knowing what i know about gear Now, I would get this instead:

[hppants]

The humidity makes a HUGE difference. Along the Gulf Coast, from June 1 until October 1, it's down right miserable most days. In our high humidity environment, the ONLY thing that works for me is to dunk the T-shirt under the mesh jacket, and let the wind do some evaporative cooling for about 30-50 miles. Re-dunk, rinse, lather, and repeat. I also wear mesh pants and summer gloves. I believe that once you are going 20 mph, using the mesh jacket to keep the sun off your body is actually better than no jacket at all.

I bought one of those "cooling vest" - used it only once. It blocks the wind from my core and the dampness of the vest doesn't do much at all. I hear these work better in low-humidity environments. I'll gladly sell it CHEAP to anyone that wants it.

Ironically, my Alpinestars gor-tex boots are not very hot.

 

[Just Krusen]

A soaked LD Comfort long sleeve shirt works much better than a wet t-shirt. It also does not feel like a wet rag. All of their gear works very well in hot or cold weather.

https://www.ldcomfort.com/

 

[hppants]

"LD Comfort Long Sleeve Shirt"

Interesting - I've seen their ad in Rider magazine, but never took the time to check them out. At $57.00, not exactly a bargain. But I'm curious now....

 

[Just Krusen]

You might just change your opinion after giving them a try. They also help you cut down on the under garments needed for a multiday trip. They wash and rinse easy and dry overnight, so only a pair or 2 are needed on a long ride.

 

[killbilly]

Hot, muggy conditions just suck the fun out of riding sometimes.

There was a really great article in the Iron Butt magazine recently about what works and doesn't with given temperatures. Basically, anything over 93 degrees and you actually want your skin blocked from the wind. I don't have the link handy but it's pretty informative.

I wear Motoport - have the Riva full mesh jacket and the ultra kevlar mesh II:wrath of khan pants (or whatever Wayne is calling them these days) and I have only a couple of MINOR complaints.

1) It's custom-fitted. But I wish I had more room in the jacket. With the liners it becomes VERY snug to the point of uncomfortable.

2) In retrospect, I should have gotten the 3/4 length jacket as opposed to the waist cut. It very securely zips to the pants, but the 3/4 would be less hassle. I asked him to do the Riva up like the Hong Kong Police Jacket.

3) Hi-viz stretch kevlar does fade, even with Fabric guard 303 treatment. Not a big deal, but wish it didn't considering what I spent on the gear.

I'm actually considering the new R3 Roadcrafter now because it's a bit easier to wear over street clothes, which I'd like to do on business trips. Nice to step out of the suit in business-casual wear. We'll see, though.

 

[ctfjr]

Motoport (aka Cycleport) kevlar mesh. Expensive, but worth it, and the ultimate in adaptability to different climates on a tour. See:
www.motoport.com

^ ^ ^ This

I've ridden in very hot weather & only 'had' to take it off once - on the Jersey Tpke when temps hit triple digits & the humidity was unbelieveable.

 

[Denver_FJR]

Motoport (aka Cycleport) kevlar mesh. Expensive, but worth it, and the ultimate in adaptability to different climates on a tour. See:
www.motoport.com

Agree. I had a low speed get-off and my summer vented gloves got shredded where ever they touched the ground. I've since replaced them with Motoport Racing Kevlar gloves. Good ventilation and better coverage. Fit was a little funky but otherwise I recommend them.

My wife and I use the Olympia Airglide jacket and pants. Held up with a 55 mph get off for us, no road rash, just a few fractures from hitting the van. Thinking of the Ranger Jacket for long trips, as the outside is waterproof and keeps the jacket from getting heavy if you don't want to wear a rain suit over it. Less gear to carry! There is a lot of good gear out there, get something comfortable that you will wear, all the time....

Well, up to this, every crash report I'd seen regarding textile gear (except kevlar) bashed it for how badly it shredded where ever it contacted the pavement. I'm still convinced it's only good for urban speeds, below 50mph. Not trying to come across as a gear snob, textile is mostly what I use as well, just frustrated with it's poor performance.

Regarding staying dry, guess I've been lucky. I have Olympia Ranger pants and a Fieldsheer jacket I got cheap on sale. I've been in some pretty good down pours and can't recall a drop getting through pants or jacket though I credit this somewhat to the FJR's fairing keeping me from most of the direct rain.

 

[killbilly]

Motoport (aka Cycleport) kevlar mesh. Expensive, but worth it, and the ultimate in adaptability to different climates on a tour. See:
www.motoport.com

Agree. I had a low speed get-off and my summer vented gloves got shredded where ever they touched the ground. I've since replaced them with Motoport Racing Kevlar gloves. Good ventilation and better coverage. Fit was a little funky but otherwise I recommend them.

I had their gloves and didn't like them at all. When it was really humid, I had a problem with the lining of the gloves bunching up, making them difficult to get on and off. Wayne doesn't actually make those - he has them made. I ended up going with some Held Namib glove for the summer and heated FirstGear/WarmNSafe for the winter. Considering a pair of Lee Parks or Helimots right now, but haven't pulled the trigger on either one.

Well, up to this, every crash report I'd seen regarding textile gear (except kevlar) bashed it for how badly it shredded where ever it contacted the pavement. I'm still convinced it's only good for urban speeds, below 50mph. Not trying to come across as a gear snob, textile is mostly what I use as well, just frustrated with it's poor performance.
Regarding staying dry, guess I've been lucky. I have Olympia Ranger pants and a Fieldsheer jacket I got cheap on sale. I've been in some pretty good down pours and can't recall a drop getting through pants or jacket though I credit this somewhat to the FJR's fairing keeping me from most of the direct rain.

Some of that performance depends on the nature of the crash and the textile itself. Some of them - especially the urethane-treated ones - don't hold up real well in an abrasion test. Others - like the cordura that Aerostich uses, has reasonably good strength up to a point. I don't think anything out there is going to be as strong as leather or kevlar in a slide. I sprang for the quad-armor in the Motoport and it definitely feels significantly heavier/stronger to handle point loads. I think I"m more worried about that than sliding.

 

[hppants]

As a nice compromise, my Tourmaster Cortech GX2 Air jacket is full mesh, but has leather stiched on the back, shoulders, and elbos, which may afford a little more protection. Air flow is very good, and it comes with two liners. I've got about 30,000 miles on this one, and it's still holding up well.

Sadly, it's replacement doesn't utilize the leather bits.

 

[dudeckp]

Hot, muggy conditions just suck the fun out of riding sometimes.
There was a really great article in the Iron Butt magazine recently about what works and doesn't with given temperatures. Basically, anything over 93 degrees and you actually want your skin blocked from the wind. I don't have the link handy but it's pretty informative.

https://www.ironbutt.com/ibmagazine/ironbutt_1002_62-66_Hot.pdf