Thoughts on this gear setup

[syntarx]

Hi there

 

I have a Dane kit, which I don't like at all. Uncomfortable, Gore-Tex membrane is below the protection jacket and so on. My helmet is not an adventure helmet and my boots were some cheap ones.

 

I'll try to add and mark all the good advice I get and my final choices in this original post, that way it can be seen without scrolling through the whole thread. All the help and insights are greatly appreciated.

I did a lot of research and decided to go with the layering system now.

 

This is the list I put together so far:

 

Head

Helmet:

• Arai Tour-X4
• Arai VX Pro4 (recommended alternative) (not good for highway kms)

Goggle:

• any recommendations? I wear my glasses normally, the goggle has to work with them

• Quote

  100% Barstow (does it work with glasses?)

• Smith Reason OTG
• Oakley Airbrake (too expensive)

Comms: Cardo Packtalk Edge

Camera-mount: Insta360 Motovlog-Kit

 

Torso

Base layer:

• Adventure Spec's (AS from now on) Core stuff (too fancy for what it is)
• Merino wool long (1-2 pieces)
• Merino wool shirts (3 pieces)

Protection layer: (either)

• TroyLee Design RockFlight D3O (secondhand for $45)
• AS Supershirt (too expensive)

• Quote

  ... Elbow pads (needed?)

Mid layer:

• AS Baltic hybrid (a cheaper, less fancy one will suffice)
• KTech down jacket (which I already own)

Outer layer:

• Rev'it Sierra Jersey
• AS Linesman Jacket (looking for cheaper alternatives, I like the removable sleeves) (obsolete with a decent jacket)

Rain layer: (either)

• Rev'it Component 2 H2O Jacket
• AS Singletrack Jacket (probably too expensive for now)
• Mosko Moto Basilisk Jacket (alternative to AS) (probably too expensive for now)

Gloves:

• Rev'it Continent
• Rev'it Massif

 

Legs

Base layer:

• Merino wool long (1-2 pairs, and preferably with zipper on the side for easy on and off with boots on)
• Merino wool undies (2-3 pairs)
• AS Core stuff (too fancy for what it is)

Protection layer:

• Rev'it Scram Braces ($50 secondhand)
• POD K4 2.0 knee braces (overkill)
• Leatt dbx-5 impact shorts (do you guys wear these as undies in really hot weather?) (not needed)

Mid layer:

• down feather shorts (looking for recommendations) (I don't think that's needed)

Outer layer:

• Rev'it Component H2O
• Mosko Moto Basilisk Pants (too expensive)
• AS Singletrack (alternative to Basilisk) (too expensive)

Rain-Layer:

• Rev'it Territory
• Mosko Moto Woodsman (apparently decent water resistance) with an overpant (too expensive)
• Klim Outrider (not for short trips, maybe for EU->AUS trip) (no abrasion resistance)
• Casual looking motorcycle jeans with abrasion resistance (like the look of the Outrider or Carhartt/Dickies) (too expensive)

 

Feet

Base layer:

• Merino wool socks, thick (2 pairs)
• Merino wool socks, thin (2 pairs)
• Waterproof socks

Protection/Outer/Rain layer:

• Quote

  Sidi Crossfire 3 (I think it's best to go with full MX boots and heard bad things about waterproof boots, take forever to dry in case they do get wet)

• Gaerne fastback enduro boots (discussion on Gearne vs AStars on ADVrider)
• Non-waterproof boot with waterproof socks
• Alpinestars Tech 7 Drystars (too squeaky and rubber behind toe piece wears out too quickly)
• Sidi Adventure GTX (would like more protection)
• Alpinestars Toucan (would like more protection)

Camp shoes:

• Salomon Speedcross (already own)

 

 

Again, thank you all for your help.

 

Best regards

Edited Wednesday at 06:42 AM by syntarx

[Rider 101]

Hi syntarx,

Arai is a great helmet. Some people complain about whistling at speed. I never had a problem.

