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I've got a mesh jacket from Fieldsheer called the Mach 3. It comes with CE approved armor in the back, elbows, and shoulders, and you can get them on eBay for $85 + shipping, Buy It Now. It is VERY breathable (being mesh) and comes with a rain cover that doubles as an exterior liner in case it gets a little cold.

I highly reccomend this jacket, as I have crash tested the previous model (the Mach 1) and it held up quite well. I even got to reuse the armor in my Teknic jacket.

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I have a Tecnic mesh jacket red/black and First Gear mesh overpants black.
The color only makes a difference when I stop.  Over 30 MPH and the ventilation overruns any radiation.
My only issue is the marginal protection, it has padding, but not really any armor.

My wife has the Joe Rocket mesh with leather over the shoulders and critical arm areas.  It also has a lot better armor.

We road in some near 100F temps last week and both were good, but this was in dry country.
I spent 3 years in Louisiana south of I-10.  The humidity always tore me up.  I don't know if there is anything that would truly be comfortable in Belle Chasse in the summer.

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Quote from: TadMC on April 25, 2006, 05:54:36 PM
Also another question...

I am a big guy (muscular) and I have big shoulders and arms (I swear Im not bragging or anything) Ive tried on other Jackets more form fitting in my size with no luck. What happens is I end up looking like a fatty, because the makers of the jackets think that big shoulders mean big stomachs, or it fits the stomach area but not the shoulders

Sigh...

Judge for yourself: Here's a picture of me in the jacket, size small. I have a 28" waist, 38" ish in the chest, probably 42" in the shoulders (less, if anything). I'm a skinny mofo, but it's the waist that does me in usually. The Fieldsheer has adjustable straps for the waist to keep everything cinched up.

If you think it might not fit you right, check out the Alpinestars mesh jacket.

I don't know about the availability, but I have a black and blue Olympia AirGlide mesh/textile jacket.  It's really comfortable, and feels good in most temperatures so far (I've ridden in 50* weather with the liner in and a couple tshirts underneath and in sunny 85* weather with the liner out).  It comes witha liner that zips in fully, CE armor in the shoulders and elbows, padding on the spine, and has adjustable straps for the waist, mid-torso, inside-elbows, and collar.  There's not as much mesh as the Fieldsheer one that Alpha posted, though, so it might not be as cool for the Louisiana heat.  There's also no rain protection with it, but I can buy something that I can wear over it. 

Other than the lack of included raingear, I love it.  I got mine at a semi-local dealer for $130, and I think that was a pretty fair price.  For more temperate climates, I think it's perfect, but i'm not sure how it would do in the LA summer.  Plus, the Fieldsheer kinda has it beat in the price department as long as you know it'll fit.  Good luck.

Mike

edit: I just checked the website, and it turns out the liner IS waterproof...awesome!

double edit: that website is for the second version of the jacket...I'm not sure if my liner is waterproof  oh well

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Quote from: TadMC on April 25, 2006, 07:03:24 PM
Alpha, thanks I have a 42" chest and a 32" waist and I guess thats about the right proportion for my body

thanks again

P.S. Im not ghey or anything, but your pretty smoking in that jacket, you must work out

The armor makes me look a lot bigger than I am. I'm a skinny mofo all around. The jacket is little big in the stomach, but only when I pull on it. It fits alright all over, but I'm still skinny inside. It should fit you better, as you have more bulk. I think you'd be a size Medium, if I recall the Fieldsheer sizing correctly.

What sucks about the Mach 3 and Mach 4 is that they went to the letter sizing, rather than the number sizing they did in the Mach 1/2. I fit into the Mach 1 (38) better than I do the size Small Mach 3. The differences between the Mach 3 and Mach 4 is that the Mach 4 has leather in a few places, where the Mach 3 has textile. I like airflow and a cheap price, so the Mach 3 won out for me.

Let us know what you find and how well it works out!

I've got a Fieldsheer Mach 3 also.  It's a terrific jacket.  I'm 5'9", 165 lbs with a 33" waist, and wear a medium.  I am a size 42 in their leather jackets.

