Rain Gear Poll - How do you stay dry?

[Rincewind]

I am curious what people wear and what works for them.  I'm particularly interested in who has textile gear that is so waterproof that no separate rain gear must be carried.  That seems to me a Holy Grail of gear.  

Also if you carry separate rain gear, how tight does it pack?

I use a one-piece Triumph chevron suit that packs down to a bag that is approximately 10"x5"x3".  It seems very large for packing, but I can't complain that it doesn't work normally if sealed right.    

[Roadhound]

2 Piece Aerostitch Roadcrafter, washed 2 times a year and treated with Nikwax after each washing. I always hated having to do the one legged hop on the side of the road getting into a rainsuit. I can't imagine having to take off your riding suit to put on a liner and then have to get the suit back on. It seems we are always miles away from any cover when the rain starts.

[SLK50]

  My Cortech and Technic textile jackets will keep me dry in a hard rain for
the 30 minute commute to or from work.
  
  But...if I'm going to spend a long stint in driving rain, nothing beats a one
or two piece rain suit worn over riding gear.

  I've long been partial to Tourmaster Elites and when worn over mesh
are not stifling in Summer.

  My two piece packs to about 12x12x1-1/2 or so and stays in the bottom
of my trunk until needed.

[sammyseaman]

I have a two piece Firstgear textile outfit (Mercury, I think) that is supposed to be waterproof and it is unless I hit a serious downpour that lasts more than 15 miles   So if I go on a trip I make sure to bring my cheap-o raingear also.

[sammyseaman]

   I've long been partial to Tourmaster Elites and when worn over mesh
are not stifling in Summer.

Yep, that's the best solution for me so far. Mesh w/raingear over it  

[Playinthestreet]

Cheap 2 piece (Dry Rider maybe?).  11yrs old and still keeping me dry.

[R Doug]

Two piece Darien from Aerostitch.  I've spent many miles in this outfit in the worst weather and I have stayed high and dry.  

During very warm summer days (and short weekend trips), I will wear a perf leather jacket with Darien lite pants.  Since the pants are waterproof, I carry a Frog Tog jacket to slip on over my perf leather jacket to stay dry.

[Mr.Black]

Where is the "I have rain gear but it is useless" option?

[The Shepherd]

Two piece Frog Toggs. It's kept me dry in some really driving rainstorms. Just make sure you pull the pants up really high like you are a senior citizen. The holes in the pants that let you get at your pockets wil collect rain unless they are under your armpits.

[greench440]

Alpinestar Drystar suit most of the time.  I also have a Fieldsheer one piece rain suit that I can put on over my leathers if need be, but this is more of an emergency use item for when rain is not anticipated.  If it's going to get juicy, I always stay dry in the Alpinestar suit.

[M.Brane]

Cheapo Motoboss 2-piece. It's worked/held up pretty well considering it's price point. It packs pretty tight if you roll it up right i.e. get all the air out.

It's kept me dry through some pretty serious downpours at speeds I won't mention.

[stevent]

I wear my Darien jacket and pants all the time so I don't worry too much about rain. I bought a set of cheapo Pakistani "100% waterproof" leather gloves last year that actually work, seems like they're lined with wax-paper or something. For boots I wear my Combat Tours or I have a pair of thinsulate and sympatex lined work boots that stay dry. It rains a lot around here so good gear makes all the difference.  

[bassjones]

Joe Rocket Ballistic pants and jacket.  I carry a set of Frog Toggs with me just in case, but so far the JR has kept me dry in the rain.

[Rincewind]

So far it seems like Aerostitch and the Alipinestar Drystar have the corner on proven-waterproof textile gear.  

My textile overpants (currently Firstgear HT II) and jacket (Triumph Sympatex Pantha) both claim waterproofness but are more along the line of water resistant.  This is ok for commuting, but not ideal for big rain or longer rides - hence I have to carry a rain suit.

[MadOzodi]

I have a one-piece rainsuit.  But I also have a pair of North Face Venture pants that are waterproof (they go under the riding pants) and a Marmot shell (goes over my textile jacket).

The liner I purchased with my Motoport AMK pants was a waste IMO.  Granted, it's windproof and waterproof.  But for whatever reason, quite bulky.  Honestly, when I go skiing next, I'm going to wear my Motoport AMKs with their liner instead of my old ski pants...they'll totally fit over a pair of ski/snowboard boots.  

Generally, I avoid riding in the rain as much as possible.

