Recommondation for clothes in December/January

Winghunter

Winghunter

Junior Member
Joined
Mar 21, 2014
Location
Northern Bavaria
Bikes
BMW K 1200 LT - Mod. 99
As some of you have seen, we will do our trip by end of December until mid January. When I check the weather reports I am struggeling what kind of gear we have to wear. Above 25 degrees Celsius, for us as Germans it seems to be hot. But the morning hours seems to be fresh. We also will travel quite a lot within the montain regions.

Would it be wise to wear mesh gear with underlines just in case ?

I can`t wait to start the trip but still 8 month to go......
 
I find it's only really cold early morning before the Sun Comes up. you will be fine with mesh gear with a liner just in case. A thin fleece shirt/jacket would have all your bases covered
 
That time of year is wonderfully cool in the mornings and even 'cold' (tho not to a german january) at night / dawn. Daytimes warm up in the sun, so much so shorts and a T shirt is still comfortable for non riding.

Jeans and a light riding jacket is comfortable ride gear that time of year, once moving theres normally enough airflow its not too hot. Or layer a quality mesh with a windbreaker at night. You very rarely would need liners and 'insulation' just something that can break the wind chill.
 
Forget the liners, use light water proofs on the outside and trousers on the inside. You then have a layering system with many combinations to suit most conditions.
 
I'n my experience the liners on mesh jackets tend to be just a very lightweight close weave nylon that adds windproofing and sometimes waterproofing and will pack away in a pocket of the Jacket. you'd only use it very occasionally. wouldn't need one in mesh pants. I hate riding in jeans :(

The chances of Rain are very slim :hmm
 
Agree with Tim, cheap light waterproofs are the way to go just to keep the wind chill off in the mornings, just make sure you buy one big enough to fit over your riding gear. Worse case just grab some big bin liners if you not fussy about making a fashion statement :D
 
You stay warm by trapping body heat in dead air space. The liners under the mesh jackets have little space to do that. Rain gear over the jacket traps air in the mesh.

For hot days, wear a synthetic t-shirt under the jacket. It will wick sweat away, while a cotton shirt will just stay soaked.
 
The Liner works for me. Just stops the wind chill. I suspect I tend to be on the road earlier than most. Guess it's just down to personal preference. Agree 100% with the Synthetic T-shirt, although all synthetics are not equal ;)
 
I always wear cotton but I agree once wet it will stay wet, I always thought nylon is much warmer than cotton.

Can someone please elaborate why synthetic is better that cotton, is it breathability? If so, what materials/brands to look for?
What manufacturers/models are particularity suitable for the Thai climate?

I was brought up in petrochemical industry, for clothing there was always a concern for fire safety, cotton is pretty fire safe.
What about the fire safety of these synthetic materials??
 
I've just checked the label on a couple of my T-shirts and they are Polyester. They don't seem to hold/absorb water but they wick the sweat away and dry rapidly.
I've got a few by North Face and some by Berghaus. you could literally wear one shirt for a week. take a shower in it and it would dry in 10 minutes. Much nicer for this climate than cotton
 
Any source for these T shirts in CR please Lakota?
 
maybe the sports shop in Central . I got my stuff in the UK. It's more expensive than cotton but they last forever. I have a black one that looks a bit washed out , maybe because it's about 10 years old
 
Maybe an option for the RideAsia branded T shirts:hmm??
 
Thanks so much for your suggestions8-). For me it will be a different kind of riding anyway. Never had to do with a kind of windchill behind the fairing of my old lady:p. Guerss on the Versys it will be a brand new riding experience for me. I guess to ridfe on it will be like riding on a bicycle compare to my LT.8-).

By the way, where can I get the "Ride Asia" shirts ?
 
Brake - you asked this - What about the fire safety of these synthetic materials??

For hi temperature manufacturing situations, natural fibre is best. Synthetics will melt and stick, rather than burn off. Not really a problem on a MC trip.
 
I've found the best system to be:


Skin/ stretchy long sleeved T-shirt



images





Armored mesh pressure suit over that (robocop top)



69472-SIXSIXONE-661-Gilet-VAPOR-PRESSURE-SUIT-2011__55169_zoom.jpg



I'm convinced the pressure suit is the best option for protection in hot climates, where wearing thick leather protection is too uncomfortable. If you wear just a mesh jacket with armor, it is slightly loose fitting. If you crash, just after impact/ making contact with the road, with a loose fitting mesh jacket, all the armor will pushed out of the way by the road so doesn't do its job. Wearing a pressure suit, the armor is held in place {"pressure"!) and protects you better.





Then a quality shell rain jacket/ wind breaker over everything. If you use a quality shell jacket, the decent fabric will give less flutter over 100km/hr



51a2tV5YgUL._SY300_.jpg







This system makes it easy to adjust to the warmer temperatures after mid-day, you just take off the shell rain jacket.
 
