What brand gear is decent?

[Itchy]

As BBQ attendees noticed I'm wearing gear which is over 7 years old. I was a bit meh to buy some more.

However seeing as traffic will increase exponentially when schools start I thought I might buy some new gear...

Previously it was always HG stuff. Now HG is defunct HG is limited to 2nd hand stuff on ebay which I don't quite fancy but my HG goretex jacket (which is too small unless I wear just a t-shirt underneath). I also don't trust the no-name brands which claim to be waterproof.

My fieldsheer jacket for instance claimed to be water proof. It isn't they simply sprayed it with nikwax and it leaked after a week. Years ago my Akito bone dry jacket proved to be anything but as did a Spada and a Belstaff.


So what is a decent brand which doesn't let in the water?

Thanks
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[DJP]

I've had two Weise branded jackets which have been very good.

The first did 5 years of daily commuting before it started letting in water and I was sufficiently impressed to buy the latest version of the same jacket.

This has now done 3 years and is still water proof.

I've never used their trousers though, so can't comment on those.
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[barrkel]

I'd put Held in the same category as HG; buy cheap and it won't be much good, buy higher end and it's quite good, but only good value if gotten on discount. Easier to get discounts from German websites.

For textiles Rukka are reassuringly expensive and people who can afford seem to think they're good, but of course value for money isn't great.

For waterproofing goretex is a brand I trust, but I only buy stuff with the membrane bonded to the outside layer, like pro shell. I don't like floating liners at all and like removable liners least.

The mass of mid range brands I don't have good info on. I'd trust their goretex stuff, but only because of goretex.
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[Andy_Pagin]

For four years now I've worn the same Weiss jacket and Frank Thomas overtrousers for commuting daily. They're both less than pristine now but for relatively cheap items they're doing well.
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[Papa Lazarou]

Rukka, as mentioned, is hideously expensive but it is the best value for money. My jacket is now over 15 years old (prolly nearer 20) and still perfect. The trousers are 14 years old and like new. I'd have bought several lower priced suits in that time, which would have cost more.

You can often get second hand Rukka gear on Fleabay. Worth a look.

[c-m]

I've been ordering a shit ton of gear over the past few months.

I've found Rev'it, Spidi, Held, Klim, Dianese and Rukka to be good.

I've got a pair of alpainstars gloves waiting to be returned, they are shocking in that all the seams on the inside scratch up your hands whilst wearing them or taking them on and off.

Got some Richa trousers here and I'm not impressed. They're more like the Frank Thomas gear of old, but at a much higher price.

[thepuma]

I tend to buy RST and find them reasonably price and decent quality.

Always Daytona for boots though...always.
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[STONEY!]

Money no object I would wear (and do)

Rukka
Daytona
Shoei/arai
Racer gloves
Forcefield armour

Budget gear get a good look at what you are buying and see what people who already have it say after 12 years in the trade I have learnt you can't just go on reputation.

If you want waterproof its gotta be goretex or an oversuit.

[andyscooter]

Richa jacket I have is now ten years old

Been through the was a few times and still keeps water out
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[andyscooter]

edit due to double post


also the rst gloves I had were absolutely shite

got a pair of spade which have faired miles better
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[Itchy]

Just returned from Darwen to look at Raceleathers shop. It had the Hein Gericke effect their Rukka range.

Went in thought oh that looks nice saw the £1000 price tag on them and quietly shuffled out... once I regained conciousness.
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[scruti]

I found a great price/quality with "Macna".

Their textile quality is great (Macna Geo2 jacket has great details) and I was surprised when I rode in a big storm during... 350kms and the three layer waterproof jacket kept me totally dry while people with Alpinestars/Daines got soaked in some parts of their body.

Since then is my go to brand. I gues is far from Rukka but the price/quality is great.

[-Matt-]

I've found RST good quality and value for leathers - but terrible gloves and boots.

