Hot weather ATGATT solutions.

Yeah, for the most part I think mesh only makes sense from around 80-95, and then only for short sprints at 95. In some places, like the middle of NC, that means mesh works for a substantial part of the year. In other places mesh might be a waste.


If your mesh jacket has chest pockets (like most of olympias do), try filling them with ice at stops - works much like soaking your shirt.

I have an evap-o-dana, it seemed generally helpful at 95, or 95 on blacktop (so probably 100 or more), but I think it would really shine in higher temps, as any time I hit a pocket of cooler air the evapodana felt like it was blocking it.

when its 95+ i have under armor loose fitting tee shirts. I drench them with water for evaporative cooling and keep my sleeve vents open. I rode into Las Vegas last year it was 100 as a rolled in but the cooling worked. You have to keep the jacket venting cut down or the shirt will dry out too quickly and you'll be looking for another gas station with a clean bathroom sink.

A vented (NOT MESH) jacket with a long sleeve polypropylene shirt soaked in water for temps over 90. About an hour of comfort until a re-soak is needed.

Temps 70-90 a mesh jacket works well.

I rode last summer with double front carhartts and Thor MX knee/shin guards. Worked great for me.

Using a Roadcrafter suit for two decades, in Texas, taught me the value of ventilation and evaporative cooling. I would soak that thing with water at every stop during peak temps to help keep cool.

Finally sold that suit after it "shrunk" on me. (if ya know what I mean, and I think you do . . .)

After much research, looking for something that would work year-round for commuting (wearing office clothes underneath), long distance touring, and adventure touring, I selected the Motoport Kevlar Mesh jacket and pants.

They have armor in more places than most, are several times tougher than leather for both abrasion and seam strength, they breathe extremely well and despite my suit being black the material does not absorb heat.

The matching waterproof liner does double duty to make the suit work in cold and wet weather.

This is probably the last suit I'll ever need to buy, unless I just wanted one of their Stretch Kevlar suits (the only non-leather suit ever approved for road racing).

The Kevlar weave (Mesh and Stretch vesions) doesn't melt when sliding along the pavement the way most other manufacturer's materials can. Aerostitch cautions wearers to cover the skin with a natural fiber layer because of this melting issue. I'm sure that many others don't even go that far to warn the customer of this potential problem.

For hot weather I have found nothing better than wearing this flow-through suit and very little underneath.

well the elbow armor stitched into the double front didn't work. The armor rode up and didn't sit where it was supposed to.

I bought some EVS Option shinguards (about $20) pair
http://www.evs-sports.com/product/knee-protection/option-kneeshin-guard-2/

They fit great and you forget you're wearing them very quickly.

Took the bike for a 40 min ride around town in traffic to get the bike good and hot. With the knee pads under Carhartts and my mesh jacket, the heat off the motor/rad was noticable but not uncomfortable. I even got a little chilled down by the water, but it wasn't exceptionally hot today either.


I think I've found my solution for my lower half. My armored shorts are on back order so I'll probly stick to the kevlar until they come in.

In temperatures over 95 full mesh will make you hotter, whether or not it costs as much as a cheap used car.


If you want something like jeans with armor, I'd try hoodjeans - they have velcro to stick armor between the denim and kevlar layers (so you can remove it at your destination), and have some of the best kevlar coverage of any kevlar jean. http://www.hoodjeans.co.uk/

I wear Bohn Armor's Adventure Pants under my jeans year-round. Those double-front Carhartt's look pretty interesting though. I had a First Gear mesh jacket, but my dad stole it. I've also got an NForza, but it's getting too hot for it now. What I really want to get is an Olympia Airglide 3 jacket, but that will have to wait until I sell some more Breezy Brigade gear.

Speaking of which, I'll have a new long-sleeve t-shirt in July made specifically for keeping riders cool. My buddy over in Japan is working on it now.

I wear scorpion cool rod mesh jacket (last years model) and scorpion duece pants (mesh). Held air gloves. Icon field armor boots. Some cheap full face helmet.

I avoid traffic in the summer. Above 95 or so, I am hot no matter what my speed, and peeling off that mesh gear does not help. I actually got chap from flapping shirt in the wind without the mesh jacket last summer. So I just wear the mesh, always.

Make sure you drink enough water so that you can piss, and it is not dark yellow piss.

That's well worth a repost, thanks Phork...

Very well written, motorbike specific, and thoroughly informed. If you haven't already, do read it.

You may want consider a camelbak filled with ice and water. Wear this UNDER your jacket. Provides cooling and hydration.

From the link posted above:

Conventional wisdom is that mesh riding suits are best suited for such conditions because they maximize airflow over the skin. However, for the reasons explained below, maximum air flow is not what you need under these conditions.

Above 93°F, it’s a different world. The wind is no longer your friend.
For long distance riding in temperature higher than 93°F, you need to
(1) minimize your body’s exposure to direct wind blast;
(2) wear wicking undergarments, including a helmet liner;
(3) carry an adequate supply of cool water and drink frequently; and
(4) insulate any parts of your body expos



I take it a step further and wear a soaked shirt under my VENTED (not mesh) Jacket. ​

If you're looking for jeans, Aerostich sells some now. THey have arborwear pants, heavy Carhart style canvas pants with double layers in the lower front legs and seat, and optional knee pads, and they sell a style of denim jeans with designed in pockets to fit knee pads in- when you get where you're going, you can unzip them and pull the kneepads out in a few seconds.

Aerostich Protekt Riding Jeans

Aerostich Arborwear canvas pants

Not that either of those will feel like an awesome "hot weather" solution.

There are also new RoadCrafter Light and Ultralight suits for urban riding.

Personally, I've got some Olympia mesh gear that I'm pretty happy with for what we call "hot weather" in Oregon, which is anything above 80F.

That's hot? :huh

We get those temps in December!

He did say Oregon.

I use both firstgear and olympia, and neither really is significantly better than the other. FG actually has more budget priced (and budget quality) items than Olympia does.

They are in the same category with their top-end stuff.

Sidi for boots, Spidi is a different company.

You need to have a budget in mind or you're going to get suggestions for $1k jackets on up. If that's fine with you, then roll on.

I had Olympia gear in my crash. It performed exactly as desired. There was not a scratch on me and the back pad prevented my spine from being snapped.

I replaced it with the BMW Airshell. I prefer this jacket because I got the optional back armor and it is clearly a more rugged piece of kit. There is more cordura and stiching seems a lot more robust. The mesh doesn't look like it will burn through as quickly, although that wasn't an issue with my crash. Still, I would not hesitate to use Olympia again.

When I was doing research for riding gear one of the things I kept seeing in post-crash testimonials on most of the gear were statements regarding "I replaced it with . . ."

that was up until I read the testimonials on the suit I purchased. These were different.

The owners raved about how the gear survived, or, was only cosmetically damaged, and in the worst cases may have needed a small repair. This was completely different from everything else I had reviewed.

I rather liked the idea of not having to sacrifice a suit should a get-off be in my cards.

It's also nice, when the Kevlar weave won't burn through at all in a slide, not having to concern myself about how quickly will the nylon mesh or Cordura burn through.

I really don't understand why more manufacturers aren't using materials better suited (pun intended) to the purpose of the gear.

The suit I wear will protect me and survive. Even if I do manage to damage it, the manufacturer will repair it.

Considering the cost of protective gear, what are the advantages of paying a premium price for a one-time-use item?

Regardless of what anyone purchases, this Save Your Hide page is worth a read, just to better understand the materials used in various gear out there.

You should read the "hot and humid motoport review" thread.