Safety of an unzipped jacket?

[TobyDanger]

Hypothetical question time:

Here in Seattle, we often have mornings that start out in the low 50's, and end up in the upper 70's or 80's on the way home from work.  It can be difficult to plan the proper gear for these days.  Mesh planned for the 80's is darn cold in the mornings in the 50's, and leather that keeps me warm in the morning, leaves me sweltering some afternoons.

I'm wondering what are the possible safety implications for wearing my armored leather jacket, but fully unzipped in the front to allow for better/cooler airflow on hot afternoons?  There are obvious points like no protection from roadrash in the front, but I'm wondering if anyone has any experience or thoughts about other considerations. 

Thanks!

[DoubleEagle]

The main objective of any armored Jacket is that it fits snugly enough that if you go down that the armor stays where it's suppose to be.

In your scenario , if you were to go down, your jacket would likely not stay snug to your upper body which would mean that the armor would be sliding around and not protecting the critical Shoulders and Elbows that it is intended to protect.

I feel your pain friend.

I am severely heat intolerant , but won't ride without full leather protection.

I'm retired so I don't have to ride to work M-F but I have w, the heat of Summer limited days when I can ride.

Try soaking your shirt with cold water before you leave for home . That will keep you cooled down for 20-30 minutes depending on the rate of speed you're going.

Having the most perforated leather Jacket makes all the difference in the world, the Dainese Air leather Sport bike Jacket is very good.

Also if you can afford it a white Dainese Santa Monica is a great Jacket.(white being the cooler color in the heat )

Dolph     

[Popeye the Sailor]

Textile is probably the best compromise.

[Goat_Herder]

The Fall seems to have arrived early in Seattle with all the foggy mornings this week.  (sucks when Summer arrived really late).  Wear a textile jaket with good vents so it doesn't get too hot in the afternoon.  Or you can layer with a light jacket inside your mesh jacket in the morning and take it off in the afternoon. 

[Slide Panda]

Dainese Shotgun?
http://www.webbikeworld.com/r4/dainese-shotgun-jacket/
- A personal tip on that, is buy one size smaller. My other Dianese jackets are snug at 56, the Shotgun was loose enough I sent it back for a 54.

it flows a lot of air. If using it in mixed temps, a windproof vest under will help in cooler temps.

But I gotta say... 80 is not hot...

[erkishhorde]

I added some straps to my backpack and strapped a second jacket to it. It's a lot to lug around but it helped a lot to have my cooler jacket for the evenings and the warmer jacket for the mornings.

[Triple J]

I just unzip my leather jacket about 1/4-1/3 of the way if it's over about 80-85. This allows good enough airflow, while still keeping everything in place. Nothing keeps you from baking in heavy traffic or at stoplights though.

I also only wear a t-shirt under my jacket on the way home. Going in to work I have my work shirt on so it isn't so cold.

Our cool mornings and hot (for us) afternoons are kind of a PIA...but I'll take it over hot-hot anyday. 

[Spidey]

A $12 non-breathable raincoat from Target and a fleece to wear underneath your gear is all you need to deal with the temp differences.  Lately I've been commuting in a perf'd one-piece.  With an air-blocker layer on the outside and some warmth underneath. I'm good from 50 F to 100 F.  I do the same thing on longer summer rides.  Leaving in the morning in SF is often cold as hell (especially during the summer).  But once you escape the city and it gets into the afternoon, you can see high temps.  

Then again, if your opinions are mesh or unperfed leather, I'd go with leather.  So you get sweaty on your way home.  You probably need to look presentable for work, not for home. 

Unzipping your jacket somewhat is fine.  I've even crashed on the track with the zipper down a bit.  But if it's too far down or completely unzipped, you're screwed.  Your arms might be protected, but your lower back and stomach are going to look like hamburger.  And you pretty always slide or roll on your love handles (or the backside of 'em) in crash.  

[somegirl]

Wear some very thin thermal underwear under the leather (people often like silk).  It will wick the sweat away from your skin and help you feel cooler.  Use a tank bag or tail bag so that you can bring home your morning layers.

[redxblack]

A $12 non-breathable raincoat from Target and a fleece to wear underneath your gear is all you need to deal with the temp differences.  

+1. Northeast Ohio is similar in that the morning commute is cold and the afternoon is balmy. I have a rev'it air mesh jacket that I wear a thermal under and a windbreaker over. Sometimes I'll wear a hoodie over and no thermal layer under. Layers is a good solution and it's easy enough to mix it up for what feels right for any given day.

[TobyDanger]

Dolph and Spidey, thanks for confirming what I was thinking.  I also worry that in a crash a slipping jacket could pin my arms behind me or at least to my sides, which I can't imagine would be good.

It sounds like the best solution might be a textile jacket that is modular enough to handle both temperature situations with vents and layers.  I already have 2 Dainese leather jackets and a First Gear mesh so I was hoping to avoid that route for the moment.  I don't think I could fit either leather jacket into a backpack, but I do like the ideas of layering a windproof layer and a thermal type layer with the mesh jacket for cool mornings with a hot forecasted afternoon.  Those I could more easily stuff in a backpack.

I also will plug my newest favorite piece of gear for cold mornings: "turtle fur" neck gaiter.  A thick fleece tube that goes over your head and around your neck.  Inexpensive and works great at keeping my neck warm on cold mornings.  Everything else is covered by helmet, jacket, gloves, etc and my neck is/was the only part exposed to the elements.

Summer is coming back to Seattle this weekend, temps in the 90s!

[DoubleEagle]

Always better to be safe than not gearing up properly.

Glad you've got things sorted out now Toby, glad to help.

Dolph     

[vincheung]

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[MendoDave]

I have an armored leather jacket that came with zippered exhaust vents in the back. A friend of mine had a similar jacket but his had vents in front too.  So I just had some added and now there is some flow through. It's not like being in the AC or anything but it makes a big difference.

[Chucko9-696]

Another thought about keeping it zipped up. I was on my ay home after riding all day. It was warm i was on backroads, 2 miles from the house. So i unzipped about 1/2 way. All of a sudden i got stung by an effin bee on my chest. Wasnt funny when it happened, I would have rather been the guy in the car behind me. So now i just keep it zipped.