The eye port is a little tight for decent goggles. I decided on a Arai VX Pro4 for that reason.

I love the Oakley Airbrake goggle. Expensive but super comfortable and large easily replaced lens.

 

Merino is the only base layer to use. I use mine summer and winter. Speak to anyone from Scandinavia and they will confirm.

I also use merino socks. Merino helps wick moisture away and keeps you warmer in winter and cooler in summer.

 

I use Pod K4 braces after breaking a leg a few years ago. They are light and comfortable but I find they chafe the sides of my knees at the hinges.

I use the Pod knee brace sleeve to prevent chafing.

I also wear MotoSkiveez shorts for arse comfort.

 

As for boots  I am wearing Alpinestars Tech 7 Dristars.

Flexible enough to walk in and rigid enough to protect feet and ankles.

I also us Gaerne SG12s if doing a serious off road trip.

 

Remember you have to be comfortable so if you can try on as much as you can rather than just ordering on line.

[sunndog]

That's an awesome amount of gear and money dude

Are you planning on living off the bike for a while?

 

Esp now coming into summer you don't need fancy base and mid layers. A normal t shirt shirt and a hoody would cover most temp ranges, or a mx Jersey.

 

If living off the bike look at pack sizes for waterproofs and insulation.

Cheap packable waterproof  jacket and trousers fold up tiny and an ultralight down jacket of around 750 fill power takes up around a liter of space and weighs very little

 

[syntarx]

6 hours ago, Rider 101 said:

Arai VX Pro4

First off, thanks a lot for the detailed and in-depth response. This helps! Do you use the VX Pro4 for long distance adventure, or do you mostly ride the famous Australian fire roads (Adam Riemann kinda adventure)?

 

6 hours ago, Rider 101 said:

Merino is the only base layer to use.

That's what I thought. It's very popular here in Switzerland too, for skiing, mountain biking, hiking and so on.

 

6 hours ago, Rider 101 said:

I use the Pod knee brace sleeve to prevent chafing.

Do you wear these sleeves on top of the merino base layer, or instead?

 

6 hours ago, Rider 101 said:

Alpinestars Tech 7 Dristars.

They seem more protective than the Toucans. That's what I look for, given that I will bring a pair of light trekking shoes on my adventures anyway.

[syntarx]

48 minutes ago, sunndog said:

gear and money

Yeah, I know. Probably too much esp the latter one...

 

49 minutes ago, sunndog said:

Are you planning on living off the bike for a while?

No, unfortunately not anytime soon. But I plan on doing Switzerland - Australia next year (about 5 months). And I'm going to the North cape this summer. Another two or three weeks of motorcycle adventure are in planning before the big trip starts in summer 2025.

 

51 minutes ago, sunndog said:

Esp now coming into summer you don't need fancy base and mid layers

Probably not as fancy ones as the AS ones, but I did freeze my ass off last summer in Norway and don't plan on repeating this.

 

52 minutes ago, sunndog said:

Cheap packable waterproof  jacket and trousers

I did this last summer too and absolutely hated this solution. Esp the cheap ones. I rather ride around in waterproof trousers (AS Singletrack e.g.) and sweat a little on the very hot days. But the layering system on the upper body is something I always liked (while skiing, mountain biking and hiking).

[Rider 101]

Hi syntax,  the VX Pro is my go to helmet for all types of riding. I don't seem to suffer from buffeting or a sore neck. I wear the Pod sleeves over the merino base. Both are quite thin and don't add bulk. Hope that helps a bit.

[syntarx]

9 minutes ago, Rider 101 said:

Hi syntax,  the VX Pro is my go to helmet for all types of riding. I don't seem to suffer from buffeting or a sore neck. I wear the Pod sleeves over the merino base. Both are quite thin and don't add bulk. Hope that helps a bit.

