BILT - Explorer Waterproof Jacket and Pants

[Fred W]

I had the first opportunity to take the bike out yesterday evening and test the jacket before more rain came in. I had all of the vents open; arms, chest x2, and back. It felt as if I was wearing a rubber suit.

Absolutely zero air flow. I thought this may be due to a couple of different reasons. The first being the FJR1300 has superior wind protection which is nice most of the time, but when its hot, it warms you up much quicker. The other reason being that the wind was not blowing in addition to the speed of the bike. I did notice with the shield raised upward there was air flow through the back of the jacket moving through the chest. I picked up a cooling vest as well as the Bilt gear last week, so I'm going to try it out on my way back to Tulsa today. It looks like I may have a chance to try out the weatherproofing part of the gear as well. The Adventure Bilt Gloves that I purchased are okay at best, and I found that the pads that sit above the first knuckle start to abraid within a short time. I honestly thought the plastic across the knuckles would be the problem, but they didn't cause any issues with me.
Unlike my wife, I sweat in almost any conditions so this may not be the best jacket/pant combo for me. I ride 12 months a year as long as there isn't ice on the road. I'd really like to see what this will do in colder weather. I'll keep everyone posted on my results after today's ride. Be safe!

These Bilt jackets are probably like most other (especially lesser expensive) waterproof jackets in construction. They generally have a built in semi-porous waterproof liner layer between the outer Cordura layer and the inner mesh lining. When it rains, the outer layer tends to get soaked, but shouldn't leak through to your body since the waterproof layer is contiguous throughout the shell. However, this means that when it is hot and you open the zippered vents you do not get air flow directly to your skin, it only goes as far as the outside of the WP liner layer. Because it is semi porous there is some amount of cooling, but when it is hot what you want is direct air flow.

To do that costs more money. You need to have the more expensive, waterproof zippers, and the waterproof layer needs to be bonded to the back side of the outside Cordura like is done with GoreTex membrane, which is a more expensive construction technique. Olympia does this also, with their own membrane (GoreTex clone) on their touring, non-mesh jackets, so you do get direct airflow when you open the vents. Plus, you don't have to pay the premium price that goes as royalty from the manufacturer to Gore Corp. I believe that the First Gear Kilimanjaro uses a similar construction, but have never owned one. It is definitely a feature that I would never be without on a touring jacket

All of that said, in hotter weather, I find that I can actually stay a little cooler on the FJR with either my old Darien (bought second hand) or my new Klim Lattitude Misano (bought on closeout for ~$350) than with any mesh gear. What you do is drop the windshield enough so you get an air blast down to your neck area, then open the neck of the jacket, and the rear vents and leave the sleeve cuffs loose. The ram air effect blasts large volumes of air under the jacket and all over your torso, vs. the with mesh the air having to work its way directly through the mesh holes.

Being a life long New England resident, I am also highly intolerant of heat. But using the ram air blast technique I can stay relatively comfortable into the low to mid 90's with no cooling vest required. Much higher than that and I just stay home.

 

[stose85]

I had the first opportunity to take the bike out yesterday evening and test the jacket before more rain came in. I had all of the vents open; arms, chest x2, and back. It felt as if I was wearing a rubber suit.

Absolutely zero air flow. I thought this may be due to a couple of different reasons. The first being the FJR1300 has superior wind protection which is nice most of the time, but when its hot, it warms you up much quicker. The other reason being that the wind was not blowing in addition to the speed of the bike. I did notice with the shield raised upward there was air flow through the back of the jacket moving through the chest. I picked up a cooling vest as well as the Bilt gear last week, so I'm going to try it out on my way back to Tulsa today. It looks like I may have a chance to try out the weatherproofing part of the gear as well. The Adventure Bilt Gloves that I purchased are okay at best, and I found that the pads that sit above the first knuckle start to abraid within a short time. I honestly thought the plastic across the knuckles would be the problem, but they didn't cause any issues with me.
Unlike my wife, I sweat in almost any conditions so this may not be the best jacket/pant combo for me. I ride 12 months a year as long as there isn't ice on the road. I'd really like to see what this will do in colder weather. I'll keep everyone posted on my results after today's ride. Be safe!