[chornbe]

For the cooler seaons, I use a Joe Rocket Atomic (4.0?) jacket and Fieldsheer Mercury pants. That gets me through most of the year. For the really hot, swampy summer, I don't bother. Wet by rain is better feeling than wet by sweat.

[MadOzodi]

Good point Chris...

I got caught in a massive downpour this summer and was dry so quick it made me rethink (again) my methods of staying hydrated.

[Papa Lazarou]

Two piece Rukka textile. Absolutely water tight but for winter only-the trousers are bulky. The jacket is okay in summer when it rains, then I use a semi waterproof pair of Draggin oil skin jeans.

I've got a Spada one piece over suit but it's difficult to get on and can leak at the crotch. Or maybe that's just excitement.

When it's dry and warm, an old fashioned leather and armoured jeans.

[Mastros2]

I have a Tourmaster Sentinel 2 pc rain suit. Works great as expected.  Originally purchased it to keep me dry in the Olympia AST waterproof jacket.  One day I realized that if I had to wear a rain suit to keep me dry in my supposedly waterproof textiles, why not upgrade to leather.  That is where I stand.  The sentinel is great over the 2pc leather suit, very easy to get on and off and I know I'll stay dry with it.  The AST is still the cool, fair weather go-to jacket but not for too long.  

As for packing, the Sentinel isn't compact at all, rather bulky when packed.  FroggToggs are great in that aspect.  Can't beat they way they pack.  

[chornbe]

Yeah, I was wickedly disappointed in the AST's so-called water protection and its venting was so-so.

[Papa Lazarou]

Can I just give a   for Rukka again?

Yes, it is stupidly expensive. But, when you consider that it will last 15-20 years, it's not. My Rukka Storm jacket is 8 years old now and looks and acts like new. The trews are 6 years old and are as new too.

It's like buying a pair of shoes. Spend good money and they last forever. Spend less and, ahem, they don't.

[sammyseaman]

Can I just give a   for Rukka again?

Yes, it is stupidly expensive. But, when you consider that it will last 15-20 years, it's not. My Rukka Storm jacket is 8 years old now and looks and acts like new. The trews are 6 years old and are as new too.

It's like buying a pair of shoes. Spend good money and they last forever. Spend less and, ahem, they don't.

I had to Google that shit. Me likey  

[Squareman357]

2 piece Eddy Bauer rainsuit from Target.  $40, had it for 8 years and still works fine.  Wear it over my gear.

[Rincewind]

Can I just give a   for Rukka again?

Yes, it is stupidly expensive. But, when you consider that it will last 15-20 years, it's not. My Rukka Storm jacket is 8 years old now and looks and acts like new. The trews are 6 years old and are as new too.

It's like buying a pair of shoes. Spend good money and they last forever. Spend less and, ahem, they don't.

Thanks for the endorsement, but to me $2000 for a jacket is a bit much.  Rukka makes Aerostitch seem inexpensive!  

[twotrackhero]

In cooler weather I usually wear my Tour Master Transitions 2 two piece, it's a little bulky but it definitely keeps you dry. Durring the warmer months I keep a two piece rain suit in the trunk, it packs down to around 10 x 10 x 2 it is a tour master "something"   it seems to work OK for occasional use.

[Papa Lazarou]

Thanks for the endorsement, but to me $2000 for a jacket is a bit much.  Rukka makes Aerostitch seem inexpensive!  

My Rukka gear was a total of £800 new-about $1200. I bought the jacket second hand for around £80. So, the total cost was £430. Ebay is your friend.

It's the Rukka Armortec stuff that costs $2000 a suit. But then it is as good as leather in a crash.

[jsanford]

Gore-tex liners in my BMW gear and in my boots and gloves. I remove them for *maybe* four weeks each summer, otherwise being prepared for rain is a fact of life in the PNW--although a true soaker is less common.  Even with crummy zippers, it just works; I'm dry underneath.  They have a windbreaker effect.

I'll carry a Triumph Chevron oversuit with me when I'm out in my leathers and that's adequate as well, just a little baggy in the shoulders and chest.

[2wTraveler]

One piece Roadcrafter works great for me, must have been lucky when I ordered mine...doesn't leak one bit

[sleazy rider]

+1 for the 'stich.  I treat mine every time I wash it and so far, so good.

