Adventure motorcycle clothing is big business. There are hundreds of brands out there and a complex world of adventure bike riding gear to choose from, making it hard to know what you do and don’t need. If you’re getting suited up for a big trip, have a read of this first…
We have been travelling on motorcycles throughout the world for over 15 years and full-time since 2018. This guide is based on our gear experiences and over 500,000 miles of travel.
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Choosing the Right Adventure Bike Clothing
By Andy Davidson
Mad or Nomad: Round the World Motorcycle Traveller
Forget the catalogues and glossy mags. Sure, the riders look cool in their adventure bike riding gear with sun glistening of their goggles, branded kit drenched in dirt and their KTM’s front wheel high in the air as the rear tyre spits dirt.
But that’s not long-term motorcycle travel and you don’t need top of the range jackets and trousers to go on a motorcycle adventure – no matter how long you’re going for. It’s seductive marketing and there’s plenty of well marketed garments dubbed “Adventure” motorcycle clothing, which are wildly inappropriate for motorcycle travellers. Of course, a lot of that kit is high-quality and good stuff, there’s no denying that, but that doesn’t mean you need it or that it’s even right for you.
So, what do you really need? This guide will help you decide, offer options and provide top tips and advice for picking the right kit for your trip.
Below you’ll find info on helmets, suits, boots, gloves and extras with links to more detailed guides. We’ll then discuss what we use on our round the world motorcycle trip and why.
Adventure Motorcycle Riding Gear Guide
Now we’ll get into the specifics of motorcycle riding gear. This section is broken down into helmets, jacket and trousers, boots, gloves, thermals and extras. We’ll discuss the different offerings in each category and their pros and cons before giving examples.
For our top gear picks, have a read of the riding gear guides page. You’ll find our top selections of helmets, suits, boots and more.
READ MORE: Riding Gear Guides
Adventure Motorcycle Helmets
Above all, your helmet needs to be 100% comfortable. If you’re buying a new one just for the trip, then test it for at least one-month before setting off. Reading helmet reviews is tricky because what fits someone else might not work on your head shape, so it’s worth trying on as many as you can.
Don’t skimp when it comes to buying a helmet, it’s the most important bit of kit you’ll buy. Your brain is priceless.
When it comes to looking for lids, you’ll be weighing up road, off-road, adventure bike and flip front helmets. Here’s an explanation of the pros and cons of each, a few examples and our choice.
Motorcycle helmet options
Adventure bike helmets
Adventure bike helmets are specifically made as hybrids between dirt bike and street bike lids. They have wider visor openings, more ventilation, often come with removable peaks and can usually take both goggles and visors.
If you’re after an adv bike helmet, have a read through our 10 best guide.
READ MORE: The 10 Best Adventure Bike Helmets
How to choose an adventure bike helmet
Fit and comfort: First and foremost, fit and comfort are right at the top of list. It doesn’t matter what style or type of lid you want, if it doesn’t fit your head shape then don’t buy it. It needs to feel snug, secure, without any pressure points and shouldn’t move when you shake your head about. Make sure you try on as many helmets as you can. Different manufacturers fit different head shapes.
Safety: Next up is safety. Don’t buy a cheap £10 helmet from some dodgy website. Look for the safety standard certifications required in your home country. For example, is it DOT stamped for the US, does it have ECE certs for Europe, does it have a SHARP stamp for the UK, is it Snell tested (stricter than DOT and ECE).
Ventilation: Adventure bike helmets are made for a variety of conditions. But more likely than not, it’s going to be primarily needed for warm weather and off-roading where you’ll get hot and sweaty. That makes ventilation very important to look out for. Your lid needs to have decent vents that are easy to open and close. Look for multiple adjustable vents on the chin, forehead and the all-important and often forgotten exhaust vents.
Weight: Weight is also usually overlooked because we’re talking in grams. But a little here and there can make a huge difference. The more touring focused it is (like a modular adventure lid) the heavier it will be. Originally, adventure lids were basically posh motocross helmets, which are ultra lightweight. You need that lightness to help reduce neck strain and fatigue – especially if you’re riding off-road.
Noise: An adventure helmet is a big step up from a pure off-road, enduro and motocross helmet, and so it should be quieter than any of those lids. Unless you’re buying a premium adventure lid, we can’t expect it to be as silent as a high tier touring lid, but you still want it relatively quiet to help with fatigue. Of course, you can’t test before you buy, so you’ll need to read up on your helmet of choice. But things to look out for are a good aerodynamic design, well sealed visors and neck rolls to help reduce wind noise.
