The same old question.


Ride with all the kit or just what you think is good for the day?


Some will say all the kit all the time. Other's what I feel good in, on the day. Of course there's distance to be taken in to account, and weather. Hot very hot and cold. Is a full set of leather's in 30/40 degrease of heat. A good idea? Or dress down so you don't over heat. The min I will wear is. Kevlar jean's. Gloves, Boot's, and a long sleeve top. I must admit, that the long sleeve top is usually a long sleeve thermal vest and wool or thick cloth top.


A lot better than short's flip flop's and a vest. I have also noticed that with all the kit, I kind of slip in to power ranger mode. Less kit and I ride a lot gentler. So there is something to say for the less kit approach.
John933

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To buy petrol in Europe. Pull up at station. Wait. Get out a 20 Euro note, then ask someone to fill up the bike. Give person money. Ride away. Simple.

I know I should wear the same gear when touring Vietnam that I wear in OZ but I find that being comfortable, and not overheating is just more important.
I do wear a shorty helmet, hi top sneakers(to be replaced with a more bike orientated type) ,long but light pant, shirt +denim jacket, leather gloves. Thats touring.
Around town its do as the locals do,helmet,tshirt,shorts,sandels,gloves and then proceed with great care and attention. That's worked out fine for the 40.000+ kl done in country so far.
Hoping I haven't jinxed myself
Cheers, Macca

The thing with naked skin is... Is the first contact with the ground. So in my book's any thing is better than zip. And two layer's are better than one. You'll get some gravel rash. But not half as much if you have no cover. Boot's I can't get over not wearing boot's? "O" well that's just me.
John933

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To buy petrol in Europe. Pull up at station. Wait. Get out a 20 Euro note, then ask someone to fill up the bike. Give person money. Ride away. Simple.

Every town throughout tourism asia, has a line up of fools that ride in their flip flops, singlet & shorts. Oh, and don't forget the bandages that the 'lucky' ones get to wear

When touring in Asia, it is kevlar cargo pants, Keen sandals(enclosed toes) & a DriRider vented jacket for both myself & wife. Buy good quality helmets when we get there & then leave them behind with the rental crowd
Naturally, other rides & climates require evaluation

Locally I wear the full kit all year round !

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My memory is becoming that good, I should be able to organise my own surprise party soon

After removing skin from most of my body in a single crash i know where "all the gear" and if its to hot outside to wear it i watch TV with a pint with the AC on max.

Mezo.

There may be some regional variation in this but commenting on it from a UK perspective I've read (and heard) time and time again people saying they wear the full protective ensemble everywhere they go, all the time, and that anyone who doesn't is foolhardy, shortsighted and irresponsible. And in the middle of a UK winter I have some sympathy with wearing clothing appropriate for the conditions.

It's when the snow finally melts and the thermometer emerges from a block of ice that the problems arise. On a hot day is it safer to keep wearing winter grade clothing for its protective value and raise the risk of having an accident through heatstroke or "strip off" to maintain mental functioning and hope you don't have an accident ?

When I've spoken to many of the "safety first - keep it on" advocates hardly any of them have ever ridden outside the UK. They have no idea how hot it can get in eg southern Spain / Italy. You might be able to survive 20 /25C of the UK summer ok but 40C is a different matter. I have seen someone (a pillion) fall off the bike through passing out while wearing a full set of protective clothing in 40C heat. That's not the risk of an accident, that an actual accident. Back in my early biking days I had (mild) heatstroke the first time I ever went to Spain on a bike through continuing to wear UK appropriate clothing (black waxed cotton Barbour in those days). It took me three days lying in a tent to recover.

So what do I do these days? I strip down to a minimal safety level that I think balances the risks of overheating and the resultant risks from an accident. Very occasionally (I can only think of one occasion atm -freak day over 50C) it has been to shorts and t shirt. Anyone who says think of the gravel rash would get the reply of lets see how far you get dressed up in full armoured black riding jacket and trousers in 50C temperatures before you either colapse or hit something through impaired judgement.

