Riding home from work at the weather’s edge — on one side light and mist and approaching from behind darkness and rain. Gut calculation indicated a fair chance of staying ahead of the water and without the need to face the fact that I have the wrong rain gear. The First Gear Kilimanjaro jacket I’ve been wearing in the cold and wet for the last eight years has reached the end of it’s life. The seams are coming apart, the fabric is thread bare, the zippers are broken, and it just doesn’t keep the weather out anymore. That’s not a major issue for short, chilly rides but becomes a big problem when it gets colder.
So it’s time for a new jacket.
By the time I stopped beneath the underpass to let the water run off me and take a picture I was thoroughly soaked. The mist had given way to a steady downpour and I was glad to be within a mile of home. Once warm, I would narrow my choices of jackets.
A replacement First Gear Kilimanjaro jacket was my first stop and probably the last if they had it in yellow instead of the greenish hi-viz yellow. That led me on to more jacket investigations until I stopped on an Aerostich Falstaff green jacket. Functional, looks good with the Vespa, it may be the one. All the reviews saw it’s bombproof when it comes to shedding water. And Steve McQueen would have probably approved.
When I wake tomorrow I see if the Falstaff still feels right and I don’t have to ride with the wrong rain gear.
Assume you went to your favourite Vespa/motorcycle retailer?
And be very thankful you were able to obtain a jacket off the rack so to speak. One of the reasons for stopping riding(among many) was the lack of finding suitable outerwear to use when riding. Full leathers are OK most of the time except for the hot days and now for the wet days.
When the average Aerostich rider is less than my height and my sleeve length is 42 inches, absolutely but nothing fits. Have a Gore-Tex jacket i picked up in Colorado some years ago at a specialty shop for giant people. It has served me well for over ten years however it still sheds most of the moisture and with handmade to my size wool sweater underneath does me for most of my fall and winter outings. Even this last winter when a togue and my gear did the trick.
So enjoy whatever you find suitable and maybe let Junior snuggle up with your old jacket
No, I went online for the jacket. I’ve never found one that fits me in any motorcycle store. Always surprises me how few big pieces there are. And of course the yellow and black combination isn’t real popular.
Good idea about putting my riding coat into service for Junior. I bet he would like that considering the only washing it’s ever gotten is from the rain. Eight years of use would definitely provide his master’s fragrance!
Steve I am paying close attention. I need the very same thing.
David, I pulled the trigger on another First Gear Kilimanjaro. As much as I love the look of the Aerostich it just didn’t seem like a smart move on a lot of levels. I’ll post how that choice turns out.
That looks like a good jacket. I read the user manual in the link and it appears you have to renew the waxing periodically, no big deal of course.
It doesn’t rain enough here to get a dedicated foul weather riding jacket. The froggtogg jacket and generic rain pants I carry are enough usually. I wonder, do you have “warm summer rains” in PA? They don’t exist here in Colorado.
I do like the subdued green color….
We do have warm summer rains here along with chilly spring and fall rains and cold winter rains. Some general protection from rain is in order for three seasons and specialized protection for those long wet rides.
I like the subdued green color too but as Kim pointed out to me –“What’s the safest thing for you?”. I looked for a second at the hi-viz color in the Falstaff but it just looked butt ugly. So another First Gear jacket in on its way.
I always feel my enthusiasm waning while waxing my Filson jacket, so I can’t imagine investing in another garment that requires that much effort. Like applying SnoSeal to hunting boots, you want to make sure not to miss a spot, lest you discover a leak when you need waterproofing the most.
I opted for the Aerostich Roadcrafter last year, and love it. No maintenance, water tight, windproof, and built like a tank. Who cares if Steve McQueen would have approved…it’s just me and the rain out there, and I want to stay dry while riding. I don’t want to huddled under an overpass thinking about Steve McQueen, but riding, watching the rain bead off my gear.
I have an Australian Outback drovers coat that is waxed cotton and I’ve rewaxed it once. Ugh. And it smells.
I considered the Darien jacket as well but at the end of my deliberations I was happy with the First Gear and hope to be happy again. If I hate it when it arrives I’ll look to the Darien jacket.
If anyone is like me – tall and large, 300 pounds or so, or if you have any sizing issues which preclude you from buying off the rack, and if NOTHING off any stock rack fits you correctly; you can do what I have done. . . I sent my measurements to Aerostich, and they took their stock items that I wanted (separate jacket and pants, the Darian as I recall), and they custom tailored them to fit me perfectly. And they do.
I also wear 6E width shoes – but that is another story.
I’ve heard good things about Aerostich and their ability to deal with out of the ordinary needs. Good to hear that you found it to be true.
I like the look of the Falstaff but it sounds like it’s waterproof, kind of like wearing a raincoat all the time. I’m still a fan of the Gore-Tex like material. My Kilimanjaro jacket is now 7 years old and the zipper needs replacing but that’s about the only issue. I still have it hanging in the garage for really short trips when I don’t feel like donning the Roadcrafter.
So have you decided?
I ordered another Kilimanjaro. It functioned fine for 8 years so I’m hoping it will again. Riding so much in bad weather and darkness I decided I should go with a bright color instead of that lovely green Falstaff. Didn’t like the way the Aerostich HiViz looked so that was that.