Call me crazy, but I'm sitting on the couch with the Dariens on over the pants I wore to work today. I left my wallet in my front pocket along with a handful of change. I'm starting to think these actual do fit pretty well--it's just the material that's stiff. There's a 3 week wait for the 36L that I ordered today--but I may cancel that order and keep these.
Today a pair of A.D.1 pants in 36L showed up in the sale section of Aerostich's site. I called immediately to order them and cancel the order for the Darien 36L (which was 3 weeks out). I already have a tracking number, so on Thursday I'll be able to decide between the 34L Darien that I have and the 36L A.D.1. It's getting chillier out, so I'm looking forward to the extra layer (in addition to their protective qualities).
I am still shopping for a pair of inexpensive overpants to get me by until I decide what I really want (Roadmaster, Phantom, Rev it, ???). I ordered a pair of Teknic Sprint pants which were everything that I was looking for, but they were too short and they are not available in a longer length in a 34" waist. I returned them and ordered a pair of Joe Rocket Ballistic 7.0 pants in MED/Long which fit perfectly, but the zipper is an absolute POS and it blew out the first time I attempted to put the pants on. I have ridden in my Cabela's Ultimate Guidewear rain suit, but it flaps in the wind and it doesn't have any armor. I suppose I will have to make a road trip up to the Twin Cities this weekend and see what I can find on the dealers rack.
Darian AD-1 I have the 36L. Full side zipper, only a short bit of velcro. Some velcro at the pockets but I don't want to loose my wallet. Really like em. Notice that in winter here, it's a damp cold. I stay perfectly dry and warm. Cheers. 8 d
Cool. I don't see much here about the A.D.1. Everyone talks about the Darien and Darien Light (and Roadcrafter, of course). My A.D.1 36L will be delivered tomorrow. Based on the craftsmanship of the Darien 34L sitting at home, I have a feeling I'll be quiet happy with the A.D.1 36L. I may need to use the belt, but that'll be OK with me.
If I don't find anything in the cities, I might just have to keep heading North and see what the folks at Aerostich have on hand.
A.D.1 pants arrived today. I like them. There's more room to breathe in them than the 34L Dariens that arrived on Saturday. I'm going to keep them. I think the thigh cargo pocket will be quite useful--it's a ice addition to the standard Darien.
I wear my "Stitch" up to 85- 90 degrees - then its into the First Gear pants and Hein Geriche mesh jacket with optional armour for both. They are cool and easy on and off. Only velcro is around the ankle. I live inTexas, so I wear mesh alot in the summer - they are easy to pull the armor and wash. I rarely use the liners but I do carry them. Check out newenough.com - they will let you return for a different size. .
Easiest on off I've seen is the Dariens. Last about 100,000kms as well. When all the others are dancing around trying to get their pants on or off I'm ready in 10 seconds. I ride with some folks who have BMW jackets and Stich jackets, Kili etc but they have all come around to the Darien pants.
hey, great thread. i own mose expedition gear in white. the pants have regular pockets like jeans and cargo pockets on your thigh left and right side. they are cheap and fit over mx boots. they are 100% water-proof and i have the jacket to match which has zip off sleeves and lots of pockets with a bungee on the chest to pull the coat tight so it doesn't flap down the road. best gear ive seen for the price. ridden in over 40 degrees C and in snow over the coquihalla near kamloops. worked great. one downfall is short sleeves but i ot lots of layering that goes to my thumbs so no big deal for me. check it out.
i just ordered some darien lights. I have to return em for the next size down. I'm in san diego, so I plan on using them as daily riding pants rather than overpants. maybe just because they're new, but they seemed kinda itchy around the waist? Please tell me they get a lot more comfy with breakin? Basically i want to replace my jeans with something with real road rash protection and pads, beyond that I want something as close to jeans as possible. is the darien light the best call?
What about BMW Cover pants? I tried on a pair - it was the salesman's pants, because they didn't have my size in the shop - and found them to be excellent. Snug fitting, easy on and off, and they have good CE certified armour. I wish they had the NP armour, but I think it's still excellent stuff. You do pay more for it than most of the competition, and I haven't had the chance to try on a lot of other pants, but they're good enough to make it onto my wish list this christmas. I'd be interested in anyone's experience with these pants, both good and bad, especially relative to the Olympia or Aerostich stuff.
WTF are you finding FirstGear HT2 britches for $120? Mine cost $180. Great pants -- I crashed one pair and they did their job well, and I bought another pair. But I use them every day, and I am developing a towering, raging hatred for velcro... arrggghh.
My A.D.1s are basically Dariens and I don't find them itchy at all. I wear 34x34 pants and went with 36L A.D.1s. Excellent fit without being too snug in the waste.
