Turtle 2

For those of you who ride with an airbag vest, do you remove the back padding from your jacket?

Yes.

akbeemer said:

Yes.

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Thanks!!!

Yep.


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I bought the Turtle 2 a couple of months ago, and I've only ridden with it twice. Yes, I did indeed remove the back protector from my BMW GS Dry riding jacket. That said, I'm considering putting the BMW back protector back in my jacket, and instead removing the SAS-TEC protector from the Turtle 2. On an all-day ride, admittedly in cold weather, I started feeling discomfort in my neck/upper back, similar to what I've occasionally experienced when being all bundled up with heated gear etc., and feeling like the Michelin Man. I don't know whether this discomfort was caused by the SAS-TEC back protector, but it's definitely noticeably stiffer than the BMW protector, which I'd describe as more malleable. I also wonder whether the SAS-TEC protector gets even stiffer in cold weather, given its not in my jacket, and not getting any body heat like the back protector in a riding jacket might. I compared the SAS-TEC protector to the BMW one in my GS Dry jacket. The SAS-TEC protector is longer, and stiffer. That said, I also compared it to the BMW protector in my BMW Rallye jacket, and they are both the same length, but like the protector in my GS Dry jacket, the BMW one in my Rallye jacket is noticeably more malleable (it has about five distinct layers, whereas the SAS-TEC is one solid piece. I've never had any discomfort wearing my Rallye jacket, but I have not yet ridden with the Turtle 2 over the Rallye jacket, so I can't say how comfortable it'd be in that setup.

Left mine in.

If you are only going to use one back protector it should probably be the one in the vest, because it protects the air bag.

lkraus said:

If you are only going to use one back protector it should probably be the one in the vest, because it protects the air bag.

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Yes, to this. Also, the vest is designed so that when inflated combined with the integral back pad it becomes stiff enough to prevent injury to the spine. At the very least you should contact Helite and get their input.

Ragman2 said:

For those of you who ride with an airbag vest, do you remove the back padding from your jacket?

Click to expand...

Yes, in my case. The Klim vest includes an integrated CE back protector.

Ken

Left mine in my BMW Rally jacket. Just got to make sure I got a “fist” worth of space between the jacket and the turtle to allow for expansion. The more back protection the better. That stuff didn’t come cheap, so I’m getting ma money’s worth.

akbeemer said:

Yes, to this. Also, the vest is designed so that when inflated combined with the integral back pad it becomes stiff enough to prevent injury to the spine. At the very least you should contact Helite and get their input.

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This.

Ragman2 said:

For those of you who ride with an airbag vest, do you remove the back padding from your jacket?

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Yes. The Dainese airbag is the equivalent of 7 back protectors or so I was told. I would think the other airbag systems offer similar back protection.

I believe the BMW jackets only have a Level 1 rating for the back protectors.
The Helite Turtle 2 has a Level 2 back pad, which is a lot thicker.
Mark, you could try to loosen the Velcro straps, which may let the vest sit a little lower on your back.
I have been using my GS Dry Jacket with it’s pad and the Helite Turtle2 with it’s pad, during the winter riding season. But when I switch back to my AeroStich RoadCrafter suit for the warmer days, I will try it without a back pad in the jacket. Even though it is heavy, I like the extra layer.

I removed the jackets back protector when wearing my Helite vest