Please critique/advise me on my cold weather & rain gear setup - help needed!

Ok folks....

I ride every single day or night, rain or not, hot or cold, since I have no car. My current pressing issues are cold and rain.

Here is my gear setup:

Top (in order):

Undershirt, scrub top (for work), sweater (regular old pullover), small thermal liner, waterproof (-resist?) liner, Joe Rocket waterproof jacket. Same setup for cold or rain.

Bottom (also in order):

Drawers (bwahaha), scrub pants (again, for work), and blue jeans. If I suspect rain, I'll add waterproof pants over the jeans.

Of course, I wear a helmet, and leather boots and gloves.


When I get to work, I remove the rain pants and blue jeans, as well as the jacket, liners, and sweater, and keep the scrubs, natch.


Here are the problems (in order of urgency):

1) The setup is not really waterproof. I get very wet in the crotch area, even though gear covers that area. I suspect it wicks up, then goes down.

2) My hands, lower arms, knees, and neck can get very cold. Torso and balance of legs are OK. I regularly commute in the very cold (my record cold commute is 27 degrees, add in some wind chill and it's probably in the teens).

3) Gloves are leather and absorb water, so they become icy cold and uncomfortable.

4) Helmet fogs bad during rain, which means I have to keep the visor open some, which lets in rain, which creates additional visibility issues.


What types of gear and or gear combos would y'all recommend to address these issues?

Thank you in advance.

Rich

 

As far as staying warm, talk to people that hunt/fish in cold weather.

The key is always layering, and having polypropylene (moisture wicking) next to your skin. Being wet or damp will lead to being cold, especially if there's a little breeze. Any sort of a thermal product needs to be in direct contact with your skin, and MUST be able to wick moisture away. Cotton, by the way, is not a warm material. You need things like fleece, wool, merino wool.

For 100% water proof-ness, its hard to be a rubber rain suit. They'll block all the wind too. Problem is they don't breath, so moisture can build up next to your skin.

Even though we're motorcyclists, look at retailers such as Cabelas, Bass Pro, EMS, Gander Mountain, etc. And almost all of these places will have closeout sections as well.

There's plenty of talk about (motorcycle) clothing manufacturers claiming to be waterproof, but then the product fails. Sometimes you get what you pay for though, too. I've dropped some serious coin on a Gore Tex type rain suit (bibs and jacket). I've fished in monsoons and run my boat at 60+ in downpours, and never had a drop of water come in.

Look into water proofing material for your gloves & boots. Apply several coats over time. Nik-Wax is a good product, IMO. Make sure you "color test" what you are applying it to.

Try a balaclava. Keeping your neck and head warm is essential to overall body heat.

 

From my own gear set up, get rukka goretex stuff, pricey but worth it.

 

LOL I remember when I only had a Bike for transportation. Going to work in Feb at -20C in snow was not fun but I did have a snowmobile suit that I wore over my work stuff. Used a heated set of ski goggles under my helmet with the visor slightly open so it didn't fog up. People thought I was nuts but made it into work every day. The boss got pissed off as some of the guys that "couldn't" make it in as there was to much snow or to cold to start the car, but when the boss gave then crap because I made it in on a bike they should have had no problems making it in in a car. The other drivers on the way to work at the same time as me got used to me driving the bike and would make room or move over for me to merge into traffic. I would get waves from the regulars.......... Oh to be young and indistructible again..........

 

:wave: Rick what is your budget...? You can spend from $200 to $3000 clamp to get the gears you like.

 

As far as I am concerned, if you are riding for any length of time at highway speed, unless you are wearing a rubber backed rain suit, you are going to get wet. I have not tried them all by any stretch of the imagination but have tried many. Including several Gortex type products and a few actual Gortex products.

The cheap rubber backed rain suits keep the water out...period. True it does not breath. But that actually works in your favor in the real cold weather. Because it does not breath, it also traps body heat inside next to your body where you want the heat to be. Supplement that with Gerbings Jacket liner and pant liner and you will stay warm and dry for extremely long rides. Like I am talking 12 - 14 hour freeway rides in near and sometimes sub freezing temps. I have done that a few times. You can also get insoles for your boots from Gerbings. I have mine in a pair of winter Alpinstars and my feet stay dry and for the most part, warm. In several degree below freezing, your toes will get cold.

Gloves? Buy a pair of winter weight gloves. They are thicker and do not fell as nice as the summer leathers, but a couple rides with those, and you are used to that. Get the gauntlet type gloves. But the first tendency is to tuck the sleeve inside the gauntlet. That is backwards. By doing this, the water runs up your sleeve on the outside then back down inside your glove. Tuck the gauntlet under the sleeve of your jacket. Water will stay out. For the most part anyways. You will need to treat the seams on your gloves quite regularly.

