01-11-2015, 04:10 AM
I'm finally getting around to writing my impressions of the Freeze-Out gear from my ride to Vegas. Overall, I thought it worked well. In particular, the long johns (thanks OldF7Guy) kept my legs nice and toasty. I purchased the Zipped Gilet jacket, the long johns and the glove liners. I also took along my trusty Turtle Fur neck gaiter and thick, wool hiking socks. I was already about an hour into the ride when I remembered Guth's suggestion to bring along the Jiffy Pop! Oh well, no one's perfect.
With my relatively late start on Wednesday afternoon, I decided to wear most the gear despite the fact that it was a pleasant 70+ degrees. I knew the temperature would soon drop as the hours passed and the sun went down. I wore my Sedici textile pants that also have a thermal liner on top of the Freeze-Out long johns. Up top, it was simply a t-shirt, the Freeze-Out Gilet jacket, and my leather jacket. I also wore a bright orange reflective vest but it does nothing to block the wind or provide warmth. On my hands, I wore my 3-season gloves without the liners.
My first impressions were that I was almost uncomfortably warm in the stop and go traffic. Once on the highway, the cool air was welcomed but (and this is a good but) the Gilet jacket did a fantastic job of blocking the wind. I wasn't surprised that my legs were warm. My pants with liner inserted had always kept my legs warm in the winter. The true test would come while riding through the mountain passes, at elevation, in the dark.
A couple hours into the ride, I put on the glove liners. My 3-season gloves were not doing a good job of keeping my hands warm. Not surprising since we're in that 4th season! The Freeze-Out glove liners definitely helped and my hands soon warmed, allowing me to continue comfortably for a couple more hours. I stopped in Baker for one last fill up before the final push into Vegas. That was the last of the light and the temperature had plummeted. I wish I would have checked to see exactly how cold it was but all I could think of at that point was to get warmer and get to Vegas. In Baker, I packed away my 3-season gloves and broke out my Held winter gloves. Those, together with the glove liners, did the trick for my hands. What I lost in dexterity was made up for in comfort. Out came the neck gaiter too. It's amazing how much warmer I feel when my hands and neck are protected. The entire time, my legs and feet felt perfectly comfortable. It felt like I could roll around in the snow and my legs would have been just fine.
Early the following morning, I rode my CB to the Dynojet facility. I didn't bother with the Gilet jacket and immediately felt the cold air cut through my leather jacket in just those few short blocks. That really demonstrated to me just how effective the Freeze-Out top was. There is no way I could have made the trip without some form of wind resistant liner. I opted to wear the long johns under my jeans and found that even then, my legs were warm and comfortable.
That afternoon I started for home. The weather in Vegas at the time I left was in the low 70s but I knew that it would quickly drop once again. I started the ride home much the same as when I left San Diego only this time, without the textile pants. I wore jeans instead. My textile pants were the first things under my cargo net, on top of my duffle bag, ready to be slipped on over my jeans if necessary. Despite colder temps on the ride home, my legs were never cold. A true testament to the effectiveness of the long johns. Up top, however, things were different.
A few hours into the ride and the temperature had dropped drastically. The snow blanketing the surrounding mountains made the point that this was going to be a long, chilly ride home. My winter gloves along with the glove liners came out quickly, as did my neck gaiter. Despite the t-shirt, Gilet jacket, leather jacket and neck gaiter, my chest eventually got uncomfortably cold. With a couple hours remaining until I made it home, I dug out a cotton zippered sweater - desperate for anything to add to my warmth. I contemplated adding another t-shirt if the sweater failed to prove sufficient. Luckily, the sweater, together with everything else, got me through and I made it home.
I'm sorry I don't have temperature readings to share with all of you. That's clearly a critical piece of information when evaluating the effectiveness of the gear. The best I can do is tell you that the forecast indicated the temperature in the cities along my route to have been in the low to mid-40s. I guarantee you that they dropped into the mid to upper-30s when traveling over the mountains. And, of course, there is the added chill from riding between 70 and 80mph for most of the trip. The entire time, the long johns worked great. Of course, the true test is up top where we get most of the wind blast. The jacket did good job of adding warmth and, most importantly, blocking the wind. I am convinced that if I had worn my textile jacket with its thermal liner in addition to the Freeze-Out jacket, I would have been much more comfortable and would not have needed to add the zippered sweater. The glove liners were the least impressive of the Freeze-Out gear but did a decent job I suppose for how thin they are. Fortunately, all of the gear was on sale when I bought it. And I'm very glad I had it.
