Reax Thermal Mid Layer Jacket

[aviationfred]

I have been eyeing this jacket since last fall. I had a hard time justifying the $90.00 cost and then wished that I had made the purchase on my trip out to the RPM rally in October.

I broke down and bought one today. I recently got a smoking hot deal on a used Aerostich Darien Waxed Cotton touring jacket (Now sold as the Falstaff). The jacket did not come with a zip in line. The Aerostich Darien thermal liner is in the neighborhood of $150.00.

The Reax liner is extremely light weight and packs up in it's own pouch plus I can wear it with all of my other jackets if needed.

I followed the purchase with a short 70 mile ride at 40°F. Worn under the Darien jacket, I was noticeably much warmer.

I highly recommend this

https://www.cyclegear.com/gear/reax-traveler-thermal-jacket

Fred

[Pat Conlon]

Fred, have you tried a heated vest?

[fj1289]

I'm thinking a thin heated vest under that liner!

[FJmonkey]

When I use my heated vest, a liner (other than the jacket liner) is not needed. It gets very warm.  Mind you, this is coming from a SoCal rider so results may vary.

[aviationfred]

Fred, have you tried a heated vest?

I have not. I use layering under my jacket and pants. I do have heated grips on the 95 FJ and the Heated battery powered gloves. With my existing gear and the very large Power Bronze touring windscreen, I am comfortable down into the mid 30's. The Reax jacket/liner was purchased mainly for the new to me Aerostich jacket.

With all that said..... the main reason that I have not gone to cord powered electric gear is the 'Tethered to the motorcycle thing'. Maybe sometime down the road I will get past that and do the plug-in vest/jacket/pants gear.



Fred

[T Legg]

I also do a lot of cold weather riding using the layered clothing method. I may look like a sausage but I don't like  being dependent on electric heat. Also as Fred says I don't like being tethered. The latest fj I bought has heated grips but I still need good gloves I'm not impressed by them. It might be ok having the heated vest but I would never leave all my layers behind. On long rides in the thirty's I will wear insulated ski pants over my regular pants and thermal underwear. With those layers I don't feel the cold at all. The toughest part at those temps is the wind blowing through my helmet and down my neck. Sometimes I will wear a hooded wind breaker over my leather jacket and under my helmet that stops the wind down the neck and the leakage through the zippers on my jacket and helps with the wind through the helmet.

[tmst08]

A hoodie can be a pain to get a helmet over. Have you had any luck with a scarf?

[T Legg]

A scarf won't keep a 100 mph wind from blowing down the back of your neck. I use a water and wind proof windbreaker. There is no inner lining so it easily fits under the helmet. Even the baclava hoods still let air flow down the neck. The continuous wind seal of the windbreaker does a much better job and also stops the air flow through the leather jacket. Above forty degrees I don't mind a little air flow but riding below that temp the air will give you a stiff neck .

[tmst08]

OK. I just figured you could wrap a scarf tightly and even get to dispose of the ends in an advantageous manner. And cheap! You can make a scarf out of other things...

But eliminating airflow is, indeed, the most effective means.

[ribbert]

A hoodie can be a pain to get a helmet over. Have you had any luck with a scarf?

I live in the cold part of Australia and Winter is my preferred riding / trip season. Sub zero temps and long rides are not uncommon. For 40 of my 50 years riding, ways of keeping warm didn't change much, relying on layering and youth.
Well, youth abandoned me and I always hated the immobility and sensation of multiple layers of garments and I can't stand a balaclava under, my helmet, let alone the rigmarole of putting it all on.

For me, there are two items of clothing that have revolutionised cold weather riding, the heated vest and neck socks. The socks cost $10-$15 and come in an endless variety of weights and styles. They are nearly all Polar Fleece, or should be, and work brilliantly. Most of them have a draw string at one end to make it into a beanie. Available at any bike or outdoor shop.





I put my jacket on over it which takes care of the draught down my neck and if really cold, I tuck the top under the edge of my helmet which stops any draught there. If you have a Pinlock insert, you can then close your visor tight without fogging.
I have single thickness, double, lined, thick etc, they're cheap, you can have lots of them.