They're available on clearance from motorcycle-superstore.com for $70, or $100 for the Mach 4.

I really like the Fieldsheer stuff, I have a lot of their equipment.

Quote from: TadMCAlpha, thanks I have a 42" chest and a 32" waist and I guess thats about the right proportion for my body

I'm exactly the same.  42 chest, 31-32 waist.  And I know what you mean.. jackets that fit nicely around the chest/shoulders, look huge around the tummy.  The only brand I found that fits well is Teknic, but unfortunately they don't have a great rep, although a previous heavily active member (davipu) vouched for their textiles.  Based on that I picked up the perforated leather stuff and it fits well, although the quality/stitching really is questionable.  Dianese textile/leather is also great, but a bit out of my price range.    Skin grafts are out of my price range to, so I guess you decide.

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Quote from: sys49152 on April 25, 2006, 07:46:22 PM

Quote from: TadMCAlpha, thanks I have a 42" chest and a 32" waist and I guess thats about the right proportion for my body

I'm exactly the same.  42 chest, 31-32 waist.  And I know what you mean.. jackets that fit nicely around the chest/shoulders, look huge around the tummy.  The only brand I found that fits well is Teknic, but unfortunately they don't have a great rep, although a previous heavily active member (davipu) vouched for their textiles.  Based on that I picked up the perforated leather stuff and it fits well, although the quality/stitching really is questionable.  Dianese textile/leather is also great, but a bit out of my price range.    Skin grafts are out of my price range to, so I guess you decide.

I've yet to have a problem with my Teknic jacket or pants. I lowsided on the track last year and had the pants wear through the leather (expected from a 50mph slide), but I had no issues with stitching popping loose or ripping. The jacket had some rub on it too, but the stitching was fine there, as well.

I think I'm going to have to switch to mesh here very soon.  I'm just skeptical because I've heard mesh will just shred once it hits the pavement.  Is there any truth to that??

I'm not sure where you heard that about Teknic, but they make good gear. And it's priced very reasonably, especially on newenough.com

Quote from: My Name Is Dave on April 27, 2006, 11:54:04 AM
I'm not sure where you heard that about Teknic, but they make good gear. And it's priced very reasonably, especially on newenough.com

I'm not sure if you were referring to what I said, but I wasn't talking about any particular brand, just mesh jackets in general.  I've just heard someone say that mesh jackets don't have very good protection, whether or not that person knows what they are talking about I'm not sure.  I assume that since its made for protection it would, I'll just have to do some research before I decide.

Quote from: sys49152 on April 25, 2006, 07:46:22 PM

Quote from: TadMCAlpha, thanks I have a 42" chest and a 32" waist and I guess thats about the right proportion for my body

The only brand I found that fits well is Teknic, but unfortunately they don't have a great rep, although a previous heavily active member (davipu) vouched for their textiles.

Chris, this is what I was referring to, not what you said.

Dave

I saw a couple guys riding w/no shirts on last week.  They didn't look like they were sweating too much 

When I first started riding, I used to go to the rec to work out wearing cut-off shirts and those thin jersey shorts.  Now that I've realized the dangers involved I want to kick myself for doing that and be thankful nothing happened.

Quote from: Chris861 on April 27, 2006, 08:06:22 PM
When I first started riding, I used to go to the rec to work out wearing cut-off shirts and those thin jersey shorts.  Now that I've realized the dangers involved I want to kick myself for doing that and be thankful nothing happened.

That's a tough one, because I want to ride as much as possible, so I ride to my volunteer position at the middle school on Thursdays. After school I help coach track, and while I wear gear as much as possible, there's no way I'm putting my jeans on after running with those crazy teens for an hour. So I throw on my jacket, gloves, and helmet, but I have shorts and tennis shoes on. I hate riding like that, but it's exactly 1.3 miles from the school to home, so I'm not THAT pissed by it. Sometimes you just squid it up.

Dave