Hi,
I am travelling through Europe for 12 weeks in April and need to buy some outer waterproofs. Can anyone please advise what is the best / best value kit to keep me dry when it starts pouring...?

Many thanks

Dan

Hi Daniel, I can only tell you what works for me after extensive use and numerous miserable soakings.

No matter what boots you buy they will leak, so sealskinz socks are a must. They are bullet proof. I use a Regatta Kagool over my jacket and a set of Peter Storm pants. The pants have no pockets and are prone to moisture trapping which mean you end up a bit sweaty in hot weather, but they are cheap and do the job.

For my over mitts I use these Rain-Off: Genuine 100% Waterproof Motorcycle Overgloves again these are not cheap but they are bullet proof. I have countless pairs of gloves all bought with a weather and water resistant label, they are not. With the sealskinz and rain offs you can put your feet in a buclket of water and your feet will stay dry. I have tried this. The same for the rainoffs.

You can go for a lot of expensive stuff bought from specialist hiking and mountaineering shops. What you buy will be dictated by the depth of your pockets.

The cheap way of doing this and it is not to be knocked or sneered at at all is to use bin liners, cheap, does the job and you can get them anywhere.
hope this helps.
GM

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2012 Kawasaki W800
1997 NX 650 Dominator

I had some Frank Thomas desert gear that came with waterproof liners rather than outers. They were plastic so got a bit sweaty but as you're sitting down most of the time it's not too bad.
I took a gore-tex walking jacket I already owned for the top half which worked pretty well until I took a trip down the road - expensive mistake to make. It turns out waterproofs are not made for abrasion resistance - go cheap and cheerful every time!

+1

When all else fails put your feet with socks on in a plastic bag then inside your boots. Keeps the socks dry and feet warm. Best of all it fits in any shoe and it's completely FREE!!

Apart from that I use a one-piece overall bought from Dafy Moto in France of the same brand and it worked well for the 1st 6months, now it's losing it's waterproofness - as do all things over time. I think I paid about 40Euros. The one-piece has its advantages and disadvantages, it's hard to get on but once on has the best wet-weather protection. If in humid or hotter weather you might get wet from the trapped moisture on the inside...

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TurboCharger + Francois (our BMW R1200gs) '07
www.riding2up.net, blog.riding2up.net

I use daytona road star boots and rukka jacket and pants. Was in tropical rain storms in Central America last year and absolutely bone dry.
Buy cheap,buy twice!

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How much you got to spend?

I have a Hein Gericke two piece Gorsetex suit which has keep me dry through the worst rain I ever rode through. It was £500 in the sale, but with a 5 year waterproof guarantee I'm hoping it'll last twice that and bring the average cost down. Got the usual body armour, venting zips and waterproof pockets you'd expect to find on higher end kit.

Also got Heine Gerick boots which so far have been waterproof, though not really tested. I wore motorcross boots and seal skins through the hideous rain, and they do keet your feet dry.

Just get down your army surplus shop and by a goretex over suit

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Another vote here for cheap oversuits. Breathable this and barrier layer the other always seem to cost a fortune and have the same average results once dirty. Add bikewear premiums and it gets silly. Mine came from Netto, was £15 in the sale and is fully waterproof with no additional work or treatments after 2 years. Thats less than it costs to wash my Horrible Gherkin jacket in the approved gunk and even then it leaks at the collar

Andy

goretex is the only thing thats kept me dry.
i like to wear bike gear that is comfortable and use waterproofs over the top. army and navy surplus shops are where i get mine. no fancy colours but very cheap. i got a jacket and trousers for less than £50. ill prob. get a warm welcome when i ride past a swedish army base as a bonus.

would agree army surplus waterproofs work, i have bought army boot liners £5, and army gortex socks £6. also wiese waterproof jacket and over boots, the over boots can be a bit of a pain to put on and can give some hairy moments when they catch on the foot pegs as you put your feet down. i use all of the above items and they do keep the water out.

denny.

The best 'over the top' waterproof stuff is definately army surplus goretex. Specifically the Dutch gear is different/better than the rest. It's thicker, like a layer of cotton over the top of the goretex material. Not easy to find compared to British or German stuff though.

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UK to Mongolia 2009, on a DR350

I've tried Frogg Toggs, great material...terrible zippers. Also pack too big. I have first gear now though, but being winter and my bike in a zillion pieces have not had the opportunity to try them.

Must give a +1 on the army surplus stuff. After reading Mondo Enduro and the many uses of the basic army poncho I have added one to my kit. It is the most useful damn thing I have ever had on the bike. Between using it as a tent, bike cover, ground cloth, sunshade, ponco, it's use is endless.
I've also gotten good thermals for a fraction of the cost of an outdoor supplier.

Thanks for all your replies...

In case you want yet another opinion...!

Like many on here, I have ridden many years and weathered many storms: travelling, commuting, couriering etc

I have to say that no option has proved absolutely impermeable, but some have come close.

The truth is that in a really heavy, sustained downpours, over a period of hours, especially at motorway speeds, water will get in.... end of.

Water will slowly encroach at the veclroed zips and find a way in, then capillary action does the rest. The collar of helmets will also get wet and the foam will suck up cup-fulls. Nothing will stop that apart from parking up and sitting it out... all part of the fun

The trick is to try and limit this as much as possible. For many years I have been an advocate of goretex. 98% of the time it does the job. However, if you get rained on, you may be dry but your big bulky gear is not: unpleasant when you're about to climb into your tent with a jacket carrying 3 pints of rainwater in its weave!!

So I also have a two piece waterproof over suit. Unlike the outdoor workmans PVC jacket I once tried (and abandoned), these have zips with flaps etc designed to keep driven rain out: ie not rain that falls on you as you stand/walk, but rain you're throwing yourself at by riding a motorbike into the drops! Also good ones will be designed so that your don't have to remove boots to get a trouser let on!

When I go touring, I wear a regular biking jacket and trousers (no goretex) and rely on the oversuit. When I'm running around locally, I wear the hassle free goretex.

Boots: I second Daytona boots as I have a pair of Trans Open GTX: never let me down yet.

Ditto for a previous pair of HG Rallye goretex boots an Aplinestars race boots in my sportsbike days. each of those lasted years. A price worth paying for piece of mind, IMO

Enjoy your trip!

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Adventure: it's an experience, not a style!
(so ride what you like, but ride it somewhere new!)

thanks for the advice....