Wilsons Sandbox

At 08:27 PM 11/17/00 +0000, Don Detloff wrote:

>I'm starting to put together a wish list of things to get over the >winter and wonder what the advantages/disadvantages are of a Darien >jacket and pants vs. the 2 pc. Roadcrafter.

Have you absolutely decided on the Aerostich brand? I've always felt that the engineering of the Motoport is underrated. Stuart

But you don't feel Motoport is as good as RiderWearhouse stuff, do you? Of course you don't. That's because it isn't. Andy's elves make the best stuff. Hence, everything else SHOULD BE rated lower. Chris Lawson 2-piece RoadCrafter with 75,000+ miles and fading nicely

Have you absolutely decided on the Aerostich brand?  I've always felt that the engineering of the Motoport is underrated.

===Orig Mess=== I'm starting to put together a wish list of things to get over the winter and wonder what the advantages/disadvantages are of a Darien jacket and pants vs. the 2 pc. Roadcrafter. Seems like they would be similar. Are there any differences that would make one a better choice over the other? Don Detloff Fair Haven, MI A14 ===End Mess=== To preface, I am in the same boat as you: I own neither, trying to choose b/w Darien and RC. I've asked lots of people (and lists) the same question. Here's what I've heard. Aerostich claims the Darien to be waterproof; they say the RC is weather resistant. Word of mouth indicates the RC is *very* weather resistant. Many have done hours of heavy rain riding with no leakage. Few claim zipper leakage, especially crotch area of the one piece (RC). Have heard nil leakage reports of the D. Insides of pockets, however, can get wet. I think someone else already mentioned the D is bulkier, has no ballistic material, less abraision resistance, etc. Someone who owned both (D and RC 2pc) said he liked that the D had a good belt: if he stopped at a restaurant and unzipped the RC 2pc he'd have to hold up his pants! I am aiming to make a trip to Duluth and get custom fitted. The 10% (?) discount for buying in person will offset any custom cutting fee I may encounter. I am 6'4" and not quite 160 lbs. Off the rack often doesn't work for me. If I'm laying down this (for me) mind boggling amount of cash, it's gonna fit right! Get their catalog (www.aerostich.com I think). It's a fun read. Good luck Chris Elledge Roanoke VA ST1100 KLR650 - shopping __________________________________________________ Do You Yahoo!? Yahoo! Calendar - Get organized for the holidays! http://calendar.yahoo.com/

> I'm starting to put together a wish list of things to get over the > winter and wonder what the advantages/disadvantages are of a Darien > jacket and pants vs. the 2 pc. Roadcrafter. Seems like they would be > similar. Are there any differences that would make one a better choice > over the other? > > Don Detloff > Fair Haven, MI A14 > ===End Mess=== > > To preface, I am in the same boat as you: I own neither, trying to > choose b/w Darien and RC. I've asked lots of people (and lists) the > same question. Here's what I've heard. > > Aerostich claims the Darien to be waterproof; they say the RC is > weather resistant. Word of mouth indicates the RC is *very* weather > resistant. Many have done hours of heavy rain riding with no leakage. > Few claim zipper leakage, especially crotch area of the one piece (RC). > Have heard nil leakage reports of the D. Insides of pockets, however, > can get wet. > > I think someone else already mentioned the D is bulkier, has no > ballistic material, less abraision resistance, etc. > > Someone who owned both (D and RC 2pc) said he liked that the D had a > good belt: if he stopped at a restaurant and unzipped the RC 2pc he'd > have to hold up his pants!

I have both the Roadcrafter is much stouter, not as weatherproof, and not as flexible to extremes of weather. The Darien is looser fitting, more waterproof, and warmer in the cold and cooler in the hot (being looser you can add more layers, being lighter and better ventilated it is cooler). My advice? Order both after sizing them as carefully as you can and know that you're going to pay $15 in return shipping costs when you decide between the two. You can be up front with them about this. They don't mind. Kurt (BTW, if you go with the two-piece get the "bib" attachment so your pants stay up)

At 04:52 PM 11/17/00 -0500, WSCHASE@... wrote:

>In a message dated 11/17/2000 1:45:37 PM Pacific Standard Time, >heaslet@... writes: > > the engineering of the Motoport is underrated. > > Stuart >> >Yes Motoport is good gear but Aerostich is the BEST! I have tried Moto and >Joe Rocket and there is night and day difference. Also consider 'stich can >repair and rebuild crashed and damaged suits and their customer service is >second to NONE!

In my humble opinion, Motoport offers the exact same service as 'Stich. Even when my suit was stolen, Motoport came through inside of 20 hours with a brand new suit. I don't know which Motoport you used, I am referring to the Ultra II gear, not the lesser items. I agree Joe Rocket is not a contender in this. The advantage of the Motoport over the 'Stich is that it breathes better in very hot conditions, and has additional armor the 'Stich does not have. The Motoport uses an uncoated Cordura shell over an inner waterproof thermal liner, the 'Stich maintains a water and vapor proof shell over its thermal liner. The latter approach holds more heat and perspiration in hot conditions. For versatility, I use the Motoport in the hot thunderstorms and heat of South Florida, and have used it in sub-freezing weather in the Arctic, over 40,000 miles in less than two years. At the risk of alienating 'Stich customers, I'll reiterate that Motoport engineering is under appreciated by the market because people don't understand it. And I submit that the long wait time for 'Stich suits is due to Andy's superior marketing skills, not necessarily superior engineering. But, it's like Windows vs. OS/2 - Bill Gates sold everyone on the former because of the marketing, even thought OS/2 in inherently a better product. (I still love you, Andy ). Don't get me wrong. I buy lots of 'Stich stuff like tank bags and the like. It's a great company, with great quality. But they need to break away from this slavish insistence on bulletproof shells that don't breathe. My two cents... Stuart A12

At 04:56 PM 11/17/00 -0500, LawsonCL@... wrote:

But you don't feel Motoport is as good as RiderWearhouse stuff, do you? Of course you don't. That's because it isn't. Andy's elves make the best stuff. Hence, everything else SHOULD BE rated lower.

You trying to provoke me, lover boy?   Stuart

> In my humble opinion, Motoport offers the exact same service as > 'Stich. Even when my suit was stolen, Motoport came through inside of 20 > hours with a brand new suit. > > I don't know which Motoport you used, I am referring to the Ultra > II gear, not the lesser items. I agree Joe Rocket is not a contender in

this.

> > The advantage of the Motoport over the 'Stich is that it breathes > better in very hot conditions, and has additional armor the 'Stich does

not

> have. The Motoport uses an uncoated Cordura shell over an inner > waterproof thermal liner, the 'Stich maintains a water and vapor proof

shell

> over its thermal liner. The latter approach holds more heat and > perspiration in hot conditions. For versatility, I use the Motoport in

the hot

> thunderstorms and heat of South Florida, and have used it in sub-freezing > weather in the Arctic, over 40,000 miles in less than two years.

I've left a lot of Fireball's text in to comment on it. I had not seen the Ultra II Gear in person until his misadventure in Salt Lake City. I was very impressed with it. Extremely stout stuff and tremendous customer service. His suit arrived in less than one day. Since then I've studied the Motoport website and agree that Aerostich does a better job of marketing. Some of their suits are clearly not made by the company. But the Ultra II is their pride and joy. The idea of having rain "come into" the suit and then be repelled by an inner liner is avant garde for me but I'm intigued by Fireball's experience. He rode with Doc Dahlheimer, me and my son Dominic all day in 104 degree heat (Moab, White Rim) without taking that suit off. I thought he was crazy but he was the life of the party when we returned. Kurt