Honda CBR 250 Forum banner

Mesh Jacket

15K views 66 replies 28 participants last post by  jayuup 
#1 ·
Today I bought a mesh motorcycle jacket.

Riding in 90 degrees in direct Vegas sunlight, it just felt like I was in a big hairdryer.

Any other suggestions on keeping cool?

I like to wear gear... preferably atgatt.

Thanks

Sent from Motorcycle.com Free App
 
#2 ·
Hey Rocker,

i still have my mesh jacket... but i never wear it anymore for that reason...
even when we hit 115F last year, i wore my leather as it just seemed cooler.

all that hot air hitting my skin, dehydrated me like a mofo.

you can get cooling vests from pretty much any motorcycle store, and they are basically t-shirts designed to hold moisture.
My personal and cheap ass favourite (yes i'm English) method is to soak a snood/neck thingy is cool water and wear it while i ride.... makes a great difference
 
#4 ·
At 98ËšF, the ability of sweat to maintain your body temperature with evaporation ceases. In higher temperatures, you could ride naked and end up with heat stroke faster than if you'd been wrapped up in a blanket.

That's why desert crossings traditionally required clothing looking like this:



Whoops, here's an article I remembered reading stating it more thoroughly than I can:

Riding Motorcycles in Extreme Heat
 
#21 ·
That's why desert crossings traditionally required clothing looking like this:



http://motorcycleinfo.calsci.com/ExtremeHeat.html
Yes, but is that head gear DOT certified?


I bought one of those "cooling" vests with the gel beads back when they were the new thing and cost $100. Biggest waste of money ever. I wore it on maybe a half dozen trips over the course of a couple years. One time I went to use it and the gel beads had simply evaporated into thin air. I called the manufacturer, who said this was normal. Now I just soak a thick T-shirt or knit sweater under the mesh jacket, along with a soaked neck wrap if it's really hot, and I'm good for about an hour or more. When touring through small towns and I see somebody watering their lawn or yard with a hose, I ask them to just spray me down from shirt to pants. They always get a real kick out of doing that, too... lots of grins! How often do they get to shoot somebody with a hose and not get their a$$ kicked afterward?
 
#11 ·
I'd likely reconsider my perforated leather jacket for a mesh jacket the hot summer months if I lived in a part of the country with oppressive humidity... here in the dry heat of the southwest, as long as you keep moving down the road, perforated leather is fairly comfortable against the high altitude sun (as long as it's not black).

Drinking lots of water is a key factor to staying comfortable in high temp conditions, as well.
 
#13 ·
Unfortunately here in MS I have found myself breaking ATGATT.. I have a mesh jacket I will wear if I am going riding the back roads that seems to do very well. Wearing mesh while sitting at a stop light in 80+ degree temps on black asphalt surrounded by car exhausts is not fun at all. I had to use a great amount of force to peel it off of me last time I did it I was so drenched it sweat. I seriously can not imagine what it will be like once we reach 100+ F temps down here in South MS with 99% humidity.. Looks like I may be driving the cage instead lol.
 
#14 ·
Today I bought a mesh motorcycle jacket.

Riding in 90 degrees in direct Vegas sunlight, it just felt like I was in a big hairdryer.

Any other suggestions on keeping cool?

I like to wear gear... preferably atgatt.

Thanks

Sent from Motorcycle.com Free App
Carry a bottle of water with you when you go riding in extreme heat. Pour a bit into the mesh of the jacket and it works like AC.

I agree, even a good mesh still makes it ******************** hot most days
 
#15 ·
I have a joe rocket mesh jacket and feels fine as log as im moving but once i hit a red light the next 2 mins im sweating...but in the next month here in vegas im afraid sitting at a stop light is gonna be like sitting on the devils lap. Im thinking about buying some ice pack to put in the pockets of my jacket, anyone try that yet?
 
#18 ·
yes to perforated leather. I had doubts when i got it (in winter) that due to its weight and that it did not look like the tiny holes would let any air in. But a test on a hot day last year, i was actually hotter in a textile mesh. (and havent worn it since) Definately pick light colors for summer. Black mesh / or leather just illogical.
 
#20 ·
I ride to work daily in Phoenix heat. I usually recommend light colors for maximum reflective properties. And a wet t-shirt under your jacket will give you swamp cooling where it's most effective.

Being a desert dweller, you should also drink water. Staying hydrated off the bike will help you when you are on it. Your body needs twice the amount of water to process the cola you drink. Not to mention what it needs to maintain proper hydration levels. And alcoholic beverages are even more dehydrating.
 
#24 ·
what i do not get is the soaking a shirt before hand does. i mean yes i know it aids in cooling by evaporation when moving. but would not sweat do the same thing? that is why we sweat after all for the cooling effect of evaporation.
 
#25 ·
One can only sweat so fast. When it is very hot and dry, your sweat is insufficient to keep you cool. It will keep you alive, but not nearly as comfortable as soaking your under garment. It's almost torture soaking a shirt then putting it on, specially if one is already over-heated, and it's easy to be over-heated and not know it. But after your skin temp brings the wet garment temp into equilibrium and it begins to draw your body heat away, after a few minutes riding one realizes he was indeed overheated. You think more clearly, the ride becomes enjoyable again. If, like my wife, one cannot and will not tolerate putting on a freezing wet shirt, one can wet the shirt with warm water from a tap, or a hose soaking in the sun and unused for a short while. This will emit enough hot water to soak the undergarment. Often it is too hot to put on, so I just wave it like a flag for a few seconds to let the temp drop from hot to warm, then quickly put it on, then the mesh jacket over. No thermal shock that way.

