Inexpensive/effective rainwear suggestions?

dnorrell · Post by **dnorrell** » Wed Jun 14, 2006 11:11 am

Alright...I am headed up to the Pacific Northwest at the end of next week and Ed mentioned I might take some raingear. Great suggestion. I have the Airglide 2 pants and jacket from Olympia. The liners keep you from getting wet, but they are downright hot because of insulation. I want something - preferrably one piece - that I can quickly throw over my other gear when the rain begins to fall. I know all raingear will be hot (at least the PVC coated stuff) and that's fine - I just don't want something insulated. I also want it to be easier to put on and take off than the liners I have now (which I have to take off the outer layers first...)

Thanks, as always, for the help...

ride1150r · Post by **ride1150r** » Wed Jun 14, 2006 11:13 am

tour master

beemerphile · Post by **beemerphile** » Wed Jun 14, 2006 11:26 am

Frog Toggs (2-piece)

Badger · Post by **Badger** » Wed Jun 14, 2006 11:44 am

Frog Togs cheap, hot and effective

Post by **wncbmw** » Wed Jun 14, 2006 12:34 pm

People swear by the Frogg Toggs. I intend to get a set to go with my Olympia mesh also.

dnorrell · Post by **dnorrell** » Wed Jun 14, 2006 12:53 pm

Sounds like Frog Toggs are the way to go when cost is a factor. I have some older The North Face Gore-Tex stuff, but I don't think it is large enough to fit over my Olympia mesh stuff. Any word on sizing on the Frog Toggs? Should I buy a size larger than my Olympia?

beemerphile · Post by **beemerphile** » Wed Jun 14, 2006 1:02 pm

It's a pretty roomy cut. Probably the same size is fine. I didn't buy mine any bigger. - Lee

Post by **hotzuk** » Wed Jun 14, 2006 3:40 pm

Hey,

I know you wanted something one piece but I have had really good luck with my firstgear rainman jacket and pants. They nicely compress into a pouch. Gave you a link below.

http://www.newenough.com/firstgear_rain ... t_page.htm

Post by **rock712** » Wed Jun 14, 2006 4:51 pm

I just got a teknic 1 piece rain suit for $18.....

Post by **TonyT607** » Wed Jun 14, 2006 6:30 pm

The BMW one piece rain suit is pretty good - $100 if you pay list.

dnorrell · Post by **dnorrell** » Wed Jun 14, 2006 11:24 pm

rock712: where the heck did you find such a good deal??

TonyT607: that is the suit i have been considering...just a bit pricey for me, so i am really leaning towards the frogg toggs. did you get yours below list?

adam

Kazushi · Post by **Kazushi** » Thu Jun 15, 2006 3:34 am

I use UVEX (German made bikewear), they are reasonably priced and very dry.

A full suit which includes Jacket, Pants and Neopren boots would be about 100 Euro.

But I'm not sure if they are available outside EU.

Post by **MikeCam** » Thu Jun 15, 2006 4:10 am

Cheap - few uses before failure - any fisherman's rain suit in the store.

Expensive- Aerostich Roadcrafter one piece. Worth most of the pennies spent.

All good suggestions above.

Army surplus poncho with a wide belt is another alternative.

mechanic savant · Post by **mechanic savant** » Thu Jun 15, 2006 4:22 am

another vote for froggtoggs here

Post by **Boxer** » Thu Jun 15, 2006 9:34 am

Guys...and Gals. On FroggToggs...

I've had them and used them for three years. Here's the good side:
They are compact and light to carry. They also repel the water and wind quite nicely with the crotch vent holes being the weakest link.

The bad side: The repellancy wears out! They are only good for about 2 seasons of riding. My bottom half (the overalls variety) is still in pretty good shape, but the top half gets beat to hell and back with wind and rain and just normal use. Something happens to the material and the outer layer pulls off like some alien material similar to spider webbing lint. Plus if it gets oil or anything like dirt on it, it's pretty much there permanently. I tried washing mine and that may be what ruined it. I don't know. But they DO seem to be a temporary solution.

If I had it to do over I'd just get some Tourmaster of First Gear rain gear and carry that everywhere.

Post by **TonyT607** » Thu Jun 15, 2006 10:31 am

dnorrell wrote:rock712: where the heck did you find such a good deal??

TonyT607: that is the suit i have been considering...just a bit pricey for me, so i am really leaning towards the frogg toggs. did you get yours below list?

adam

Adam, I got mine at Cliff's BMW in CT for $79 if I recall. Many dealers sell the IBM discontinued stuff (or the slow movers) at a discount. I was able to grab an Airflow 2 suit for 50% off at Victory BMW in AZ (pants) and at Ride West BMW in Seattle (Jacket).

If you can secure a part number, Chicago BMW can sometimes get gear although they are not an apparel dealer. They take 20% of BMW parts. That's how I got my Club Jacket.

dnorrell · Post by **dnorrell** » Thu Jun 15, 2006 10:46 am

MikeCam: I wish my wife would let me get a Roadcrafter. Unfortunately, I am certain "Congress" would not approve the funding on that one.

Boxer: Your observation on the Frogg Toggs is very informative. I know that with some of the laminated clothing materials, washing can be destructive to the fabric. Did you use liquid detergent? Sometimes it is better to use powdered detergent on fabrics like that...just a thought. Crotch vents? Seems like that would be a negative as water can pool up on the seat...

TonyT607: I think I will keep my eyes peeled for a good deal like that. I would (for some reason) prefer the BMW because it is a one-piece suit.

Thanks all for the great info...keep it comin'

jfbarron · Post by **jfbarron** » Tue Jun 20, 2006 2:32 pm

Just got a Technic 2 piece rain suit and it is quite good. Cost about 100 dollars Canadian at the local bike shop. Fits well over a riding jacket and keeps the rain out at over 60 mph.

The jacket has a mesh liner and that helps with breathing. The thing about mountain riding is that you can throw this over your jacket and it will keep you warm on the high passes.

The jacket folds up into its own pouch to protect it from rubbing a hole in it when it is in a saddlebag-nice touch.

Post by **sjbmw** » Tue Jun 20, 2006 3:35 pm

I went el cheapo on the rain suit.
FirstGear,
http://www.firstgear-usa.com/fgweb.nsf/ ... endocument

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Inexpensive/effective rainwear suggestions?

Inexpensive/effective rainwear suggestions?

You might want to look into Firstgear Rainman jacket

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