[Andrew]

Seems that the poll is missing one option:

   Trash bags and duct tape. Takes little space when stored and no need to pack back up after use as well as easily customized to fit any rider

[Coro Kid]

2 piece cheap plastic Spool raingear over my cordura for long hauls in heavy rain - It's the only thing I've found to keep me completely dry. I've given up on truly waterproof gloves and now use Rain-off mitts over the top of my summer gloves.  They're tough, but thin enough that you don't lose any feel and 100% waterproof.  Only ~US$50 too!  This is the website for anyone who isn't familiar with them: http://www.rain-off.com/.  Great for keeping your hands warm too if you haven't got heated grips.

[RRdvark]

For trips back and forth to work I wear a Toyota T100.  When I'm on longer rides I've got an older Nelson-Rigg 2-piece suit with bib pants.  It does surprisingly well except the pants legs tend to ride up even with the boot stirrups.

[GTS_Rider]

I have the air-mesh kevlar gear from moto-port that I use year-round here in California. In the case of rain, I usually know in advance, so putting on the gortex pants and jacket under the protective gear is not much of a pain. I'd guess it takes me an extra two minutes to suit up for rainy-day commutes, and I stay completely dry.

In winter-time I can go with a sweatshirt + gortex underjacket (just to provide a wind-break if it ain't raining) + protective kevlar mesh jacket. This setup is good for down to about 40 degrees, unless it's a really long ride at those temps, which is rare in California.

From my perspective, the only time wearing the gortex liners 'under' the protective gear is a pain to deal with, is during summertime touring when it's too hot to just put the liners on to begin with. When you run into the afternoon thunderstorms you can either make the decision to let yourself get soaked, knowing you'll get blown dry before you arrive at your destination. Or, you can pull over and put on the gortex liners. Still only takes a couple extra minutes compared to putting something over the top...

[Hunter]

I use an expensive garage, works pretty good though.

Seriously, the rains we get are usually frog stranglers. I'll either park it for the day or if I'm caught out in it I'll pull over under an over pass and wait for it to pass. If I get wet, well at around a 100 degrees you're gonna dry out fast anyway.

[naustin]

My wife and I both have 2 piece Tourmaster 3-season gear designed to eliminate the need for separate rain gear.  It is 80% rain proof.  We've been caught in some pretty serious storms and stayed "mostly" dry.  This is fine for us, because when we typically encounter rain storms, the temperatures are high enough that we're glad for the rain to cool us down.

Which brings me to the point - this gear is borderline dangerous in any weather over 80 degrees.  This summer, in South Dakota when the temps hit 100+, I was risking heat stroke.  The big fairing and windscreen on my ST1300 compound the problem significantly, so it's not necessarily a flaw in the gear - but for us - its just gets too Hot!

Don't get me wrong, when temps range between 40 - 75, we LOVE this gear.  It only lets us down in high temps.  We are going to have to schedule our next trip in late May/early June or wait until late September if we plan to use this gear.

My next experiment will be Mesh Gear, and pack a mid-level rainsuit.

[Justin]

Oxtar Matrix GTX boots
FirstGear HT over pants
Either Firstgear or Olympia AST jacket

Everything waterproof

when it's hot enough to wear the mesh jacket with the HT pants, it's usually "who cares if you get wet", if it's borderline and the temps are dropping, Frog Togs jacket for the win over the mesh

[garry]

I also use the Triumph Chevron one-piece suit. As you said, it works pretty well IF you seal it up properly. Personally, I have a hard time getting all those flaps and velcro strips to go where they should with no gaps (especially if in a hurry to put it on roadside. The typical end result for me is that it leaks somewhere in a hard or steady rain.

I would strongly prefer a two piece textile suit that is waterproof. I'll see how the FG Teton jacket and Escape pants I recently bought work next season.

[Tom Herold]

It's a time of year/seasonal thing for me....

Summer's are brutal in Charleston, SC, so it's mesh with a two piece set of Frogg Toggs, Fieldsheer gloves and Tourmaster overboots. Admittedly, it so hot at times I ditch the Fieldsheer gloves and just keep my mesh ones on.... I can't stand this place during July/August, just too damn hot.

Fall/Winter it's my Frank Thomas Aqua coat with Fieldsheer Mercury overpants, Triumph Sympatex gloves, and the Tourmaster overboots.

No problems with leakage, seepage or improper venting with any of the set-ups I run.

[Global Rider]

Also if you carry separate rain gear, how tight does it pack?

My two-piece rainsuit, half-soled rain boots and rain gloves pack into a nylon bag about the size of a large single paper towel roll.

I do have a treated Aerostich suit, but I like to stay dry if I am riding in hours-long heavy rain.

