What do I do when it gets all wet?

[Aviator]

I have been on the look out for sometime now for Rain Gear to wear when it starts to get wet out there. So what do I wear and should I wear it over my Olympia?

Here are my thoughts and issues (just motorcycle apparel issues, not enough time here for my other ones)

I wear the Olympia AirGlide II now. Waterproof liner yet hot as Africa in the summer time. I really don't want to put the liner on and the pants with the liner when it rains. (getting pants soon). So do you apparel master suggest? Now I can go out an buy rain gear. But do I wear it over my CE Armour coat? Should I just take the coat off and stow it till it stops raining. But now I am riding 40-80 mph without any protection and that's when I think I need it the most. Or is there rain gear to protect me while riding. However I am sure that it takes up a lot of space in the bags.

So gang. . . hit me your ideas.

 

[vectervp1]

Anything waterproof is going to be hot. If your not willing to ride with the rain liners in your mesh gear, your not going to be willing to ride with a rain suit on. Its going to be just as hot as the liners, if not worse.

Riding gear that is waterproof is going to be warm because its not going to flow anywhere near as much air as your mesh stuff. It'll have zippers on it to flow some air, but its still not the same as mesh gear.

 

[Slow Ride]

I have a Tourmaster 1 pc. suit and I find myself thinking, is it

going to rain hard enought to get me as wet as I will get if I

wearing my rain gear.

Most times I end up riding with my normal riding gear.

Chuck

 

[Luke]

I like my raingear, TourMaster Elite. But as vector said all will be warmer than none. Of rain gear available, some like Frogg Toggs because they breathe well. I like mine because it is totally waterproof (100 miles in a downpour and still dry) and they have some ventilated features that help. My goretex pants still get hot so in mesh-riding weather I still like the TourMaster Elite over-gear 2-piece suit.

 

[mdisher]

FrogToggs....

Go on quick and easy over mesh, or jeans if that's what you happen to be wearing at the time. If I've not ridden so far as to soak my mesh I'll put the tog jacket over the mesh, if I've soaked the mesh, I'll wear it under the mesh. (Though I also carry the liner that comes with the jacket too and have used that as well with FrogTogg bottoms on).

Toggs are multi-purpose. They make a great wind layer when needed too, over or under.

And in their handy storage pouch make a great pillow for those times at the Iron Butt Hotel.

 

[extrememarine]

I picked up a pair of these at cabela's 2 years ago. They have worked well for me, combined with the liner for my mesh.

I have a pair of JR Alterego pants. They have a rain liner, but it's kind of a pain to stop and find somewhere to but the liner in ( I usually wear them as pants, not overpants). It's easier to slip these on over them and the bibs over better rain protection (no leaks at the waist).

-wr

 

[Geezer]

I wear First Geat Kili jacket and HT overpants. They are waterproof and negate the need to carry rain gear. After a year of hard use I started to get wet through the fabric in heavy rain so I washed them in Nikwax and they are waterproof again. The only time I feel like I am hotter in the gear than I would be without it s when I am stuck in traffic. When moving the vents do an adequate job and the pants actually insulate me from the heat coming off the bike.

 

[TheAxeman]

I carry some Nelsen-Rigg raingear that I will wear if its really coming down but normally just wear my Fieldsheer riding gear which is "waterproof". The only riding gear that I ever had that was pretty much bulletproof in torrential rain was Aerostich but I didn't really care for the bulkiness of it so I got rid of it.

 

[Silent]

Roadcrafter duck suit. But only when I'm not wearing my 'stitch. Needless to say, it doesn't get much use

 

[luvtoride]

I've always felt that raingear should be worn on the outside of gear. Getting your gear wet will change the abrasion resistance of it. (especially leather)

I have a set of First Gear Rainman rainwear.

Last year I went to Sport-Touring.net's national in WV. There were 3 of us riding up Rte 64 towards the meet in driving monsoon rain from a tropical storm moving thru my area. Of the 3 of us the only person who wasn't wet after almost 3 hours in the rain was my friend Julie who was wearing a First Gear Rainman over her gear.

What was I wearing? A set of Frogg Toggs. A BRAND NEW set of Frogg Toggs. #1 - if you have any height to you you're going to have a problem getting these things to cover the length of your pants. #2 Other than that, the pants sucked large members. My crotch was soaked (not the good kind, either).

I am 5'-8". I was wearing a size large toggs. I'm a good sized woman but I'm not huge.

After that weekend I went out & bought a set of the First Gear stuff.

About the heat... anything that is truly waterproof isn't going to allow air to flow unless you have some vents to open. IMO wearing the waterproof liner of my jacket directly against my skin that is already sweating is completely unbearable. I always wear my rain gear over the shell of my jacket & pants & leave the jacket liners as a windbreaker.

This is my summer setup. In the colder months I wera outer gear that is waterproof. There's nothing like the rain starting & not having to pull over to pull your rain gear on.

Heidi

 

[Aviator]

So far so good. I like the Nelsen-Rigg and the Rainman Rainwear. Both are good colors for being in the rain and that kind of weather.

