When you have "waterproof" gear, you have to take care of it, or it will leave you a soggy mess before long.

That means
-Renewing the Durable Water Repellent(DWR)
-Cleaning the garment to keep oils from clogging the pores of the waterproof-breathable membrane
-Sealing seams. Removing worn seam tape and sealing said seam.
-etc etc.

PS. Don't soak a garment with seam tape in HOT water. It can cause the seam tape to lift off. DAMHIK.

Having not actually handled the suit in person, I would bet that the leaks in the vents aren't coming from the zippers themselves, but from the stitching that is going through the outershell, zipper, mesh lining, waterproof membrane, and inner lining. Careful application of a seam sealant(thinned down seam grip is my favorite) on the stitching, and mesh touching the stitching should stop leaks there. If you need more pointers, look for posts by me with key words such as "leak", "olympia", and "AST".

Seam grip is a much better solution to using a DWR to seal stitching, because it will practically never wear out. Applying it is somewhat more tedious than renewing the DWR.

No tips for the main zipper though.

Thank you

Ghazi, I like that blue.....very nice.

and once again thank you MillCreel

^^^ The temperature I use for handwashing my gear is warm, so that I can put my hands into it without burning myself. I also wear a pair of nitrile gloves while doing the washing. Otherwise, the various washes and treatments do a very good job of stripping the oil from your skin, and you will have quite the dry and possibly cracked hands when you are done.

Woe is me......
 

I really want to love this Lombard suit but its not letting me. :baldy

It was nice and warm out today so I decided to go for a nice after supper ride and test the venting system. Well the ventilation worked pretty awesome they were all fully opened except the arm vents were only 5 inches opened.

I pick up my riding buddy in about 45 min. When we take off from his place I pull over and want to close the arm vents. I found this a very awkward task using one arm. I didn't want to take the suit off just to zip those. I struggled and didn't quite close them all the way, I left about an 1.5 inches or so to complete closure.

This is a hiway trip so we are looping back and I want to close my vents because there is a hail storm near us and you can feel the temperature dropping. Damn those zippers are hard to work....I got my arm vents closed up finally, then closed the epaulette vents, then the left chest vent then my right chest vest...... The back of the zip came off one side and now will not close.

Here it is all bent...Why aren't the waterproof zippers YKK??

P.S. I am not a hulking brute....

http://i461.photobucket.com/albums/q...hestZipper.jpg

So I decide not to close anymore vents out of fear. I'm about 45 minutes from home. I'll just be cold. Well I froze.

When I started going again I felt some air coming in from the left arm.....but its closed......I look at my arm and see the zipper NOT closed :huh but the zip went all the way.....so I thought. Well it must have pulled itself passed a tooth (assuming) and now its not lining up. Its doing that I'm pretending to be zipped and unzips itself down thing.....

This is a photo of the left arm zip...

http://i461.photobucket.com/albums/q...tArmZipper.jpg

So its getting colder by the minute because the sun is going down and my left arm vent is getting bigger and air is coming in the right chest vent. I get home, take the suit off and put it on the table to show my wife what had happened. As I'm showing her this, for some reason I lift the flap open on the right epaulette zipper that has been successfully closed and it unzips effortlessly while the zipper is in the closed position. Photo here....Note.....the zipper head is in the closed position but the zipper remains open.

http://i461.photobucket.com/albums/q...etteZipper.jpg

I'm scared to touch the rest of them. SO my wife says...."they should do something about that for you" I reply "Naw I doubt it, there's no waranty on stuff like that, they'll blame me anyway, if they do it would be too time consuming"

SO.......I think I can pinch the one back and then closing it and never using it, the other two :dunno I don't want to bend the zip head again......or would that work????

Does anyone have any ideas how I can fix these. I do not live in a huge centre where there are zipper fixers accessible. I'd have to drive 3 hours to Edmonton. I am considering closing them and caulking them shut as I am leaving on a two week 4000 mile journey in about 13 days...I was hoping to take the suit.

Any help will be appreciated.......okay maybe not help from Trophy Mike:lol3 :poser just kidding..

Like I said in the beginning.....I really WANT to love this suit.

Edit: UPADTE....30 min later.....I am looking at the zippers and as I am trying to pull the zipper back to the beginning it slides off one side and is now bent! In my disappointment I go back to the other zippers to close them and I find another that has been bent. I pull it back to the start and pinch it. That zipper works/closes but I am hesitant to use it.

My wife is sitting there reading her book and says in disgust "that's defective, if they're are a good company they should do something", I just look at her and say "you think this is defective?" and leave it at that.

Yet another UPDATE: 5 min after the 30 min. I was looking on the website and they DO have some sort of warranty. Who'da thunk it? I shall look into this a little further perhaps.....

worry not.
let me clarify here that of all the lombards, jackets and pants sold, the total number of complaints received regarding zippers is 5. so its not a common problem and has shown up in only a handful of suits.

You suit is under full warranty and we will definitely take proper care of your problem. i will be sending you a pm regarding this shortly.

thanks

Sucks about your zippers. It's definitely a two-handed operation for the waterproof zippers; can't just yank on them with one hand.

If you force them, they'll break apparently.

Has anyone tried some graphite lubricant or something to make them zip smoother?

I'm an avid hiker/backpacker and have many waterproof zippers and packs, bags, and jackets. They all perform nicely, I haven't changed my style of opening and closing them.

I shall await.....thank you. My biggest concern is timing as I leave on June 19th.

The Davida British helmets you refer to are primarily for the vintage enthusiast, a niche we still cater to. We are a Schuberth dealer and await to offer their helmets again if and when they ever return to the N. American market. Additionally, we carry Rukka, Vendramini, Vanson, Held and other premium gear. Thanks for checking out our company though it was not the intention here.

I realize you CAN customize the suits for $100. I read your previous post that you make new patterns for these suits. My question was if someone already ordered a 2x or 3x with a 2" shorter inseam, could I order one using their pattern for the normal price?
ac

Hi,
As i said in the previous post, yes serveral customers have ordered a 2xl/3xl with a shorter inseam like the pictures i posted which were of a custom 2xl.
however, you custom order will be treated separately and customization fees will still apply.
thanks

Darn, I was hoping it would have given you the opportunity to offer "short" sizes.
ac

I'm interested in the 1 piece Lombard but I'm really not sure what size would fit me. I am 5'6" with a 36" waist and 30" inseam. Looking at the sizing chart, the large would have me with 33" inseam. Might not be bad while riding but would probably be walking on them. How tight fitting is the suit in the waist area? I was thinking maybe a medium (Since it has a shorter inseam) may be a better choice if the waist is relatively loose fitting. Of course, offering a short size would be the best option. My Joe rocket Ballistic pants are shorts and fit well inseam wise.

Ghazi

Is there an expected date when the this shipment will be going out to customers? Its getting warm out here and I'm needing cooler gear:evil.

Thanks

Kevin

The shipment has left the factory and is on the way to USA. items will be shipped out to you guys as soon as it reaches the factory which should be sometime this week is everything goes smoothly
thanks

what is your chest size?
the waist is pretty adjustable and can be made quite snug.
though the inseam on the med/large might work for you while on the motorcycle, i do think that the suit may otherwise may be too long for your (sleeves and torso). the best thing would be to try on the size closest to yours and get it customized.