[owrstrich]

i went the mesh jacket n pants with the rain liner route... then out of nowhere it started to pour 1 day and i had a helluvatime pulling off the road n getting my gear off n getting the liners in n getting my gear back on... i vowed never again...

so i scored a teknic 2 piece suit and have not looked back... mine is a few years old so it goes by another name... but its the same...

just a note... this specific rain gear does not breath well... it has a really good outer shell with a really good mesh lining... i got the next size larger so i would have some extra room in attempt to get an air space between my regular armored gear n the rain suit...

ez on n ez off... yeeeeeeehaaaaaaa...



j o

[stevent]

Well so much for my "100% waterproof" cheapo's. I got caught out in a monsoon Monday and they leaked like sieves. I tossed them in the garbage and just greased the hell out of my Lee Parks with some Mink oil, so far they've held off a few moderate rain rides. The Darien is still working great though! ..

[MIDSKIER]

I have a 2 piece fieldsheer suit that works ok.......... the windblast on my bike is center of my chest, guess where the leak is...........
I also had setup h2o boots, they were great comfy and dry , now I have Sidi b-2 Gortex I can only hope they'll be as good as my cheapos were.

I also just got a new pair of fieldsheer waterproof gloves, haven't tried them yet either

our last "big" ride included 180 miles of rain I did ok, my riding buddy not so good , he was pouring water out of his boots when we finally stopped

[ConPilot1]

now I have Sidi b-2 Gortex I can only hope they'll be as good as my cheapos were.

they should be fine. I stood in a creek up to mid-calf with my On-Roads and not a leak. Bone dry feet.

[schmii]

had firstgear textiles to stay dry, now motoport with tourmaster 1pc... shouldn't see too much use :fingers_crossed

firstgear glacier gloves, alpinestars ridge boots

[sammyseaman]

I swore off rain riding back in 81 (true story)

Back in 81 while stationed at Yokota AFB Japan my riding buddy Bob wanted to
import his Japanese only cobalt blue CB750F back into the States... the only
problem was... if a bike didn't have a Federal Standard Safety sticker the
custom inspectors would condemn it for destruction on the docks...

Poor Bob was depressed for days...

I couldn't take it any more... it was time to hatched a plan to gain Bob a
sticker... first I found the factory that produced the CB750F... next I arranged
a tour of the factory... finally I picked up 3 copies of "nocut" Playboys from
the Stars and Stripes books store Yokota AFB... nocut means no Japanese
censorship... you see every single copy of Playboy that reached Japan in 81 a
censor dutifully blacked out ever female vagina part... because of this the
Japanese were starved to see blond western female private parts that boarded on
the Holy Grail... so I figured nocut Playboys would make great bargaining
chips...


81 Our ride started out with darken skies and soon the rain came followed by a full
force monsoon... We rode 12 hours in torrential down pour with a fair amount of
hydro planning due to the water troughs hammered into the asphalt by the heavy
Hinos and Izuzus trucks...  the deciding moment came as a trickle of cold water
found the warm crack of my butt... I swore off rain riding right then and there
for ever...

I believe rain riding is bike abuse...

I was gonna call you all kinds of bad names but I think I'll just do this:  

[Mr.Black]

I swore off rain riding back in 81 (true story)

Back in 81 while stationed at Yokota AFB Japan my riding buddy Bob wanted to
import his Japanese only cobalt blue CB750F back into the States... the only
problem was... if a bike didn't have a Federal Standard Safety sticker the
custom inspectors would condemn it for destruction on the docks...

Poor Bob was depressed for days...

I couldn't take it any more... it was time to hatched a plan to gain Bob a
sticker... first I found the factory that produced the CB750F... next I arranged
a tour of the factory... finally I picked up 3 copies of "nocut" Playboys from
the Stars and Stripes books store Yokota AFB... nocut means no Japanese
censorship... you see every single copy of Playboy that reached Japan in 81 a
censor dutifully blacked out ever female vagina part... because of this the
Japanese were starved to see blond western female private parts that boarded on
the Holy Grail... so I figured nocut Playboys would make great bargaining
chips...


81 Our ride started out with darken skies and soon the rain came followed by a full
force monsoon... We rode 12 hours in torrential down pour with a fair amount of
hydro planning due to the water troughs hammered into the asphalt by the heavy
Hinos and Izuzus trucks...  the deciding moment came as a trickle of cold water
found the warm crack of my butt... I swore off rain riding right then and there
for ever...

I believe rain riding is bike abuse...

nancy