Hot weather gear

I know a lot of us are still freezing our yarbles off, but can someone post the linky to the hot weather gear thread that was aboot last (?) summer.

Looking for the ATGATT and wicking base layers that seemed to be the route to cool.

Appologies but Search foo not working.

Thanks in advance
Logan

I bought a few items of the Heat-Out apparel from Cycle Gear last summer thinking it was cheap and wouldn't be a great loss if it didn't work....Boy was I amazed. Stuff really works, as long there is some air movement. It's supposed to fit like a glove and completely contact the skin, so it's gonna feel tight at first, but it doesn't restrict motion. Put it on under anything that's vented or mesh and it pulls the sweat away from your skin and evaporates it as you ride. Only dig I have after using it all summer is that the fabric is pretty thin and so it's fairly easy to tear a seam if you're pulling on it too hard, but like I said, it's WAY less expensive than the UA or other high-end brands. (Disclaimer: I got mine at 50% off!)

http://www.cyclegear.com/CycleGear/...UT/Base-Layer-Crew-Neck-Tee/p/41713_59409_199

I've been using some thin Russell Athletic polypro workout shirts that are available for $5 per at a local discounter. They are very thin and conforming. They stain up and get grotty looking quickly, but at the price I can't complain. They are very rugged, but tend to look salty in short order. Wearing one as a base layer under mesh is significantly cooler than riding in a cotton tee. When things get really hot, I'll douse one in a nearby stream or wet it with a water bottle. It only stays damp for about a half-hour, but the evaporative cooling does a lot to bring the core temps back down.

As a bottom layer, I wear Klim Mojavi pants. If it's coolish in the morning, I'll wear a thin pair of polypro long johns under, and switch to polypro briefs as things heat up. These pants vent extremely well, and are very comfortable.

A big issue is proper hydration. You loose a tremendous volume of water through sweat in hot weather. I began wearing a Camelbak water reservoir some time ago. My original Camelbak "HAWG" shredded last summer after years rugged use on the bike and the back country. I've just replaced it with a military surplus model that I bought for 30 bucks. The mil-surplus gear is rugged as hell, although I feel a bit of a poser wearing camo and hi-viz at the same time. However, the system holds three liters, and is useful at camp also. You can even take a half-assed shower under it if you pop off the "bite valve."

Thanks guys !

Just the info I was looking for.

The mountain gear stores here in the GWN are more into the thermal/ winter side of the equation, so the M/C hot weather wicking idea was a little strange to the sales minions. The ones I found @ sixty bucks each for top/ bottom was a little steep for underwear. (Some are made from bamboo ??)

I'll order in four sets for the price of one - America, hell ya !

Keep cool my friends.


OT

Like it or not, use it or not, have faith in the IBA or not, this is a group of the most accomplished riders anywhere.
They don't always agree, but for the most part they operate off the same info and do it farther and through temps most folks won't ride it.
A good read FWIW and many have adopted these types of gear. It is info, use it how you want. I can tell you that my riding area is the gulf coast states and desert SW. It does tend to get warm in all those places with humidity from 100% to single digits, and this has kept me and the SO comfy and protected for many a year now.
Hope this helps.
http://www.ironbutt.com/ibmagazine/IronButt_1002_62-66_Hot.pdf
Cheers

Bamboo is another twatwaffle fabric, as is hemp. Yes, it's a "miracle" fiber, but who's going to pay $60 for a tee? Sierra Trading Post tends to carry a bunch of lightweight polypro. You want a smooth "silk" finish as opposed to a wooly one. The good stuff for hot weather is nearly see-through.

Polypro has come a long way since it was introduced in the 80's. Usta be rough on the skin and stank like the bejesus after a day or so. I have some from that era that's still not dead. It just smells like it. Now, the fabric holds up very well and is comfy to wear.

Good article Tex. confirms my thinking.

Cactus here I come

OT

Banana hammock and a tank top, or in your case a thong and a tube top.....

Happy to help!

Which means that, in this case, we don't need pics.

Hey ..... Easy now.

I have the body of a Cod !

A good place to find base layers for HOT is in a bicycle shop. There are some vest and short sleeve shirt options that are EXCELLENT at wicking away sweat..... not cheap however. Also, as stated above: buy skin tight NOT baggy. Suspect the bike dept in REI probably carries some of it also.... (NOT jersey's--which do wick--but under layers)

Really, my friend, I'm going to take your word for that. Pics will not be necessary.

