my last step to ATGATT, need pants suggestions

i hope to get to complete ATGATT by this spring,
and would like some of your suggestions on pants.

as an adult, ive been riding on and off approx 20 years,
and always been well protected except for riding in jeans.
i live in atlanta, and most of 3 seasons is hot and humid.

my goal is to get to total ATGATT beginning this spring.

obviously, there is a wide range of available products.
i guess my priorities are:
1- abrasion resistance, 2- impact protection, and 3- comfort.
being WP is not a necessity, water "resistant" would be good.
we all know that textile offers more choices than leather.

most of the "usual suspects" i find locally to see hands-on,
are fieldsheer, cortech, icon, tourmaster, etc

i liked the look of the fieldsheer "four season overpants" textile pants
they are ventilated, CE armor knees, memory foam around hip area,
reflective accents, full zip leg, removable liner, zips to jacket
my text jacket is FS, and ive been pleased with their stuff before
approx $200 at shop, more like $100 from decent web suppliers.
they come in black also, but i tend to be a "HI-VIZ" kinda guy.



for 3-season, i would probably go over regular jeans most of the time.
which means they should fit well without the liner, not crazy flapping.
when crazy hot- over shorts only, crazy cold needs a different product.

any experienced suggestions? thanks in advance.

PS- for what it's worth, i prefer leather for jackets, except for crazy cold temps.

 

Not an overpant, but I love my Havoc pants from Shift...

Shift Racing Havoc Pants - Street Bike - Motorcycle Superstore

 

I've got the "Series 1" version of these;

Cortech :: Textile Pants :: HRX Series 2 Pant

I must point out that these are the only ones I've ridden with. I tried a bunch of different makes for fit, and these work the best for me. They come with a removable thermal liner and rain liner. You can use the rain liner by itself, but the thermal liner will only attach to the rain liner, so both need to be used. I've ridden in temps down to 18 degrees F, and they did OK. They're fine at about 28-30 F. With liners out, they're good to about 95 F if you're moving. I rode in rain for about 220 miles/4 hours and they stayed dry inside.

The only gripe I have is with the waist snaps. They are kind of wimpy, and open easily. I deformed them with a pair of pliers to give them some additional "interference fit", and that helped. It could be that the Series 2 have better snaps. Other than that, and the somewhat garish appearance, they work well.

 

thanks for the replies. so for the ATGATT gang...

during 3-season riding, do you prefer an "overpant" over jeans (or whatever you usually wear) or do you think a more dedicated fitted pant that you wear by itself is a much better solution?

im just afraid that an overpant (with the thermal layer removed) may allow the fit to be way too loose, and not keep the armour fitted as designed. in the worst case scenario- if they cant keep the protection in the proper place, they wouldnt really be up the task at hand.

i dont like looking like a star wars storm-trooper, and really would like to be able to just take off the outer layer and just have on jeans if stopping for extended lengths or visiting with friends etc.

any input from your experiences would be helpfull. thanks

 

I have mesh overpants with the removable liner. 90% of my riding is done without the liner. I usually put the the liner in when temps drop below 50 F (or if its raining). But I also don't do much riding when the temps are in the 30's. I have, and its OK for a short trip - say less than 50 miles? - but I wouldn't want to be out for a day with that.

I would think it depends on how thick your "thermal liner" is. Some of them (relative to brand, I suppose) are nothing more than a wind breaker type of material. I think that when going with textile or a mesh/tex material, you're liners are generally going to be a bit thicker, wheres with a straight mesh pant, the liner is presumably thinner.

Just a suggestion with whatever you end up purchasing: Consider adding some CE approved armor to the hips as well, rather than just the memory foam. I don't know how it works on other brands, but my pants are First Gear, and I was actually able to fit both the foam and the CE inside the pocket of the hips.

Good luck!

 

There is another thread on here asking basically the same thing. Several of us have chimed in on the Tour Master Flex and we love them. I suggest reading the comments in the link below. They are absolutely perfect for year round riding no matter what the weather. Had em out today in 35F weather and was very toasty and comfortable.

http://vfrworld.com/forums/gear-accessories/29168-tourmaster-venture-pants.html

 

Hello Abner.
I have riding jeans with some syntetic inserts (will give you brand later), no armor in 36.
Nice and cool during S. Florida sommers. I do not think they would be worm in Atlanta winters.
Too big for me and I would send them the to your if they would fit.
Gino

 

Hey Abner, I recently (Sep last year) bought these overpants: TPG Escape Textile Overpants and they were real good without the liner (jeans underneath) to about 30 deg. I didn't ride in temps less than that, but I'm sure that if I installed the liner they would be good till much lower. They take a little bit to put on over the jeans, but once I broke them in it's ok. They are a little pricey, but I thought they were well worth the money. Take a look, just another option. Good luck with the hunt.

