Rain Gear - the Gearing Up Saga continues in this week's exciting episode!

When we last left our intrepid hero he was standing in the parking lot in front of a homeless shelter getting trained on a little Honda Rebel in the pouring rain...we join him now.


The evil motorcycle instructor speaks first:  "What you guys may want to do for tomorrow is stop at a Target or Wal - mart and pick up some camping rain gear. It's about $30 bucks and in this economy we all got to save a little green."

Which is exactly what I did.  Picking up a green colored rain suit from Coleman.  The next day the weather radar didn't even give a chance of rain...opting for the much more easier to understand "RAIN!"  I have to admit that the suit kept me about 98% dry throughout the day, of course we were doing low speed maneuver's in a closed parking lot and there is no way to tell how well the suit would put up with normal driving speeds with cars passing you in either direction.

Coleman rain suits

I never really thought about something like this before, opting instead to eventually buy the more traditional motorcycle rain gear.  This suit however had Velcro adjustable cuffs and snaps on the arms and legs.  The pants leg was designed to go over my boot without issue and snap shut, keeping water out of the boot.

Currently I've two pair of gloves, a lighter "summer" pair that I wrote about already, and a pair given to me as a gift that I can tuck the jacket that I'm wearing under and then Velcro down so the jacket does not ride up.  Neither really works well with this jacket and I 'm starting to see way serious riders might have 3 - 5 if not more pairs of gloves.

The zipper was protected by a storm flap with snaps.  Well the 20mm PVC plastic may not be the greatest...it served my purpose well on the course.

Still though you can't help but wonder how it will perform on the road in a real world circumstance.  I have to wait and see though.  I returned it because the size I had was to large, although I do think getting a size larger - at least for the jacket is the way to go.  I want to be able to dress in layers if I'm going to be out on a nasty day and need to keep that in mind.

Green is also not my best color.  My scooter is invisible to begin with, and in the rain a little more visibility never hurts!  I'm currently seeking a yellow one and am actually considering something like a picture from Frog Toggs.   Of course, for the price of the pants and jacket I may be better off getting actual "motorcycle rain gear" which will not only keep me dry but protect me in case of a fall.

Like everything in life however it's a compromise...do I get something I know I will need and use for a lower price sacrificing quality (and possible safety) because I can afford it now, or put it off till I can afford it later.  If I do that I know that if I'm caught out in the rain (and I live in Florida...I will be caught out in the rain) that I will not only get wet, but be less visible and possibly suffer from hypothermia as a result?

For now I try to avoid riding in the rain whenever possible.  But right now I'm leaning towards spending the $50 dollars or so and getting something like the Frog Togg's above.  I would rather have something to keep me dry and safe for now...I will buy the better suit later although I'm seeing sales on various discontinued items.  While buying online might be cheaper, I still feel that putting on the gear and reviewing it up close and personal might be the way to go...I can always go back and find a better price online.