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Mesh jackets - User experiences sought

10K views 21 replies 15 participants last post by  Daboo 
#1 ·
Hi

So I live in a cold climate (Scotland) and all my gear is on the warm side. But this year I'm doing two weeks riding in August and September in southern Europe, ending with a ride from Nice to Malaga. It's going to be hot. I hope.

I've seen these mesh jackets, and the question is do they work? I tend to be comfortable on the open road with the gear I have, but boil over in towns when speeds drop, or on very scenic roads when I'm travelling below 45MPH.

How effective are these jackets in temperatures around the 30deg C mark? I'm interested in the Rev It Levante but would consider anything.

If you a mesh jacket I'd like to hear your thoughts.

Andy
 
#2 ·
Like you Andy I need a summer touring jacket. Just taking out the linings doesnt work for me, I end up riding with it open to the front and flapping in the breeze.
I have seen air/mesh jackets with lots of opening flaps to allow air to circulate. I read that a lot of US guys wear wicking vests and soak them first to cause and evaporative effect.
I must try that to find out how long it lasts. I suppose tipping a bottle of water over you will help refresh it.
I will watch this topic with interest.
 
#3 · (Edited)
I have had the the Revit Tornado mesh jacket and mesh overpants since 2012. Very effective in hot and cool weather (with the accompanying waterproof and breathable liner). I've done lenthy tours in temperatures ranging from 10C to 40C degrees.
 
#13 ·
I second the Rev'it Tornado mesh jacket. Plenty of cooling and from experience I will confirm that the liner is absolutely waterproof!. My husband has a mesh Olympia jacket and we both have mesh Olympia pants. The liners in that gear allow some moisture to get through in a torrential rain. I had those pants before I discovered the Rev'it. I will be purchasing the Rev'it pants soon.

Other points, the Rev'it jacket has a lot of mesh. The back is also mesh and the back protection pad has holes in it to also provide cooling. The neck closing has a little hook if you want to pin back the neck closing for additional cooling.

As previously stated, I also recommend wicking undergarments (bottoms and top) regardless of the temperature. They work in both hot and cold temps to keep you cool/warm and dry.

We just finished a large tour through weather that varied from 9 deg C in torrential rain up to 43 deg C through a desert. I was comfortable with this jacket through the entire trip.

Sent from Motorcycle.com Free App
 
#8 ·
Andy I had a similar problem to you. A few years back i bought a Hein Gerricke Gortex jacket on a recommendation. It has waterproof zips the full length of the arm, across the back and also diagonally across the chest. In Spain last year it was OK even in town (obviously without the liner).

Although HG are no longer made, I'm sure there are other jackets out there with similar features.

Try looking for back issues of RIDE magazines summer jacket tests
 
#9 ·
I bit the bullet and bought a mesh jacket last summer.

Biggest question is why had I not done it before once moving it feels like you are riding in a t-shirt.

It's made by Rev'IT I've even rode through showers, but in heavy rain you will get wet - very wet (but it dries quickly). I've kept my old waterproof lining from my old jacket which I can slip on if I can be bothered.

I like it so much I bought another Rev'IT jacket with the waterproofing built in not detachable which is working great this Winter. See my very old post "Are all textile Jackets Rubbish in the Rain" http://f800riders.org/forum/showthread.php/22091-Are-all-textile-jackets-rubbish-in-the-rain about what I thought of my last Rev'IT jacket but the liner has come in useful, I binned the the jacket.

Next thing I will buy is textile gloves even though I use unlined leather gloves all year round (that's' what heated grips are for) that are ventilated, my hands still sweat and get uncomfortable, probably more noticeable now the rest of me is not dripping in sweat.

So BottomLine - JFDI you will not regret it in hot weather.
 
#12 ·
A good mesh jacket with vents helps a lot. I have an Olympia Moto Sports. But what made an even bigger difference was getting good base layer wicking clothing. Unfortunately, Twisted Core has gone out of business, but you may be able to find equivalent stuff. Got me through nasty 101F heat last year on my way home from North Carolina. Was I "comfortable?" Hell no, but except for being stuck in a few traffic jams where I roasted, it was bearable, unlike without the base layer.

-dan
 
#15 ·
Yesterday I bought BMW venting suit for me and GF. It looks like it's made for 30+ temp, very comfortable and quality build.

Im going on vecation here in Croatia for 3 week, temp. should be 35+ and without venting suit I would be like in sauna all day.

I have Rukka suit and when I remove all lining and open all the vents it's damn hot above 27-28C.
 
#16 ·
I've just bought a BMW venting jacket in a sale at my local dealer - I had fancied one before but couldn't fork out the dosh for something I thought I would only wear very occasionally. They only had a size 56 (I'm normally 52) but it fits fine on the shoulders, arms and chest - just a bit big around the gut/waist which makes me wonder about the target market [:D] Around town it's fine at anything above 20C with just a light short sleeved shirt underneath. I haven't tried high speed trips but I should think a light windproof/insulating layer would keep it comfortable until the temps rise above 25C.