Visors, goggles and peaks: You’ve got a few options here. As you’ve gathered by now, adventure helmets are a balance between touring and enduro lids. One of the major differences here are the use of visors versus goggles. Adv helmets are made to accommodate either or option and both. Meaning, you can go for an adv helmet that uses a visor, or one that can use goggles or one that can interchange between the two. Which you choose will depend on your use.
I will add, if you’re riding primarily off-road and in hot, dusty conditions – goggles will be very important for you.
And if you’re riding primarily road then a visor only helmet is fine. Make sure it comes pinlock ready though to prevent fogging.
A peak is another staple of the adventure bike helmet. They’re used to protect your face from debris and your eyes from the sun and rain while off-roading and riding.
Peaks and visors should be removable and if you’re going to be configuring your set-up often then the mechanisms need to be robust too.
Flip up adventure lids: You can get brilliant flip-up adventure motorcycle helmets. They sit slightly more on the touring side of the scale, but are perfect for long-distance motorcycle travellers. We use them and that’s why I mentioned them in this section. Being able to stop at a remote village in Tajikistan or pulling up at a yurt in Mongolia with your helmet up makes a difference. Being able to lift the lid while stuck in heavy traffic in Mexico City, chat to people, swig water etc. We list a few in this guide that might tickle your fancy.
Additional features
There’s loads of extras you can go for when choosing an adventure motorcycle helmet. Here’s a few important ones.
Integrated sun visor: This is a must if you’re using a helmet that can’t accommodate goggles.
Bluetooth compatibility: Important for a lot of people who ride with a pillion, in groups or with a partner or friend.
Removable liners: All bike helmets should have removable liners, but you’ll want to check how easy the liners are to remove and wash. Keep on top of your hygiene especially when riding off-road and sweating lots.
Chin strap: Do you prefer a D-Ring or ratchet style strap? If you have a specific preference, then don’t overlook this one.
Touring helmets
Road helmets can be worn for travelling. The negative is that they don’t usually have as much ventilation as adventure bike helmets, the opening for your eyes is smaller, the mouth piece ventilation is almost always tiny in comparison to an adventure bike helmet, the interior padding isn’t made for sweaty rides and they don’t come with peaks. Peaks aren’t a must, but they’re helpful in sunny countries. However, if you’re not thinking of riding off-road much, then these are the way to go because they’re more aerodynamic and don’t have unnecessary extras for off-roading.
If you’re interested in road focused helmets, check out our selection of the best touring lids on the market today. You’ll also find our buyer’s guide in the below guide explaining what to look out for when choosing a touring helmet.
READ MORE: The Best Motorcycle Touring Helmets
How to choose a touring helmet
Ventilation: As with any biking gear that you’ll wear on a long motorcycle tour, your helmet needs to have an excellent ventilation system. Good ventilation will keep your head cool in hot weather and can also help keep your visor fog-free in wet or cold weather.
It’s also worth going for a helmet that is pinlock ready or one that comes with a pinlock insert. This extra shield that clips inside your visor will stop it from steaming up and are very important for those who ride all year round.
Ease of use: You’re going to be wearing this helmet for a lot of hours each day, so it’ll help if it’s easy to use. Good vents are great, but not if they’re difficult to open. The same goes for the visor. Check these components are easy to operate with a gloved hand. If you can’t get to a helmet shop, you will have to order one and try it on at home.
Features: Some helmets are single-minded like those designed primarily for track use. A good touring helmet should give you options. These options include the ability to take Bluetooth speakers or a Bluetooth device such as with a removable collar or cut outs for headphone inserts inside the helmet.
A dropdown sun visor is also another massive plus for a touring helmet as are easily removable cheek pads for drying so you can wash and dry them out after a long day of riding.
Fit and comfort: While all of the above are great additional features, the most important thing to remember is that the best helmet will always be the one that fits your head properly.
You shouldn’t be able to move your head around too much inside the helmet and there should be no pressure points or pain. You can buy the fanciest, most expensive helmet available, but if it doesn’t fit your head, you’ll be uncomfortable and that can lead to pain and not giving your ride your full concentration. Importantly, it won’t work properly in a crash either. So make sure it fits right and is comfortable.
