Originally Posted by grbrown

We got so wet one day, travelling about 250 miles from the Czech Republic into Germany, with heavy rain all the way, that while we were dry and warm inside, the exteriors of our riding suits were so wet we had them tumble-dried, so we could set off the following day in reasonable comfort. There ain't no leather suit will deal with those conditions.......

Originally Posted by texashillcountry

You tumble dried canvas or plastic?

Originally Posted by Beemervet

Oh, lemme go check............

Whew! for a second there I thought I had mistakenly checked into the Touring section.

Originally Posted by Jasper86

ive got the harley suit, and it has its ups and downs. when we went to NC a month or so ago, we got caught in a 2 hour monsoon coming through gettysburg. one guy wearing an OLD mock suit, me in my fairly new hiviz suit, and our buddy joe in his carhartt suit (work-provided)

old mock suit got wet crotch, and wet anywhere near a zipper

i stayed dry once I zipped the jacket up all the way...my gaiters works perfectly (below the knees i was bone dry), but the water pooling between my legs on the seat leached through in ~ 15-20min, and ended up looking like a teenager at his first tittybar

our buddy joe stayed BONE dry from the stomach down. his carhartt jacket wasnt set up for riding (mostly around the neck), but the pants worked FLAWLESSLY. im giving some serious thought to picking up a pair of those pants.


i rarely take my rain gear out. I brought it on the trip because we had to ride, rain or shine, to keep on any sort of schedule. even getting swamp ***, it beat the hell out of the alternative.

Originally Posted by grbrown

You're showing your age!

We Europeans routinely wear proper motorcycle suits, which these days are available with various removable linings, plus openings for cooling. Having ridden all year round for many years and in all weathers I can assure you Spanners that Belstaff and even Barbour suits wouldn't keep me dry for more than two winters. Waxed suits wouldn't keep me warm at any time!

I have a Halvarsens at present, which is super hi-tech, but not cheap. It has a UV reflecting outer, to reduce heat build-up when the sun is out, and thermal lining to reduce heat build up inside as well, plus waterproof lining. No lightweight two-piece or overall type of suit will last long, if used frequently, in my experience.

As for Prot's question, in my long experience with over half a million miles in North European conditions, a purpose made modern bike suit is preferable to any lightweight packaway style waterproof. If you are confident of needing it infrequently one may well do, but for long term use look at alternatives.