• Can't post after logging to the forum for the first time... Try Again - If you can't post in the forum, sign out of both the membership site and the forum and log in again. Make sure your COG membership is active and your browser allow cookies. If you still can't post, contact the COG IT guy at IT@Concours.org.
  • IF YOU GET 404 ERROR: This may be due to using a link in a post from prior to the web migration. Content was brought over from the old forum as is, but the links may be in error. If the link contains "cog-online.org" it is an old link and will not work.

Question for Aerostich Roadcrafter owners

ScottyT

ScottyT

Guest
Guest
I’m considering the ‘Stich Roadcrafter pants and I’m curious to hear from anyone who owns them whether the fact that the zipper runs up the inside of the leg is a concern for water tightness? Seems like the worst possible place to put a zipper, right where your legs hug the fuel tank and water can collect. Am I concerned over nothing? Thanks!
 
I have the R3 suit but it still has zippers there.  It has yet to leak in the heavy rains I've ridden in.  I think the C14 has some outstanding bodywork as far as rain control goes.  I've never worn my Stich on a naked bike so cant say for sure in that situation
 
sininja said:
I have the R3 suit but it still has zippers there.  It has yet to leak in the heavy rains I've ridden in.  I think the C14 has some outstanding bodywork as far as rain control goes.  I've never worn my Stich on a naked bike so cant say for sure in that situation
Click to expand...
That’s great to hear. I was in a monsoon from WV to eastern PA last weekend, and not very long into the ride I felt my Tourmaster pants allowing water into the crotch area and felt a cool trickle, well, you know where. I think it was a combination of the water hitting my head/chest and running down the jacket and pooling in my lap and against the tank. The pants weren’t up to the challenge. I’m leaning toward the Roadcrafter over the Darien, but I like the placent of the zipper on the outside of the Darien better.
 
My Aero' has been good for almost 20 years now.

Occasionally wash in the NikWax they sell, and give it a waterproofing spray every now and again. No problems. 
 
Staylo said:
sininja said:
I have the R3 suit but it still has zippers there.  It has yet to leak in the heavy rains I've ridden in.  I think the C14 has some outstanding bodywork as far as rain control goes.  I've never worn my Stich on a naked bike so cant say for sure in that situation
Click to expand...
That’s great to hear. I was in a monsoon from WV to eastern PA last weekend, and not very long into the ride I felt my Tourmaster pants allowing water into the crotch area and felt a cool trickle, well, you know where. I think it was a combination of the water hitting my head/chest and running down the jacket and pooling in my lap and against the tank. The pants weren’t up to the challenge. I’m leaning toward the Roadcrafter over the Darien, but I like the placent of the zipper on the outside of the Darien better.
Click to expand...

I think Stich quality has risen substantially over the years, and the materials of the zipper/crotch zone also improved. At least that is what Aero is saying; the older models (like mine, purchased in '04) did benefit from application of the seam sealer kit they sell, after a few years of abuse.
That kit had an applicator tip, and brushes, and sealer, which when "painted on/into" the stitching that holds the zippers, on both sides, truly does make them 100%.. the zippers never really leaked, it was the stitching of the fabric holding the zipper.
I did the "goober" thing, and thoroughly coated those seams, inside and out, back in '05, and have never had an issue since.
The zipper thing can be read here in the FAQ's
https://www.aerostich.com/roadcrafter-darien-faq

but, after looking closely at the photos of the "newer" models of all the products, it appears (visually) that the zippers used now, are already impregnated with some type of "rubber/plasticizer", making them much more reliable.

IMHO, my 2 piece Road Crafter has been my best purchase to date.
 
I ended up getting a killer deal on a pair of Klim Badlands pants(50% off sales sample direct from Klim) so decided to go that route instead. My Tourmaster jacket did a good job of keeping me dry in the monsoon, so just buying the pants was a lot cheaper than an entire suit from Aerostich. And the Klim pants looked like a better designed product than the Darien pants, and were less money.
 
BadgerApaches said:
My Aero' has been good for almost 20 years now.

Occasionally wash in the NikWax they sell, and give it a waterproofing spray every now and again. No problems.
Click to expand...
+1
 
Staylo said:
I ended up getting a killer deal on a pair of Klim Badlands pants(50% off sales sample direct from Klim) so decided to go that route instead. My Tourmaster jacket did a good job of keeping me dry in the monsoon, so just buying the pants was a lot cheaper than an entire suit from Aerostich. And the Klim pants looked like a better designed product than the Darien pants, and were less money.
Click to expand...

While I have not worn Darien's, they are much less robust than the Roadcrafter, but until you actually have a pair in hand, comparing by looks alone is kinda tough to make a call. Roadcrafter pants are always in stock,  and as Aerostich has such a highly modafiable fitting, they always have unused returns in stock also, at extremely reduced prices, you should always call and ask, ... You may be surprised by what is there that sits.
 