That helped a lot actually! Will definitely look more into this helmet. I updated my list with your recommendations already

[Hollybrook]

Another helmet worth a look is the Shoei Hornet X2. I think it's a bit better on the highway and the Arai is a bit better offroad.  But most important is which helmet fits you the best. My head is more Shoei, so that's what I wear. 

[syntarx]

40 minutes ago, Hollybrook said:

Another helmet worth a look is the Shoei Hornet X2. I think it's a bit better on the highway and the Arai is a bit better offroad.  But most important is which helmet fits you the best. My head is more Shoei, so that's what I wear. 

I do prefer some of the Shoei helmets over the Arai ones, that being lookwise, unfortunately my head is not Shoei at all.

[syntarx]

Is there anyone on here who can give me a comparison between Mosko Moto's Basilisk system and AS' Singletrack?

I'm mostly interested in the warm weather performance of the pants. I'd like to ride in a pair of waterproof pants, that fit armor underneath and can also easily be worn on warmer days.

 

Here's an example scenario:

On my planned trip to AUS, we'll be riding through Indonesia and the Philippines. It's a very hot day and rainy season. It starts to rain, and I can stop next to the road and put my rain jacket on and don't need to get out of the boots and change pants or throw a stupid overpant on.

[BikeBrother]

@syntarx

Doing this longer overland trips through different climates, it will be always a compromize with gear. Following the best seasons is ideal, but in practice not always possible.

For us, that like to do side seeing (meaning walks) we travelled with a waterproof motorbike jacket with protection. We found that motorbike jeans with gtx walking shoes the best option. Relatively protected but not to hot. If it would rain or in cold weather a raintrouser with extra thermal underwear did the job. Rain in hot tropical areas we liked to get wet and cool down. It will dry quickly.

We like motocross helmet with peak and goggles (easy to change colored sun screen to blank).

It all comes to personal preferences.

But most important, make the trip.

[syntarx]

3 minutes ago, BikeBrother said:

hot tropical areas we liked to get wet and cool down. It will dry quickly.

This does make a lot of sense. My main concern is that I have to go to bed (tent) with wet gear and get into the still, wet gear in the morning again. Which is my worst possible nightmare, esp boots. Experienced that quite a few times in Norway last summer within only 3 weeks.

[AKPrice]

I have the tech 7 boots and have a couple summers on them, on a dirt bike and t700 and the boots still squeak really bad. If you plan on walking around in them, I’d look into other boots. I’ve tried lubbing them and wd-40. It’s pretty annoying. 
 

great boots on the bike though

[syntarx]

1 hour ago, AKPrice said:

I have the tech 7 boots and have a couple summers on them, on a dirt bike and t700 and the boots still squeak really bad. If you plan on walking around in them, I’d look into other boots. I’ve tried lubbing them and wd-40. It’s pretty annoying. 
 

great boots on the bike though

Thanks for the insight. I'm not planning any covert operations, so if the boot's only downside is squeaking, I will try it out. I am quite used to squeaking around in my ski boots.

Edited March 27 by syntarx

[Dougie]

2 hours ago, AKPrice said:

I have the tech 7 boots and have a couple summers on them, on a dirt bike and t700 and the boots still squeak really bad. If you plan on walking around in them, I’d look into other boots. I’ve tried lubbing them and wd-40. It’s pretty annoying. 
 

great boots on the bike though

I have the Belize boots, the lower leather AS. The squeak on those ( really annoying I know) only comes from the protective strap on the side for twist prevention. I just waxed that part and it went away. Took a while to find it though, with plenty of silly walks while listening. Gotta say the boots are fantastic once worn in. Years later. 

Edited March 27 by Dougie

[Mapbook]

+1 Merino wool socks, shirts, under crackers, as a rule always by the best you can afford you are not being economical buying cheap gear it's cheap for a reason.

Be warm and dry and comfortable.

[zimm]

Take a look at the Gaerne fastback enduro boots. I have 2 pair of Alpinestar SMX-6 street boots (solid and vented)  and they're great. But if you compare the tech 7's vs the Gaerne, it's a big difference.  Tech 7's have glued on soles where the Gaerne's are sewn (welted?) and have a metal toe cap. They seem much sturdier for the same price.  Made in Italy too.

