Print

Please login or register.
1 Hour 1 Day 1 Week 1 Month Forever
Login with username, password and session length

[axe103]

Hello,

I am interested in starting to use the new high tech underwear or garments that are supposed to work well with wicking, as they say, sweat off and are fast drying--many claim, as well, to handle bacteria either through embedded antibacterial or with silver fibers. I am looking for feedback from any of you riders who have experience with any of the brands to some satisfaction. Thank you for your input.

Ride safe,

axe103

[Midnight Rider]

Hello,

I am interested in starting to use the new high tech underwear or garments that are supposed to work well with wicking, as they say, sweat off and are fast drying--many claim, as well, to handle bacteria either through embedded antibacterial or with silver fibers. I am looking for feedback from any of you riders who have experience with any of the brands to some satisfaction. Thank you for your input.

Ride safe,

axe103

Axe...personally, I use Patagonia underwear if long johns are necessary in winter.  Either the lightweight or midweight does fine.  For the underwear, I've got some Ex Officio boxer briefs, and another brand made of the same material.  A good backpacking store will have these products...they are not cheap, but I've had my long johns for 20 years and they are still good as new.  Many bargains can be found at Sierra Trading Post website.  I use Bridgedale, Smartwool, or Therlo lightweight or midweight ski socks for my feets...they are over the calf so won't fall down, wick well, and have a little padding in the shin, toe, and heel area.  Last forever too.  I also have a thin fleece Windblocker jacket that I take on a lot of trips...wicks, blocks the wind, and makes a great garment for under a GoreTex rain jacket if the weather turns cool.  Just a real versatile piece to carry and doesn't take up much room in the TP.

[ccr]

I am figuring out that Terry is very well versed in these newer high tech clothing articles, so am not in any way trying to take away from his recommendations. 

Just wanted to add that last fall we had purchased the under armor pants and shirts to wear when it was cool and we were super impressed with the ability to wick away moisture, did not overheat when worn when it was not cool, wash and dry in a very short time, pack up in a very limited amount of space and were not horribly expensive. 

 

[Midnight Rider]

I am figuring out that Terry is very well versed in these newer high tech clothing articles, so am not in any way trying to take away from his recommendations. 

Just wanted to add that last fall we had purchased the under armor pants and shirts to wear when it was cool and we were super impressed with the ability to wick away moisture, did not overheat when worn when it was not cool, wash and dry in a very short time, pack up in a very limited amount of space and were not horribly expensive. 

 

Candy,  I picked up a pair of these for Suzanne after hearing your good reports about them from MV last year.  Suzanne really, really likes them!!  If I didn't already have some of this old stuff that still works like the new stuff, I'd be looking at the under armor as well.  Good stuff.  The difference some of these new high tech fibers make in how comfortable we can be when outside is truly amazing.

[axe103]

Thanks for the tips. I think I've found the material I was looking for at Cabelas, their -tech weight- line.

Best regards,

axe103

[ccr]

Thanks for the tips. I think I've found the material I was looking for at Cabelas, their -tech weight- line.

Best regards,

axe103

Please give us your ride report on the product you have selected.  One of the great benefits of this site is hearing what others have thought of the purchases they have made.

 

[SPIDERMAN]

I keep reading threads like this one wondering if someone slipped me some acid or something and I've wandered onto " Hiking the Appalacian Trail in Winter "  or  " Conquer Katadin "   DUDES, what do you do .stand up turn around and point your asses into the breeze ?  The only part of me that every gets cold is my hands and face. The only part that gets hot is my head.  I wear regular cotton socks, H-D boots, chaps, multiple layers of cotton shirts, sweatshirts etc and either a leather jacket and leather chaps or a rain suit. Full helmet when it gets cold ( why I didn't have it on leaving MV is a question I've asked myself 1,000 times) and different weight gloves. I could solve all my problems with a pair of Widder gloves but the old school in me can't go that far. It's a free country and far be it from me to tell anyone how to live their life. Anyway, please do not stop posting threads like this one. No matter how bad my day has been, I come home, light up the laptop and read this stuff and the problems of the world somehow see trivial in comparison to the weighty matters being discussed here 

B B

[spydglide]

Please give us your ride report on the product you have selected.  One of the great benefits of this site is hearing what others have thought of the purchases they have made.

