Rain Gear

[mcgw]

As a complete noob, I've yet to encounter the inevitable downpour while riding. But, I know it will happen at some point. I should note I live in South Florida which can be sunny all day and then a downpour out of nowhere. What lightweight rain gear do you guys like for warm/hot weather? And how have you handled being in that situation?

[Yorkie150]

I am soooo jealous ---- rain in warm weather...Wish it was like that here in the UK

[Jge64]

Frog toggs work great for Florida.... I keep the jacket in my bike at all times… Compressed in a 1 gallon Ziploc bag.

https://www.amazon.com/Frogg-Toggs-Ultr ... th=1&psc=1

[Docscooter2010]

Due to the British weather being rubbish . We’ve got sleet & snow at the moment , I use Motrax over trousers when it gets wet . Unlike a lot of over trousers they don’t leak in the crotch area . I found them great to keep under your seat in case of heavy rain . Not sure if they are available in the US , got them on EBay . Might be worth a look .

[big bear]

pennsylvania weather is rubbish to i have waterproof lined rain gear to stay warm it also has body armour enclosed in the gear. It keeps me dry i hope i never have to find out if the body armour is any good

[mcgw]

It could be a dud, but I am taking a flier and going to try out some gear from Helly Hansen. They make a lot of gear for sailing. The products I've owned and have seen from them are super high quality. I ordered a jacket and pants. The jacket was $75 USD and the pants were like $43 USD (which I had to splurge on because it was free shipping after $100 USD). The jacket is called ROAM 2.5L (link). It's normally $150 USD, but is 50% off (which motivated me to try it). The description looks promising:

The essential waterproof and windproof jacket for roaming the cities or the mountains.
Weight: 295g
HELLY TECH® Performance fabric 2 5 layer
10,000mm Waterproofness and 10,000gm moisture vapor permeability
100% fabric
Waterproof, Windproof, breathable & fully seam sealed
DWR
High performance featured fabric within a classic, urban outdoor design
Packable pocket





My goal is something lightweight that will protect me in the heat from a downpour here in South Florida. I'll let you know what I think after I get it and try it out.

[BobS]

Any raingear that is "waterproof/breathable" has pores that are smaller than water drops but let water vapor out. If you are sitting on a wet seat water can be forced through those pores.

[mcgw]

Very interesting. I was just reading about this. http://goeast.ems.com/explaining-waterp ... y-ratings/ I'm learning all kinds of information.

BobS, what brand/gear has worked well for you?

[halluinoid]

whatever gear you choose must protect you in a crash

whether its a sunny day, an icy day, a windy day, no matter what, what is going to save you from a broken knee or smashed elbow? rain gear sounds thin to me, its not going to be enough to save you if you fall off your bike

so rain gear must also be the same as your everyday vehicle gear 365 days a year, which Is what I do, I went down to a motorcycle shop in New malden (A3) a few years back, got a very expensive crash helmet, Frank Thomas jacket and Frank Thomas trousers , these are not waterproof but I have sailed through many a rain shower with no problem, I have also come off the bike and been protected by the impact cups in the knees of the trousers and same in elbows of the jacket

you dont get elbow protection or knee protection in flimsy "rain gear" and riding without is just reckless, if you think the day will never come that you get thrown from your bike you are just kidding yourself

[mcgw]

whatever gear you choose must protect you in a crash

Great advice! I always check the weather before I scoot, but I wanted something in the event I get caught in an unpredicted downpour. I bought the Helly Hansen jacket to throw on over my riding jacket (which is a Dainese Bora Air Jacket with a G2 back protector). I'm on the Frank Thomas site now checking out the trousers.

[Mel46]

I once lived in Jacksonville and the weather was great until it rained, which could come out of nowhere. When it rained there you couldn't see 10 feet in front of you. That weather was very weird. I drove/lived in many different parts of Florida and never came across any weather patterns so strange. Now I live in Atlanta, Georgia and see some of the same strange weather patterns.

Well, at least the weather is not as bad as what Tennessee has been getting! I really feel sorry for those people. They seem to always get the bad end of the weather.

[salsa]

We were on a trip a couple of years ago and encountered a sudden downpour in the countryside. We thought we'd make it to the next town before it hit, but didn't. With all my riding gear on (except wearing jeans instead of armored pants) my legs were soaked before we found a safe place to pull over and put rain gear on. Since my rain pants had elastic at the ankles, I couldn't easily get them on over my boots, which also were muddy from stopping on the side of the road. I finally gave up and eventually my jeans dried out. Now I know that my rain pants should NOT have elastic in the bottom.