 

I'm interested in the Arai X4.  I've had 6 different Arai Signets for street use (I'm a long-oval head).  The x4 is an intermediate oval. I'd like to hear other impressions of it.  I heard there's an X5 version now for the EU.  Us "yanks" might not get it.

[syntarx]

17 minutes ago, zimm said:

Take a look at the Gaerne fastback enduro boots. I have 2 pair of Alpinestar SMX-6 street boots (solid and vented)  and they're great. But if you compare the tech 7's vs the Gaerne, it's a big difference.  Tech 7's have glued on soles where the Gaerne's are sewn (welted?) and have a metal toe cap. They seem much sturdier for the same price.  Made in Italy too.

Thanks! I added them to my list. Here's a discussion about the Fastback and the Tech 7 on ADVrider.
 

17 minutes ago, zimm said:

I'm interested in the Arai X4.  I've had 6 different Arai Signets for street use (I'm a long-oval head).  The x4 is an intermediate oval. I'd like to hear other impressions of it.  I heard there's an X5 version now for the EU.  Us "yanks" might not get it.

I'm a long-oval head too. But I have yet to try out the helmet. Saw nothing but outstanding reviews by happy owners. Revzilla's review on the X5. I will not go for the X5. Form seems to have changed quite a bit, not in favor of us long-ovals...

Edited March 27 by syntarx

[itukusaes]

I have ~30K with the Tech7. They worked well, but the flex in the sole 'shrank' them. It happened while traveling in the Turkish Summer. The soles curled up a bit and shortened them to at least 1/2 a size less. I tried to flatten them back with a hot air gun and a shoe form, but nothing worked. I am now considering the Fastback, but each Garne model I tried hurt my feet badly. They seem to force my foot into an unnatural position.

[syntarx]

Did anyone test the Rev'it Dirt series? The Component Jacket looks really cool and promising. Would run it with separate armor layer, tho. Gorm seems to be quite happy about these products.

[syntarx]

Another interesting gear find. The WLF Enduro pack vest. Any thoughts on this particular vest or any alternatives?

[AZJW]

39 minutes ago, syntarx said:

Another interesting gear find. The WLF Enduro pack vest. Any thoughts on this particular vest or any alternatives?

A friend rides with a very similar Klim Arsenal for dirt bike riding. He says it works, but is hot, tougher to wear over chest protection and is heavy.  My tendency would be to load up all those pockets with junk and wear me out sooner. I prefer to carry gear low on the bike and less on my body. Ymmv.

[syntarx]

45 minutes ago, AZJW said:

A friend rides with a very similar Klim Arsenal for dirt bike riding. He says it works, but is hot, tougher to wear over chest protection and is heavy.  My tendency would be to load up all those pockets with junk and wear me out sooner. I prefer to carry gear low on the bike and less on my body. Ymmv.

Given that I plan to use this for long distance riding, rtw and so on I would use this to have easy access to identification papers and vehicle papers, InReach, small camera, water bladder (obviously) an not much more. Basically a tankbag which I wear on my body. The heavy stuff like tools would be strapped to the bike anyways. And the heat issue might be less with this one over the klim.

 

Robert from Nomad Sweden has quite a good video on it.

Edited April 11 by syntarx

[random1781]

I've moved to layers and like it much better than jackets, primarily because of heat. I had the AS Linesman jacket and it was definitely too hot. The removable sleeves sounded nice, but in practice I never took them off since they don't help much with cooling because your core stays hot and you're just removing protection. Layers are a bit more annoying to put on/take off, but worth it for me.

 

More random points...

