I wouldnt trust gear from Hein Gerrike (sp?) either. I bought a gortex / leather jacket from them, wore it for less than a week before the fabric around the pockets started to fray... It had a woefully inadequate zip that started to come away from the bottom. When I took it back they would not give me a refund as I had had the damn thing for more than a month. They suggested that I had subjected it to unusual use. WTF? It was a bike jacket, I wore it on a bike... That I use everyday. They offered to replace it but I said that another version would do the same thing... In the end I bludgeoned a credit note from them and had to get a new lid!

Interesting thread Guys..I was going to go to HG and buy some gear but having second thoughts now.

I need something that i can wear riding south in the winter, I'll be riding from Amsterdam to marbella in southern spain so i expect wet and cold but getting warmer once I clear the pyrenees..

i use a RJAYS (quite a popular brand in oz)microskin jacket with removable thermal lining.i use it along with draggin jeans/cargo pants. everyday commuting 180kms everyday rain sun watever.its warm in cold weather/ and bloody waterproof. i wear watercoated polyaster rain pants over the draggin jeans/ cargoes. dry as it can be in freezing rain/even hail.thinking will use the same setup for the outback trips without thermal lining. draggin pants have insertable knox armour.best buy. forgot wearing other jeans.fantastic value for money.

Sorry to put the cat amongst the pidgeons but I have had a very good experiance with Hein Gericke gear. The leather bit around the crutch on my Tuareg suit developed a split (truth be told they were a bit small) after about four or five months of wearing them every day and I took them back to the shop. OK they had to send them away but, in less than a week they telephoned to say I had a brand new pair waiting for me at the shop. I wore the suit for daily for three years with no further problem and even washed it several times in the washing machine.

mcdarbyfeast,

Did your gear stay waterproof all the time? That would be a revolution caus my former HG jacket didn't keep me dry in a long rainy day starting from the first one I had to ride through.

The jacket I now have is still doing the job after about 50000k's.

Tommo,
Consider your riding gear as the outer shell. There soul function is protection in case of crashes, being seen in bad condition (reflective area's), protection against rain and wind.
Thus: not against cold. It is better to have suitable underlayers that are multifunctional to keep you warm. For ex a true water and windproof jacket under witch you put a nice fleece that you can also use sitting out on a colder night.
Same goes for pants, shirts,... have plenty of layers that you can play with depending on the conditions.

That way you can also ride cool in summer or in hotter area's. Especially if the outer shell (your riding gear) has decent ventilation zippers and if you can take out the waterproof and windproof liner.
I don't want switch back to a jacket without ventilation possibilities.

Hi Im new to this site, but have many miles under my belt. Seems like everyone on these adventure bike sites must be trillion-aires. Good for you!!!
I cant afford BMW or HG gear. If you research the features yourself, you'll probably agree that Filedsheer brand simply cannot be beat for the money. For the cost of a more expensive brand jacket, you can have a ce armored set of mesh summer jacket and pants, AND their very toasty "highland" one piece suit for winter. Check it out. www.fieldsheer.com
Tres

Tres,

Fieldsheer is okay, but you may want to look for good stuff on closeouts. I got my Gericke Eco Goretex jacket, a beauty, for $178 instead of $400. My riding buddy just got a Cycloak jacket very cheap compared to the orig. price. Check out motorcyclecloseouts.com.

As for Beemers, I also thought I couldn't/shouldn't afford. This is the time, sales are slow, holidays coming, people need money. Look up e-bay or bmw websites listing bikes for sale which won't sell. Then try going for them. I just got a 2003 Dakar ready for touring for $6400, heated grips, ABS, all 4 BMW original cases, engine guard, centerstand. You can find older F650s in very good condition for much cheaper. I have an old junker of a car, but if I had a better one, I'd sell it for a bike http://www.horizonsunlimited.com/ubb/smile.gif

t

I was always surprised by how red-faced, sweaty and overdressed everyone I met on the road was.

European overlanders seem to go to their local shop to buy an all-weather jacket without realising that "all-weather" in temperate Europe is very different from the conditions that they will face going overland.

The most common weather on most overland routes is hot, or very hot. Sometimes very very hot.

Europeans, especially from the north of the continent where we see the sun so rarely and associate it with holidays and fun, don't appreciate just how unhappy the heat can make you.

It is a big physical strain all day in plastic, in direct sun, wearing a hat. Your body struggles to keep you at the right temperature. Overheating makes you unhappy.

Bikers from the southern US have a far better appreciation of this in my experience.

The other part of the problem is that no one makes clothes for overlanding, or anticipates our specific needs. The closest we have is the desert racer gear.

The HG desert stuff looks great, and is pretty tough, but boy you're going to sweat. The desert racers wear it cos they have to; they are going silly speeds taking huge risks so need to absolutely maximise protection. Also, they like to suffer. It is part of the fun.

You're in a different position. A lot of time is spent at low speeds, where the wind-cooling factor is low. And you want to enjoy yourself.

Conclusion: you need the coolest jacket you can find with adequate armour.

Why has no one has mentioned layering? This is the key to travel clothing.

