I'm contemplating buying an Aerostitch Darien for general use in the UK and an overland trip to Aus via India later this year. Can anyone give some reassurance that this is a good idea, or would the BMW kit be a better alternative?


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Sean

I have a Darien suit tho apart from the neat inner reversable jacket/fleece have hardly used it enough to know - but sussing it out on other web forums for the book turned up a lot of respect for Aero gear above all other - in the US that is. Pricey of course, but probably less than BM gear.
Get a cheap flight to US and buy it there.

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Author of the new Adventure Motorcycling Handbook. ($19.95/GBP12.99)

http://www.adventure-motorcycling.com

I've worn Aerostich suits, and especially the Darien, since the beginnings of the company. They've carried my wife and I warm and dry to Tierra del Fuego, Cape Hope, and other points on the globe. Most of our friends now wear them. There are so many good choices now, Aerostich was, and I believe still is, the leader,in this country(USA). I do have a lot of faith in the them, besides the owner/designer is a perfectionist! Good luck - gear is always such a personal decision.
Allen.

I have many friends who have Aerostitch suits and they are very happy with them, Most of the time. My wife and I have had the BMW Kalahari suits, 2 piece for 4 years. And were very happy with them. We just bought new BMW Savannah suits, 2 piece. The difference between the Aerostitch and BMW is in weather protection. The Aerostitch is water repellant for a while. The BMW removeable Goretex liner is waterproof all day. In the heat 90F-32C and up The Areostitch is lined. My friends say to put ice in the pockets and wet down and close the vents. That will work if you have ice and extra water. The BMW is not lined. When you take the Goretex liner out and open the sleeves you will get very good ventilation. I think the BMW is better in long rains (rember to put the Goretex liner in)and in high heat. Aerostitch will fix and repair their suits even if it accident damage. BMW doesn't you buy a new suit.

I finally ordered a Darien jacket with removable, heated fleece liner from Aerostich which arrived last week.

Initial impressions are that it is an impressive bit of kit, but makes you look a bit like a policeman! The build quality is excellent with lots of useful pockets to lose things in, reasonable sized vents and good reflective bits.

The outer jacket shell has body armour and a goretex membrane which means that is should be waterproof without the fleece liner zipped in. Also, less prone to damage than the BMW gortex liners. But not replacable either.

It is very stiff, but I believe it will soften up after a few miles and soakings. Also, there is quite a lot of Velcro which could start to fail after a few years.

Service from Aerostich was excellent and they had one made at short notice so that a friend could bring it back to the UK whilst on holiday.

However, these things doesn't come cheap and the exchange rate does not help!

Roll on spring....



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Sean

I'm saving up for the grey coat as we speak
http://www.aerostich.com/isroot/ride...s/darien-g.jpg

But as far as pants I'm going with the Belstaff Typhoon Pants

Free floating 100% waterproof and breathable Permatex membrane

Zip out full leg Thermal liner

And everything else the Aerostick pants have but for only 172.00 instead of 300$ for the Aerostick pants.


http://www.belstaffusa.com/products/typhoonjeans.jpg

The typhoon pants look real nice. Didnt tom grenon reccomend them? Or am i thinking of some other person which i envy? I have the tour master pants, and dont have much experience with them in rain.

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Ian aka "Maniac"
93' KLR650

I bought a Stich and sent it straight back - too hot! I don't think any of their products are suitable for seriously hot countries. For comfort on a long trip in varied climates you need BMW's approach to layering. Stich just haven't got this right. Your protective layer must let air pass through it. To do this it must NOT
be waterproof. Your protective jacket should consist of nothing but the Cordura outer layer and the inner mesh lining - no more layers of any sort, and certainly not a clammy Goretex membrane. (Plus, Goretex wears out fast - you want to be able to replace it separately.) Water and windproofing should be taken care of by separate removable layers. You also want LOTS of vents. I have a Kalahari and a Rally (BMW's Paris-Dakar jacket). Both breathe well, but the Rally is cooler because it has the most vents - 6 big zipped ones. (The race replica version has 2 more vents, but they are small, and you also have to walk around with massive logos all over you - a bit too flash in poor countries IMHO).

Anyway, I wore the Rally in 35 C heat last week and it was brilliant. Plus it has facilities for drinking while u ride, if u add the optional bladder. Haven't tried this but am looking forward to doing so.

Forget the removable Gore-Tex lining which you can get from BMW - when it rains your outer shell gets cold, soggy and heavy, and absorbs all the filth sprayed over you by other traffic. Everything in your pockets gets soaked. And you have to strip off by the roadside, boots and all, when it starts to rain.

For the most versatile, most comfy, most compact 4 season RTW outfit, my choice is:

- BMW Rally jacket
- Giali cargo pants (low key, comfy, cool, look like normal clothes off the bike, convert into shorts, lots of pockets)
- BMW Klima Komfort waterproof 2 piece Goretex suit (the Rolls Royce of waterproofs, and great off the bike too)
- BMW Comfortemp undersuit (sleep in it on cold nights and you can get away with a summer sleeping bag, which saves lots of pannier space)
- heated vest

The finishing touch is a Pearl Izumi X-Sensor base layer - a hundred times better than a cotton T-shirt. Read about it at www.wiggle.co.uk.

The BMW stuff is hellishly expensive. But then it is the best. I believe it's a lot cheaper in Germany. There's a big dealer in Aachen, which is less than 3 hours from Calais.

Nick_horley that fact that it's warm might not be that bad for me, in Minnesota the Mornings can be pretty chilly here and I need somthing to keep me warm through the winter. I will be picking up one of those Pearl Izumi X-Sensor base layer shirts though.