Rainsuits?

[QSIMDO]

With gas at $3 as of today (I can hear our Brit friends groaning) I'm parking the truck and riding as much as possible, which means a good dousing is inevitable so...your recommendations for rain gear will be greatly appreciated.
TIA!

[yjleesvrr]

I bought a First Gear jacket and pants together for less than a hundred bucks almost four years ago. They are one of the best pieces of equipment I have. Never leaked in this time, have served faithfully for what I estimate is about 8000 miles in the rain during this time without fail.

I also don these when the weather gets unexpectedly cold and I'm out in the middle of nowhere. The fact that they keep moisture out means they also keep the wind out.

[TonyT607]

The BMW one piece rainsuit is pretty good, I got mine on sale for $80 at Cliff's BMW in Danbury CT. Kept me bone dry coming back to NJ from the MOA rally in OH.

Easy to get on/off, fits over gear, has reflective stripes. Packs small.

[dilligaf]

Frog Togs are light, compact and inexpensive, they work well but not great, IMO. I would recomend them for commuting but not for long distance/ touring.

[gelbe Kulter]

At an HSTA event last weekend it looked as though half the people were wearing Frogg Toggs. They go on easily over riding gear, are light and wear well off the bike. My conventional motorcycle rainsuit is such a hassle to put on that I chose to get wet the last 30 minutes of my ride rather than fight with it. Frogg Toggs are now on my wish list.

Frogg Toggs website:
http://216.69.177.125/home.asp

[BobFV1]

I always have Frogg Toggs in my side case when out on the road touring - in fact, I have a pair with me now which I have not had to use on this trip. They are very good for this purpose - helping you out of an occasional deluge. They are not suitable for "everyday" wear as your primary wet weather gear, IMO, because the material is a bit flimsy and with everyday use I do not think it would hold up very well at all. i think they are made out of, basically, treated paper (are you guys old enough to remember paper dresses???) They might say it's not paper, it's some space-fabric from Area 51 or something, but I think it's basically paper...

[Acacia]

Nelson-Rigg - AV 1, 2 piece suit. Under $50, with reflective strips.

One 700 mile ride in torrential, really heavy driving rain for at least 200 miles, the rest in rain - the only things not wet were either in my helmet or sticking out of the suit - feet and hands.

Another ride down the length of TX - 8 rain storms that same day.

Not a drop inside. Cant beat that.

[miekusss]

We used to wear one-piece raingear. But while riding we felt like big balloons!
Now we wear 2-piece rainsuits bought by [url]http://www.louis.de[\url]. They cost about 33 euro for a coat and about 25 euro for the trousers.
We like them much better, this summerhollidays we've rode about 200km with rainsuits in germany without any problems!

[geechie]

Just got a Frst Gear 'Storm' jacket and pants from New Enough. I wanted something a bit more durable than polypro. Seem to be fairly well made and weren't too expensive. Have not, as yet, been given the acid rain test.

Upon looking out the office window, however.... Maybe today.

George

[arkline]

I like (and emulate) Yong's approach. Multi-condition gear. Can't beat it with a stick.

[dallara]

Another vote here for the Frogg Toggs...

Light, tough, easy to compress to pack (I can get my Frogg Toggs jacket and pants into a large ZipLock bag!!!), breathable so their cool, relatively inexpensive, and easy to find...

However, multi-purpose gear is great too, and I have lots of that... From BMW gear to First Gear Mesh-Tex gear with liners.

Just don't forget waterproof riding boots (I use Kochmann's...)

Cheers!

Dallara

[srosenfeld]

The BMW one piece rainsuit is pretty good, I got mine on sale for $80 at Cliff's BMW in Danbury CT. Kept me bone dry coming back to NJ from the MOA rally in OH.

Easy to get on/off, fits over gear, has reflective stripes. Packs small.

I agree. I carry it with me all the time, and it has kept me dry in fairly strong downpours. The only downside is that it can get hot -- so riding in temperatures >80F with the suit on can be uncomfortable.