Half the clothes + twice the money

This advice works for any trip, including motorcycling. 

But seriously, early fall weather can be "iffy". Hot and muggy one minute, cool and wet the next. Downright chilly before mid-morning and with 500-600 km to ride each day we can't afford to dawdle in Starbucks 'til noon!

Dressing for every likely type of weather can be tricky.

Much as I would love to take my trusty, comfy Technic leather pants and 3-layer Rev'it jacket I am going to be strong and put my faith in my Aerostitch Roadcrafter "onesy". My preferred choice for a long trip where I expect to be spending most of my time on the bike.

Off the bike the all-in-one Roadcrafter feels a bit like a suit of armour. Stiff, clunky, heavy, and almost impossible to manage in the ladies loo...but on the bike it is absolutely the best, most comfortable riding gear I've worn in 30-yrs of motorcycling.

"Stitch" have been making Roadcrafters since before the Internet, since before the Gurus of Marketing took over our lives. Some stuff isn't super glitzy, it just works. The Roadcrafter fits that bill.

My friends tell me I look like a 100+ lb canary (who needs enemies?), but I'm not the one sprottling around in the ditch trying to pull waterproofs on over damp gear when the heavens open. And, in fairness to Stitch, the day-glow yellow was my choice. Lots of less arresting colours are available.

When the Roadcrafter arrived in the mail my first thought was "Thank heavens it's January, that gives me 4-months to work out how to get it on and off!" Truthfully, were it not for the wonders of a You Tube demo I'd probably still be flopping around on the living room floor trying to get the zippers done up! 

But now I slip in and out of the suit in under 30-seconds. I doubt a fireman could do it any faster. Mother was right, "Practice (and patience) makes perfect".

Don't miss tomorrow's thrilling instalment...Gloves for all seasons.