Enduro helmets
Perfect for off-road focused travel. Dirt bike helmets are simply motocross helmets and the lightest lids you can get. They have wide front openings, which take goggles, peaks for protection from the sun and stray stones and let in the most amount of air. The benefit off goggles is that they protect your eyes more than visors and allow more airflow through your helmet. Off-road helmets can vary dramatically in price.
Flip front modular and adventure
We recommend Adventure styled flip front helmets and use the Schuberth E2 helmet. I went for this helmet because I used the flip-up Schuberth C3 Pro for years before our trip and used the E1 for five years of travel. It’s a dual-sport ‘adventure’ version. It’s one of the quietest flip-fronts on the market, easy to open and close, high protective ratings and very comfortable.
Because it’s the ‘adventure’ version of the street bike focused C3 Pro helmet, there is more ventilation (especially around the mouth area), it comes with a detachable peak and padding more suited to sweaty rides.
And we also use the Schuberth SRC Bluetooth communications system with our helmets, which is basically a replacement collar with a microphone attached. It’s brilliant for those who ride with a pillion.
The reason we prefer flip-front helmets is because they make life so much easier when travelling. Pulling over for directions, taking a photo, having a chat, a quick sip of water, a bite to eat, stopping at petrol stations etc. It’s just easier and more comfortable for us, but it’s personal preference, so go for what works best for you.
There are normal road bike flip-up and adventure bike flip-up helmets. They both have the same pros and cons as detailed above in the road and adventure lid sections. Below are three example flip-ups from the adventure bike segment. These helmets vary hugely in price and specs. Some of the big spec differences that affect the price are how easy the peak is to remove and reattach, integral sun visor, comms ready and, of course, safety ratings.
Tips for buying an adventure bike helmet
- Is the padding easy to remove and washable?
- Does it have decent ventilation, especially at the mouth?
- Does it have a handy flick down/up internal sun visor
- Is it lightweight?
- Does it have a peak? And is that peak easy to remove?
- Is it easy to lift the visor with a gloved thumb?
- Do you prefer a Double D or clip strap?
- Does it come with a fog free and pin lock visor?
- Is the visor easy to take off and clean?
- Have you checked the safety rating?
- Top Tip: Look at all your helmet’s colour options. A different colour could mean saving hundreds of pounds. For example, the Schuberth E1 in Gloss Black is £299 but in Matt Black it’s £461!
- Our full adventure bike helmet buying guide can be found here.
Adventure Motorcycle Boots
Consider your footwear carefully. If you’re going hardcore off-road, opt for either adventure boots or proper off-road boots. But remember, they’re uncomfortable for walking and hiking, so you’ll need to pack extra footwear for that. Have a read of our 10 best boots and the detailed buying guide in the article below.
READ MORE: The 10 BEST Adventure Motorcycle Boots
Adventure bike boot options
Take a look at the below examples. The Richa boots are more road focused, less shin protection and there’s not as much hard wearing material, no buckles for keeping your foot strapped in and a softer sole. These are suited for touring and specifically road riding.
The TCX Pro boots are proper heavy duty off-road and motocross boots, suitable for hardcore off-road riders. They are very uncomfortable to walk in but will keep your feet and lower legs the most protected.
The Forma Adventure boots are a halfway house between the road and off-road boot and are well-suited to adventure bike riders as they’re more versatile.
Richa Zenith
Forma Adventure
TCX Pro 2.1
Tips for buying adventure bike boots
Ankle Support: Is there ankle support on both the inside and outside of the boot? Your ankle is one of the hardest bones to fix, make sure it’s protected.
Waterproof: Nobody likes wet feet, but waterproof boots with thick liners and no breathability can get soggy with sweat too. Rain resistant boots and Seal Skinz waterproof Socks are another alternative. Again, it depends where you’re travelling, but for the majority of circumstances, breathable waterproof boots are a good idea.
Shin Protection: Adventure and off-road boots have tougher shin protection because it’s far more likely they’re going to get a smack when off-roading. The more protection you opt for the less flexible and walkable your boots will be. It’s a compromise.