I'm from Australia and currently in SEAsia.
The off road pants are awesome for airflow and I wear bike shorts or nicks underneath. I have a full mesh high vis light colored jacket. Take lots of breaks. Wet your shirt underneath and drink, drink, drink. Make shade stops. Start at sunrise and finish at lunch time.

I'm am ATGATT advocate. And I've ridden and lived in mountainous, tropical and desert climates.

With the variety of vented and mesh gear options, I don't believe it makes sense to risk road rash or more serious injury regardless of temperature or comfort. But that does require good gear and perhaps multiple jackets for summer vs winter vs rain vs desert. I resolve this by buying good but used gear. I've found most of my kit on ADV RIDER.

But I'm also not going to bash those who choose to rider with lighter or less gear. I did the same when I was a teenager and was lucky enough to survive a few minor bang ups and avoid and serious injury. Everyone must make their own decisions and deal with the results of their choices. But I vote for and encourage ATGATT!

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Roborider
Rob Osborne
Vail (Tucson), Arizona USA

Vented jackets and trousers make you feel the breeze and increase your perceived comfort but, in reality, they allow your sweat to escape.
Stating the obvious -sweat is precious water being used to cool down your body. Allowing it to escape in high heat conditions where replacement water may be scarce is very unwise. Keeping hydrated at all times is critical.

Want to feel great as you are baking? as you refuel, find a hosepipe/tap/water can and drench your jacket, trousers and helmet and keep those vents closed.
Fabulous

Bertrand I have to strongly disagree with you.


Sweat cools you by evaporating, hence keeping your vents open is the best way to evaporate that thin layer of water on your skin and making you cooler. When humidity is really high, heat becomes unbearable because sweat accumulates and evaporates slowly. Opening the vents on your jackets and pants, allowing the maximum flow of air to pass on your body to accelerate the evaporation of water is the best way to cool you down.


Suggesting to keep your vents closed during extreme heat is IMHO a very bad advice.


Google the physics of sweats and evaporative cooling.

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http://solomonde.blogspot.com
http://euromoto2015.blogspot.com

Just to add...


Of course keeping hydrated is always important, especially when you sweat a lot.


That being said if your vents are open and much wind is passing through, around, your body, you might not even need to sweat because wind dissipates heat very fast.


The purpose of cooling and venting is to allow your body to dissipate the heat.


Mesh panels and vents opening are there for a reason. Those engineers working on the development of summer riding gear certainly know a little about the physics of heat dissipation.

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http://solomonde.blogspot.com
http://euromoto2015.blogspot.com

You are quite free to disagree!
Retaining moisture on your body / in your clothing acts as an 'air conditioner' and continues to cool you down.
Allowing this moisture to escape is fine as long as you can drink more water to replace what is being /has been lost- If that is the case, vent away; my jacket and trousers have vents too and let some heat out.

However, if your water supply is low, as I said, before, uncontrolled venting isn't wise. Jackets/trousers are not totally sealed- heat will leave via the gaps and through the materials in any case.

Your water- your retention or your loss- it's your decision. A chacun son truc jeune homme!

This is counterintuitive, but all true, or so the experts tell us. You really want to keep the "sweat inside". Too much air flow can really dehydrate you fast! We still see the Harley guys riding in a tank top and beany helmet in severe heat waves. Then at the next Tavern stop, they pass out. Been there, seen this in person. So cover up, keep some of the sweat inside. Booze makes it all worse.

It's a delicate balance between comfort and safety. Some air flow/venting is good but TOO MUCH is NOT good. And of course, as stated : Drink Drink Drink!

In the tropics, riding small roads at low speed, a mesh jacket works well, but it's always hard to stay comfortable with high humidity with high temps.
I've used the wet T shirt/helmet technique for decades. Great in Desert, not so much in tropics.

Now there's a vision for eight o'clock in the morning.

a slow speed fall wearing no protective clothing resulted in removing the skin from my knees to my hips and my forearms as well as the need to scrub out bitumen daily for 2 weeks...ATGATT now.

I wear an airflow suit over wet clothes on the hottest days. I add layers of merino clothes underneath and a windproof but breathable outer layer when it's cold.

In my experience (and according to all those promoting the benefits of materisls that wick away moisture) trapping sweat is NOT a sound practice as overheating the core increases the need for hydration.