Hood Jeans

[hamster]

Evening All,

I was thinking about getting a pair of Hood Jeans, thermals and thin waterproofs rather than going for a Pair of "proper" textile trousers?

Any one got any experience with these in the cold / mountains?

All help appreciated?

J

[Jake]

In my experience Hood jeans are heavy when off the bike, uncomfortable in hot weather, and have little advantage over leather jeans but you may find them OK for you in cooler weather. Thats your choice. I am with you on waterproof overpants far better generally than cordura or gore products unless you go right up market.

[hamster]

Ah - interesting

I was thinking that the jeans would be good in the warm.

Do you reckon that leather trousers are better in the warm then.

There are way too many options and i am a complete novice - frustrating really

[Threewheelbonnie]

I have a choice of trousers and would rate as follows:

Leather: Ultimate in abrasion protection and usually survive. Nice and warm when dry but useless when wet. Heavy and hard to wash, but will last longer than most bikes.

Textile: Splash proof (goretex) with armour for impact protection but would be destroyed in an off. Usually a PITA to wash and re-proof, come in insane colours, but at least they tend to have zip pockets. Can be warm enough with the right liner until temps go negative. Wear out and suffer quality issues as they are made for the weekend warriors.

Jeans: Barely adequate protection, no warmth or waterproofing but easy to live with and you can go from biker to civilian in seconds.

In summer I wear my leather trousers for any serious distance. In winter I wear an ex-German army tankers one piece and a waxed jacket. I only wear my jeans for short runs where it's useful to just keep them on when I arrive. My textile trousers are only kept for the odd run where I need armour and can't be bothered to stop if it rains, they never get taken on trips over 24 hours. For example next week I might wear the jeans on the run to or from the ferry, but for across Germany it'll be the tank suit.

Andy

[lowuk]

I use "Dragging Jeans" with Kevlar protection sewn in, similar to "Hood" I presume. But Dragging Jeans have knitted Kevlar and this is very comfortable. They have pockets for hip and knee protectors.
In cool weather they are warmer than ordinary jeans, and in hot weather, (southern France in August) the are much nicer than leathers to wear.
As for how good the prection is, I am really glad to say "I haven't a clue" since Iv'e never come off when wearing them. but again, they must be a lot better than ordiary jeans.
In really hot weather its so easy to get so hot and bothered in leathers that an accident is more likely to happen.
So as with a lot of things, its a trade off, balancing several different needs.

[holodragon]

I always use my Draggin Jeans combats in hot weather,nice & cool when moving & not bad off the bike,they are very comfortable to wear,though if its really hot I take a pair of shorts to change into for exploring off the bike.
I can also confirm their protective qualities as I had a 50mph off when wearing them a couple of years back,slid about 40 feet but only got a few bruises,they did not fail me,in fact I still wear them!