With my relatively late start on Wednesday afternoon, I decided to wear most the gear despite the fact that it was a pleasant 70+ degrees. I knew the temperature would soon drop as the hours passed and the sun went down. I wore my Sedici textile pants that also have a thermal liner on top of the Freeze-Out long johns. Up top, it was simply a t-shirt, the Freeze-Out Gilet jacket, and my leather jacket. I also wore a bright orange reflective vest but it does nothing to block the wind or provide warmth. On my hands, I wore my 3-season gloves without the liners.
My first impressions were that I was almost uncomfortably warm in the stop and go traffic. Once on the highway, the cool air was welcomed but (and this is a good but) the Gilet jacket did a fantastic job of blocking the wind. I wasn't surprised that my legs were warm. My pants with liner inserted had always kept my legs warm in the winter. The true test would come while riding through the mountain passes, at elevation, in the dark.
A couple hours into the ride, I put on the glove liners. My 3-season gloves were not doing a good job of keeping my hands warm. Not surprising since we're in that 4th season! The Freeze-Out glove liners definitely helped and my hands soon warmed, allowing me to continue comfortably for a couple more hours. I stopped in Baker for one last fill up before the final push into Vegas. That was the last of the light and the temperature had plummeted. I wish I would have checked to see exactly how cold it was but all I could think of at that point was to get warmer and get to Vegas. In Baker, I packed away my 3-season gloves and broke out my Held winter gloves. Those, together with the glove liners, did the trick for my hands. What I lost in dexterity was made up for in comfort. Out came the neck gaiter too. It's amazing how much warmer I feel when my hands and neck are protected. The entire time, my legs and feet felt perfectly comfortable. It felt like I could roll around in the snow and my legs would have been just fine.
Early the following morning, I rode my CB to the Dynojet facility. I didn't bother with the Gilet jacket and immediately felt the cold air cut through my leather jacket in just those few short blocks. That really demonstrated to me just how effective the Freeze-Out top was. There is no way I could have made the trip without some form of wind resistant liner. I opted to wear the long johns under my jeans and found that even then, my legs were warm and comfortable.
That afternoon I started for home. The weather in Vegas at the time I left was in the low 70s but I knew that it would quickly drop once again. I started the ride home much the same as when I left San Diego only this time, without the textile pants. I wore jeans instead. My textile pants were the first things under my cargo net, on top of my duffle bag, ready to be slipped on over my jeans if necessary. Despite colder temps on the ride home, my legs were never cold. A true testament to the effectiveness of the long johns. Up top, however, things were different.
A few hours into the ride and the temperature had dropped drastically. The snow blanketing the surrounding mountains made the point that this was going to be a long, chilly ride home. My winter gloves along with the glove liners came out quickly, as did my neck gaiter. Despite the t-shirt, Gilet jacket, leather jacket and neck gaiter, my chest eventually got uncomfortably cold. With a couple hours remaining until I made it home, I dug out a cotton zippered sweater - desperate for anything to add to my warmth. I contemplated adding another t-shirt if the sweater failed to prove sufficient. Luckily, the sweater, together with everything else, got me through and I made it home.
I'm sorry I don't have temperature readings to share with all of you. That's clearly a critical piece of information when evaluating the effectiveness of the gear. The best I can do is tell you that the forecast indicated the temperature in the cities along my route to have been in the low to mid-40s. I guarantee you that they dropped into the mid to upper-30s when traveling over the mountains. And, of course, there is the added chill from riding between 70 and 80mph for most of the trip. The entire time, the long johns worked great. Of course, the true test is up top where we get most of the wind blast. The jacket did good job of adding warmth and, most importantly, blocking the wind. I am convinced that if I had worn my textile jacket with its thermal liner in addition to the Freeze-Out jacket, I would have been much more comfortable and would not have needed to add the zippered sweater. The glove liners were the least impressive of the Freeze-Out gear but did a decent job I suppose for how thin they are. Fortunately, all of the gear was on sale when I bought it. And I'm very glad I had it.