Hood Jeans
 

Evening All,

I was thinking about getting a pair of Hood Jeans, thermals and thin waterproofs rather than going for a Pair of "proper" textile trousers?

Any one got any experience with these in the cold / mountains?

All help appreciated?

J

In my experience Hood jeans are heavy when off the bike, uncomfortable in hot weather, and have little advantage over leather jeans but you may find them OK for you in cooler weather. Thats your choice. I am with you on waterproof overpants far better generally than cordura or gore products unless you go right up market.

Ah - interesting

I was thinking that the jeans would be good in the warm.

Do you reckon that leather trousers are better in the warm then.

There are way too many options and i am a complete novice - frustrating really :)

I have a choice of trousers and would rate as follows:

Leather: Ultimate in abrasion protection and usually survive. Nice and warm when dry but useless when wet. Heavy and hard to wash, but will last longer than most bikes.

Textile: Splash proof (goretex) with armour for impact protection but would be destroyed in an off. Usually a PITA to wash and re-proof, come in insane colours, but at least they tend to have zip pockets. Can be warm enough with the right liner until temps go negative. Wear out and suffer quality issues as they are made for the weekend warriors.

Jeans: Barely adequate protection, no warmth or waterproofing but easy to live with and you can go from biker to civilian in seconds.

In summer I wear my leather trousers for any serious distance. In winter I wear an ex-German army tankers one piece and a waxed jacket. I only wear my jeans for short runs where it's useful to just keep them on when I arrive. My textile trousers are only kept for the odd run where I need armour and can't be bothered to stop if it rains, they never get taken on trips over 24 hours. For example next week I might wear the jeans on the run to or from the ferry, but for across Germany it'll be the tank suit.

Andy

I use "Dragging Jeans" with Kevlar protection sewn in, similar to "Hood" I presume. But Dragging Jeans have knitted Kevlar and this is very comfortable. They have pockets for hip and knee protectors.
In cool weather they are warmer than ordinary jeans, and in hot weather, (southern France in August) the are much nicer than leathers to wear.
As for how good the prection is, I am really glad to say "I haven't a clue" since Iv'e never come off when wearing them. but again, they must be a lot better than ordiary jeans.
In really hot weather its so easy to get so hot and bothered in leathers that an accident is more likely to happen.
So as with a lot of things, its a trade off, balancing several different needs.

Draggin jeans
 

I always use my Draggin Jeans combats in hot weather,nice & cool when moving & not bad off the bike,they are very comfortable to wear,though if its really hot I take a pair of shorts to change into for exploring off the bike.
I can also confirm their protective qualities as I had a 50mph off when wearing them a couple of years back,slid about 40 feet but only got a few bruises,they did not fail me,in fact I still wear them! :thumbup1:

i have a pair of hood cargo jeans and a pair of draggin jeans "hardas" (as in hardas nails) cargoes.
the hardas are excellent and fit very well, being very comfortable and are my usual riding attire when its warm enough. theyve lasted me three years of hard use and were a bargain at a show.
the hood jeans i dont like much, in fact youve reminded me ive still got them and they can go on ebay. they dont fit very well being straight up and down, and the kevlar inside has very itchy edges where its been cut, heatsealed but not sewn over like the DGs.
another thing to remember with these jeans is what boots are you going wear, some of them dont go over my hein gericke rally boots. the DG combats do, they have a zip and velcro adjustment on the calf that fits well. the hoods are too baggy and flap around.

in this weather i have my trusty hein gericke suit and heated grips.

Ive a set of hood jeans, cant remember the name but they are average plan blue jeans so you can blend in off the bike. The inner lining is a bit rough and stiff for the first few washs but they loosen up.

As for comfort ive no bother with them apart from they are a bit tight around the knee with the type i bought. They are tight over my normal road boots but that just means you dont get the normal wind blast up your legs and dont have to faff about with velcro/straps all the time. You can buy the extra knee and hip pads for more protection but i find they are too uncomfortable and just get in the way. For heat/coolness they are like wearing a heavy pair of jeans, grand on the bike in even the warmest of weather but can get a bit warm when off the bike etc. If your planning on using them alot with waterproofs you need to get some good lined waterproofs so you knees dont make pressure points on the waterproofs and allow water through.

I tried on the draggin jeans but didnt get on with there styles/sizes/fitment, also i found there wooven kelvar like bare wool on my legs and became itchy.

I've had a pair of Hood black denim jeans for 5 years now and they've been great. They have the flat weave "kevlar" lining not the knitted "wooly" feel. Although I think Hood do this as an option now. I've worn them from Norway to the south of France and find them comfortable. The lining is wind proof so it stops the cold getting in and it's also a great heat barrier so tends to keep you cool in the 40+ temps around the Med. I bought a pair of their green army canvas trousers to go to the deserts of Arizona and California a couple of years ago and they were brilliant at keeping me cool as I crossed some of the hottest places I've ever been.

If you're looking at kevlar jeans it's worth turning them inside out to see where the kevlar is. Some just have unconnected patches sewn into the jeans which rely on the integrity of the denim to keep them in place. The denim is sacrificial. If you turn a pair of Hood jeans inside out you'll see you're wearing a pair of kevlar shorts with a piece running down the front of your leg to your shin. This means that when the denim rips the kevlar part still stays in place. This seems important to me!

Hood Jeans
 

My wife and I rode around the world wearing Hood jeans. www.pooleglobaltrek.com We found them brilliant. Using the cargo style with side pockets, you can never have enough pockets! we found then cool in the tropics, and with thermals in the cooler regions quite comfortable. I have visited Chris and Julia at their Norfolk workshop, and a nicer couple you couldn't find. Buy British and fly the 'Hood' flag. Nick Poole.

I used to have a pair before i ebayed them off after some weight loss.
Looked at both these and Draggin. Draggin jeans only had patchs of Kevlar (Aramid) where as the Hoods were completely lined. I just never really wore mine, tended to ware my leathers more as I prefer the extra protection :) hence why i havnt replaced them!

I like the look of the Hood trousers but am wondering why their cargo style jeans have only one side pockect. http://http://www.hoodjeans.co.uk/html/army_green.html That would drive me crazy. I'm also a little worried about wearing army style jeans, not, perhaps a good idea for border crossings. The H2 seems quite good as they are made from a poly/cotton mix wheras the K7/DN4 are made from Denim, so hotter I guess.

My Hood Jeans are superbly comfortable in the warm/hot weather, much more so than my MW leather trousers, which get very hot and sticky.

When touring I prefer to take the Hood items plus thermal long-johns and unlined waterproof overtrousers, then I'm ready for most weather conditions.

I have a pair of the Hardas cargo pants, cooler than leather in the summer and with long johns under them pretty warm in winter, I am adding a pair of goretex overpants for the wet.
Stewart

I have both Draggin and Hood jeans and use both in my normal day to day riding in Africa.

I find the Hoods MUCH more comfortable than the Draggin, which tend to "sag" after a few washes. The Hoods stay a comfortable fit and for some reason look "smarter" which may be useful depending on what you want to do off the bike. Maybe it depends on your body shape?

I would buy another pair of Hoods, but not another pair of Draggin'.

Sean