Bought some pants and boots this weekend for an upcoming ride.

The mesh (in some areas, not full) pants seem to be pretty sturdy and the guy at the store says he just wears them as is on hot summer days.

anyone else do that?

also said that the material is very different from jean and is protective in and of itself as it tears differently. any merit to that?

i'd like to remain cool on this trip during the day so i'm contemplating just wearing the pants by themselves. They're just Bilt brand and have knee protection and some strips of foam along the butt.

I've had a pair for years.  I only wear them on trips....they are a bit of a pain to get off and on.  I always wear mine with pants under them.  Mine have armor at the knees and hips with fairly wide mesh.  No comfort problems.  Never been down in them so don't know if they do the job or not.   Minor problem is getting rain gear on over them, so if it starts raining while I've traveling I have to stop....take the mesh pants off and put the rain gear on. 

Bit hard to store on the bike when not wearing them.  Also really wouldn't want to walk around in them all day once I got to where I was going.

Quote from: Alan_nc on August 03, 2015, 01:47:29 PM
I've had a pair for years.  I only wear them on trips....they are a bit of a pain to get off and on.  I always wear mine with pants under them.  Mine have armor at the knees and hips with fairly wide mesh.  No comfort problems.  Never been down in them so don't know if they do the job or not.   Minor problem is getting rain gear on over them, so if it starts raining while I've traveling I have to stop....take the mesh pants off and put the rain gear on. 

Bit hard to store on the bike when not wearing them.  Also really wouldn't want to walk around in them all day once I got to where I was going.

yeah if it rains on our trip, we plan to stop until it clears.

good thing about mesh pants is they dry up quick!

i had to get one that fit without jeans unfortunately. the next size up was like a balloon!

Personally, I would not trust my skin to Built brand stuff. I have not heard many good things about the durability of that brand.

In general, mesh is going to fail much quicker than solid textile. Textile is already a compromise material compared to leather.

I do wear a mesh jacket when its hot. The best thing would be perforated leather.

Everything is a compromise compared to something else - but I'd hope that even Bilt gear is better than khakis when your butt meets the road....

That being said, I have some Joe Rocket textile riding pants with mesh panels on the fronts of the thighs. Are they warmer when off the bike compared to a casual pair of non riding pants? You bet. But when I go for longer trips, I love them. For my 5 minute commute to work when I barely get above 35mph, I leave them hanging in the garage.

Anoopb, good for you for getting dedicated riding gear. I'm sure once funds permit you'll upgrade to gear that offers better fit & protection  (as many of us riders do).

Quote from: Big Rich on August 04, 2015, 12:17:33 PM
Everything is a compromise compared to something else - but I'd hope that even Bilt gear is better than khakis when your butt meets the road....

That being said, I have some Joe Rocket textile riding pants with mesh panels on the fronts of the thighs. Are they warmer when off the bike compared to a casual pair of non riding pants? You bet. But when I go for longer trips, I love them. For my 5 minute commute to work when I barely get above 35mph, I leave them hanging in the garage.

Anoopb, good for you for getting dedicated riding gear. I'm sure once funds permit you'll upgrade to gear that offers better fit & protection  (as many of us riders do).

Thanks Big Rich.

I adjusted my clutch last night and went for a ride. I don't even think twice about putting that gear on.

Definitely going to invest in better gear down the road.

Quote from: anoopb on August 05, 2015, 07:48:30 AM

Quote from: Big Rich on August 04, 2015, 12:17:33 PM
Everything is a compromise compared to something else - but I'd hope that even Bilt gear is better than khakis when your butt meets the road....

That being said, I have some Joe Rocket textile riding pants with mesh panels on the fronts of the thighs. Are they warmer when off the bike compared to a casual pair of non riding pants? You bet. But when I go for longer trips, I love them. For my 5 minute commute to work when I barely get above 35mph, I leave them hanging in the garage.

Anoopb, good for you for getting dedicated riding gear. I'm sure once funds permit you'll upgrade to gear that offers better fit & protection  (as many of us riders do).

Thanks Big Rich.

I adjusted my clutch last night and went for a ride. I don't even think twice about putting that gear on.

Definitely going to invest in better gear down the road.

I wore all my gear driving a couple hundred feet from a restaurant parking lot to the walmart parking lot after having dinner with my girlfriend.  ATGATT means All The Time, not Most of The Time.

I wear mesh riding pants all summer long, and solid pants in spring and fall.  I have the Scorpion Drafter mesh pants (and jacket) and Trey textile pants.  Wearing mesh is closer to wearing full leathers than it is to wearing jeans.  I haven't been that impressed with the price and protection offered by any of the leather overpants I've seen.  Why is it OK for top-tier jackets to be fitted for wearing over normal clothes, but the matching pants can't fit over a pair of jeans or khakis?

I highly recommend the Scorpion Ravin leather jacket if you do look to upgrade there.  It comes with a CE-2 rated back protector and a chest protector, which are left out on similarly priced jackets.  It also looks very edgy and conserved at the same time, if that makes any sense.