Clothes: What worked and what sucked

A special thanks goes to Tony Murphy at the Salt Water Angler in Key West for setting us up with the perfect underclothes for this trip. He gave us a super deal on hi-tec stuff from a company called Ex-Officio. He also provided us with something every offroad rider should have , a BUFF. Buff's are worn by fishing Captains in the Keys to keep the Sun off of their necks. But they cross-over to motorcycling because they are a really great way to help filter air and keep lots of DUST out of your nose, mouth and ears. They are extremely light, very cool and dry fast after washing in a sink. The underwear worked perfectly and never chafed or stayed wet. The stuff packed real small and dried over night every time.

Here's the challenge with clothes: You can only take a very small amount of clothing with you on a trip like this. Because of this, everything you take is extremely important. The clothing /gear you choose has to be able to keep you cool, warm, dry , protected and comfortable.

Here's what worked for me. I am 6'0", 215lbs, 34" waist, 45" chest.

Jacket: Buell Mesh Jacket size XL with optional back armor. FANTASTIC product. Fit perfect. VERY cool with lots of airflow. Complete protection, arms, shoulders middle and lower back. The buell logo on the front even offers a bit of "Roost" protection since it's made ofthick rubber just like the forearm logos. I felt very protected for such a light jacket. The zipout liner was great. I put it in and out everyday as it served as a great way to keep warm in the higher elevations. All of the zippers /buttons/velcro on the jacket are 100% after the trip.

(NOTE: I got one of the last Mesh jackets out there as the jacket is now discontinued by Buell.)

Pants: Draggin Jeans Urban Camo : I had two pair of long pants on this trip. The Draggin's were for staying warm, and for doing long stretches of high speed pavement. They are expensive and worth every penny. They have kevlar lining and fit extremely well. Im a 34 " waist, but I got 36" so I was sure they would be comfortable at the waist while sitting. They were. These were great for the cold too. I also was very comfortable wearing them casually which is great because I had no other pants except the Sahara mesh off road one's. They fit over my knee armor no problem. $225.00

Pants: Sahara mesh by Moose: Great fit and also very high quality. I'll have these for a long time. They are a bit cooler than the Draggins but not as much as I thought. I bought these for hot summer /slow riding off road. They have hip pads for extra protection there and I liked that. No other protection except for inside the knee. Soft leather there. I liked the Draggins more overall. Sahara's are on sale at MCsuperstore right now for $83.00.

Boots: Sidi Discovery: I'm very happy with the fit and construction of these. Very easy to get on/off and they are versatile. They can be worn in wet situations as long as water is no more than 10" deep. They are comfortable enough to walk to the next gas station if you have to. Or as in the picture above, walk to the next Burrito stand. I love the Burritos out West. They took quite a beating and have 0 defects after the 2500 mile trip. I am a 10.5 sneaker and I got the size 11. They were absolutely perfect fit. $325.00

Socks: Fox coolmax thin: Cool socks, but they didn't ever dry overnight so get a few pairs. $16.00

Neck Protection: Buffs: We have no motorcycle supply stores where we live so we had to get creative with a few things like these buffs. Got ours from Tony Murphy's offshore outfitter which is THE outdoor store in Key West. They have many unique and special items for protection against the elements. Buffs are light, stretchy & strong. We used them to help filter dirt that entered the helmet area. They worked great. $20.00

(I have a Buell fleece buff on in one of the shots. Got it free when I walked into a dealer and they had a promotion going on. I loved this for staying comfortable while riding in the cold of the higher passes and on mountain mornings. I don't know if they sell this but they should. )

What Sucked: The mesh jacket was the 4th item in a row that I tried for upper body protection. Here's what I threw back: I threw back a Teknic "freeway" jacket that I had huge hopes for (Too big and HOT). I also got two "mesh body armor" body suit things. One was from Aerostitch, one was an acerbis from MC Superstore. Both sucked to put on and take off. There's no way I'd be able to pull these things off to cool down in between rides. They had no pockets and had no warmth. They were too tight and squeezed my arms and wrists. They were hard to pull on and off too. Did I mention that ?

Tip of the Day: Don't Wear polarized glasses if you want to see your GPS or any lcd screen through your polarized clear face shield !