Who makes a good rain suit out there and what works?

Areostich

I went from Texas to Key West to Prudhoe Bay and back to texas.
If you would not ride the rain, you would not get there, never stopped
to put on a rain suit. The stich is like wearing a tank.

PAULBACH said:

Frogg Toggs do the job and take up very little space. Have used them for years.

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i must say that i *own* some frogg toggs but have never used them. it's good to know they work, though.

my normal riding gear is an aerostich darien. while it is not waterproof, it is good for a couple of hours in just about any conditions.

so... when it starts raining, i may have to zip up a vent or two, but i keep on going.

and then the conversation with myself starts:

"man, it's really starting to rain hard"

"naw. it'll let up shortly. it's such a pita to stop and put on that damn suit."

"hmmm... starting to feel a little trickle."

"ahhhh. it's gonna stop any second"

"crap, now i am sorta wet, it's too late to put on the rainsuit."

honest, i don't know why i even bring the frogg toggs with me. i guess that if i *know* it's going to rain hard all day i would start off with the rainsuit on.

i do like my triple digit glove covers, though.

ian

TomBarnhart said:

I... I put the Frog Toggs UNDER my Aerostich because the 'stich will eventually leak if you ride fast in heavy rain. Put the hood on the Toggs jacket up, put the helmet over the hood--NO WATER DOWN THE NECK!!! Arrive dry and comfortable.

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thank you for confirming what i thought might work.

i hate the michelin man look, hell, i barely need a rainsuit to achieve that as it is.

Visian said:

my normal riding gear is an aerostich darien. while it is not waterproof, it is good for a couple of hours in just about any conditions.

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Interesting. When I was wearing a Darien I never got wet. I don't think the guy who bought the jacket from me when I changed to an R2P suit has ever been wet in it, either. Both of us have ridden all day in the rain. I did wash it every fall and apply a good coating of Nikwax spray on after pulling it out of the washer, before hanging it up to dry.

In the 70's I bought two piece yellow slickers from sears. They'd last about a season and were cheap enough to toss and replace. I didn't have waterproof boots in those days. The totes always seemed to tear, leaving me with wet feet.

In the 80's I used one piece Rukka and BMW rainsuits. Both worked, but were too hot for summer use. I still had wet feet.

In the 90s I followed a Bob Higdon recommendation and used a two piece Hondaline rainsuit. It kept me dry and wasn't quite as hot as the Rukka and BMW suits. I discovered Nikwax for boots and graduated from wet to damp feet.

The last 10 years have been goretex in one form or another. I've had great luck with that gear save once... The liner on one jacket I purchased was a touch too short. It folded up a bit in the back, one day, dumping lots of cold water into my otherwise waterproof pants. That was the last time I wore that jacket/liner; a shorter friend now owns it. I also discovered goretex waterproof boots. Dry feet at last.

// marc

marchyman said:

Interesting. When I was wearing a Darien I never got wet. I don't think the guy who bought the jacket from me when I changed to an R2P suit has ever been wet in it, either. Both of us have ridden all day in the rain. I did wash it every fall and apply a good coating of Nikwax spray on after pulling it out of the washer, before hanging it up to dry.

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well, i should qualify.

i have one darien with plenty of use. i do treat it regularly with the nikwax products, but it still starts letting water in after a few hours of hard rain. mostly in the upper chest area.

i also have a newer darien, and it peforms much better.

i think that, over time, the proofness of the goretex and nylon wear out? least it seems so to me.

also, i ride a GS, with little weather protection. a fairing makes a big difference.

ian

I like the TourMaster 2 piece suit. Frog Toggs are built like crap.

I have seen an H-D branded rain suit that has full length side zippers in the pant legs for easy entry and exit. Otherwise the suit looks similar in construction to a lined TourMaster Rain suit.

NavyDad said:

Tourmaster Sentinel two piece

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You got that right. Excellent suit at a fair price and available with lots of higher visibility yellow on the jacket portion.

GlobalRider said:

My 2-piece Teknik rainsuit...

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Having just pulled it out of storage, I did find one annoying aspect on it and any suit like it that uses the same mesh lining.

The "hook' material that runs the full length of the jacket's opening sticks like crazy to the mesh liner and is a pain to pull apart when you're in a rush to put it on.

If it ever falls apart, I'll be looking at getting a suit with a smooth polyester lining.

MOA FS ads

http://www.bmwmoa.org/flea/search.p...archword=rain&catid_search=0&do_search=Search

How do you size a rain suit?

I would like to order a rain suit but not sure what size would work. Currently wear a XXL tall (6'4" and 230 lbs). Should I order the same size or maybe 1 or 2 larger? Thanks

WDPittman said:

I would like to order a rain suit but not sure what size would work. Currently wear a XXL tall (6'4" and 230 lbs). Should I order the same size or maybe 1 or 2 larger? Thanks

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You're going to want to go bigger with the raingear.

Reason why: Just because it's raining, doesn't mean the temps suddenly shot up. Often, you will want to leave all your warm (and protective) gear on, so the raingear should be a bit over-sized, especially to be able to cinch the neck tight so that water doesn't run in.

If you need to wear only raingear, the over-sizing won't be that big a deal.

Good Luck!

I'm 6'2"/240 and the 3X Frogg Toggs fits great over my gear.

Geoff

Get a Darien jacket and pants from AEROstitch RIDER Wearhouse

DarienLight Jacket #260
DarienLight Pants


Works perfect for all around Texas + more weather + 100% waterproof

BMW KlimaComfort has been great. I have ridden in some torrential rain and never a drop. Expensive, but worth it.....and it breaths very well.