Less is more... Before I drank the proverbial Aerostich kool-aid I too wanted riding gear with more, if not all, the bells and whistles. After several years and four jackets later, I decided to buy and try a used Roadcrafter one piece suit. It took about three days of wearing the RC to understand that fewer bells and whistles is actually better. IMO and for my riding/bike style/choice. YMMV. The main problem I have with most newer designs is that there is just too much crap on the jacket. Too many straps, too many pockets, too many seams, just to much of everything and most is for looks only...not much real functionality; or no pockets. (who needs stinkin' pockets, anyhow?). Riding pants are not so much a problem with the designers going overboard on "too much". There is only so much one can add to a pair of pants. I only have two one piece suits now. An aging RC and a Teiz Mojave (mesh). I still grab the RC even if its 100F for my daily commutes. Simply because it functions so much better than any other suit I have ever tried or owned and I despise having to put on separate rain gear. Are they a few items that I wish were changed on the RC? Sure. I can nit-pick. But overall the RC and most Aerostich branded gear is top notch built with the simple concept: function over fashion. Every rider has a unique shapes, bikes, riding needs, etc that will dictate the type of protective riding gear we choose. Isn't the free market a wonderful concept?
Not to get this too off topic, but if you really think this is their business model we should go ahead and start mourning the death of another gear manufacturer. Of course they want to increase market share. If they're not growing, they're dying. If other high-end gear manufacturers like Klim or Darien are stealing their customers because they make products people want, then Aerostitch's days are numbered. I'm just beginning to shop this kind of gear and I've pretty much already crossed Aerostitch off my list due to the lack of features on their gear. I did like their wide selection and I wasn't as put off by their materials as others here, but for the money I feel like other manufacturers offer a better deal.
Others may disagree, but I think competing against the likes of Klim in the adventure space isn't really their specialty. Commuter gear is - and the RC is king of the hill. If what I wanted was an adventure suit, I probably wouldn't buy from them either. A commuter suit, though... For a commuter suit, what features are so must have that aren't on current-gen RC classics or 3's? Never mind that to compete at a similar price point we're talking the Overland, Valdez, possibly the latitude (A RC classic one piece is only $997, and you'll need pants to go with the jacket). Not the badlands, unless you're comparing a ~$1600 suit to a ~$1000 one. And, just because I like to argue: Klim's base and mid-layers are overpriced. Only about half of the baselayer and midlayer stuff Aerostich sells is
I happened to be in Raleigh for the weekend and stopped by with my son. I got plenty of attention and I am an old fart but it was Sunday morning and they weren't too busy. As luck would have it, the only display of the RC3 was in my size and I tried it one. Some good improvements in terms of weight and waterproofness. I had the same problem with this one as the old one though. Fit good without any layering but the bottom half would be too baggy to get the top half big enough for any winter layering. That was why I switched to a two piece before I quit the 'Stich completely. It will still be too hot for me in summer, which is why it won't be taking the place of my Motoport Stretch any time some. Nice folks and top quality gear as far as I concerned though.
I'm an Aerostich convert by luck. I've been reluctant to order from Aerostich after ordering a Transit suit and finding the sizing off (32" waist measured 34"). Last september I chanced upon a Roadcrafter on Ebay listed as a "Motorcycle Suit". Ended up clicking the buy it now price and paid $125 for it. The suit arrived and was as new, with a build date of 2013, size 40L. Luckily, the suit fit perfect. I've been commuting since September every day in the Roadcrafter. The verdict: I'm sold. So much so that I'd pay $1000 for a new one when / if this one wears out. Haven't ridden in extreme heat yet, but we get little of that in Western Oregon. Haven't gotten wet yet either. The Roadcrafter has completely replaced a Revit Defender suit. No comparison in quality of materials or construction either. And no, I'm not an old man yet (36 years), and I don't ride a BMW (not that there is anything wrong with being old, or riding BMW's).
Probably waayyyyy more information than you wanted... ABOUT THE NAME DARIEN A year after our first Darien prototype was complete, another company came out with a similar three quarter length leather touring jacket called the Dakar. We were anxious to go ahead, but the Dariens final development and introduction had to be postponed because of the success of our Roadcrafter one and two piece suits. Our resources were (and are) limited, so the Dariens release was delayed for several years. The leather Dakar jacket was named after a town in Africa that once was the finish line of a tough race. We wanted a name that indicated the All-American origin of our jacket, conveyed motorcycling adventure, and sounded close enough to the name Dakar to invite comparison. The Darien Jungle is an unbelievably hot swampy area in Eastern Panama of about a hundred miles in length. It is located between Columbia and the Canal. It is considered impassable by any type of vehicle. It is also the last incomplete section in the Pan American Highway (once promoted as the greatest civil engineering project of the 20th Century). It was supposed to be a paved road from Alaska to the bottom of South America. Political changes have made it unlikely that this last missing section, known as the Darien Gap, will ever be completed. A few adventurous motorcyclists have challenged this jungle. In the 60s Danny Liska walked through, shipping his bike around. In the 80s round-the-world traveler Helge Pedersen loaded his R80G/S BMW in a canoe and paddled it thru. So did Ed Culberson, except he spent a bit more time hacking out an overland path for his R 80G/S. Others have gone through, but they all had lots of help from the peoples living in the area. Some riders have died there, as each of these men almost did. All three have written about their adventures. Both Ed and Helge helped test and refine this jacket. So if you like grandiose highway projects leading to adventurous places; if you need a strong jacket for facing extreme weather and unimaginable adversity; then youll understand why we named this jacket Darien. It honors the still-incomplete Pan American Highway and the riders who have challenged its Darien Gap. -Aerostich 2013 Holiday Supplement Catalog ...No bells. No whistles. It just works as designed. (I added the above line)
I think the Darien, CT reference is the better of the two. Especially for those BMW owners that ride to Starbucks.