Thanks Phil, I also read that the polyester needs to be tight fit for best wicking performance.
Do you use the pressure system for pants too?

Thanks BobS, agree that fire is a small hazard on a bike but I am conscious of safety, better to be safe than sorry. In my work I have met people who's clothes have been on fire and these faces stay with you for a long time. It seems that polyester when tight fit is not so much of an fire issue.

Rudi, the RA T-shirts are "under development", best to ask bsacbob about them.
 
Marcel, have not tried wicking pants / long John's in hot climates but rode with someone who had them and he said they work.


I just wear knee braces under my Klim riding pants.
 
Marcel - a couple things

1. The better wicking capability of tight versus loose really only comes into play when exersizing - not when sitting on a MC. All you are looking to do is get moisture away from your skin to where airflow through a mesh or vented jacket will take it away.

2. Remember that as moisture leaves through the jacket, you will get dehydrated much faster than with a sealed setup. Drink more!!

3. Maintaining fire "safety" by wearing a cotton t-shirt instead of a synthetic one really does not mean much when the rest of your riding outfit is synthetic. Leather and denim all over is pretty warm riding.

4. Another advantage of synthetic t-shorts and shorts is the quick drying factor. You can finish a day of riding, wash them in a sink, and wear them again the next day. Reduces the amout of clothes needed on a longer trip.
 
BobS, I normally wear a RS-Taichi ventilating and armored jacket. Normally I wear a cotton T shirt under it but as I sweat easy I will consider a more wicking under shirt.

I recently bought a pair of Maxler jeans with Kevlar knee protectors, actually the knee protector itself sits in a Kevlar bag and that's the only bit of Kevlar in the jeans....
So I need to reconsider the pants, I also have separate knee protectors that I can wear under a cargo pant.
 
2wheels, how does that pan out for men who's sperm count is not an issue (sterilized....) ???
 
:LOL In that case I will skip the Faraday nut cage.
 
Real interesting discussion about the clothing. Thanks for your participation on this thread. It will help me a lot to choose the right riding gear8-)
 
It's worth baring in mind that shortly after Sun up and shortly before Sun down it's going to be 30+ degrees at that time of year. Rain is virtually unheard of if your riding up north. It can range from pleasantly cool to almost cold out of daylight hours and you can get quite a windchill but who needs to be riding out of daylight hours anyhow apart from Idiots like myself :)

Phil's recommendation of the tight stretchy synthetic top with the pressure suit would be Ideal Off-road or doing some extreme adventure riding but if your just touring normally, then the Mesh Jacket with a not so tight Synthetic T-shirt would perhaps be better. those pressure suits are a pain to get in and out of at a coffee stop or something.
 
Have ordered a long sleeved wicking under-shirt, one size too large just to give it a try. I will order an XL version after I receive the XXL one to compare. They also do underpants but without the Faraday nut cage.......
 
Our youngest daughter went to see a company called Uniqlo at Airport Plaza today and she showed me their Dry-EX T-shirts and AIRism boxer shorts.
This sounds like a decent and affordable baselayer system? She will take me some in XL, will be a tight fit for me but than again it works best when worn close to the body?
 
brake034 said:
Our youngest daughter went to see a company called Uniqlo at Airport Plaza today and she showed me their Dry-EX T-shirts and AIRism boxer shorts.
This sounds like a decent and affordable baselayer system? She will take me some in XL, will be a tight fit for me but than again it works best when worn close to the body?
Click to expand...

I have used their AIRism T-shirts as a base layer / vest for the past couple of years. Light, dry quickly and good quality. I have three in white, two blue and two in grey. The white have discoloured over time so I would go with the darker colours.
 
:giving:CraigBKK, she will bring me grey and blue so I should be ok......
 
These AIRism boxer shorts are really good! They fit just fine and comfortable.
Wash while you shower, hang out and they are dry the next morning.
 
For some time I have been using the AIRism t-shirts as a base layer during my airline travels.
Normally I sweat a lot and my cotton shirts get easily soaked, the AIRism t-shirts wick off the sweat and keep my shirts dry and my flights comfortable.

A quick wash under the shower, they dry overnight in the hotel bathroom and are ready to wear again the next day.
Next trip to Chiang Mai I will need to buy a couple more white ones at Uniqlo.
 
Did the trip to CM two days ago and went to Uniqlo in Airport Plaza to get some more base layer shirts.
To my surprise the selection was much larger than in the past and most shirts were discounted from 390 baht to 290 baht.
Also they have added a mesh type material which was new to me.

Did not get my China visa processed; "sorry we have new rules, come back with a ticket before we can process your multi entry business visa application". So next Monday will be back there for a new application :banghead:
 
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