Inexpensive hot weather gear for Arctic transplant to Phoenix?

I just moved to Phoenix, I ride to work almost every day, and hope to get some good long-distance trips in around the area. But my current gear will be WAY too hot in the summer. (Tourmaster Jett jacket and Overpant pants; also need new summer gloves, lost the last pair I had.) Especially given that I grew up in the Arctic and used to ride a snowmobile to work. And my treasurer (i.e. my wife) keeps the purse strings tight.

So I figure I need summer gloves, mesh jacket and pants, and probably one of those evaporative vests. What's the best out there for, say, $30-50 for the gloves and around $200 for jacket/pants, that would be OK for both commuting and long-distance rides? (I'm looking at a lot of stuff online, but it's hard to tell whether X is better than Y or vice versa, even after reading reviews.) And which of the evaporative vests works best? (They all seem to be in the same price range, $30-50.)

When it is super hot I ride with a pressure suit with a Joe Rocket textile, with the armor removed. Pressure suit will save the bones and the textile jacket will have to do abrasion resistance for the first crash - not that I am planning on it - knock on wood. There are pricey mesh systems like the Motoport gear. Klim makes some nice pants in different price range. I got the Mojaves and some CE armor that straps to the knee. Check out the flea market for gear in your sizes here on ADV.

I would look in the Fleabag area here and get some good used stuff. (well maybe not gloves) I bought a new Scott TP something adventure jacket on Ebay...list was $495 I got it for $295 and I swear it had to be made in the same factory as the BMW Rallye 3 jacket. It has the same armor, tons of vents, zip out Gortex liner, lots of pockets and it looks awesome. I found the pants for $150. So I got a $1300 suit for less than $450.

Excuse my ignorance, but what's a pressure suit?

It is a stretchy mesh jacket that has all the armor built in. It is REALLY open. Personally I think you have to wear something under it or you will have chaffed nipples at the very least. They are hard to wash...I bought one for $180 and ruined it the first time I put it in the washer, tore the hell out of the mesh and the elastic straps.

Stop by GOAZ and buy yourself some LD Comfort top and bottoms and wear them under a 3 season jacket for long rides. I wore mine under a Rallye 3 jacket all last summer fot rides over 1 hour. I just wet the sleeves every hour for a nice cooling effect. For commuting around town, a used BMW Venting Machine or Revit Air jacket will keep you from overheating. I bought both of mine used on the FM and eBay.

BMW Venting Machine gear for around town. For all day or long distance you need to button up tight (no mesh gear at all) otherwise you can't replace the water fast enough from evaporation. When temps soar over 110F I use my one piece Aerostich and fill the pockets with ice. I'm very comfortable for nearly 2hrs.

Gear? Here is how most Arizona rider deal with the heat!
And it is relatively inexpensive, not sure how much the underwear cost.

Richard I can't believe you posted a photo of yourself.

Correction- yeah I meant mesh when I had said " textile". Fox sells a pressure suit for about $150 or so. Not as bitchin as the Six Six One or the Leatt but not as spendy either. And yes, one of those nice T shirts underneath, the kind with no seams or tags feel nice. Haven't tried the cooling vest thing yet but it's on my list of things to do. You will see people riding with Camelbacks, even with the fancy Italian race leathers. The wind just strips the water off your body so fast you don't really feel like you are sweating. I've had to cut a couple rides short because I forgot to bring water.

If you will be commuting or riding long distance in Summer, I'll go against the conventional wisdom of full mesh gear, but recommend something that has vents you can close. When I used full mesh, I found I would dehydrate rather quickly with hot air constantly wicking moisture at high speeds. Something with large zippered vents or mesh panels that you can close would be better as It allows perspiration to better cool the skin befor evaporating. Full mesh will feel like a hairdryer on your skin at 65 mph and offers little cooling. For low speed offroad work, full mesh works better.

+1 If you ride (street/commute) in dry, hot weather for long enough you will eventually learn this.

U soo00 funny Rich. i buy da 6 packs underwear from wal-mart for $6.99+tax that should last me the whole entire riding season, the cool thing is they come in different colors no yellow though to match my Suzi ..
Here's a full body armor jacket for whoever needs it.

Motorcycle MX Full Body Armor Jacket Spine Chest Should...


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I got a evap vest you can have. I've been spending my summers in AK and don't need it. I'm in west valley. PM me for it.
Neil