Waterproof Riding Gear or External Rain Gear For Adventure Riding

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⏺ Riding gear

Helmets

Jackets
▪️ Mosko Moto Basilisk Jacket

Pants
▪️ Klim Carlsbad

Protection

Boots
▪️ Sidi Adventure 2

⏺ Camping gear

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⏺ Tools

⏺ Camera equipment

⏺ Bikes

1️⃣ 2021 YAMAHA TENERE 700

2️⃣ 2023 HUSQVARNA FE350

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[whitedrguy]

As an older guy who started riding back in the Stone Age when waterproof gear was basically unheard of, you young blokes have no idea how lucky you are to be in such a position of choice.

Gortex in my books is the major game changer, my first purchase of a Klim jacket and pants made such a difference in my comfort on a bike, riding a bike in all types of weather 10 hours a day became a lot easier, the lighter weight, the vents that actually worked, if it started raining no need to worry, only time you need the external waterproof jacket was longer faster riding.

Australia not being what you may guess the coldest of countries and the sun sure do have some bite to it so putting on external waterproof gear becomes a sauna in no time, even when it’s raining, same thing goes for waterproof liners in jackets.

The big bonus with the Gortex is it dries out a lot faster because the material does not get waterlogged.

When I used to ride my dirt bike the most I would wear is just a light basic spray jacket that was water resistant just mainly to ease the wind chill factor, you were more likely to get wet from sweat more than rain, legs and feet were just MX pants and boots, with some light weight leggings for protection from my knee braces.

My Klim Latitude jacket was the best thing I have ever bought, it has done a ton of kilometres on my back in all weathers, I just bought a new Carlsbad as after 8 years of abuse the old latitude is really showing its age, and the new jacket is light grey so it doesn’t get as hot as the black.

[SamiNami]

Good video and I agree with your choice for colder climates. In hot countries you really can't have a waterproof liner on you all the time, you will be sitting in a sauna.

[alexanderzhulin]

For the bottom - gore-tex, putting external pants on is a nightmare. Or semi water resistant enduro pants if it's hot.
For the top - Knox armored shirt, and good membrane jacket over it. All weather and all condition setup.

Knox is great, it's an abrasion resistant turtle that could be used as standalone jacket for hot days. Check it out.
And, in my experience, gore-tex socks are better than boots. Boot membrane will eventually rip, and you'll have hot leaky boots that took ages to dry.

[JohannesDalenMC]

All the gear I use is linked in the description box - if you buy something from Amazon I'd appreciate if you used any of the Amazon-links as it would support this channel,

- Johannes 🙂

[kaamos]

Since you asked, here's my opinion:
two-piece rain shell all the way

Sportbike and leather suit - no need to explain ;) waterproof covers over my boots.

ADV - offroad oriented, travelling, commuting in the winter
Weather in Poland is less dynamic and my travel destinations are mainly south, so I prefer light clothing.
I ride in a mesh jacket. Always. Even in the winter :P (bicycle softshell over the jacket works like a charm, some warm clothes underneath if needed). So I'm hesitant to put on poorly breathable, laminated clothes. I love the wind all over my body too much ;)
I was skeptical towards Gore-Tex boots, but good socks, 80% coolmax, and I have dry feet for the first hour, even in 30+ degrees heat. Never leaked in the past 3 years, even when riding/walking in a river, so now I'm a fan ;)


My two-piece managed to keep me dry even when I rode for a few dozen minutes in a (almost) literal wall of water. My advice would be: go for a thicker one. However, another, thinner one (Sidi) also did the job in a regular rain, so IDK. Just stay away from the "civilian" ones. The're not designed for high speeds.
Also, it's very easy and fast to put on (maybe a little fiddling to push boots through the pants and not get tangled in the lining, depends on the lining, I guess).
Waterproof boot covers work perfectly, only leaked slightly when I was riding with my feet under water (understandable, even beyond expectations).
I haven't managed to find decent, really waterproof and not insulated glove covers though. Standard options leak and rip on the seams during the first use. I'd really appreciate a hint if you manage to find some.


Other options:
One piece rain shell: tried that, leaks on the zipper in the crotch since a pool of water forms in a fold there. A bit difficult to put on.
Membrane underneath clothes: never tried, no way I'm stripping to my briefs in the rain, on the side of the road.
Laminated clothing: probably an interesting choice in a cold and wet climate, but for my needs, I don't think it would be suitable, never tried though.
Stopping and waiting the storm out: ain't nobody got time for that ;)

[gbner]

Nice video, I think Pavlin from Motorcycle Adventures is riding with laminated pants and a normal jacket in the summer. Seems like a good idea as well. What I always find most annoying is having to put on rain pants at the side of the road. So much more annoying than the jacket, so maybe to combine both is a good idea as well. If you just have to put on the jacket you can probably do it without even getting off the bike. And you have the added advantage that your jacket stays dry on the outside.
Me personally I think I will continue using my Z-liner stuff without the internal liners, I haven't tried any laminate gear on yet that feels as comfortable and easy to wear.

[DouweBuruma]

I am a new rider, so thank you Johannes for sharing your experience.

[returningtoearthtv]

Excellent discussion! Thank you Johannes! You have mentioned it before but just to add and emphasize the importance of wearing hydrophobic synthetic and wool layers beneath either of these two approaches because getting “soaked to the bone” is far more tolerable/survivable when all cotton is banished and we stay with the Synthetic puffies and wool light and midweight hoodies and pants.

