Thanks for the advice so far.

I guess my main problem now is finding a brand that fits. As I say I'm 6ft 3 (195cm) tall and slim with neanderthal arms - I'm yet to find a jacket small enough in the body and long enough in the arms. I tried BMW Rallye jacket as I'd heard to arms were longer but they weren't long enough for me.

Any tall riders out there with mesh or touring jackets? What brands do you use (that I can preferably get in the UK or France).

Merinos (thin ones) cool you as well as keep you warm. I wear my merino baselayers in the freezing cold and in the hot (seriously hot Iranian desert 45c+).

KKH In september wasn't too bad- wearing jumper, normal bike jacket with liner- had the heated grips on, nippy. If you were unlucky it could be mega chilly.

Second this, too much airflow evaporates your sweat too quickly I think. The wind is too hot, in Turkmenistan I had my big black Halvassons jacket all zipped up, as it was like a constant hairdryer.

The German and Scandinavian brands tend to cater for bigger chaps, and the French/Spanish/Italian brands tend to be on the smaller size.

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Greetings Paperfoot

We also looked for a mesh/regular jacket for both the hot and cold parts of our trip (Alaska to Panama/Argentina) as it turned out quite a lot of the trip was colder than we expected but having the mesh for the journey south of Mexico City was a bonus.

The jackets we had were Joe Rocket Alter Ego 2.0 I would rate them a 7.5/10

The down side of these jackets were

- A bit short in the body (from your description I think I am the same height/build as you)

- removing the outer textile layer to expose the mesh inner was fiddly (road grime made the zips very stiff to undo)

- The waterproof layer was a separate removable layer on the inside of the jacket (We used a separate outer rain jacket and pants to keep the rain off and also as first layer against the cold)

- while it was windproof it wasn't as heavy duty as other jackets but we wanted something for the hotter climates (For the colder parts of the trip I used a Widder heated vest and that was fantastic, keeping your body core warm and wearing a long sleeved merino top, etc made up for the lighter weight jacket)

That was in 2007, there is now a version 3.0 of this jacket that I've just bought

JoeRocket.com

I haven't tried it yet but it looks like they have made several improvements

- they now come in tall sizes with longer arm lengths (but only in black, I bought a large tall)

- instead of unzipping the textile panel to expose the mesh, the entire textile jacket is removed in one piece (no zips). As before the armour is attached to inner mesh jacket so you still have the protection (The downside is you have a complete jacket to strap on the bike)

- The outer textile layer is also the waterproof layer. I don't know how waterproof it is but I will still take my rain jacket and pants anyway as a first layer of weather protection.

- it feels like a heavier jacket but I'm still taking the heated vest with me

I'll come back with a road report when I get some wet weather

We also had the Alter Ego pants but I never bothered removing the panels to expose the mesh. I have no complaints about them and will take them again.

We started the trip with some Kevlar jeans but I felt my knees were a bit exposed and wanted some padding around them, also as someone else mentioned denim takes ages to dry

I think our clothing choice worked well for us but as we were two up on a big bike we didn't plan to do any hard core off road (or at least a minimal amount) and your type of riding may affect your choice.

Good Luck

Ian J

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Yep, I def second what Scootergal said about the Matador jacket. Both me and Nadiscles wear them and they are without doubt the best and most versatile jackets we've ever had. The front panels zip out, as do sleeve panels and the back, meaning its a really airy cool ride. But they are also great in the rain (totally waterproof) and also excellent in cold weather with the usual removable thermal lining and windproof/waterproof layers too.

I've also just bought some Rev'itt airwave trousers which I'm really pleased with. They zip right down the length of the leg so can be worn over ordinary jeans or base layers if its cold, and topped with waterproofs if necessary,or as riding trousers in the own right as they have armoured bits. ( Got mine from Harpers, Leigh on Sea, Essex £120.00 - speak to Dave). Layers and lightweight stuff is the way to go for me.

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Try RST - they do a three layer rally type jacket , similiar to Bmw . Its about two hundred pounds . Lots of vents , zips , a hydro pack and the arms are very long . I am 6ft 4" and the XL was perfect . There is a new version coming out this year .
Cant remember the name but its on their website.......................

Those two folks who rode around the world on Sym Cubs wore Aerostich Darien Light suits. I recall that they seemed to be very happy with the Dariens and said that they covered a very wide range of riding weather.

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The RST was out of stock when I tried to order it in. I guess if a new one is coming out that would be the reason.

In the end I settled on a Halvarssons Panzar. Not cheap at £300+ and maybe not the best all round option but I'd never worn a jacket that fitted so well - and with departure date looming I had to choose something.

Very different from my initial description but so far I'm happy with the choice. Been through France where it was around -2C to +5C and Morocco where it got up to around +27C. Managed well so far with all the weather that's been thrown my way and also the little trip to the floor I made on the piste . I'll see how it gets on as the trip continues.

If anyone is thinking of buying this jacket I'm happy to go into detail on the pros and cons.

Contzct robin hood kelvlar jeans they cut them to size they are in norfolk.
Jackets belive it or not my son in law is like you, Lidl of all places

Sent from my GT-P5220 using Tapatalk

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We are the Pilgrims, Master, we shall go Always a little further: it may be beyond that last blue mountain barred with snow, Across that angry or that glimmering sea.

I find kevlar jeans horrid after about 6 hrs in the saddle in European summer rides, thats been my experience of my draggins and of a friend wearing another brand


however I did see today the UK made Roadskin jeans which use a Dyneema fabric over a Kevlar or some such, anyway much thinner yet stronger apparently and more breathable

I wont be in a position to buy any for a bit but worth consideration and investigation