Rain Gear/Suit: In your opinion, what is the best?

[banzaibob]

Cheer up....I could have done an "oil thread".

For years, I have used Frogg Toggs separate rain pants and jackets. I feel that they inexpensive, give decent protection and are waterproof up to a point. My problem with them is that they don't last long. After about one season they start to develop small rips and tears that eventually let the water in. The last jacket/pants I bought lasted about a year and a half. At $90 for both jacket/pants, I feel that's an OK value.

However...I would like to get something that is more substantial. I have noted that even Frogg Toggs have more expensive, more robust suits. Your opinions on the absolute best rain gear?

 

[brownie0486]

My Olympia rain jacket and pants have been through some tough downpours, always stay dry with them. Velcro closure on cuffs and ankles, they can be slipped on over the boots, then secured as tight as you'd like.

 

[craydds]

Your opinions on the absolute best rain gear?

I hate having to stop and put on rain gear. "Looks like rain ahead, let's stop and suit up. Rain's gone, sun's out, let's pull over n rip it all off." Rinse and repeat
I prefer jacket and pants that are waterproof, and I don't want to add and remove inner liners.
That means riding gear with Gore-tex (or an equivalent) waterproof membrane "baked in". Often this type of gear is good for 3 to 4 season riding.
Yeah, we're talking $$$ compared to disposable Frogg Toggs. But, good waterproof gear can last many long years. I am wearing First Gear's Kilimanjaro pants and jacket: https://www.firstgear-usa.com/product/3/375-kilimanjaro-jacket . Not Gore-tex, but I say completely dry. The high-end brands, Klim, etc. are gore-tex and likely worth every penny.

 

[pglaves]

I hate having to stop and put on rain gear. "Looks like rain ahead, let's stop and suit up. Rain's gone, sun's out, let's pull over n rip it all off." Rinse and repeat
I prefer jacket and pants that are waterproof, and I don't want to add and remove inner liners.
That means riding gear with Gore-tex (or an equal) waterproof membrane "baked in". Often this type of gear is good for 3 to 4 season riding.
Yeah, we're talking $$$ compared to disposable Frogg Toggs. But, good waterproof gear can last many long years. I am wearing First Gear's Kilimanjaro pants and jacket: https://www.firstgear-usa.com/product/3/375-kilimanjaro-jacket . Not Gore-tex, but I say completely dry. The high-end brands, Klim, etc. are gore-tex and likely worth every penny.

I agree. I have worn Aerostich gear since the mid 1990s. It is clearly very water resistant. In the worst downpours I have had some dampness at the collar but short of strangulation tight any neckline can take a bit of water. I wear two-piece gear so the dread crotch lake doesn't exist.

Added: A couple of years ago I bought a set of Frog Toggs to wear the pants over some mesh pants I occasionally wear. They were innexpensive at Walmart. The first time I put the pants on my boot poked a hole in the pants at the knee. I am pretty sure this was not the best available from Frog Toggs, but still - they had their name on it.

 

[61996]

Nothing good is cheap and nothing cheap is good: Aerostich!

Joe

 

[rogerc60]

Nothing good is cheap and nothing cheap is good: Aerostich!

Joe

And don't forget the option to buy used. I wear the good stuff and managed to keep a lot of the green stuff in my wallet.

 

[MotoToph]

Yup Gortex jacket and pants or a riding suit. One piece of gear for all weather.

Sent from my SM-N975U1 using Tapatalk

 

[drneo66]

Goretex is the best, so Aerostich for me

However, I did wear a pair of Frogg Toggs for many years, their motorcycle-specific line is longer lasting than the lightweight stuff they sell in department stores.

 

[pglaves]

However, I did wear a pair of Frogg Toggs for many years, their motorcycle line is longer lasting than the lightweight stuff they sell in department stores.

I hope so. The Walmart one didn't last past putting my boot through the knee the first time I put the pants on.

 

[Moretti]

The miner’s choice… heh…

I was in Bolivia in January for a 6-day off/on road tour on a DR650. Though I packed an OR waterproof backpacking jacket, I neglected to bring waterproof pants. Several dry days into the ride, and with rain forecast as we preparing to leave Sucre, I managed to borrow a (cheap) pair from my wife’s cousin there to go over my Rev’it pants. They were good for about 10 minutes, when I started to feel the little rivers going down my leg; by the time we arrived in Potosi, I was on the verge of hypothermia with puddles inside of my waterproof boots. The following morning, with my boots drying on hotel radiators, my guide and I made our way up to the miners’ market where I picked out the largest pair I could find, and promptly split the crotch getting on my bike to leave town. Of course it would rain again that day. The next night we were in a small mining town, Atocha, southwest of Uyuni, where the proprietor of our hotel also ran a mining goods store. This time I found a heavy-duty mining suit which barely fit and were held up with suspenders. They were great when we left around noon the next day, though I was barely able to mount my bike. Hit some major storms on the ride to Uyuni, but stayed dry all the way. Anyway, now I have a cool, yellow mining suit for next time I head to the mines.

I now own a Goretex ensemble: Klim Badlands Pro jacket and Kodiak pants. Bring on the rain!

 

[crows123]

Gortex gear is the way to go. When you see rain coming you can zip up vents, and continue on. It also keeps you in control of your of your ride by allowing you time to find shelter if you need to. Too many times I have been caught in traffic or in the middle of nowhere in the pouring rain, trying to find shelter of putting on my rain gear.

 

[Omega Man]

For some reason I always like to bring up that while Gore-Tex is pretty good at keeping wetness out, it’s breathability really depends on humidity transfer. If it’s raining out and you’re exerting yourself, no real noticeable breathability.
The clothing that features it does look great.
OM

 

[lee]

For some reason I always like to bring up that while Gore-Tex is pretty good at keeping wetness out, it’s breathability really depends on humidity transfer. If it’s raining out and you’re exerting yourself, no real noticeable breathability.
The clothing that features it does look great.
OM

I used to wear Gore-Tex gear at work. On damp or rainy days my sweat would transfer out much better than non Gore-Tex gear.
It was also way better than non breathable gear.

 

[lee]

For some reason I always like to bring up that while Gore-Tex is pretty good at keeping wetness out, it’s breathability really depends on humidity transfer. If it’s raining out and you’re exerting yourself, no real noticeable breathability.
The clothing that features it does look great.
OM

I used to wear Gore-Tex gear at work. On damp or off and on rainy days my sweat would transfer out much better than non Gore-Tex gear.
It was also way better than non breathable gear.