Retiring a well loved and sentimental piece of riding gear is a necessary evil of overuse. My trusty Aerostich Roadcrafter suit has lasted me for 6 years and over 170k mi on all manner of motorcycles and even a sled. I actually had to search my old emails to find out when I bought the suit since it had been so long. There have been occasions in which I slept in it while sitting on the GS (Iron Butt Hotel), draped it over me in a sticky hammock on the Everglades and nearly froze to death in single digit commutes. The GoreTex shell is sun faded to a light tan and salmon color yet little strips of deep red hide in the gritty wrinkled folds. I am still happy to boast that the jacket is waterproof until multiple days of rain eventually soak the well worn folds in the elbow. Most of the zippers have been repaired twice but either don't stay zipped or won't release the zipper leading to some interesting parking=lot extraction dances. It was in Van Horn, TX during a snow storm that I pulled the trigger on a replacement 32L jacket in grey. Hey, it was half off! |
Much to my surprise, the Grey Roadcrafter wears like another jacket. The amount of wear and break-in that occurred on Ol'Red my faded pink stich' reflects just how much time I spent forming the pads and cordura to my body. I suppose that mine was once as stiff and clean but I sure as hell don't remember. The features and familiarity of it's pockets and thought-out fit are the main reason I returned to this excellent jacket. It just works for me. After a week of riding around Alexandria in it, I've become more comfortable with the new color and feel. The new AD-1 pants have been slightly redesigned since my original pair were made a few years ago. Upgrades include a thicker and more durable material throughout much of the leg and knee. It will certainly stand up to slow speed spills much better than the thinner fabric on my last pair (a Leatherman wore a hole through my front pocket at 10mph). The Bad: Yesterday was the first opportunity I had to test the gear in an all-out soaker. The jacket performed flawlessly as expected. Unfortunately, the crotch zipper of the AD-1 pants allowed water in to soak my jeans. To be fair, I was seated on the ruckus in non-stop traffic for 30 minutes without much moving in heavy rains. Clearly the zipper is not waterproof here or needs some more seam sealer to seal the deal. In a way, the wet-crotch is a right of passage and should be placed on their cover or sold as a T-shirt considering how many folks have dealt with it over the years. Some may say it is unacceptable but at this point, I love the fit and features of my gear so much, it morphed into an endearing problem for me. I'll add some seam-sealer and scotch guard and report back. |