 

+1 on the TPG Escape Textile Overpants. I bought these from NewEnough last year for a great price for $160 and their worth every penny. With the liner out I've been able to wear them year round here in Cali from temperatures of 90 to 30 degrees. the liner would probably not be needed until the temp get below 30 and you'd probably not be able to wear anything but your Superman Underoos with the liner in anyway. Great fit and are true to size. the armor stays in place and is positioned perfectly when you're tucked in the riding position.

 

I'll also give another +1 to the TPG Escape Pants, except for my personal taste, they are a little too heavy to wear in anything over 80 degrees. But that could just be me. Otherwise they are a great pant. Fit true to size.

One last suggestion about buying overpant if you go that way: From the various brands that I've tried on, they all seem to "bunch up" a little bit when you're positioned on the bike. For my personal taste, whenever I buy overpants, I get them in the next size longer - usually 2 inches. Most (if not all) will at least have Velcro at the bottom, allowing you to cinch it tight against your boots. With the extra inch or 2 in length, this allows them to stay securely over my riding boots. I guess if you have full length race boots this isn't and issue, but my boots are only regular riding boots, about 9" tall.

 

thanks for your suggestions.

i was able to see the FS pants i posted at the top yesterday at my local indy dealer. they didnt have my size, but did have the next bigger, so i was able to confirm the size i would need. they appear that they would be very good on abrasion resistance. CE in the knees, and it looks like the foam in the hips could be easily replaced with CE if i took the good suggestion above from Pliskin. the best for me, they look like they are very well vented with the liner out, and i expect this fit to be very good over jeans. the liner is fairly substantial, and i would expect not needed or desired until temp falls below "X".

kinda tough decision on color. the "light" is really kinda silver/white, looks good and i think adds alot of VIZ (possibly cooler in direct sun?)
the black would definately not show lube and bugs as much, and at least not "look" dirty.

what say you? classic black for easy care OR the silver/white for its potential of higher-VIZ ?

 

I would go with a darker pant. Save the hiViz for top half of your body.

I am a big fan of riding jeans; I have two pair of Icon jeans. One is lined and is comfortable down to the 40's. The other pair has vented stretch panels in the the thighs and crotch. I din't have them last summer so can't really comment on their hot weather comfort but, they are as comfortable as any pair of regular jeans I own.

The downside is no impact protection. Icon (and others) have stand alone knee protection that will easily fit under riding jeans.

 

I've got mixed feelings on the black. All the gear I have is black and it does look great as well as easy to care for. However the black seems to intensify the heat, especially in the summer. The white doesn't really help all that much at night but can during the day somewhat. If they have reflective piping along the legs I would personally have a tought time choosing between the two. I naturally go for black but if it were to match my bike and my gear..... I could easily spring for the white.

 

I got those pants that you thinking to get.
They are not white per say, more like silver, very nice. True to size, so if you intend to ride with jeans under get one size bigger.
Legs are ok my inseam 29" if you more then 34" you may need longer legs or it may not close over top of you normal riding boots. I have high boots from A-star and will tuck them in.
Nice quality, will see about riding in 95 degree S. Florida heat. Liner is very worm and watter proof.
Gino

 

I happen to have a friend in this business. HOME

Check out what he offers, not sure if its a good fit for you and what you are looking for for this purchase? But for protection you'll be hard pressed to find better.

 

hey crazyrussian, thanks for your offer and additional info. 36 is too big for me.

i would like to hear how your FS pants flow air withOUT the liner in place, if you have have the chance to use them yet.

PS- are you really russian? i have a friend from minsk, that is oddly enough named leonid.
he is very funny and a good guy. i really enjoy his stories of growing up in the homeland.
his attempts to teach me russian have failed terribly, as im just a backwoods hillbilly.

 

Icon leg armor Icon Field Armor Knee/Shin Guards - Street Bike - Motorcycle Superstore

And shift kevlar reinforced jeans work well for me.Shift Racing Torque Jeans - Street Bike - Motorcycle Superstore