[DB-mejt]

I used to have the Revit Sand II with removable waterproof layer on the inside. That was really the worst option ever. If it starts raining you have to take off your gear to zip in the waterproof layer. Then the outside layer gets soaking wet with only a thin waterproof layer between your first layer (if you wear any) and the wet outside layer that’s feeling like a wet towel hanging around your body and cooling you down a lot. Then when you arrive at the hotel or campsite it takes forever to dry the outside layer.

[hueyvan]

In our part of Africa it rains heavily in summer which means waterproof suits can be a problem with heat.
I find an external waterproof suit waiting in the top box is best.
So you can buy either a dedicated bike rain suit (for a small fortune) or pop into a workwear store and buy a (bright yellow) rain suit for 1/4 the price.

[superhurricane]

pretty sure i mentioned it in the poll but i use external rain gear and i'll outline why in australia where i ride there's only about 3 months where it will be uncomfortably cold if i get wet but still not life threatening. there will be at least 3-4 months where i'll be happy to get wet and cool off. external gear usually has elastic cuffs for a tighter seal and it's an added layer over my thin enduro jacket which is much cooler offroad than a heavy waterproof warm jacket.
i would never consider waterproof boots in our climate as i have met a bloke that was very close to being airlifted out of a remote town back to the city due to a leg infection from a small scratch stewing away in a sweaty waterproof boot.
if i was concerned i'd wear waterproof socks when needed instead. but i find over the boot pants and good forma terrain tx enduro boots i rarely have wet feet.

[OFFroadOFFcourse]

Good video my viking brother!
Perdonally i prefer the external gear. As for the boots, i have recently discovered the wonders of waterproof socks and they came straight into my "top 20 favorite things of all time", on par with the AC, the mobile internet and toasted bread xD

[glossblack]

Great video topic. It definitely depends on where you live. I only used my external Gortex shell out about five times last year, in about 50 rides (approx 1 ride per week). That's only 1 wet ride for every 10 dry rides. It's not a big deal putting it on, when you see the dark grey clouds appearing. In summer, it's actually nice to get wet, to cool you down. I imagine northern Europe is quite different. Cheers

[simulacrae]

I feel like the best compromise is a non laminated jacket that have a certain water resistance and not an expensive laminate like gore tex. Good enough for light rain and if it starts to get heavy you break out the totally waterproof shell.

Even the most expensive gore tex jacket can max out its waterproofness in crazy rain but a rain shell won’t as there won’t be any pores on the outside.

[TheLRC]

For me, external gear is the favorite.. but that is 100% because of price 😂

[jimma]

One more thing with the waterproof drop liner jackets - the outer jacket gets soaked through so it gets super heavy and you have to dry it out. Not so bad if you're returning home or staying in a hotel but for camping it's not a fun time.

[maxsmith]

Always good to mention Klim’s crash replacement program. I know it only covers big crashes with police reports etc, but they will replace your gear for free. Plus if the damage isn’t covered under their crash guarantee then they still offer something like 40% off your replacement order. Might only be klim but that’s what makes them great. Also the goretex is on the second layer, so damage on the outside (cordura rip stop) may not effect the inside waterproofing. Great video it all depends on the person 👍🏼

[andrzejkrzyzanek]

After a few years of trying different kinds of WP garment I settled for two sets for different kinds of riding. For summer one day trips I use motocross garment with foil type Acerbis rain jacket always in my backpack. For the rest of the year and long trips that are mostly tarmac and gravel roads I got a Klim Carlsbad GoreTex laminated set and Sidi GoreTex boots. I don't have the patience to put on an external wp suit every time it looks like rain.
In 2022 went for 3 weeks trip to Norway, it was raining almost constantly and neither Klim set nor the Sidi boots let any rain in. I've tried many different membranes and in my experience Goretex is the only one that is actually waterproof. Wasted a good amount of money before I figured that out.

[chrisssinstockholm]

Hi Johannes,
I think both integrated or external are good. Which principle to choose depends on the type of riding. Just like you said. Totally agree.

However, internal liner does not make sense.
My first Lindstrand set is like that.
Never used the liner.
I think it's stupid.

Now I use laminated gear for convenience reasons.
I don't like to stop to put on external.
It has happened more than once that I have kept riding hoping the rain will end. But, ofcourse it did not. So when finally putting on the external gear it was to late. 😮‍💨

[OSR_]

Having tried both and have both. I think it’s important to have both! I used my alpinestars adventure suit the other week for a day in Wales where the weather looked to be showers on and off all day. Worked well and I stayed dry and cool. In the summer or if it wasn’t forecast for rain except past a certain time, or it’s a day full of rain.. I’d bring my separate Scott waterproofs which are hands down the better option and will leave you bone dry and can be shaken off at the end of a ride easily.

As for your last bit regarding waterproof boots, mentioned a few times I really don’t think it’s the way to go man! Waterproof boots suck unless you’re planning to stick to mainly tarmac. Once they get water in, it doesn’t come out and they stay wet for days. Sealskins socks are the way to go. I haven’t worn my waterproof Sidi Adventure 2s since I got waterproof socks and unless I’m road riding don’t see any reason to 👍🏽