water running off the helmet. I would buy another in a New York minute. I don't bother with a rain suit anymore. When you wash it, follow the intructions including finishing with Outdoor Scotch Guard or Nik Wax

 

[canyonman]

No it is not waterproof the zippers being the weak point.

I have the 2 piece and I have found that if I pay careful attention to how the jacket lays over the crotch it won't allow the water to pool there and I stay dry. I don't think that is an option with the one piece.

If I know it's gonna be an all day soaker and I have to be out in it I will throw some very light rain gear over it.

If you have a rain jacket with a hood it will keep most if not all that water from running down your neck/back.

 

[RenoJohn]

I just ordered a new aerostich roadcrafter 1 piece.

Now, that said, there are things that you can do to mitigate the problem, but the fact is, most Roadcrafter wearers get wet in the rain.

If you just ordered it, Call them N O W ...and tell them you want continuous velcro down the front flap.

Does it completely stop the wet crotch? No, but it helps dramatically.

While you're at it, tell them to take off all the reflectors, map holder velcro and all that other ghey crap.

 

[VTFJR13]

I have a roadcrafter and mine has been waterproof so far and my wife and I just road home from Hampton beach and was in rain for a couple hours. You do have to wash them then scotch gaurd them to keep them waterproof. I think if you ride in a heavy down pour for a long period of time you might get wet. But for most the riding I do with a rain shower here or there it works great. No it's not a perfectly sealed suit but it will keep you warm and dry if the water proofing is kept up. Plus it is so easy to get in and out of. I love it and will buy another if I ever wear this one out.

Eric

 

[Lawrence]

I've had my 2- piece aerostitch for 10 years and put about 80k miles on my '90 Concours wearing that suit (and more miles before I go thte suit). I got wet for the very first time this winter. It was an absolute downpour, lane-splitting at night in slow, heavy traffic and had some splash from semis almost enough to knock me over. I got home and had a large puddle in the crotch area (first time I had that) and yes it leaked and I had wet clothing

With that said, I have not water-repellent treated the suit in the 10 years I've had it. I ride year round, and have ridden for hours through rain storms before (my wife has a 2-piece Roadcrafter as well). This summer the Roadcrafter goes in for an overhaul/cleaning this summer (to go with my new FJR, wrong color but I'm not spending $1k just to get a new color suit). I've know others with a one- pirce ot get wet. But I suspect it was more of flap positioning, etc (ie user error ofr the most ptrt) that led to the leakage in the zipper areas. Or maybe the 2-pieces work better in that regard? I don't know. I never unzip top and bottom, so I always thought I'd get a 1-piece when the time comes.

I have a rain suit - haven't used it since I got the Roadcrafter.

 

[lonerider]

I just ordered a new aerostich roadcrafter 1 piece. I was talking to a riding buddy and he said he bought one and the first ride in the rain he was wet. He said wet crotch chest and some on arms.
I have always read good things about the Stich.

Its alot of cash if it doesnt do the job. I want this for all around riding including IBA rides and Rallys.

I dont want to be wet!!! I already have crapy gear for that.

I ordered a Darien jacket & pants years ago, waited months for delivery, and was extremely disappointed with what I received. Without a doubt, the worst fitting, least comfortable excuse for riding gear I've ever seen. Didn't have it long enough to test it in the rain, but, without the gusset in the crotch and the Velcro secured flaps over all the zippers that my First Gear suits have, I doubt if it would have been very dry. Tried wearing it twice and couldn't stand it for more than 5 miles and ended up returning it for a refund and sticking with my First Gear equipment. Back in the 80s, when Aerostitch was about the only one making textile gear, they were state of the art, but, IMHO, there is a lot of better gear out there now for less money. I recently purchased the First Gear TPG Ranier jacket & Escape overpants and wore them on a 1600 mile trip with several days of off and on rain and a couple of hard downpours and stayed dry the whole time. The jacket even has a hood that goes inside the helmet to keep water from running down the neck.

 

[kolonial72]

To paraphrase Jim Owen (who I think runs a Darien), "You get something is water resistant as possible....the neck area is the failure point...and you live with it."

I wear separate rain gear over my jacket & pants when it's raining. My Tour Master 2-piece rain gear has a hide-away hood that goes over the head before the helmet goes on. With that hood on, I have not gotten a wet neck when riding in some pretty heavy rain - the longest stretch being almost 1.5 hours.

 

[Canadian FJR]

A little Scotchguard a couple of times a year and you will do fine. In all but the worst weather mine does very well and I've had it for 6 seasons.

Canadian FJR