Your jacket.

[SteveD]

Tell us all what you have, and what you would prefer to have.

I have a few jackets...mostly BMW stuff 'cause they're excellent products, and often good value on ebay.

Leather...2 Stagg (ol' Melbourne manufacturer) 3/4 length jackets. 1 black, 1 brown. Rarely used on the bike these days...more for the pub.

Textile. All waterproof, all with armour.
1. A Tiger Angel gortex jacket. It's light, almost waterproof, can be repaired locally (manufacturer in Melbourne) and is what I tend to wear when it's hot. In a BIG rainstorm where I refuse to pull over, I'll still get a bit wet under this.
2. BMW voyage 2. One size too big...good for bulking up when it's cold.
2. BMW tourance 2. Snug. Maybe too snug but it's waterproof and warm in moderate temps. Waterproof zips work well, but are fiddly.

I'm reading good things about Rev'it gear, being of excellent quality comparable to the BMW stuff.
Aerostich seems to always get rave reviews.

Anyone got a Darien they can talk about? How much are they normally?

[The Veg]

Cortech GX Air mesh. Six years old, been crashed a couple of times including my recent bad one. Even before this recent incident I had decided to replace it before next year's warm-season.

FirstGear Kilimanjaro. Six years old and still hanging in there, but I keep thinking about replacing it as well for a variety of reasons. Good jacket though.

Olympia Recon. Two years old, and in GREAT shape because I don't wear it much. Got it and some compatible pants on sale, then found that they aren't great garments for most of the year in humid climates due to being a rather heavy grade of Cordura with rather minimal venting. Fit is too close for much insulation (or even a heated liner) during the cooler months.

Joe Rocket Reactor. Eight years old, and too small for me now. This one is mesh with perforated-leather sleeves. All dark colours too, so it was still hot in summer (the sleeves positively ROAST!). I guess I keep it around in case of the rare passenger.

Z1R 'police style' leather. That good old 'The Fonz' style with the epaulets and zipper that goes up to one side of the neck with big snaps to close the lapels. It visually clashes with all my other gear and with most BMWs, but I still love it. Got it about three years ago I think and it's just now starting to look nicely lived-in. Too warm for most of the year since it has some thin insulation in it, but it makes up for that by also being useful off the bike since it is not armoured and looks like street-wear.

No Darien though; sorry Steve.

[Major Softie]

Joe Rocket Mesh with perf leather sleeves and hard armor (may be same model as Veg's). Sleeve forearms are designed very tight - If I were anymore Popeye "buff" I wouldn't be able to wear it. It is still warm when stopped at a light, but cools immediately on moving. I hardly ever wear it cause it's hardly ever hot enough in the mountains to need it, but, when it is, I like it.

Technic 3/4 length textile with hard armor, Kevlar pads on the exterior, and zip out liner. Waterproof. This jacket is stiff and fairly uncomfortable off the bike, but feels fine while in riding position. Feels like a suit of armor - also my warmest jacket with really nice tall neck protection. This is what I what I wear for long trips. I think this would be my first choice to fall off in.

First Gear Scout Leather Jacket. I don't remember which Scout this is, they've gone through a lot of redesigns. I think this might be the III. It has the convertible collar that can look like a folded collar or come up high. It doesn't look as "sleek" and sportbike like as the current Scout. I think this jacket was actually made by Hein Gericke? They are owned by the same company, or one was buying the other or something. It has a zipout liner, soft armor, and quite a bit of venting zippers, although no pit zips. It is my everyday jacket, but would be too warm a lot of the time in a warmer climate. I've sprayed the crap out of it with Hein Gericke's waterproofing, and I have a windproof fleece jacket I wear inside it instead of the zipout liner. It's been caught in a couple rain storms and it did okay, but I wasn't in the rain for hours or anything. With the windproof fleece, it can handle nearly as cold weather as the Technic. I was wearing this jacket when the Duc pitched me off at 70 on the freeway. It has a touch of road rash on the back of the left shoulder and the left sleeve. Because the leather is deep dyed, the road rash is hardly noticeable. This jacket proved its worth and I wear it almost every time I ride. This jacket also convinced me of the quality of First Gear products.

[Jeff in W.C.]

My father in law gave me his Darien jacket when I started riding. I find it to be a relatively comfortable jacket (fit wise) and has good armor. However, it's rather stiff at first. The jacket sofened up after the first wash. FWIW, I find my BMW Ralley 2 Pro jacket more comfortable in fit. Venting is marginal at best, but then again that's one of the biggest complaints I hear about Roadcrafter and Darien Jackets. Storage/pockets are good. Overall, I find this go be a good jacket when it's not too hot. When it's hot, there's not a lot of ventilation.

[grant81rs]

Had a boring plain, no armour black "Dri-rider" for about 21 years and I love it, fits my like a bum in a bucket but relised a year back that I should get into the armour thingy a little more, so I brought a new jacket from a mate that imports them from pakistan and yes it has all the pockets, armour, bells and whistles on it, is warmish but also very stiff, sure you get used to it after a while while on the bike locked into that sitting position and when you get off and walk around I start to feel like I have 2 broken arms all plastered up and are in traction.

So only just a few months back I snapped up a very near new BMW Tourance jacket after some good advice from SteveD about them, I got it off Ebay in Melbourne for $150.00 is very very nice and worn once so his mother said, I think she was cleaning out his room so I hope the bloke knew about, I handed her the folding and I bolted down the footpath towards my brothers car anyway his lose was my gain. Fits perfectly, is comfortable and not alot of confusing pockets which I like.....

I'm still looking for a pair of bike pants!!

[Zombie Master]

Pictured is a Cycloak Gortex. the label reads: "No wind, No rain, No sweat"

This is my touring jacket for all conditions. I upgraded the armor when I bought it, and found an "as new" second jacket in a pawn shop for a song. I think they are discontinued. They started out quite expensive and got discounted after they stopped producing them. I have the matching pants. If you can find this stuff I'd recommend the purchase. I have never gotten wet, and it's very breathable with specified waterproof exterior pockets. High quality.

Fist gear Kilimanjaro. I've been wearing this for 12+ years. It's been a very good jacket if not breathable. Zippers are starting to go.

Joe Rocket leather mesh. Great on those hot days. Boxing day special aye! Joe Rocket is mostly cheap stuff.

25 year old leather riding jacket. Looks like I bought a distressed leather jacket. Still very good. For when my Ferrari is broke!