I hear you about the fogging up of the face shield. Tat is a troublesome issue. DO you best to make sure your head is dry before you put your helmet on. And as you have found out, opening the shield a crack when riding also allows water in and that causes fogging. I used to rub a very thin film of dish washing liquid on the inside of the shield. You need to get used to a slight haze to the screen but that really works well for keeping the fog at bay. If you let water run down that film, you need to re-apply. Do so anyways every week or so. Rainex works great for assisting shed the rain from the outside of the visor. The Pinlock system for your screen is outstanding. They are available for just about all helmets. But you need to make sure that when you put the inside film on, the silicon gasket seals tightly against the screen. If air gets in between the film and the screen, it will fog. If you are not aware of this system, the film goes on and off the screens easily and is re-usable. But the pinlock system is not necessarily cheap. Read up on it.

Keeping your neck warm makes such a difference overall it cannot be understated. If you buy a balaclava, get on for motorcycles. They tend to have a longer yoke on the front and back and are far better than the cheap ones you buy at Walmart.

What kind of helmet do you have. If you have a Shoie, you can get a silicon breath deflector that attaches easily in the winter and fits secure around the bridge of your nose and directs your breath downward and out the bottom of your helmet, This also works wonders to help keep your visor clear of fog.

 

I've had a Tour Master, Centurian one piece for 1 season now. For ease of throwing over your work clothes and commuting it is quite good for the money, $400ish. It's strength is it's warmth and does do a good job keeping you dry. It is advertised as waterproof but I agree with Randy on that subject. The thing has to weigh almost 20lbs with the thermal liner in it. For those sub zero days I have a heated vest for under and feel like I could sleep outside in it on a "cold winters night".

 

For riding in cold weather, and I mean anything below 60, nothing beats active heated gear. I do mean NOTHING. No amount of layering is going to keep you warm in prolonged exposure to wind and cold temps. Also, forget the vest liners. Get the FULL SLEEVE heated jacket liner and add the heated gloves to it too. Also, avoid the battery operated ones. Wire it up to your bike and bask in the warmth. With active heated gear there is no need to layer. If you decide to go active heating, make sure you buy the size that is SNUG to your body. No loose or relaxed fit. Once you go with active heating you will NEVER go back to layering.

Next, the only thing that will keep you relatively dry on a torrential downpour is a big fairing AND a full suit rain gear that goes over your riding gear. Cycle Gear sells the Frog Togs waterproof 2-piece top and bottom to keep 90% of your body covered.

 

The company that was inspired by snowmobile suits.. http://www.aerostich.com/

I've ridden all day in the rain and stayed dry in my 2-piece. Expensive, but they will last 20 years.

 

I don't wear any heated gear, but have found the following layer setup to be suitable for any cold weather out here. Base layer is polypros (underarmor cold gear etc) to pull away any sweat or moisture. Followed by strap on knee/shin guard combo. Dainese wave full armor jacket thing. Over that I have a insulated water proof onesie that I believe came out of a Tourmaster suit. Over that I have a set of cheapo Built brand Typhoon jacket and pants that I've pulled the liners and crappy pads out of. Waterproof gortex alpine star boots. Thin nylon balclava. Gloves I have a set of thin glove liners. Followed by waterproof insulated glove.

Aside from the pinlock system, there is also products like the Foggy mask which direct your breath down and out. http://respro.com/store/product/foggy-mask

If you find your boots seeping a bit, a trick you can do is slip some plastic grocery bags over your feet before you put your boots on.

 

http://static.cargurus.com/images/s...ford_explorer_4_dr_xlt_4wd_suv-pic-52844.jpeg

 

My recommendations;

Heated Jacket liner. Will keep you warm. If your core is warm you would be surprised at how warm your hands and feet are. ~$150 w/controller

One or two piece motorcycle specific rain suit. Firstgear, Tourmaster etc. ~$60-$100

Waterproof boots - TCX, Tourmaster etc. ~$150- $200 or use rubber overboots for $15 For example Firstgear makes a set.

I have not had good luck with "waterproof" gloves for extended riding in heavy rain. If you are going for more than 30 minutes try rubber gloves over your existing motorcycle gloves. For example, Firstgear rubber overgloves. Some have tried dishwashing gloves but I think these will work better. ~$15

So I think you can be warm and dry for ~$300.