Over Pants vs Chaps

[Barrycuda]

I never ride without protective gear, and for me that usually means leather, with the exception of the Joe Rocket mesh jacket I favor in the summer. I have chaps, overpants, and leather "jeans". I like them all for specific times, but frankly the chaps get the majority of use. I almost never wear the leather jeans.

 

I personally think the chaps give PLENTY of needed protection. True, your butt is not covered, but the times that you might slide directly on your ass are frankly just danged rare. You roll and tumble, and on contact, your butt is heavily padded anyway so nothing digs in. I've been down, and my chaps show the scuff marks, but I have never had a tear in the uncovered parts of my Levis.

 

The chaps have one huge benefit in the summer - putting feet on the highway pegs allows lots of air to rush through the chaps for ventilation. The overpants are exactly opposite - since they are closed at the top no air gets pushed up the legs, making them the preferred option in cooler weather.

 

The downside to the overpants for me is that they are slightly more laborious to put on/off, they are considerably heavier and more bulky for storage, and I am forced to take stuff out of the pockets to put in my Levis when I take off the gear.

Goose

 

Goose,

I have to say, perhaps with certain overpants, one may find it troublesome to put on/off and keeping in leg heat. I have Olympia overpants. They have side zippers all the way up, and Velcro at the bottoms to cover ankles in rain. They take less then 20 seconds to put on and off.

These also have pockets front and rear and padding. Easy to fold and store in saddle bag.

Just my 2 cents. It's an option, and I want to just let whoever is interested in maybe trying overpants to know that the Olympia version is not a hassle whatsoever. Does get toasty in the Florida summer, but I'd rather sweat a bit then......

[RoTorKev]

I think chaps are great, if your a member of a village people tribute band:322:. Otherwise I'd go with the over pants for cold weather and or the riding jeans for protection.

[IronMike]

Greatvwrite up mike! Sorry you got chosen to be the quinee pig for the rest of us and the expenses involved BUT thanks for doing so! LOVE YOUR PICS AND TAG LINE! By looking at the pics our tagline is right on the money! Do you pulled a trailer when riding on ice and if so, how does that effect the handling of your bikie

sorry,,, I couldnt resist,,,, sometimes I just talk to much:confused24: nuther flaw in my charector

 

Cowpuc, I think you can use my Tagline. Some things are given and some EARNED.

We better not ride together, It would be a crazy trip! LOL

[Brenda H]

I get miffed at all this discussion of "what to wear". Here is a question for you guys. How do you find riding gear for short people? In nearly all riding gear, the larger the size, the longer the inseam or the longer the sleeve length. I'm short, 5'6". Unfortunately that is the only place where I'm "small". I wear women's size clothing and I'm just large enough that basically all riding gear manufacturers do NOT include my size in their women's lines [and I'm not "that" big!]. End result is I have to buy men's wear. Even in the "short" sizes, the pants can be 3 inches too long. My mesh men's jacket has to be worn with the sleeves rolled up. My leather jacket, which is the largest size I've ever seen in women's gear, is also too long in the sleeves. One of the reasons why I have a pair of chaps is because I can get them short enough to fit!

 

The only piece of riding gear that I have that actually fits me are my riding jeans. Interesting as they are the only kind of riding pants I've seen that are sized like regular jeans, with separate waist and inseam sizes. Mine are leather lined in the seat and come with armor in the knees. They are what I wear on long trips when I'm usually ATTGATT. They're great!!

 

Can someone tell me why I can get my jeans this way but not other styles/material?? One of these days someone will come up with a riding gear line that is not this "the bigger you are, the taller you are" mentality!