MAN OF BLUES said:
While I have not worn Darien's, they are much less robust than the Roadcrafter, but until you actually have a pair in hand, comparing by looks alone is kinda tough to make a call. Roadcrafter pants are always in stock,  and as Aerostich has such a highly modafiable fitting, they always have unused returns in stock also, at extremely reduced prices, you should always call and ask, ... You may be surprised by what is there that sits.
Click to expand...
Wasn’t really a matter of comparing by looks. I read through the specifications of the Darien pants and compared them to the Klim Badlands Pro pants and it didn’t seem like there was much of a comparison. The Klim pants come with Gore-Tex Pro three layer fabric versus the 500D Gore-Tex Cordura the Darien pants use. The Klim pants have four pockets(at least two of which are waterproof), versus Dariens’ three, of which zero are waterproof, or even have a zipper as far as I can tell. The Klim pants have leather panels inside the knees. The Dariens do not. The Klim pants have multiple zippered air vents. The Dariens have none. The Klim pants have multiple straps for adjusting fit. The Dariens have none. The Klim pants are lined, the Dariens are not. The Klim pants have additional layers in more abrasion areas than the Dariens.  The one area the Dariens did top the Klim, in my opinion, is in appearance. You can get the Dariens in just plain black, as opposed to Klim’s somewhat gaudy design.

None of this is intended to rip on Aerostich. They’ve got a very loyal following that doesn’t come without producing a product that people will support. But I don’t think it’s a controversial statement to say that Aerostich garments are certainly not being modernized with advances in garment technology. They are legacy designs that are being produced with legacy materials. They certainly appear to “get the job done”. But when placed side-by-side with other products that also “get the job done”, they are somewhat lackluster in their feature set. That and I got the Klim’s for under $300.  :beerchug:
 
all cool... just figured why do the mix and match.. and Dariens AIN'T Roadcrafter pants.. no comparison... fully lined, multi waterproof pockets, and vents, and pass thru side access to pants pockets... and they can be zipped to your Roadcrafter jacket.. mmm

no big dealeo, just asking folks to peruse the stuff there,
https://www.aerostich.com/sale/rider-gear/roadcrafter-classic/roadcrafter-pants

you may have found what fitted ya, and would mate up with your jacket.
https://www.aerostich.com/sale/rider-gear/roadcrafter-classic/roadcrafter-pants?p=4


sometimes the deals, are really deals. Placing a call to them on that old device known as a phone, really helps a lot also...

Especially when a complete "normal sized" suit is running $1400... and well worth it (today.. I spent just under $1k for mine, custom made, highly modified, and almost a Tony Stark version.. when I bought it.)
 
I have $1000 worth of Klim snowmobile gear in my closet right next to my Aerostich suit.  Long term is where the quality of the Aerostich starts to separate itself.  I'm not going to argue on the internet about Klims quality issues and steady decline over the years in the snowmobile world, which started even before Polaris bought them.  I'm also not going to argue about paying made in USA prices for gear thats almost exclusively made in China.  But those were all factors in my decision.  I now buy Fxr for my snowmobile stuff as it's proven every bit as good as Klim at 1/2 the price.  On the other hand my riding buds argue with me that their Joe Rocket gear is perfectly adequate so...  buy whatever works for you  :beerchug:
 
sininja said:
I have $1000 worth of Klim snowmobile gear in my closet right next to my Aerostich suit.  Long term is where the quality of the Aerostich starts to separate itself.  I'm not going to argue on the internet about Klims quality issues and steady decline over the years in the snowmobile world, which started even before Polaris bought them.  I'm also not going to argue about paying made in USA prices for gear thats almost exclusively made in China.  But those were all factors in my decision.  I now buy Fxr for my snowmobile stuff as it's proven every bit as good as Klim at 1/2 the price.  On the other hand my riding buds argue with me that their Joe Rocket gear is perfectly adequate so...  buy whatever works for you  :beerchug:
Click to expand...

Yup. The non-Aero friends make fun of my RoadCrafter "uniform", but every year at the cycle show one of them is buying another set of "bargain" riding jacket/pants.

A few years back I was stationed in Superior with the RailRoad for some training, and luckily it was at the same time as Aero's annual garage sale. What a treat! I also deposited my 'crafter for their basic R&R service, launder/water proofing. Good as new, a little more broken in, probably close to 400K miles on it. Andy Goldfine runs a quality business for us.   
 
FTB530 said:
My Klim wasn’t made in China!
I may buy a roadcrafter someday on eBay !
Click to expand...

Make it a stop on your touring as we did. Check the racks, get sized for a custom and receive a nice discount! Take the Great Lakes tour as you go around!
 
