I recently invested in a really nice leather jacket and pair of riding pants (will write a review on this new Dainese stuff soon). It's by far the best gear I've ridden with in my limited experience, but I need a good way to protect it from the unpredictable rain storms in the South. My first ride in it on Saturday, I got caught in a downpour only 10 minutes before getting home, drenching the leather and leading to a drying/conditioning party in my apartment.
I've seen reviews on both rain suit and individual pieces. Any suggestions for something that's quick to don, while offering good protection for quality leather? I spent a lot of this gear, so a few extra bucks to protect it is very doable.
Try Nelson rigg raincoat....it is about 35 usd shipped from amazon, I am currently using it in my tour with my wife in Europe and like you I am wearing my leather jacket and dryko jeans....I tested it under heavy rains in Slovenia and It worked flawlessly
I find myself getting caught in gully washers more and more lately, I blame the weathermen. Anyway, I've got a "waterproof" riding jacket and pants which works well in light rain but when it really comes down I get soaked.
My question, when buying rain gear how do you size it to fit over armored riding gear?
Don't really have any personal experience, but in researching such gear have run across claims that moto-specific stuff is generally sized with that in mind. YM, as always, MV. If in doubt, you could always talk to Revzilla. They are dead serious about customer service. You might end up paying a bit more than elsewhere, but will also very likely end up with exactly what you need. (Not a shill, I promise!)
I've got the bright yellow fieldsheer top and pants that are great. I used the jacket yesterday but only use the bottoms when I wear my leather pants as my textile pants aren't a problem. Takes all of a couple of minutes to put both on.
I was in a similar situation this spring. I did some research and I bought the Alpinestars Quick Seal Out two piece suit. They call it their "Waterproof Breathable" rain suit. I really like how the legs fold over and close at the bottom. Other suits have loops that go under the boot. I really didn't like that idea much because I thought it would get caught in a peg. I used it for a few rainy days on my Trans-Labrador trip this summer and it worked like a charm. It packs up in a small tubular bag that is about 10" long by about 4" diameter.
Best slip over rain gear I have owned but lost in a left turner induced low side was a Burton snowboard gortex jacket and some North Face gortex pants pants zippers went up waist to ankle. I never found anything that would keep my hands dry buy that gear worked in the heaviest down pours and would pack away under the seat of my GSXR600. Cost a bit though.
Frog Togs for the cheap option. My buddy picked up a set before our 3 week road trip last year. He stayed "dry" after a 8 hour down pour.
Another option is scour ebay for Surplus Military Gortex Jacket and Pants.
Even with my Aerostitch I always tank my gortex jacket and over pants. For any extended rain riding they help a lot.
Olympia make great quality gear including rain suits. Not the cheapest but excellent quality. IMO go for the hi vis colors since over cast, rainy, gray weather is where it stands out the most and is the most beneficial.
I just rode about 1,000 kms over the last two days, lots of rain including VERY HEAVY rain (RW++ in meteorological jargon). My suit (FIRST time I used it) is an "AEROMOTO" size L (I'm 5'10", 180# plus gear) in hi-vis, worn over mesh Frank Thomas jacket (L) and mesh Tourmaster pants. Fitted FINE over my gear, and kept me dry!!!
I use a River-Road rainsuit - runs about $40 on amazon - its heavy duty so it doesn;t pack as small as i would like, but I commute rain or shine and it kept me dry all last month that it rained almost 5 days a week for 4 weeks.
for gloves I just use black rubber overgloves that look like kitchen cleaning gloves. they pack small, weigh nothing, slip right over whatever gloves you normally wear, and are long enough to keep rain from going up your sleeves.
I see lots of kudos above for Frog Toggs, but let me add my experience. We started to see rain coming and stopped at a Gander Mountain store so my buddy's wife could get some rain gear. She bought a Frog Toggs suit and off we went. It poured rain for hours. Not only did she get wet underneath, but the purple material of the Frog Toggs bled and stained (ruined) her textile jacket and pants underneath. After witnessing that, I've chosen other manufacturers for rain suits. YMMV
The best rain suit I had was a no-name variety bought from a long-since-out-of-business moto accessories store in town. Nuclear blue for visibility, storm flap in front, elastic gathers in back to keep the front smooth to the weather, velcro adjustment on the sleeve openings, hood that stows in the collar. The pants gave up after about 20 years, but I still have the jacket after 20+ years.
Now I have a Gore-Tex riding suit so I don't have to change for rain, which is the way to go if you ask me.
My $0.02
I live in Seattle and commute 40 miles each day rain or shine (no car so no choice!).
I wear a GoreTex Bike Wear PacLite cycling rain jacket over my leather jacket and that has never leaked. It is very tight at the elbows though so I could have done with a bigger size. In the winter months I actually wear a Klim Lattitude jacket over my leather jacket and that has also never leaked. Not the ideal solution but I bought the Klim to wear over my off road armor and ended up using it as my winter rain jacket. I wouldn't hesitate to recommend that jacket as a primary waterproof jacket but it's not cheap.
I've not been as lucky with pants. My Marmott pants from skiing were okay but still leaked quite regularly. I went with FirstGear pants on the recommendation of friends but as well as looking like MC Hammer I still got a wet crotch with them
I have a Joe Rocket rain pants and jacket. For the money they work good. No leaks. Been using the same ones for 2 years. I am in north Florida and there are months it rains every afternoon. Pants are black and jacket is hi viz yellow.
I wear Firstgear gear...I have both Kilimanjaro and Kathmandu jackets and TPG over pants...I never get wet..the Kilimanjaro jacket is warmer than the Kathmandu...The TPG over pants have a nice insulated liner and are warm and dry...They also have gussets at the boot area to keep wind and rain out...I also have Firstgear waterproof/insulated gloves that I wear with rapidFire heated glove liners...Except for cagers and a blurry face shield I don't mind the rain at all...
yeah no kidding - my supposedly waterpoof cold weather gloves got soaked all the way through on teusday - I tossed them in the clothes drier twice with no success. ended up sticking a hair drier in the cuff for 10 minutes each to dry them out.
I have a question. How do people stop water from getting into the sleeves and run into the hands or down into your elbows, I have rubber over-gloves, and I tuck them into my Nelson Riggs rain jacket, but no matter how I tighten or close the wrists, water still gets in. I have also tried wearing the gloves over the sleeves, but that didn’t work either.
Get "gauntlet" type rubber over-gloves and then try tucking the jacket-sleeves INTO the gauntlet part of your gloves. That way the rain goes OVER and onto the sleeves.
the Firstgear Kathmandu jacket I mentioned above has neoprene cuffs at the wrist (w/zelco closures) which not only keeps the wind out but water too...the gaunlet gloves mentioned also are your best bet with the jacket you have...:cheers:
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