Whats the best piece of equipment you've ever bought?

I'd say at this point, my top three pieces of equipment would be (not including my X-Challenge):

Firstgear Rainier Jacket. I wouldn't call it perfect, but I would say it is an excellent jacket. The fact that I got it under $150 (closeout) puts it over the top.

Grip heaters. Honestly, I don't think the brand matters or whether you go heated grips, under grip elements, or heated gloves. But having something to warm your hands does wonders to improve the riding experience and extend the season.

Firstgear Fargo Gloves. This model has been revised so I don't know if it is still as good, but they were cheap (under $60 I think), have been totally waterproof, and are a very good balance of comfort, warmth, and tactile feedback.

Honorable mentions would be my Sidi Adventure boots and Olympia Bushwacker jacket.

That's a bloody great list! Thank you, sir.

My best gear:
EZ pass holder. I am super Fan of i-pass holder. I love the quality and design of i-pass holders. The best quality is that they Will not break melt or loose suction. All these qualities make the i-pass holder best choice of everyone.

my best gear (none of my gear is too fancy or expensive) would have to be:

troy lee helmet which has saved me the inconvenience of several bumps or concussions off-road and is brightly colored so people on-road are more likely to see me.

and my speed & strength jacket, not an expensive jacket but it has all the needed protection (elbow, shoulder and back) and even though its a street jacket, i just remove the inner liner and it doesn't get too hot off-road, takes a lot out of an impact when falling too...ive been down hard off-road while wearing it twice and it definitely saved my elbows and shoulders both times.

all i need now is some nice knee protection, for some reason my knees always take the worst part of the crash

SLIDERS riding jeans (or cargo pants) w/ the optional (10 bucks!) CE approved knee pads. WOOT!

http://www.compacc.com/p/Sliders-Kevlar-Motorcycle-Riding-Jeans-4-0

I don't know, I think a credit card ant wet wipes are a great purchased piece of gear, maybe the best. CC is cheap insurance, and wet wipes = showers on the road. I would also through in clorox disinfecting wipes.... THE single most useful non-motorcycle related item I used, aside from your mentioning of a good sleeping bag, that I used on my recent trip from Maine to Cali and back this fall... one of those, AH HA! moments when you realize how precious your water is and how little space they take in a zip lock in your pack.

My two cents worth. First Gear. I have one of the original Kilimanjaro jackets and Honda HT pants (built by First Gear). They are as good as you can get. The zipper messed up in my jacket, I called First Gear and they replaced it FREE. This jacket is about 7 years old. They even paid the shipping. Also anything Honda markets is built by someone else to their specs. I recently lost my father and while cleaning out his garage I found my HondaLine gloves I bought in approximately 1976. Recently I wore them back to back with my Alpinestars and they keep my hands just as warm.

Klim pants and jacket.

Really? I tried them but ended up selling two different sets (ADV Rally and Badlands Pro.) For the $$ I am happier with more of the cheaper mainstream stuff. It does 90% of what the KLIM stuff does at 50% of the cost.

I love my Klim gear. Riding year 'round in the PNW, having good fitting gear that is TRULY waterproof is a must.

To each their own of course. I find it overpriced for what you really get though. That it is made overseas didn't help my "feel-good" quotient either at that price point. Plenty of reports on here about guys who have it who still get wet in the rain. YMMV.

Understandable. Sometimes "you get what you pay for applies", and I feel like I have. Seeing as it's been raining nearly everyday for the past 3 months of riding here, I've put them through the paces, and have always come out the other end 100% dry. But the price hit is something not everyone can get over.

I'd really have to say my Scala Rider Q2 pro, after using a myriad of other PTT solutions this is by far the clearest audio and I have to have my tunes!!

Yup really, now keep in mind I ride every day all year long (the things I do for work) I know it's expensive gear but it's also warm and dry every time I put it on... even after a ride in the rain/ snow.

That stuff's (Klim) made in China.

Q. How can they justify charging premium first world prices for stuff made in China.



A. Because there's a sucker born every minute.

Sorry, but "first world" doesn't really apply to American anymore. We barely manufacture anything these days. I looked around at christmas, and 95% of everything we had opened was NOT made in America.

Good stuff can, and does come out of china. It's not like they have a decree that says every item exported from China is garbage. It's just easier for companies to cut corners to turn profits, so sometimes things turn out junkier than our expectations. So far I think my Klim gear is top notch, regardless of the country of origin.

Iphones are made in China. I couldn't find many people that would say they are poorly made.

Quality wasn't my point, rather it was cost of production. Like most sports shoe manufacturers, Klim fails to pass along Chinese production savings to the customer.

The beauty of the market, and power to them, I guess.

But as a first world consumer I prefer not to support that particular business model whenever possible.

I don't disagree that the price deosn't seem to be in line for overseas production, but, as big as KLIM is, it's still pretty small potatoes, when it comes to series production . . . . it's not like they are churning out millions of Badlands jackets in Size Extra Chubby Jumbo everyday . . . . . .. .

Comparing them to Nike or the like isn't really apples to apples . . . . . . .

It's entirely comparable. Differing only in scale.

I guess I don't understand NOT buying something because the company is using all the resources available to minimize their cost. It's acceptable to make a profit, but not a BIGGER profit by using cheaper production methods?

It's all economics, supply and demand. The price is dictated by what people are willing to pay, and what is available to the consumer. The competition is low, for high-end motorcycle gear. So their price dictates that, regardless of production cost/methodology.