convertible mesh gear ? - Page 2

 


Agreed on the grips. They were what got me
home yesterday in some degree of comfort.

The problem with mesh though is that there's
no quick easy way to make it warmer. My Kilimanjaro
jacket works over a fairly good range because
of all the vents and zippers. Mesh just keeps you
cool whether you want it to or not.

What I'd really like to find would be a mesh jacket with
shell and liner and some kind of pocket arrangement
to hold the unused layers. The Fieldsheer Moto Morph
looks like a pretty good bargain these days, so I may
give that a try even without the pocket arrangement.

On the Range of Light rally, the route is announced only
on a day by day basis. Last year, I think we saw temps
all the way from 30 to 100 and with the mesh gear I was
less than comfortable in the cold spots. This year I'd like
to do better. I may take the Kilimanjaro or buy something
new. I think my current mesh jacket may get retired.

 

On 10/06/2010 11:50 PM, Rob Kleinschmidt wrote:


Rev'it has some nice ($$$) gear, but I've pretty much convinced myself
that the do-it-all stuff for that range of temps is pretty much a
compromise for me. Most of the nice convertible gear I've seen has the
rain-proof liner on the inside, which to me just means that the whole
outer jacket gets wet. So I've got both - a pure mesh jacket and pants
that I sometimes use a heated vest or wind jacket underneath, and an
expensive BMW suit that works great in all but the hottest weather, from
below freezing up to about 30C, rain or shine. Keeping in mind that I
live in the Great White North where 'hot' is a relative term. The
FirstGear mesh jacket has a rear pocket with a rainproof shell, but it
gets pretty hot since it's not breathable.

I used the BMW suit a couple of weekends ago for a dual-sport rally
where the temps hit 33C which is about 91F. It was starting to get a bit
sticky although it worked surprisingly well in that heat with just open
pit zips and the front zipped open a wee bit. Anywhere below 30C with
any kind of speed is fine. At 100F I'd have probably died of heat stroke.

I do carry an ordinary GoreTex jacket and pants for use over the mesh
stuff, but having to stop and add rain gear is a pain. I find I'm
usually soaked by the time I decide to stop and manage to get it on.

 


I picked up a Fieldsheer Moto Morph jacket at a hefty
discount and am reasonably happy with it. I might be
less so if I'd paid full price, but at ~$100 for jacket, shell
and liner I think it'll work reasonably well.

The jacket is actually warmer than I'd expected. I think
the liner won't see much action this summer. Still have
to take the Carbolex shell for a nice long shower and
see how well or badly it performs. The front zippers
allow you to leave a couple slots open for extra air.

All in all, probably a reasonably flexible garmet.
with the shell and liner removed, looks as good as
any other mesh jacket. With the shell in place,
seems to hold body heat OK and with the liner,
I think it'd be OK in fall or mild winter weather.
Probably not a bad choice for a long trip with mixed
weather too.