Comfort: Comfort is a very important factor for different reasons. Some motorcycle travellers care more about all day comfort and walking in the boots than about what it’s like to ride in. If so, you can go for a lighter style boot with less protection. If you’re all about off-roading then this isn’t as important, but they’ll still need a comfortable sole and to not dig in the shins as you’ll be standing on the pegs all day.
Adventure Motorcycle Suits
Your adventure riding suit is really important. You’ll be wearing your jacket and trousers all day everyday and it’s got to do its job perfectly.
Not only has it got to protect your body from crashes, but also from the elements, keep you both warm, cool and dry, hold your valuables, be comfortable whatever the weather and be able to withstand rough treatment from continuous riding and travelling. So, it’s important to choose the right suit for the job. Below we’ll explain the different types of suit options, and then go into detail on choosing between adventure, touring and summer kit.
If you’re after some inspiration, we’ve listed the best adventure, touring and summer jackets on the market today in the guides below. In each one you’ll find a detailed buying guide for that specific type of riding suit. And also take a look at our jacket reviews for gear we’ve worn while riding RTW.
READ MORE:
Motorcycle suit options
Motorcycle riding gear and adventure bike clothing comes in three options:
1. Waterproof outer shell suits – the outer layer of the suit is fully waterproof and there are no layers.
2. Suits with waterproof liners – the waterproof liner goes under the outer suit and is often removable.
3. Suits with no waterproofing – these can be mesh summer suits or simply a suit with a removable liner that you have removed.
We’ll now dig deeper into each.
Waterproof outer shell
These garments are waterproof and shouldn’t let water pass through the outer layer. The best of the bunch here is Gore-Tex Pro Laminate, which allows rain water to slide off. These garments are best suited for cold and rainy weather rides and touring.
Although, more manufacturers are now producing adventure riding suits with pro-laminate waterproofing. They have started to incorporate more venting to go with these suits to make them more dual purpose. However, we still feel they’re not appropriate for very hot weather riding – no matter what the manufacturer tells you.
Pro: your jacket and trousers don’t feel sodden and heavy after a ride because they won’t have retained any water. They’re excellent in cold and wet weather.
Con: The ventilation is not as good as a non-waterproof suit, they tend to be heavier, can get very hot and sweaty and are more expensive.
What we recommend: There are some great jackets out there designed for cold weather riders. If you’re after a laminated suit for cold and/or wet weather riding, we recommend you have a read of our detailed buying guide in the waterproof jackets article below.
READ MORE: The Best Waterproof Motorcycle Jackets
Waterproof and thermal inner layers
A suit with ‘technical layers’ (sales speak for waterproof and thermal liners) is what most people go for. The jacket and trousers themselves aren’t waterproof, but they come with a thin waterproof liner that can be buttoned and zipped inside your jacket. Same goes for a thermal layer. Note, not all of these jackets have removable liners, some come with them fixed in.
Pro: If you buy a decent jacket with a decent waterproof liner, it’ll keep you dry. It’s more versatile than a laminated suit.
Con: You have to take your jacket off and zip the liner inside if it starts raining. If it buckets it down, then your outer jacket will soak up all of the water and be heavy and soaked by the time you stop. Unless the waterproofing in your pockets is excellent, everything will get wet in there too. Imagine having to pull over on the side of the road and take your trousers off and stand there in your pants while you button in a sweaty waterproof liner… The liners are always sweaty and horrible to ride in if it’s not raining. These setups are just not practical.
What we recommend: We certainly don’t recommend using the removable liners – but that doesn’t mean we don’t recommend the suit. Some of the best suits out there have removable liners. Let’s be clear, it’s only the liner itself we don’t like. Take that out and throw it away and you’re left with a great adventure suit.
Have a read of our best adventure bike jackets guide. We explain in loads of detail at the bottom of the article how to choose the right adv jacket and what to look out for.
READ MORE: The Best Adventure Bike Jackets
Non waterproof
These are simply jackets and trousers that don’t have any waterproofing properties. Or, suits that have come with liners like the above section, but you’ve just chosen not to use them. They could be standard suits or fully mesh suits but primarily, they have no waterproofing.
This is the option we go for – either a mesh jacket if you’re riding in exceptionally hot conditions or an adventure suit with no liners. If you go down these routes, then you’ll need waterproof throwovers.
Pro: You can wear inexpensive lightweight, breathable jackets and trousers without worrying about the climate. If it rains, use your throwover and your kit won’t be soaked at the end of the ride. If it gets cold, shove a fleece or down jacket on underneath.