I was introduced to heated vests with a loan of a battery model and swore I would never ride another cold mile in my life. I often ride with my brother who has a battery unit and it always dies late in the day as fatigue sets in and temps start dropping, along with other things that happen with battery powered devices.

I don't understand the tethering objection. I have a pigtail that pokes out where the seat meets the tank (it connects direct to the battery) and the water proof controller in my LH jacket pocket. If I forget to unhook it when getting off, which I still do regularly because I forget I'm "tethered" to the bike, it has a break-away connector that I don't even feel tug as I walk off.
Why you would want battery powered accessories when you are sitting astride a complete electrical system.

Last Winter, I did 7 consecutive 10 hours days, grips and vest on for every minute of it, I did vary the heat levels but never switched them off. Recently I bought a second vest as a spare. Now that I have finally discovered it's possible to ride warm, I didn't want to risk not having one (they are not readily available here and come from the US)

I only wear a T shirt or occasionally a thin Marino long sleeve thermal top under my textile jacket with a quilted liner, that's it. That has kept me warm down to -4.9 (23F)
My vest has a double controller and an outlet for gloves (or pants or socks) This means the gloves can be connected to the sleeves of your jacket, not directly to the bike and operate from the same controller.

I love my heated grips but they do have limitations when it gets way below zero for extended periods at speed. As long as the backs of your hands are exposed to the wind, they will get cold. I did give some thought to handlebar mitts or bark busters for the colder months but a new pair of gloves improved things enough not to worry and our Winters are not as fierce as yours.

Things have come a long way, this is me heading off on my first motorcycle trip circa 1970.



Being warm without bulk makes Winter riding a joy. And, for another discussion at another time, staying dry in all day pissing rain.

Noel

[Firehawk068]

I'm not one to like thick layers underneath. Being too bulky restricts movement somewhat, and I'm just not comfortable riding like that.

I occasionally ride into the high-20's F at times.
A couple years ago I purchased from Cycle-Gear a "Freeze-out, Warm'r" undershirt.
It is quite thin, but the inside of it has a thin layer of fleece that is made into a "Waffle" pattern. It is very warm underneath any of my three riding jackets I have worn it with.
It zips down about halfway so it is easy to pull on, and it has loops at the ends of the sleeves to stick your thumbs through to make it easy to get down the sleeves of your riding jacket.
It was around $30 on sale at the time I bought it

I also bought an Oxford wind-proof Neck-gaiter. It also has a thin layer of fleece, and is very comfortable to wear. It covers the bottoms of my ears and my entire neck, down to my chest.
It keeps the wind from getting up inside the helmet. I think it was around $20.

I've never liked using the insulated liners that come with my riding pants, due to them being too bulky and restricting movement.  I recently acquired some LD-comfort long-underwear that I'm going to try out. (thank you Secret-Santa)

With my heated grips and insulated gloves, I've never had an issue with my hands being cold (it was mainly my neck, and my arms)

Anyway, these are thin enough to not be bulky, and plenty warm down to around 30-F.

[T Legg]

I may have to try one of those heated vests and the neck sock. I will never go with out my layers at least waiting in my saddle bags ready to used in case of a vest failure or being stranded somewhere with a broken bike but it would be nice riding warm and unbundled. I love your old suzuki. Did you have to mix gas at every stop or did it have an oil injection tank?

[Pat Conlon]

As Noel said, I have no problem being tethered to my bike with the break away plug....I forget to unplug all the time, no problem. I love my TourMaster vest with collar. I don't leave home without it.

However...... on a multi day tour I always bring my back up thermal layers.

I've had a selector switch failure on my heated vest, and it was a long, teeth chattering miserable ride home.

[tmst08]

Did you know right away it was the switch? Was it possible to just cut it out and spice wires?

[Sparky84]

And, for another discussion at another time, staying dry in all day pissing rain.

Noel

Please tell me Noel, 2 consecutive days of rain on the way to the Rally found my wet weather pants didn't work and of course gloves but luckily it's still warm

Cheers
Alan