 

Mrs.We, it might be awhile before it gets cool enough in Tampa to utilize the longjohns.   har!  spyder

[SPIDERMAN]

Longjohns, Union Suit  anyone know where those names came from ?

[Twolanerider]

Longjohns, Union Suit  anyone know where those names came from ?

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Union_suit

[axe103]

I keep reading threads like this one wondering if someone slipped me some acid or something and I've wandered onto " Hiking the Appalacian Trail in Winter "  or  " Conquer Katadin "   DUDES, what do you do .stand up turn around and point your asses into the breeze ?  The only part of me that every gets cold is my hands and face. The only part that gets hot is my head.  I wear regular cotton socks, H-D boots, chaps, multiple layers of cotton shirts, sweatshirts etc and either a leather jacket and leather chaps or a rain suit. Full helmet when it gets cold ( why I didn't have it on leaving MV is a question I've asked myself 1,000 times) and different weight gloves. I could solve all my problems with a pair of Widder gloves but the old school in me can't go that far. It's a free country and far be it from me to tell anyone how to live their life. Anyway, please do not stop posting threads like this one. No matter how bad my day has been, I come home, light up the laptop and read this stuff and the problems of the world somehow see trivial in comparison to the weighty matters being discussed here 
B B

That was a cool expression of your thoughts, but I guess my context was lacking or I'm not sure if I got your point, which is, I suppose, that the triviality of the clothing issue is entertaining to you. I'm glad it is if it is. But, as far as my context goes, it is definitely not the cold I am concerned one bit about, it's the heat--of course, being in Florida and all. What turned me on to this, and I'm sure some of you may have read it, is the article, last months I think, in the Enthusiast, towards the end, about HD's desert proving grounds or the rider/employees that test the extreme heat/cold conditions from before dawn to late nights almost everyday of the year. Anyway, the article dealt with clothing to handle extreme heat conditions; and, in it, there was a recommendation for wearing the new "high tech" under-clothing beneath leather bottoms, high top boots--with wool socks, a mesh upper jacket--with armor, and a full-face helmet. I thought, at first, that a guy would die from the heat but apparently the opposite is true. The high top boots and wearing leathers over the high tech underwear--whatever you wish to call them--protects from the "ground" heat, which is the most important issue I got from the article. Moreover, a full-face is used to, again, protect direct exposure to the heat coming off the road. It's a good article and worth the read, but, what mainly got my interest, the high tech underwear use made the wearing of the leathers and jacket with armor feasible, according to the article. Here in Florida, I have always used regular cotton everything; I get soaked thoroughly, the cotton clings and makes me feel miserable. In fact, in the past, I have gone looking for rain to get into just to cool off. I'm thinking that use of one of these new materials will enable me to dress with better coverage, and that's what I'm looking for. As for my part, I've got a couple different material types coming and, eventually, after giving them a try, I'll come back and say something about it, the kind of info I was looking for in starting this little thread. Safe riding.

Regards,

axe103

[spydglide]

Hey axe103, I too, like the others that responded, didn't pick up on the 'approach' of your desire to explore longjohns to deal w/ the heat as opposed to the cold.  I, like, Terry utilize the Patagonia in the different weights of polartec to try to stay warm in the cold temps, but I'm still not sure how to stay cool in the upper temps (esp. on the hot running SEEG).  I'll be very interested on hearing the outcome of your quest for a better way to dress to deal w/ the heat.  I know when I was riding out west, I was wearing long sleeve T's in light colors to try to ward off the relentless sun, but haven't tried the layering of high-tech fabrics as you mention.  I do know that my black full-face helmet is impossible to wear in the heat here in the Carolinas....even w/ the flip up shield.  Of course, I'm old and can't deal w/ the extreme temps as well as when younger.  Thanks for the further explanation of this topic.  Maybe others will chime in.....I know JC tried the cool vest and had pretty good things to say about it.  I've never made that leap, but still considering it for the evaporative effect.  Ride cool!  har!  spyder