My road crafter is the best investment in riding gear I have ever made since 2011. Chunk of change for initial investment but have not bought another set of outerwear in the past 7 years and yes it does make my ass look big. Comfortable. water proof, easy on off, Don't have to stop to put on rain gear. Don't have to stop to take off rain gear. Andy rocks. My junk is sun bleached but from below freezing to over 110 it is the go to.
 
And it's a great conversation starter when people ask me why I am wearing my onesie.  :)) :)) :))
 
BadgerApaches said:
FTB530 said:
My Klim wasn’t made in China!
I may buy a roadcrafter someday on eBay !
Click to expand...

Make it a stop on your touring as we did. Check the racks, get sized for a custom and receive a nice discount! Take the Great Lakes tour as you go around!
Click to expand...
I went to a pop up event store in Reno a few years ago and tried on  a few items. When I was ready to ride I bough5 a Olympia o e piece suit and didn’t care for it so I figured I would buy a two piece suit! So far so good .
 
OP concern/question was the location of Aerostich zippers on Road Crafter pants and if the positioning seems to leak. For me:

I have ridden Klim as a daily commuter for 2 years and on a Four Corners ride, I have ridden an Aerostich R3 one piece suit for 3 years and when I ride with my wife ride have ridden the Darien two piece variety for 2 years.....also worth noting I have ridden the same Darien two piece suit for 2 years as a daily commuter.

I am a daily rider in the PNW if there is no snow or ice on the road I enjoy touring, vacationing, commuting and running errands of the two wheel variety.

With Klim (Latitude) I have had a few leaks (three) and each time they have promptly replaced the garment stating their tests showed the garment failed their tests and they will replace it.

With Aerostich I have not had a failure with either the Darien or the Roadcrafter R3 Suit.

The above is not definitive data, rather someones (mine) experience. I usually ride about 20K per year 50/50 city vs highway.  I have gravitated towards the Aerostich garments because I prefer fewer garments, and the majority of my riding is commuting, thus Aerostich has their garments set for: easy on easy off, plenty of pockets, very waterproof, easy on over other cloths, and easily usable if you choose not to wear "other cloths" under them.

My Klim gear is AWESOME, however it is not as universally useful and although I purchased it at a precious penny, it sits in my closet unused.

 
For me I like KLIM stuff. I have a badlands jacket, To me it is better for dual sport stuff and the stich for purely on road. Never had a problem with the KLIM gear just seem more geared to DS and off road. The stich is pure street tho I have seen folks run them DS.
 
antibus said:
OP concern/question was the location of Aerostich zippers on Road Crafter pants and if the positioning seems to leak. For me:

I have ridden Klim as a daily commuter for 2 years and on a Four Corners ride, I have ridden an Aerostich R3 one piece suit for 3 years and when I ride with my wife ride have ridden the Darien two piece variety for 2 years.....also worth noting I have ridden the same Darien two piece suit for 2 years as a daily commuter.

I am a daily rider in the PNW if there is no snow or ice on the road I enjoy touring, vacationing, commuting and running errands of the two wheel variety.

With Klim (Latitude) I have had a few leaks (three) and each time they have promptly replaced the garment stating their tests showed the garment failed their tests and they will replace it.

With Aerostich I have not had a failure with either the Darien or the Roadcrafter R3 Suit.

The above is not definitive data, rather someones (mine) experience. I usually ride about 20K per year 50/50 city vs highway.  I have gravitated towards the Aerostich garments because I prefer fewer garments, and the majority of my riding is commuting, thus Aerostich has their garments set for: easy on easy off, plenty of pockets, very waterproof, easy on over other cloths, and easily usable if you choose not to wear "other cloths" under them.

My Klim gear is AWESOME, however it is not as universally useful and although I purchased it at a precious penny, it sits in my closet unused.
Click to expand...
Thanks for that feedback! It was exactly the kind of information I was looking for. The leg zippers on the Roadcrafter just seem like they were in an odd place and I was concerned about leakage because when my Tourmaster pants failed, and the rain literally filled my boots while riding in a six hour monsoon, that was where they failed, at the crotch where my legs wrapped the tank in the water laid.  I ended up buying the Klim pants because I got them at a killer price, and they seem like a more “advanced“ design, but after they arrived I’ve noticed they are a much more form fitting design. I have to see after some riding how I feel about that. Thanks again!
 
ScottyT said:
I’m considering the ‘Stich Roadcrafter pants and I’m curious to hear from anyone who owns them whether the fact that the zipper runs up the inside of the leg is a concern for water tightness? Seems like the worst possible place to put a zipper, right where your legs hug the fuel tank and water can collect. Am I concerned over nothing? Thanks!
Click to expand...
My Roadcrafter two piece is 26 years old and is the most waterproof piece of equipment I have. It has lightly leaked in a 4”/1 hour downpour outside of Ashville on the Blue Ridge Parkway but we were essentially riding submarines..
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top