Unless you look like Jenna Jameson....

http://underwear.wickers.com/our-moisture-wicking-underwear-ZXsZX66
http://www.ldcomfort.com/
http://www.goathleticapparel.com/qwik-wick/qwikwick-short-sleeve-baselayer-shirt

A few places I have dealt with. Some are frugal, some aren't and for my money the frugal is fine. Long sleeve is best, actually, and the long undies work well.
Heat gear from under armor works pretty good but for the price, wickers and go athletics are my choice, if I go high dollar, go with the ld comfort.
Look for double layer wicking. It is thin and blows my mind how it works, but it does. Look around the Wickers site and check out the videos.
Gear should not just be protective, but enhance your ride. It should keep you warm, cool and conspicuous. It is up to us to learn how to operate it. IMHO "cooling vests" and the like are worthless. They are that way for many reasons, but that is subject to the user. I just think the articles cooling techniques are best and have actually used them before reading about it.

Happy Hunting

Average high here is 97 throughout most of July and August, with humidity in the mornings around 100%, and still 60% or so in the afternoons. Thin, skin tight base layer, then my jacket are what I try to wear in the summer. Because I mostly commute, that means I typically have slacks on under my riding pants and a nice shirt for work. In the morning that shirt is fine but it comes off in the afternoon. Mesh jacket if the temperature is 92-95 and BELOW, and full synthetic jacket/pants when over 95. Skin temperature is around 92-95 depending on where on the body you measure, so wearing mesh gear when above that temperature is actually counterproductive. It will heat the body instead of cool it.

This smells of awesome!

In the most recent issue of Rider there was an ad for a place that had some hot weather base layers on sale. When I get off shift I will see if I can find it and shoot you a link.

I have tried a couple different expensive sets, my issue is that I wear knee braces when doing harder offroad stuff and nothing I have found holds up very well.

Thanks guys/ Hooliken.

I am trying to get another season out of my gear - Joe Rocket jacket and Moto GP pants. The jacket is OK, turning into a nice shade of pink, and has done me well. The pants will get a set of side zippers from the local seamstress as they are absolutely unbearable in any sort of heat.

All my cash is in the moto (and trying to retire), so next year will probably go for the Rev'it line as Klim is a little too much $ with Frau Blucher eating tires, extended warranty, BC insurance etc., etc.

The Cyclegear stuff looks good, and for the price hard to go wrong. If this does'nt work out, I can always head for the hills where things will moderate. My trip will be in June, so it will no doubt be hot as Hadies in the valleys but chilly in the mountains. BTDT.

Onward !

Excellent article tx, Thanks for posting that up.

Ultralight meranio wool skin tight baselayers if you're looking for something high end. Wool wicks like synthetics, breathes like thin cotton, dries quick, and can take days between washings with no funk. Naturally fire retardant too, if catching on fire is your thing. But it ain't as cheap as synthetics. See Smartwool or Icebreaker. I wear wool socks year round, just varying the thickness depending on temps and purpose.

Honestly the BEST way to stay cool while riding in hot weather is evaporative cooling. Mesh jacket + plain cotton shirt + water bottle. Wet your shirt as needed and ride. It'll keep you cooler than any normal immersion cooling vest, and because cotton dries slower than synthetics it'll keep you cooler longer. And as an added bonus you can get a three pack of cotton undershirts for half the price of an off brand full synthetic shirt. Evaporative cooling also works with standard vented jackets as,well, that's what sweating is. But "assisted" evap cooling works best with mesh.

If you're not using evaporative cooling in 95F+ temps, it's better to stick with normal vented gear plus wool/synthetic wicking shirt. See the aforementioned IBA PDF for reasons why.

Oh, and get a thin skullcap to wear under helmet. It'll wick away sweat and help keep *some* funk out of your helmet, and you can wet it for additional cooling. Makes a big difference in of its own.

I usually do some wicking base layer (UA, ski silk, whatever) with perforated leather. I'm firmly of the belief that moisture wicking fabric is the best thing to happen to leathers since the cow.

When I was out west the Harley guys used to look at me like I was nuts when I was suiting up in the leather in +110 degree temperatures, but it was never me that had heat stress issues.

Insulation from the heat/wind is nearly as important as breathability in my experience, well, that I had really don't trust mesh beyond around town pace.

Get wet, keeps me cool for a good 45 min to an hour.

Leather should be preforated.

A wet scarf does work.

A guy I know who worked for nasa ran tubing through his jacket with quick disconnects.

They connect that to a small water pump in a small cooler filled with ice mounted on the passanger seat.

Pump is powered by bike, and circulates the cool water. He says it works great.