[Midnight Rider]

Hey, Axe...I'm very interested as well.  I have used high tech garments for years when I was hiking, biking, fishing, etc, so the move over to wearing them on the bike was a no brainer.  I KNOW that wearing the wicking wool blended socks works, and I wear wicking t-shirts as well on occasion.  Never thought about lightweight wicking long johns in the summer though.  Makes perfect sense.  Cotton is useless as tits on a boar hog under most any circumstances, but in the summer, I still wear jeans, though I do have some outdoor pants I should start wearing.  Cotton feels good, but if/when it gets wet, it takes forever to dry, and will literally get you killed in the winter months.  Poly products are the best thing ever to come out of the Plastics industry.  Fleece jackets are the best thing since sliced bread.  Cotton socks suck, no matter what time of year it is.

Keep us posted on your experimentation!!

Don't pay any attention to B B (Spiderman)...he's just an old fart and set in his ways...   Plus, he lives in friggin' San Diego where the weather is always 75 degrees and it never rains.

[SPIDERMAN]

Don't pay any attention to B B (Spiderman)...he's just an old fart and set in his ways...   Plus, he lives in friggin' San Diego where the weather is always 75 degrees and it never rains.
[/quote]

Well that's true, but the rest of the country has this weird chit called weather and it seems I'm forever getting caught in it somewhere. What Mr. Axe doesn't know being a newbie is that I poke fun at convention on a regular basis and I also challenge what people say in order to see if they know what the hell they're talking about or if they're just regurgitating something they've read. If he had a bit more time on the site, he'd also know that with rare exception, I mean no disrespect. What I wrote is me being me. It's who I am, God doesn't own a set of cookie cutters so I'm unique as are all of you good people.

So anyway, here's my point.

I have no intention of taking a vacation and turning it into an endurance test.Whatever the H-D factory riders do at their desert testing grounds I plan on doing the exact opposite.  For instance, Day 1 to Nelson - - - - depart San Diego at 0400, do the Papal wave through Vegas around 0900. Well into Utah by noon and trails end by 1400. This should expose me to extreme temps for no more than 4 hours. Florida may be hot, but it's freakin balmy compared to the Mojave Desert in July. I've been riding across it for going on 9 years, I know what I need to do. The rest of the ride is a piece of cake.

B B

[Hoist!]

Don't pay any attention to B B (Spiderman)...he's just an old fart and set in his ways...   Plus, he lives in friggin' San Diego where the weather is always 75 degrees and it never rains.


Well that's true, but the rest of the country has this weird chit called weather and it seems I'm forever getting caught in it somewhere. What Mr. Axe doesn't know being a newbie is that I poke fun at convention on a regular basis and I also challenge what people say in order to see if they know what the hell they're talking about or if they're just regurgitating something they've read. If he had a bit more time on the site, he'd also know that with rare exception, I mean no disrespect. What I wrote is me being me. It's who I am, God doesn't own a set of cookie cutters so I'm unique as are all of you good people.

So anyway, here's my point.

I have no intention of taking a vacation and turning it into an endurance test.Whatever the H-D factory riders do at their desert testing grounds I plan on doing the exact opposite.  For instance, Day 1 to Nelson - - - - depart San Diego at 0400, do the Papal wave through Vegas around 0900. Well into Utah by noon and trails end by 1400. This should expose me to extreme temps for no more than 4 hours. Florida may be hot, but it's freakin balmy compared to the Mojave Desert in July. I've been riding across it for going on 9 years, I know what I need to do. The rest of the ride is a piece of cake.

B B

We know you have your own methods to your madness B B, but Mr. Axe appears to be a member of this great site for 7 months longer than you. Interesting! Hoist!