New Aerostitch Suit....Which one? R3 or R3 Light?

[The Fixer]

So I was the lucky guy that won the Stitch this year. 


Any advise from you Roadcrafter Veterans out there on whether to get the "Light" version or just go all out and get the R3 and deal with the additional heat. They sent me one of each to try on. The light seems pretty substantial already and with electrics underneath I could probably get as far into the winter as I need to.


Thoughts?

[Brick]

I'm lovin my R3Lite.


I must be out riding my Super Teneré'!

[dpippin]

Lucky Dog

I have a regular Roadcrafter and also a Roadcrafter lite.
I live in the southeast so I bought the lite for the summer months because it was supposed to be cooler.

I really don't see much difference between the two as far as coolness.
The Roadcrafter is definitely heavier material with better armor so I consider it safer.

Knowing what I know now I would not purchase the lite again.
I'd go for a Klim Induction vented jacket for the really hot weather and keep the Roadcrafter for the remainder of my riding.

hope this helps in some way.

Doug

[The Fixer]

Thanks for the replies.Yeah, I think you're right Doug.  I was thinking that since they both have the same venting, the only difference in cooling would be how much more the lighter material can wick out the heat than the heavier, which has got to be pretty negligible. I'm definitely leaning towards the regular R3. It's made in the US too. The light is made in Vietnam. Now what color...

[stevegrab]

Do some colors fade less than others when exposed to sunlight? I've had red bikes and therefore most of my jackets have been red as well. I noticed my last Tourmaster got very faded over the same period, which included 3 trips riding out west, each about 10 days and it being mostly sunny.

Congrats on the Aerostitch suit, enjoy it.

[HawkGTRider]

Do some colors fade less than others when exposed to sunlight? I've had red bikes and therefore most of my jackets have been red as well. I noticed my last Tourmaster got very faded over the same period, which included 3 trips riding out west, each about 10 days and it being mostly sunny.

Congrats on the Aerostitch suit, enjoy it.

The red material used to fade pretty dramatically along with the hi-viz. But I suppose anything would appear to fade when you spend as much time in the sunlight as I have over the years.

[The Fixer]

Yeah, the red ends up looking like orange.


The Light has pretty limited colors. I'm thinkin' grey with hi-viz ballistics.

[HawkGTRider]

Yeah, the red ends up looking like orange.


The Light has pretty limited colors. I'm thinkin' grey with hi-viz ballistics.

Something to remember...It's been my experience that the area on the front of your legs is perhaps the the most exposed area to road grunge and such. That area in hi-viz will continue to be a brighter color than the rest of the suit if you decide to go with gray, but any bug grunge or road spooge will really show up. It's a hard color to keep clean. And if you do try to wash the suit enough to keep it clean, it will fade more quickly.
As you can see from my avatar, I'm wearing a hi-viz Roadcrafter, and it's 100% hi-viz. It was a sale item and I didn't have a choice on colors. I still have that suit and wear it sporadically...I continue to find my smack-dab-worn-out Darien to be a more versatile piece of gear. However, I'll probably start wearing the Roadcrafter more often, spooge and all on the legs, as the Darien continues to deteriorate. If I didn't already have the Roadcrafter, I'd buy another Darien.
That's my $.02 worth. Anyone else?

[Paco Bulto]

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[/quote]
Something to remember...It's been my experience that the area on the front of your legs is perhaps the the most exposed area to road grunge and such. That area in hi-viz will continue to be a brighter color than the rest of the suit if you decide to go with gray, but any bug grunge or road spooge will really show up. It's a hard color to keep clean. And if you do try to wash the suit enough to keep it clean, it will fade more quickly.
As you can see from my avatar, I'm wearing a hi-viz Roadcrafter, and it's 100% hi-viz. It was a sale item and I didn't have a choice on colors. I still have that suit and wear it sporadically...I continue to find my smack-dab-worn-out Darien to be a more versatile piece of gear. However, I'll probably start wearing the Roadcrafter more often, spooge and all on the legs, as the Darien continues to deteriorate. If I didn't already have the Roadcrafter, I'd buy another Darien.
That's my $.02 worth. Anyone else?
[/quote]

I had a 2 piece Roadcrafter and after that went to the Darien also. I agree that the Darien is more versatile and was more waterproof than the Roadcrafters. The new Roadcrafters may be as waterproof, though. I have ridden with others that have the one piece Roadcrafters and the one drawback is that if you stop somewhere to eat, for instance, it is easy to take the Darien jacket off and leave it in your pannier, hang it up in the restaurant, etc, whereas with the one piece Roadcrafter, you have to be creative with what you do with it, as it is rather large to put in a pannier, especially if you have other gear in there. All these problems can be overcome, but I find the Darien easier to live with.

I bought a new Darien Light in Hi Viz for the trip to STAR in 2012 when it was so hot and we had a 4,000 mile round trip planned. It flows air very well up the sleeves and out the vents when underway but, like other "Stich suits, it is hot when you stop. If I did it again, I might go with the regular Darien, as it probably is as cool when underway and no hotter when stopped. I have the Hi Viz and after about 40,000 miles and several washings it still looks like new.

[The Fixer]

Thanks for the replies. Those 2 cents were worth at least a dollar.    I already have a Dainese jacket, so buying the Darien would be redundant for me.
Good tip on the Hi-Viz. I was thinking about how much extra time I'd spend keeping it clean. Judging by how often I wash my current gear, it would get pretty gnarly.
In all likelyhood I'll go with the ubiquitous grey and black ballistics.  It's timeless and if I'm lucky enough to still have it years down the road it, wont look like a wad of yellow flypaper.