Roadcrafter or Darien?

[dc1300]

I have both, the one piece Roadcrafter and a Darian Light jacket with the AD1 pants, 'cause you know, I'm a sick bastid and a gear junkie.

The Roadcrafter can't be beat for the commute. It's convenient, comfortable, carries more cargo than a small pick up and fairly weatherproof. That said, it's not great at extreme temps (mine is black, wouldn't do that again) and not as versatile as the Darien on multi day excursions. With the Darian, you have a jacket to wear whilst wandering around the rally or walking out to the restaurant in the rain after the days ride.

So for the daily grind, and if I only had one suit, it's the Roadcrafter one piece. For multi day trips I like the Darian. You can't go wrong with either, figure out what you will use your suit for primarily, it will work for everything and you will be an Aerostitch convert.

 

[na1g]

RC 2-pc! The RCs offer better protection than the Darien. The 2-pc RC (zipped together) goes on and off as easily as the 1-pc but you can wear just the jacket if you want. If you travel, this is a handy feature when you get where you are going and you can wear the jacket around town in rain or cold. The Darien works this way, too, but I'll be half a mile down the road in my RC2 before you get the Darien jacket and pants all zipped up.

pete

 

[Harald]

I've had the Darien jacket and AD1 pants for 3 years and really have no complaints about that setup. I commute daily and often in rain and this setup doesn't leak. I really like the ability to take just the jacket off when stopping somewhere. The only possible drawback is less protection than the Roadcrafter because the RC has heavier cordura on slide points and can't ride up in a slide like the Darien jacket can.

So earlier this year I check with Aerostich to find out what size Roadcrafter would fit me and shortly thereafter a suit in my size hit ebay. It's now my daily commuter suit because I really love the better crash protection and super easy on/off. Storage is not an issue for me at work. I did get a wet crotch the first time I rode in rain and determined that I need to fold the front of the suit so that water can't collect along the zipper. Never had that problem with the Darien, but I suspect that I won't have that problem again with the RC now that I know the trick.

So for me the correct suit would depend on how I'm planning on using it (assuming I could only have one). If I only commuted, then no question I'd get the RC. For mixed use I'd get the Darien. In my case, I decided that adding a RC to my wardrobe for $400 was worth it and it would lessen the wear on the Darien making it last longer.

 

[SnowAviation]

Id' like to thank everyone who took the time to post, I have decided on and ordered the

Darien jacket and pants as I think they best suit my riding (Street FJR1300 and Off Road

KLR650) needs.

Thanks again.

Also Thanks to "South Coast BMW Riders Club" and "BMW Owners Club of San Diego" for providing

the gift certificate that I won.