Con: It is a faff having to stop the bike to put on a waterproof outer layer, but it’s less of a faff than zipping a liner inside your jacket or using a heavy winter suit. It also means that you have a rain jacket for walking about it when off the bike, as you can’t really wear a jacket’s waterproof liner on it’s own.
What we recommend: We always opt for suits without any waterproof liners or ones that have been taken out. If you’re riding in very hot weather, we recommend having a read of the best summer jackets guide and checking out the buying guide at the bottom of the article.
READ MORE: The Best Summer Jackets
Examples
For the higher price tag, you’re paying for a higher quality garment and probably better waterproof liners. We’d still remove them and use throwovers and our own thermal down jacket. But that’s your call.
And finally, the Rukka Armaxis is a brilliant jacket (used it for 3 years) for cold weather riding and touring. Rain literally slides away like water off a duck’s back. But there’s zero ventilation and if you try riding anywhere warm in it, you’ll overheat in seconds.
Oxford Montreal 4.0
Rev’it Sand 4 Jacket
Rukka Flexius
Adventure Motorcycle Gloves
For instance, go for a winter glove with a plush thermal lining and Gore-Tex membrane for cold weather, it’s less likely to get sodden and will keep you warm. And choose a lightweight, breathable and flexible glove for summer riding with no waterproofing qualities.
Top tips for buying bike gloves
Protection: Do your gloves have the bare minimum of knuckle protection?
Touch sensitive: Do you use a sat-nav, GPS or phone for navigation? If so, go for a glove that has a touch sensitive fingerprint so you don’t need to constantly take your glove off.
Material: Don’t go for leather summer gloves! Your summer gloves should be mesh and stretchy with decent palm protection as you’ll be wearing them when off-roading and gripping the bars tight.
Take a look at the below three examples. The Dakar gloves are more like motocross gloves with zero protection. They’re super light, mesh and let loads of air through. The Alpinestars are the middleweight, short-cuff gloves that are worth taking if you have the space. And the Richa Carbons sit at the opposite end for those cold rides. It’s always worth taking a pair of cold weather gloves and if you’re heading somewhere very cold, consider bar muffs too.
Weise Dakar
Alpinestars Scheme
Richa Carbon Winter
Motorcycle Thermals and Winter Gear
The adage here is wool and synthetics are your friend while cotton is your enemy.
Wool and synthetics help wick moisture away from your skin, dry quicker and don’t cling to body odours. Merino wool is especially good at this and well worth the investment. Cotton does the opposite.
Thermals are an option for motorcycle travellers whether you’re riding in the sun or through cold climates as they work both ways; keeping you cool in the sun (base layer only) and warm in the cold (base and mid-layer).
If you’re going to be riding in seriously cold conditions, then it’s worth checking out our dedicated and comprehensive winter riding gear guide. You’ll find a lot of information on the different types of layering systems, outer shells and the best cold weather gear out there.
Cold weather riding with thermals
Consider your layering system when choosing thermals. The general rule of thumb is a skin tight base layer made of merino wool or synthetic. Next up is the mid-layer, this is usually fleeced and warmer. Or you can go for a down lightweight down jacket. Finally, your outer layer is your motorcycle jacket.
It’s always better to use multiple layers to trap warm air instead of one big woolly jumper. However, the problem with layering is that it’s likely you’ll be putting your motorcycle riding gear on in a warm room. By the time you get to your bike you’ll be a sweaty mess. Same goes for getting off the bike and going into petrol stations etc. Layers are a huge faff, restrict movement and can be uncomfortable on long rides.
Cold weather riding with heated jackets
Heated garments are the future! You can get heated jackets, vests, trousers, gloves and even socks. It takes away all the time consuming layering and means you have less to pack and more space in your bags. It also does away with the sweating as you just leave it off until you get on the bike, plug in and you’ll be toasty in no-time!
Check out the best heated gear guide and our tried and tested heated kit reviews below.
READ MORE: The Best Motorcycle Heated Gear
Extra kit
Neck Buff: Don’t leave home without one! Neck buffs are a versatile and handy bit of kit. They keep the wind chill off your neck and chest in the winter and stop your neck from getting sun burn in summer. They’re also handy as sleeping caps on those cold nights in the tent.