Currently using 'Black' brand gloves and boots which have been very good - but terrible textiles.

Armour-wise, forcefield stuff is very good, but isn't particularly cheap.

If I had the cash spare i'd probably go for Rukka stuff based on all the good reviews it seems to get.

[evilzed]

I use Dainese goretex jacket and trousers they do the job well but are costly, one thing I did notice though they're considerably nicer in terms of build and protection then all my other gear (Black and various other budget stuff).

Unless you're wearing goretex stuff the waterproofing is going to be hit or miss from my experience

[andys675]

dainese or rukka is my choice and really works however it can be bought from the german sites like fc moto a lot cheaper especially last years discontinued models, just need to know your size before buying

same goes for daytona boots, hideously expensive here, can save £100 on roadstar goretex buying from germany atm
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Some people feel the rain, others just get wet.

[Mark65]

I used a Weiss xblade 2 jacket for two winters and its not let a drop through, I've lost weight so its too big now, but will happily get another. For now I use a short rst blade that has done a few showers, I put gortex army jacket on in the heavy rain.
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[Dave70]

[G]

I really like my roadcrafter one piece, but at £400 secondhand (never used), not cheap and a bit of a faff to find one in the right size.

[Kickstart]

Hi

Last jacket I was really impressed with was a Spidi one. But haven't seen a decent length textile jacket from them for a while (if I had I would have bought it).

All the best

K
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[gonzo1]

I commute to work everyday on a bike in every type of weather this country can throw at you.I have an alpinestars gortex jacket and trousers and they have never once let water in anywhere,even on the arse region where you end up sitting in a pool of water if it chucks it down.
The thing I don't quite understand with this type of textile clothing is that the outside of the clothing is like a sponge and gets soaked.Why sew a 100% waterproof liner into a piece of clothing that could soak up the river severn......you stay nice and dry but end up with a soggy suit that takes ages to dry out.
As I said im well happy with the performance of the alpinestars gortex range but I wish the outer layer would shrug off the wet stuff a bit better.

[hmmmnz]

i havn't found a decent jacket in ages,
i bought a hideously expensive rev'it jacket last year to do my 6 week euro trip with, you know the type that bmw "adventure" riders wear all tan and white, stupidly quick to get filthy and more expensive than the combined value on jackets ive bought for the last 20 years.
being a tall guy with monkey arms the fit is great, but ive decided the removable goretex liner is just a pain in the friggen arse.
yes 4 season, but to be 4 season, its all stupid layers.
so thats been relegated to the cupboard.

and im currently using a £40 leather jacket i bought at stormin the castle 10 years ago. that'll keep me going until the winter.
then ill be fucked.

i like the look of some of the rst jackets, but am sceptical of the build quality.

keep us posted on the results of your findings
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[recman]

My 3 year old FT textile jacket is starting to take on water, the pockets have never been much good at keeping things dry. The FT trousers I bought at the same time are long gone.
The RST replacement trousers have been most excellent.
I have a HG Pro Sports textile jacket which doesn't see a lot of moisture but it's still water repellent after two and a half years.
My HG Bullson boots with a Sheltex liner have not let me down yet.

[Llama-Farmer]

RST jackets have done me well... especially if you have RST trousers and can zip the two together all the way round. I've had Paragon 2, Paragon 3 and Adventure 2 jackets, with Slice and Adventure 2 trousers. All RST jackets zip 360-degree with all RST trousers, whether textile or leather or both.

Only once got layers underneath my RSTs wet and they were the socks and the sleeves of my base layer. So could be down to the gloves and boots rather than the rest of it.

Double zip on the jacket (including waterproof/sealing outer zip, with a further velcro flap) seemed to keep out all the water... as far as value for money goes, I think you'll struggle to beat it.


I have absolutely no doubt that a £1500 Rukka combination kit will be better quality... but is it going to be 5 times better than the £300 I spent on my RST kit... I doubt it.
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