Jacket fit

 I priced out a Darien jacket but before placing the order I wanted to
understand how they are ****supposed**** to fit.

I wear a 50" coat currently, but have been on a weight loss program that has
me losing about 1 to 2 lbs a month, so I fully expect to be at a 48" coat by
the end of the year.  I've been on this program for 3 years and overall that
is the weight loss trend.

Should the jacket be sized based on body weight, actual chest dimensions, or
a little of both and some fudging?  I've been through this before with my
shooting coat - I've had to have it tailored since getting on my weight loss
program and it was not a simple task not to mention that a good shooting
coat costs a LOT of money.

So I'm kind of curious as to how they should fit, tight, loose, in-between
and whether its a problem if the coat gets loose as I lose weight.  They
simply cost too much money to risk buying one and have it get too bulky to
be useful as my weight goes down - or for that matter up!!  I mean what if I
end up gaining weight and not losing it?  Only reason why I'm asking is
because most of the people I see wearing custom racing jackets all look like
they work out WAY too much and I wondered if all jackets fit that way and
fat guys are just SOL.

And by the way, do they sell armor that you can just strap on over your
riding clothes if your clothes aren't tailored specifically for riding?  Not
to say I want to strap on off-road chest plates and whatnot - but maybe knee
and shin protectors and elbow protectors.

 Eigenvector wrote:

The fit should be loose enough that you don't feel that it is binding
anywhere and that it doesn't impede you in the actions you normally
take while riding.  It should be tight enough that it doesn't flap in
the wind.

Too loose and it can slip around in a drop so that the armor moves off
the points that it is supposed to be protecting.

Best bet on a jacket if you don't buy semicustom or full custom is to
find a place where you can _try_ it.  I went with BMW simply because I
could go down to the dealership and try jackets until I found one that
fit.

As for separate armor, it's not sold for street use but is for
off-road--how well it works for street use I don't really know. Good
quality street riding gear is designed with abrasion protection over
the entire body--using separate armor over clothing not designed for
riding you lose that protection.

--
--
--John
to email, dial "usenet" and validate
(was jclarke at eye bee em dot net)

 On Tue, 15 Jan 2008 18:38:51 -0800 (PST), Rob Kleinschmidt

<snip>


Well, at least as long as you take "way better" to mean "more
accurately."  We can give some really incredible answers.

Al Moore
DoD 734

 
  Yes, they sell those.  I wear Alpinestars Reflex knee pads under
jeans sometimes, or Knox armor.   They also make elbow pads and back
pads.  It's actually more expensive to go this route in the long run,
the only advantage is you could wear it with an inexpensive leather
jacket (Power Trip makes several).

  The MX chest plates (roosts) aren't useful for road use at all.
They are onlny for deflecting rocks.

  Some companies do make relaxed fit sizes... pretty much all the
XXL's will have a more relaxed fit and the arms won't be that much
longer- the chest and abs just get bigger.  You might also like
cruiser or touring oriented clothing better than sportbike oriented
clothing, since it's not uncommon to see a less athletic look on a
cruiser or touring machine, and the clothing is more flattering for
heavy people.  They have cruiser style jackets with padded elbows and
backs and the works.