These Bilt jackets are probably like most other (especially lesser expensive) waterproof jackets in construction. They generally have a built in semi-porous waterproof liner layer between the outer Cordura layer and the inner mesh lining. When it rains, the outer layer tends to get soaked, but shouldn't leak through to your body since the waterproof layer is contiguous throughout the shell. However, this means that when it is hot and you open the zippered vents you do not get air flow directly to your skin, it only goes as far as the outside of the WP liner layer. Because it is semi porous there is some amount of cooling, but when it is hot what you want is direct air flow.

To do that costs more money. You need to have the more expensive, waterproof zippers, and the waterproof layer needs to be bonded to the back side of the outside Cordura like is done with GoreTex membrane, which is a more expensive construction technique. Olympia does this also, with their own membrane (GoreTex clone) on their touring, non-mesh jackets, so you do get direct airflow when you open the vents. Plus, you don't have to pay the premium price that goes as royalty from the manufacturer to Gore Corp. I believe that the First Gear Kilimanjaro uses a similar construction, but have never owned one. It is definitely a feature that I would never be without on a touring jacket

Thank you Fred for that in depth explanation. This is exactly what I wanted to know without having to ask it. I assumed that this was the case with the Bilt brand as opening all of the vents did nothing noticeable in the way of moving air. Even my heavy leather coat breathes a little with the vents open.

 

[stose85]

So my wife and I took an anniversary trip to Oklahoma City this weekend. We were able to test the full waterproof capability in the Bilt Adventure gear and it works very well. We both stayed dry through heavy and light rain. I picked up a mesh air jacket in OKC because anything 80F and up is unbearable in a waterproof jacket that doesn't breath. I have to carry an extra jacket and gloves around for summer but that's a worthwhile trade off to have protection in case of an accident. My wife is very happy with her setup and can handle warmer temperatures better than I can. You know what they say, when momma's happy everybody is happy.

 

[Bill Lumberg]

Yep. Bought my wife a mesh jacket last weekend. I don't know how often she'll wear it but she's got it. Come to think of it, bought myself one too.. I explained to her that waterproof gear with vents (even mine that vent directly to the body) is usually pretty hot above 70 or so. Mesh with a waterproof underliner for rain is cooler, but much less convenient, requiring the garment be removed to don the liner. But she doesn't ride as much as I do. My compromise in warm weather is carrying two motoport shells in a sidecase to break out when it rains.

 

[Fred W]

I used to think that too, Bill. But I've come to realize that I am actually cooler running a good WP shell of some flavor and using the Ram Air technique.

That's where you open the neck area up in the jacket and direct the air blast from your windshield at that neck opening, The air volume that gets pumped into the shell and out through the rear vents keeps you cool and comfy even up to the low 90's. Anything above that is gonna be miserable no matter what you wear.

 

[Bill Lumberg]

That still leaves me quite hot. The main determining factor is speed. Running all day without stops, I can be okay with a vented jacket. I use exactly the technique you describe. But any stop and go and I'm cooking. And sweating. Much of the time, I'm in gear and going places where I can't arrive soaked in sweat, from an appearance or fragrance perspective. When I'm strictly biking all day, it's not an issue. Frame of reference and all. Your detailed explanation above was excellent.

 

[eflyguy]

I also agree on the highway or even just playing in the hills. Around town in traffic, though, mesh is the only choice in the summer - at least here in ATL.

 

[Fred W]

Good points, both of you.

My viewpoint is seriously biased because I intentionally avoid riding in towns or in traffic. I do not commute, nor do I take recreational rides in the city. I live in suburbia and generally point the front wheel at even less populated areas when it's time for a nice ride

When there is a lot traffic, and when it's really hot out, I would much prefer to be in a car with AC. Because I can.

 

[Bill Lumberg]

Reminds me of the 18 plus hour day I ran earlier this year in full gear, none of it mesh. I was comfortable all day, but due to biblical flooding and rain in the wee hours at the start, I was some flavor of damp the entire time. Still enjoyed it.

 

[stose85]

I have to agree with you Bill, once the temperatures got to 75 I started to cook. It was fantastic at 66 in the steady rain. I especially like the part of staying dry! My wife stayed in the WP jacket all the way up to 88 in the late afternoon and I would have caught fire by then. She opened her jacket up at that point while I stayed relatively comfortable in my mesh jacket. At least with all this gear I can ride more, and rain will be much much less of a factor in determining my trips.