Keep the suggestions coming, please. I plan on doing more commuting on the bike and with the summer storms that pop up I want to be ready with the rain gear.

Hey Axeman- Has your Nelsen ever leaked on you? (what a funny double meaning and I am going to leave it. . hahaha)

So Frogg Toggs are out because I am 6'4" and 230 lbs and I want my legs to stay dry.

 

[mdisher]

So Frogg Toggs are out because I am 6'4" and 230 lbs and I want my legs to stay dry.

I dunno, my dad is 6'4' and is happy with his toggs.. Kyle has the frogg bibs which are plenty big too he's probably 6'2'?. @ 6 feet (I think I have large?) my feet only get wet when I'm commuting and aren't wearing boots.

I've ridden in some pretty good rain with them. If I'm on any kind of trip I have my water proof AStars which have served me well.

If you call them and give them your dimensions they'll tell you what you need, and you'll probalby save money too because they always have something like last years color on closeout.

I've had my 3 years now, used them maybe 20 times, 10 of which were complete downpours. My crotch did get wet once but I was only wearing the bottoms and water was litterally pooling in the crotch area. I wasn't soaked though.

You can almost always find them at Dicks or Bass Proshops to try on as well. A little big is a good thing. They might flap in the wind, but at least your covered.

 

[Low Level FJR Pilot]

Renegade hit the nail on the head, Frogg Toggs are the best I have found. They are lightweight, dry quickly and breath. You don't swet like a pig in them. I also like the pillow idea, thats good. You can even find them at Cycle Gear now and usually at a very competive price. Good luck on your decision. B)

 

[Mike-H]

Whatever doesn't leak.....currently using Yamaha's rain gear (Hey it was free so why not)....the rain gear passed the shower test sitting on a chair :good: ....

 

[HaulinAshe]

Until last week, I was a big proponent of Frogg Toggs. Own three sets of the bib type Angler Toggs. My personal set gets hauled around all the time in its stuff sack. Worked great all last year. But after seeing many miles without use, they showed a bit of abrasion in the crotch area. Just a little rub spot where the fabric had a fuzzy texture.

Well, it soaked my a$$ last week in a 20 minute downpour. That one inch spot in the crotch, passed enough water to soak my pants from waist to knees. I had to walk around the office all day with the Toggs still on to avoid total embarrasment.

So I say Frogg Toggs are good until they suddenly are are not. Constant crushing, hauling and any abrasion kills their waterproofness.

I love the bib style pants and may try a set of those listed above. My GX Air jacket has a decent rain liner that's not too hard to put on under the jacket.

Like Heidi, I think all raingear should go outside of the gear. But for now, I am planning on bib style rain pants with the jacket liner on the inside.

 

[brazos parker]

I use the Tourmaster Elite 2-piece rainsuit. I wear the rain jacket over my mesh armor jacket when the rain starts. I put the rain pants on over my mesh pants only as a last resort in a downpour.

In cooler weather, the rain jacket serves as a windbreaker, if needed.

I rode from East Tennessee to East Texas last October and it rained most of the way down...from mist to heavy downpour. My "waterproof " gloves were soaked thru and my Shoei shield dripped water on my right eyebrow but other than that I was dry.

On the return trip, it was cold when I left the motel in Memphis...frost on the CB...and the bank thermometer in Nashville read 36 at 9:00am as I passed thru. The +4+3 CB and the rainjacket over my mesh jacket, w/ liners in, kept me pretty comfortable. Only my right hand got really, really cold.

 

[FJRMGM]

another +1 to what Renegade said about Frogg Toggs - I've ridden in rain so hard I was laughing in my helmet for being caught out in a storm that bad.

And I stayed dry the entire time and when the rain stopped I wasn't soaking wet from sweating with the Toggs on.

A set stays in the hard bags all the time.

 

[RiderCoach Lar]

Anything waterproof is going to be hot....

NOT TRUE. I use Frog Toggs and they're AMAZING. Completely waterproof, yet they breathe so well, you don't even know you have them on. VERY comfortable.

 

[luvtoride]

I was really happy about having a pair of Toggs. Believe me, I wanted badly to like these things. I felt that I had what was considered "the sh!t" rainwear. That ended really quick! Never again will I waste my money on those. They obviously work for some. Is it worth the gamble to find out? Also, I have a 31" inseam & a men's size large would not cover the length of my pants.

Something else to keep in mind. They aren't seam sealed... well, at least the pair that I had wasn't seam sealed. Maybe they've changed that?

Oh, I forgot to mention. There are openings in the pants for you to slip thru to use your inner pockets. Within 3 hours one of the openings was ripped out. Was I in a hurry to get in my pocket? Uh, no. Chincy & flimsy??? Yeah, I'd definitely call them that.

Edited to add... I still have the jacket tucked away somewhere. I'm sure that the pants where thrown in file 13. The jacket is size large & the color is light gray. If you want it you are welcome to have it. You pay the shipping. Please PM me if you'd like to have it.