Written for American Iron.

Aerostich Darien Jacket & Pants

One of the lessons that motorcycle touring teaches early on is that the Boy Scouts had the right idea when they chose "Be Prepared" for a motto. After all, spending serious time on a motorcycle provides ample—and sometimes near-constant—reminders of just how many situations for which it's possible to be dismally unprepared. The litany of mechanical ailments that can turn a good ride sour is nearly endless, and too depressing to dwell on. But mechanical problems aren't the only maladies for which Being Prepared is vital. Touring motorcyclists are second only to blue-water sailors when it comes to being at the mercy of the weather, and sailors have the advantage of more space in which to stow a wardrobe.

Here's the thing: if you throw a leg over your bike and head out for an hour-long cruise, choosing an outfit based on style isn't likely to be a problem. If the sky begins to threaten, or it feels too hot or cold or anything else unpleasant, you can just turn around and go home. The touring rider, by contrast, might have no choice but to deal with a 50 or 60 degree temperature swing, along with wind, rain, fog, and hail—all in one day. Extend those possibilities over a long weekend, or a week, and it becomes clear that only a purpose-built riding outfit will do.

The ideal outfit will be waterproof, but unlike a cheap rainsuit it will breathe and remain comfortable. It will keep the wearer warm when the weather is cold, and cool when it's hot. It will provide a measure of protection in the event (knock wood) of a fall. It will have plenty of pockets, for even the grandest touring bike doesn't have enough readily accessible storage space. And it will be easy to maintain. After studying the market carefully, perhaps obsessively, I narrowed the field down to three contenders. Then, based in great measure on personal recommendation—for my ultimate choice was only available directly from the manufacturer—I bit the bullet and ordered the most expensive single garment I had every purchased: an Aerostich Darien jacket. It arrived a few days before I embarked on a 2,000 mile trip. Here is what I wrote upon my return from that trip:

"This is what I learned about the Aerostich Darien jacket over the course of one week, 2000 miles, and a temperature range of 60 to 96 degrees: it is the single best garment I've ever purchased for any reason."

The Darien jacket is constructed of DuPont Cordura Plus, which is a woven nylon fabric of exceptional strength. The "Plus" indicates that the fabric is softer than the original version. Based on conversations with owners of older Darien jackets, I had expected it to require quite a bit of break in, but that didn't turn out to be the case. The jacket was comfortable right out of the box. The Cordura outer shell is bonded to a Gore-Tex inner layer, and the result is a jacket that's 100 percent windproof and waterproof, but which breathes. This outer jacket is equipped with ten pockets, including one in the right sleeve that's an ideal place to keep change for tolls. (The company rightly warns that hard or pointed objects should not be carried in the pockets, since they could cause injury in a crash. In fact, the official line states that "all pockets were designed to provide additional abrasion layers first, and to hold contents second.")

In cool weather the sleeves cinch up with a combination of velcro and a zipper, and an elastic waistbelt can be cinched up; in warm weather, loosening the belt and opening the zipper allows air to flow up the trunk and arms, and exit through the jacket's three large zippered vents. One vent runs across the width of the back; the others are under the arms. All three vent zippers are protected by flaps which keep water from finding its way in. The back flap is covered by a strip of 3M Scotchlite reflective material.

The jacket comes with shoulder and elbow armor that's held in place with velcro strips. The armor is made of a substance called TF2. After the pads warm up for a minute or two, they become flexible and, for all practical purposes, disappear until (knock wood again) needed. Upon impact, they instantly stiffen up to absorb the energy of the crash. Aerostich offers an optional ($60) TF2 back pad, which attaches to velcro strips that are already part of the jacket. The back pad is more noticeable than the shoulder and elbow pads, but it's by no means annoying and after a few minutes it, too, seems to go away. Velcro is also used to attach another useful option: a 4.5 x 6.5 inch left sleeve window pocket that's ideal for keeping route instructions or a compass.

More trip notes: "I wore the Darien sans liner (of course) for the entire trip. At 60 degrees with no direct sun it was useful to close the back and armpit vents, and to cinch the sleeves (with velcro and zippers) to keep the breeze out. Above 80 I opened the vents and freed up the sleeve openings. Enough air got past the bike's fairing to keep me very comfortable up to about 90 degrees. Above 90 I found that a wet bandana around my neck made a very big difference, and I'm not sure that removing the jacket and riding in a t-shirt would have been all that much more pleasant. The combination of good airflow and the material's apparent ability to "wick" heat away from the skin made for a reasonably comfortable ride."

When it gets seriously hot, the folks at Aerostich recommend using the "ice trick" and filling the huge front cargo pockets with cracked ice to keep cool. These pockets are outside of the jacket's Gore-Tex liner, so as the ice melts, the water passes through the outer shell and the zipper, keeping the rider's shirt nice and dry. Of course, this water has to go somewhere, and if you're also wearing waterproof trousers it hardly matters where. But depending on the airflow of the bike in question, someone wearing blue jeans might easily arrive at the next rest stop looking as though that rest stop came a few miles too far down the road. The solution, learned the wet way, is to put the ice in zip-lock bags.

When the weather turns cold, it's time to install the Darien's nylon/fleece inner liner. This is, in fact, a separate reversible jacket with black nylon on one side and grey fleece on the other. It attaches to the outer shell using the same zipper teeth that closes it when it's worn as a separate garment. Like the shell, it's loaded with pockets, one of which devours the entire liner and turns it into a pillow with two elastic straps for easy carrying. The liner has underarm vents that correspond to those on the outer shell, allowing for ventilation when needed.

Being fairly sensitive to cold, I packed a heated vest for last October's ride from upstate New York to Daytona Beach. It turned out to be unnecessary: riding through a potentially bone-chilling rain, with the mercury hovering at 33 degrees, I was snug and warm inside the Darien. Were the temperature to drop below freezing, or if I had been riding an unfaired bike, the vest would have been a welcome addition to the mix. (Indeed, the Owner's Manual supplied with the jacket recommends an electric vest as part of a wise rider's all-weather arsenal.)

For neck-to-ankle coverage, the Darien jacket can be mated with the Darien pants. These are constructed of the same Cordura/Gore-Tex laminate as the jacket shell, and are equipped with TF2 knee pads. Full-length side zippers (rendered waterproof by velcro-fastened full-length flaps) eliminate the contortions that are often associated with putting on overpants. Ankle adjustment tabs provide a tight fit for further weather protection, and provide a mounting point for more 3M Scotchlite reflective tape. A four-hour ride in a particularly nasty rainstorm proved the effectiveness of the Cordura/Gore-Tex combination. The pants kept the rain out, but allowed internally-generated water vapor (i.e., sweat) to pass, keeping me dry and comfortable.

Having been fortunate enough not to need them, I can't provide a first-hand report on the Darien's crash-protection capabilities. The experiences of some less lucky friends and acquaintances indicate that the stuff works as claimed.

After thousands of miles, ridden in all kinds of weather, I have no reason to regret my original assessment of the Darien jacket, and can extend that statement to include the pants as well. There are less costly alternatives, but none of the many I've examined offers the Darien's combination of comfort, protection, flexibility, and ingenious engineering. It is, quite simply, the best product of its kind.