Despite having shoulder, elbow and back armour it's also quite packable, so I'm going to take it with me on my trip to south west France.

They didn't have the trousers in my size but BMW rider trousers without the liner and with vents open should be fine for me.
 
#17 ·
I bought a Furygan Discovery mesh jacket last week and have ridden a few times temps 20 - 24c also got caught in a light shower which it seemed to cope with, jacket cost £120 but has good D30 armour (shoulder & elbow)

Very happy with this choice

Den
 
#18 ·
I did a lot of shopping for a mesh jacket last summer. I finally settled on the Sedici Arturo Jacket. Like everything else at CycleGear, wait to pick it up on sale. If it isn't on sale today, it will be in two weeks. :)

Here's some of what I noticed in it and others.
  • First, I liked the color. Many mesh jackets are in black. Why would you want the hottest color made to wear in hot weather? This one comes in a very light gray. Doesn't show dirt, yet doesn't pick up heat when stopped.
  • The armour is CE rated. It didn't come with a back pad, but I used a back pad from an Olympia jacket I wasn't using.
  • The mesh material is suspect...but so is everyone else's. They all use a term for their proprietary material, but there's no way to know which is better? Or if any will hold up to a fall. CycleGear's Sedici mesh didn't seem any better or worse than anyone else's.
  • The details on the Sedici Arturo jacket are well thought out. The cuffs have a very nice feel to them and offer some adjustment to either leaving them open for max airflow, or making them tight enough to fit under the cuff of your gloves.
  • Lifetime warranty on Sedici products. Just walk into your local CycleGear and exchange the item for a new one. No questions asked.
  • Price was sweet at $99 on sale.

I wear mine under a Hit-Air airbag vest. So even if I do go down, there's an additional layer of protection in the airbag vest, yet I get the airflow still.

Chris
 
#19 ·
My coolest and warmest jacket is one and the same. In the warmer months I just zip out the quilted liner and if I definitely know it's not going to rain I also zip out the water proof liner. For me, mesh jackets work. February was a killer with a few weeks in the high 30s to low 40s.

I have an Australian made Dririder Nordic II which works quite well. I've ridden in 35 degC temperatures and found riding tolerable. It gets to a point when it's so hot here, I just don't bother riding.

http://www.dririder.com.au/all-products/nordic-2-jacket

This week I going on a mid autumn run. Starting off on the coast then heading up into the alpine regions for a few days. Should be a good test for my jacket.
 
#20 ·
Do you find you dehydrate when just the mesh is open to the 34-40C temps? At that temp, I've read that your perspiration doesn't cool you down anymore. It evaporates before it gets a chance to. So your body actually heats up from the air flowing over you.

Chris
 
#22 ·
There's some really interesting articles written on the subject by people who know far more about it than I do.

Here's a link to a PDF by the IronButt riders.

Long-Distance Ridingin Hot Weather
http://www.ironbutt.com/ibmagazine/IronButt_1002_62-66_Hot.pdf

Here's a link to an article titled written by David Hough.

When You're Hot, You're HOT!
http://www.soundrider.com/archive/safety-skills/when_youre_hot.aspx

Here's a quote that always catches my eye in the beginning paragraphs of his article:
The ride south over the Siskiyou Mountains from Oregon to California started out cool enough. Up at 4,000 feet, it was chilly enough that I was glad I had added the jacket liner and neck warmer. But a hundred miles later, as I descend down into the Sacramento Valley, the temperature begins to soar. By the time I reach Oroville, the temperature signs are flashing 118 F. It's another hundred and fifty miles to the rally site at Mariposa in triple-digit temperatures.
A rider passes by in the opposite lane, jacket bungeed on the back, bare chest exposed to the hot blast. I wave, but there is no response. His exposed skin is red, and he doesn't even appear to have noticed me, a bad sign that he's on the fringe of heat exhaustion. I don't wish any problems on a fellow motorcyclist, but there are lots of riders who have to contribute to the statistics before they crack the code.

To continue the ride, I go into hot weather survival mode. Full riding gear, including riding pants, leather boots, and gloves, and a knit neck "cooler" saturated with water. As quickly as the fabric dries out in the blast-furnace wind, I flip the faceshield open, squeeze a gusher of water down my chin, and slam the faceshield shut again. The water dribbles down to wet the neck cooler and my shirt inside the jacket. About 10 seconds after the water penetrates the neck cooler, it cools from evaporation in the hot air, and sucks some heat out of my neck.
10 Hot Weather Riding Myths - BUSTED
http://www.soundrider.com/archive/tips/10_hot_weather_myths.aspx
 
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