My vented mesh summer jacket did for all occasions. (I sent the excellently made, very expensive, and completely unsuitable aerostich back home somewhere in Pakistan).

An all-in-one waterproof suit in addition to your light jacket,(cheap and packs small) will prepare you for rain and give protection against the wind.

When it gets cold, you just put on as many clothes as possible. So carry a micro-fleece with you. Thermal underwear is vital. I carred glove liners: again, small and cheap.

You then are prepared for all conditions.

There are compromises involved here of course. But it is just too impractical to carry two sets of riding clothes on the road. There isn't the room.

Simon Kennedy
(now in Nantes plotting an India trip with side car...)

Good point about the heat, Simon. All it takes is one trip to SE Asia any time of year, Florida in the summer or another tropical region to realize this. Hot, steamy weather mandates lightweight, well ventilated gear or you will be miserable.

That being said, there is no reason a person can't use two sets of riding gear on an extended trip. You could use one set of gear for one segment, send it home and have your other set shipped to you. This wouldn't be practical on a short trip, but if you are travelling for an extended period of time, taking your time to see the sights, and you swap your gear every few months, it would be no big deal on a year or longer journey.

I just bought a BMW Savanna 2 jacket, which cost big $$$, but its very well made and seems to be well suited for spring, summer and fall weather and maybe winter with an electric vest. I am a bit concerned how it will do in the steamy heat of SE Asia, but if its too hot, I will ship it home and have my mesh jacket sent out.

I also use the BMW Summer Pants in a khaki color, and when combined with a waterproof shell and thermals underneath, will cover just about any temperature. These pants are also great for walking around off the bike, they feel less bulky and more like regular pants...but with armor.

The BMW gear is definately good stuff, and I have no problem using it, even though I am riding a Honda!

-Dave

I'm pretty happy with my Aerostich Darien jacket and pants. I bought 'em used off ebay since I couldn't afford a new set.

I've ridden in very heavy rain and got a bit damp, but not soaked. And through the heat and humidity of Northern Australia (45c/113f). With the armpit and back zippers open it wasn't bad as long as I was moving. But when I stopped the first thing was remove the jacket!

They're roomy enough to layer up. I'll find out how well they take the cold when I get to New Zealand in Feb.

--Dave

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Trying to ride (and work) my way round the world on a 1965 Ducati 250cc. Australia, New Zealand and Japan are first. http://nokilli.com/rtw/

Hood jeans....

We went up to the factory near Norwich (UK) at the weekend - superb service - we spent about an hour discussing the pros and cons of the various types of armour available, the materials they used, what we needed in terms of size etc.

Result? A custom fitted pair of jeans with new Knox armour in the knees (for me) and tailored fixing points for Hiprotec armour for my mate. They put on extra pockets, altered the hem width so it'll fit over boots, measured the inside leg length properly, and suggested which fabric would be best for south america.

Excellent service - recommended!

Can U post their web site or at least address and phone, please?

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Salut from Southern France, the bikers' paradise,

Peter.

I agree with what Steve Pickford says-there isn´t anything that will cover you well for 4 seasons (at least in most of the world). In Spain I find that the Savanna (BMW branded but made by Schoffel) clothing gives me three seasons. Mesh would be cooler in a 40º summer, but Ive tested falling off with the Savanna and I got up unscathed and without gravel rash rash or burning.

However in winter its not enough. I have a Dainese Atlas jacket and HG trousers for that. Gloves HG cloven hoof winter mitts are great and the rest of the year I use Dainese gloves or Aerostitch Roper (which are very good). But handlebar muffs are the thing to get if cold. I have heated grips on my bike, but they don have any effect at al in the middle of winter.

Additionally remember that ther outer layer does the protection thing, but your warmth is going to come from multiple layers closer to your ckin. Same rules apply as for mountain sports. I did the Elefantentreffen in Bavaria this January and riding up from Barcelona its was -6 to -12 the whole way, but it was quite bearable with several thin thermal layers under the jacket. Same with gloves, two thermal layers and one pair of winter gloves worked fine. My feet froze though!

bob

I bought some neoprene socks in a mountain climbing shop in Quito Ecuador. Basically same material as a wet suit. My feet have barely been cold since

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Richb
http://www.postmaster.co.uk/~richardbeaumont/60684/

hello,
During my trip, i was travelling with this :
jacket BMW Touren, pants BMW Streetguard, boots BMW Kalahari (now called Savanna, really confortable but not as prootective compared to real cross/enduro boots), summer gloves BMW Rallye, winter gloves BMW Comfort : EXCELLENT.
After more than 2 years on the road, 70 000 kms, they are as new : very strong, very protective, no problem with cold weather or rain (goretex).
With hot weather, they became very hot, so in Bangkok, I had to buy Enduro style clothes.
With cold weather, under those bike clothes, I was using Patagonia underwear and fleece and Ullfrotté underwear (really excellent for very cold weather).
All this is a bit expensive, especially BMW clothes but everything has a price : think about it, it will be your clothes for the trip, and they last long :-)

happy travels
http://vincent.danna.free.fr/