• If you're looking for gear for long trips, an undershirt with built-in armor (like the AS Supershirt) limits you to wearing that one shirt until you wash it. Slip on armor is a better bet. It's more annoying to put on and probably not as comfortable, but you can pick and choose what you wear and far more practical.
• Same thing applies to bottoms. If you get padded shorts, you're stuck with those sweaty shorts until you can do laundry. I have the Mosko Woodsman pants and absolutely love them. Cool and vented. I have a Patagonia overpants for rain that I never wear.
• I've mentioned it here before, but the leather just behind the toe cup on the Tech 7's wore out within a year. Frankly I think the amount of flex in the toe allows the plastic cup to cut into the leather. Go Tech 10's or another brand. I had Sidi Adventure boots previously, and while those boots don't offer enough protection, the only thing that wore out was the waterproofing, so I switched to Sidi Crossfire SRS where virtually everything is replaceable with screws, including the sole. I considered Gaerne also and have never heard a complaint about them. Regarding waterproofing, I prefer to have a pair of waterproof socks rather than a waterproof boot, since waterproof boots take a long time to dry.
• I've worn the Rev'it Component and currently have the Mosko Basilisk. Both are great, but different. The Component is more compact with slightly less abrasion resistance and not nearly as much venting as the Basilisk. 95% of the time this stays packed away.
• After going through a lot of "moto" gloves that had issues, I use Black Diamond rappelling gloves. Full-grain leather, super comfortable, works on touch screens, and much longer lasting, although a bit hotter. These work for 99% of weather, and for the rest of the time I have a set of mittens.
• And lastly, consider what you actually need and will use.

[syntarx]

1 hour ago, random1781 said:

I've moved to layers and like it much better than jackets, primarily because of heat. I had the AS Linesman jacket and it was definitely too hot. The removable sleeves sounded nice, but in practice I never took them off since they don't help much with cooling because your core stays hot and you're just removing protection. Layers are a bit more annoying to put on/take off, but worth it for me.

 

More random points...

• If you're looking for gear for long trips, an undershirt with built-in armor (like the AS Supershirt) limits you to wearing that one shirt until you wash it. Slip on armor is a better bet. It's more annoying to put on and probably not as comfortable, but you can pick and choose what you wear and far more practical.
• Same thing applies to bottoms. If you get padded shorts, you're stuck with those sweaty shorts until you can do laundry. I have the Mosko Woodsman pants and absolutely love them. Cool and vented. I have a Patagonia overpants for rain that I never wear.
• I've mentioned it here before, but the leather just behind the toe cup on the Tech 7's wore out within a year. Frankly I think the amount of flex in the toe allows the plastic cup to cut into the leather. Go Tech 10's or another brand. I had Sidi Adventure boots previously, and while those boots don't offer enough protection, the only thing that wore out was the waterproofing, so I switched to Sidi Crossfire SRS where virtually everything is replaceable with screws, including the sole. I considered Gaerne also and have never heard a complaint about them. Regarding waterproofing, I prefer to have a pair of waterproof socks rather than a waterproof boot, since waterproof boots take a long time to dry.
• I've worn the Rev'it Component and currently have the Mosko Basilisk. Both are great, but different. The Component is more compact with slightly less abrasion resistance and not nearly as much venting as the Basilisk. 95% of the time this stays packed away.
• After going through a lot of "moto" gloves that had issues, I use Black Diamond rappelling gloves. Full-grain leather, super comfortable, works on touch screens, and much longer lasting, although a bit hotter. These work for 99% of weather, and for the rest of the time I have a set of mittens.
• And lastly, consider what you actually need and will use.

Thanks a lot for your breakdown! What abrasion resistant layer do you wear when it's hot? From what've understood, you have your abrasion resistance in your outer jacket, the Basilisk/Component. Isn't that way too hot being the rain layer?

 

What is the alternative to padded shorts? Do the woodlands have integrated hip protectors?

Regarding the boots, I've heard a lot of good things about the Gaerne and will probably go for these if they fit my feet. Will definitely look into the Black Diamond Gloves.

One last question: What shoes do you use to walk around the city or in the camp, if you use any?