Quote from: Grappa on May 12, 2008, 11:25:40 AM
I have a Dainese textile jacket with ballistic mesh on the torso, arms, and back panels.  It has CE armor on the elbows/forearms and shoulders, and you can zip in armor for the spine.  Adjustable waist, cuffs, two zippered pockets.  I don't see a name on the jacket, but the receipt says "G. Zentex Tex."  Bought for $250.      Comes with removable liner, and can be zipped onto pants.  I live on Maui, hot but not as humid as Florida.  Jacket breathes great, but will get hot in go nowhere traffic in the middle of the day.

I have this same jacket and it's been great.  It's got all the protection mentioned and LOTS of airflow.  I swap my Wave G2 back protector from my leather jacket and it fits in the slot of the jacket nicely.  The jacket comes in a variety of colors (I have the grey and black) and I think Motowheels have these on sale.

Rev-it for textile.  Wouldn't bother with much of the other textile stuff.  Sturdy, abrasion resistant and great air flow.,

My 2 cents....

The perf leather people are crazy.  Yeah, it's the way to go.  I own one and wear it every chance I get.  But....here in St. Louis MO when it is 100 degrees and 80-90% humidity the real danger is passing out due to dehydration and/or heat stroke.  I CANNOT wear a black leather jacket, no matter how perforated, in those conditions. 

I am still investigating what my solution will be...I used to ride in the SF area and haven't owned a motorcycle through a StL summer but after last summer here (no bike) I know leather ain't it.

Perf'd leather in Phoenix, AZ FTW!

Quote from: raulduke on May 18, 2008, 08:13:45 PM
My 2 cents....

The perf leather people are crazy.

+1

It's supposed to be 107 today in Vegas.  If I had to wear leather I would leave the bike home and take the cage.  With my mesh jacket, its not ideal but it is doable and my bike is parked here at work instead of sitting in the garage at home.

Nakid you are nuts my friend, AZ is HOT 

Do you get the same result with Perf'd leather, with a wet shirt under it as you do with Mesh?

Love my new Icon Accelerant Perf. It's amazing. And at $350, it's a STEAL for a fully perforated, 1.2-1.4mm full grain leather jacket, with extensive armor and removeable full sleeved thermal liner.

+1 on white or light colors -- the difference is noticeable over black leather or textile in strong sunlight. And you're a whole bunch more likely to catch the divided attention of a multi-tasking cager.

Quote from: raulduke on May 18, 2008, 08:13:45 PM
My 2 cents....

The perf leather people are crazy.  Yeah, it's the way to go.  I own one and wear it every chance I get.  But....here in St. Louis MO when it is 100 degrees and 80-90% humidity the real danger is passing out due to dehydration and/or heat stroke.  I CANNOT wear a black leather jacket, no matter how perforated, in those conditions. 

I am still investigating what my solution will be...I used to ride in the SF area and haven't owned a motorcycle through a StL summer but after last summer here (no bike) I know leather ain't it.

I hear you. When it is that hot here in TN it comes down to either not riding or riding with a tshirt, jeans, sidi air boots, and full face. Might be dangerous I know.. but I choose to ride.

DIdnt read through the whole thread, but the best gear is the gear you always wear. When i ride the twistys its perf leather no matter what. For intown cruising, which is a lot of traffic fighting, ill wear my Joe rocket rio mesh. No perfrence just as long as its mesh with armor ( i picked mine up for $20 off newenough). Its basiclly 99% free flowing minus the pad areas. I wear it all the time when its above 75degrees, and if i go down i know i have something ebtween me and gravel.

I have a alpinestars spinner jacket and the new icon accelerant.  The spinner has a few vents but on hot days it doesn't compare to the accelerant.  The accelerant is perfed leather though and makes a huge difference.

If it's 100degrees and humid, drive your car for chrissakes. No jacket is going to make you feel any better.
I live in the Raleigh NC area and there are usuallyl two to three weeks in the summer when riding is miserable so for me it just isn't an option. [moto]

Has anyone tried these evaporative cooling vests?

http://www.webbikeworld.com/r2/joe-rocket/sahara-vest/

My edumacated guess is that the Sahara vest would work really well in dry, hot places like here in the Southwest (or the, um, Sahara), and not at all in swampy, hot places like DC where I used to live. At some point in humid climates, the air just says "no mas" to taking on any more water, sweat or otherwise, and there's no evaporative cooling without evaporation.

I just bought a REV IT Air jacket from my Ducati Dealer.

Doesn't flow quite as much air as my old Joe Rocket Santa Fe Jacket, but it fits perfectly and feels like it will protect well.