Outlast

["Tom Brown" <tbrown@xxxxxxxxxxx>]

Don:

Not sure which of these things are actually Outlast and which are something 
else, but here's my miracle fabric experience so far.

I've got some synthetic underwear I take on long trips.  3 pair lasts me the 
whole trip because I can wash them in the sink at night and they're dry by 
morning.   No increase in comfort over cotton to me, though.   I got mine at 
Galyans...a camp/outdoor store near me.  They're made by Champion.  They 
save space in my bags.

I've got a couple Outlast long sleeve T-shirts.   I like them better for a 
winter layer under my electric stuff than for summer use.   I like a cotton 
long sleeve for most summer riding.   I usually wear a good quality mesh 
coat over it.   I find that I get drafts/chills with the Outlast stuff.   It 
just doesn't feel as good to me.  The advantage again, is the quick drying 
if you wash something in the room overnight.

I also popped for a lightweight black BMW jacket/layer.  It's black, very 
stylish and made of Outlast (I think) foam like material with the little 
bubbles in it that are supposed to change state at body temp so they hold 
energy at warm temps and release it in cold or something.   It's comfortable 
and looks good.  I wear it under a leather or under a Darien when the temp 
isn't too cold.  Depending on the bike and the wind etc., it's comfortable 
with the leather down to around 40 degrees.   I have to say, however,  I 
have a $15 polartech fleece pullover from Walmart that is a better 
layer...It's more comfy and keeps drafts out better.   I can wear the BMW 
liner out to dinner and look pretty put together.   I guess it just depends 
on the trip for me....cooler weather and more casual venue...polartech 
fleece.  For stylin' in spring and fall, and even cool summer nights, BMW.

My biggest investment in miracle technology was a Rukka AirPower jacket and 
pants.  It came with so many tags and ads for its miracle fabrics, it took 
me half a day to read everything.   It's advertised to be comfortable in hot 
weather and keep you warm in cold weather.  It did neither.  It's not the 
new inflatable one, which is supposed to be better, but after all the claims 
made for the one I bought, I'll never trust them again unless I know and 
ride with someone who's in hog heaven while I'm suffering.  First of all, 
it's BLACK fer chri-yi.  What the hell was I thinking?   I told the dealer I 
didn't see how anything black could be cool on a hot day.  He assured me I 
was wrong.  I wasn't.   This jacket isn't too bad for a bike with no 
fairing, but I ride an RT.   If you sit in traffic in the sun in black on 
any bike, you're gonna cook.  With a full fairing bike, you don't get quick 
relief when you move either.  The corker is that the thing is never really 
warm either!  Air flows through it so you freeze your ass if the weather 
turns...or you have to drag out the liner.  Even then it's only so-so for 
warmth.   The jacket with liner was near $700.   I sold it for $250 and felt 
I'd gotten away with something.   It looked great, however...stylish jacket 
suitable for riding between 50 and 75 degrees.

The pants, however, have been terrific.   I wear them whenever it's going to 
get warmer than 70 degrees or so.  I'll wear them in the morning for cooler 
temps, but not all day, at least not without the liner in cool temps all 
day.  They have a little tooth to them so I'm not sliding all over my saddle 
too, which is nice.  Seams are placed so you're not putting you weight on 
them while you sit...nicely done.  The Rukka's are tough material that would 
protect you in a fall, have good armor and yet let air flow through them and 
are fairly thin.  They're also black, but this matters less with pants. 
They came with a waterproof inner liner like BMW stuff.  I generally don't 
like inner liners because it's so difficult to change into the liner when 
you're under way.   I've found that unless the rain is heavy and constant, I 
can get by on the RT without changing into the liner.   I always keep a 
rainsuit on my bike when I tour, so sometimes I just throw that on instead. 
If I know it's going to rain all day, I may put the liner on in the morning 
and just leave it.

So, thumbs up to BMW zip up black foam liner jacket. thumbs down to the 
Rukka Airpower jacket.  Thumbs up to the pants.     Leather pants for cold, 
Rukka pants for hot.   Leather with polypro longies (or electrics) for very 
cold.  Jeans for very very hot.   I know, they're near worthless in a crash. 
When it gets as hot as I'm talking about, lack of comfort can become a 
hazard in itself.  I think if the Rukkas were a light color, they'd actually 
be more comfortable than jeans in very hot weather.   Black is just the 
wrong color for warm weather.

A two piece rainsuit beats inner liners most of the time for me.  When it 
gets wet out, it generally gets cold too and it's no good to soak your outer 
layer. It evaporates for half an hour or more and you freeze until it's dry. 
Better to have your outer layer protect you from rain.  Rain suits also 
provide a good deal of warmth in surprize cold or when you leave record heat 
and travel up to the mountains and find that it's 35 degrees up there.

Basically, if you already have traditional materials that are working for 
you, the new stuff isn't really going to rock your world except possibly in 
a financial way.   Consider these things luxury items, not must-haves.

- -TB

>Date: Thu, 2 Feb 2006 22:39:13 -0500
>From: Don MacQueen <dmac@xxxxxxxxxx>

>Anyone have experience with Outlast or other phase change type
underwear with respect to routine wear?  Meaning trying to buffer
temperature from say 40-70 degrees?

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