When temps are not so extreme, but still fairly hot (80's F or so) which don't really require such active cooling, I have become a real believer in synthetic moisture-wicking undergarments. I long sleeve wicking under shirt and under pant will draw your own perspiration away from your skin and evaporate it at a steady rate, much better than cotton. And you may have been sweating like a dog all day, but your jacket will slide right off your arms instead of cling like salty glue. Ex Officio makes good, if not pricey, moisture wicking under garments, and Cycle gear sells their Bilt brand, called Heat Off, which clings more closely to the skin. It is only a little less comfortable than the Ex Officio, and a bit trickier to put on and take off, but it does draw the moisture away more efficiently.
 
#27 ·
Do yourselves a favor, and take a hint from the soldiers in the desert, they need to be protected from flying bullets, but, to help themselves cool off, they'll soak towels, or, better, if they can get them, those cooling bandannas, place them around their necks, and near their temples. Those are the places where the blood vessels are closest to the surface of the skin, cooling the core is really the best to prevent heat injuries, heat exhaustion, and potentially lethal, heat stroke. I had heat stroke when I was in basic training, the treatment, at that time, was to get the temperature, in my case, 105 F down as quickly as possible, in my case they plunged me into a large bathtub shaped tank full of ice and water. It, obviously, worked, but I felt like I was a jumbo beer bottle, but I felt better after I got out. Those who've had heat stroke are more prone to it for the rest of their lives, from what I've been told, I try not to let myself get that overheated anymore. I saw someone mention evaporative garments, I've got a couple, and tend to use them when weather requires it, which usually starts in late May, early June here in South Carolina, I keep one in my trunk, along with a couple of bottles of water to soak it with. Putting the cooling vest under a mesh jacket seems very counter-productive to me, the way they work is by evaporating the moisture in them, if we block the full movement of air across the surface of the vest, or jacket, or belt, then all you've got is a wet garment under a minimal evaporative surface. Your core temperature is what your goal is to reduce, or at least keep down in the 2 digit range.


Doc
 
#29 · (Edited)
Putting the cooling vest under a mesh jacket seems very counter-productive to me, the way they work is by evaporating the moisture in them, if we block the full movement of air across the surface of the vest, or jacket, or belt, then all you've got is a wet garment under a minimal evaporative surface.
I'm not sure what is counter-intuitive about it. It is a matter of risk versus reward. One wants to stay cool enough, but wants to be protected from a get-off, too. Yes, it will evaporate more quickly without anything over it, but that is not necessarily a good or bad thing. I might rather have a somewhat less, but sufficient, cooling effect which lasts longer, than a much cooler sensation which lasts a short time. Once under speed, my mesh gear doesn't seem to be a detriment to the cooling effect of wet undergarments. You mention an excellent point regarding the importance of keeping the neck cool. When extreme heat catches me, I pull out my neck "warmer," soak it in water, and pull it over my neck. I find it is the quickest way to feel relief from heat-induced brain fog. Other than strange looks from non-riders (and even some unenlightened riders) it is definitely a powerful help against heat.
 
#28 ·
I must be the luckiest man on this forum. Here in Bogota it never goes lower than 36F or higher than 82F and it nevers snows so I can ride all year long. I just bought a mesh alpine stars jacket to wear over a suit and if feels just fine. It's perfect for non radical weather.
 
#31 ·
Today we hit 120 and i rode with a ice water soaked tshirt and my mesh jacket over it. In this heat that felt like heaven. But after 20 mins or so the shirt dried up and i was back to sweating and being really uncomfortable. Im thinking if getting the cooling vest but what i wanna know is how long it will last after i soak it and start my ride


Sent from Motorcycle.com Free App
 
#32 ·
Simple answer if it's hot drink water if you have a mesh jacket and it's still to hot pour water on yourself if your in a non mesh jacket and your to hot pour water on yourself. If your still to hot and wet go into some place with ac cool off continue to ride after cooling down. No offence but use logic drink if your hot if you pee and it's yellow drink more. If you don't need to pee drink more. If your not sure drink more. This is the exact same advice given to me by my higher ups when I was still in the military. It sounds stupid but it works.
 
#33 ·
As NavyVet points out, staying hydrated is key to being able to ride comfortably in high temps. In general most people don't drink enough water, and instead drink far too many things loaded with sugars. Not taking in enough water under normal circumstances is not good, in high heat becoming dehydrated can lead to acute health issues, including heat exhaustion and heat stroke. The minimum recommended daily water intake for most people is based on this simple formula: Body Weight in lbs. divided by 2 = Ounces of water. This is considered to be the minimum amount of water intake for normal bodily function... for high rates of physical exertion, high temps, high altitudes, as well as other criteria, the recommended water intake would be increased to maintain healthy bodily function. Here's a link to a useful calculator: Hydration Calculator - Determine Your Need for Water

This is my Camelbak (3 Liter) set up for hydration on the fly:



 

Attachments

This is an older thread, you may not receive a response, and could be reviving an old thread. Please consider creating a new thread.
Top