Hydration Bladder Pack: These are particularly useful for adventure riders who love to off-road. Stopping every five minutes to open a bottle of water is a pain and you’ll likely just skip doing it, potentially leading to dehydration.
Ear Plugs: Your call, but you’ll be thanking those little plugs in the future if you wore them.
Waterproofs: Throwover waterproofs are a great idea if you’re not taking waterproof lined kit with you. There’s a full suit zip up option (attached jacket and trousers) or separate top and bottoms.
Merino Wool Neck Buff
Kriega Hydro 3 Backpack
Auritech Biker Ear Plugs
Richa Warrior Rain Jacket
Round the World Motorcycle Riding Gear
Try tapping adventure motorcycle clothing into Google and you’ll find an endless sea of super-dooper adventure bike riding gear that’s bullet proof, rain proof and nuclear bomb proof… Sounds like you need it, and some people will, but most of it is pretty unnecessary for someone riding round-the-world. Think about where you’re heading and the temperatures you’ll be facing first, that will help put into perspective the kind of kit you need.
After 15 years of riding in temperatures ranging from -20C to +48C, I’ve found the best option is a lightweight jacket and trousers, a pair of adventure bike boots and waterproof throwovers. Before you spit out your Cheerios, here’s why…
The reason I opt for that set-up is because of the constantly changing temperature and climate we travel through. It can be freezing cold one month and boiling hot the next. So, it doesn’t make sense for us to take Gore-Tex Pro Laminate for example, as we’d swelter in the hot countries and the kit would be unusable.
If you know you’re only going to be riding through South America and it’s going to be hot the whole way, then opt for light, mesh kit with plenty of ventilation. If you’re planning a ride to Nordkapp and then onto Russia, then Gore-Tex waterproof gear is a must.
But, if you’re travelling through multiple climates, keep your kit as light and comfortable as possible. Adapt to the weather by layering over the top or underneath of your adventure motorcycle clothing. When it rains, chuck your throwovers on. When it gets cold, layer up or use a heated jacket. When it gets hot, just use the gear you’ve got.
For more info on riding in specific countries, their climates, terrain and paperwork info etc, check out our detailed country guides. And if you’re planning a RTW trip, check out our Round the World Guides section. You’ll find what round the world gear we use at the bottom of this article.
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Our Round the World Adventure Riding Gear
Here’s the adventure bike riding gear we use on our long-term, multiple climate, round the world motorcycle trip.
Helmet: We use Schuberth E2 flip front helmets. Modular helmets make life on the road easier. And having an adventure styled flip front is the best of both worlds.
Jacket and trousers: We remove the thermal and waterproof liners from our jackets and trousers. Thermal liners are too hot in warm countries and they’re rubbish when it gets cold anyway.
We use our own mid-layer instead, which doubles up as our jacket when walking round towns and cities and at the campsite. You’ve got two options here, a down jacket or a heated jacket.
We used to use a SubZero thermal down jacket because it’s light, compresses under the motorcycle jacket, packs up small and is incredibly warm, but have since switched to a Mosko Moto heated jacket.
Heated motorcycle clothing: Make sure your jacket and trousers aren’t too tight fitting, that way you can squeeze a pair of your own quality thermals underneath. If you’re going through multiple cold countries, then a better alternative to the bulbous and bulky layering option is to go for a heated jacket. It’s a lot less restrictive and you don’t sweat up every time you get off the bike.
We now use heated Mosko Moto jackets as its the first technical heated jacket we’ve seen. It has all the benefits of the down jacket – plus it’s electrically heated so you get the best of both worlds.
Boots: We used Altberg Military boots for the first few years of our trip. They proved a brilliant compromise, we can hike in them, walk around cities and wear them on the bike. They were excellent in the scorching Gobi Desert and kept our feet warm through our Siberian Hell Ride. Altberg also offer a motorcycle specific variant of this boot called the Hogg.
We have since moved to adventure style boots since we changed our bikes for more off-road focused machines as we’ll be doing more off-roading. We now use Alpinestars Toucan and Corozal boots.
Waterproof throwovers: We use a cheap pair of waterproof throwovers. We prefer a separate jacket and trousers as it’s less faff getting into, you can wear the jacket when off the bike and they’re usually lighter. If your jacket comes with a hood because you bought it from a sports shop like we did, then either use a rubber band to tighten it up or cut it off as it’ll give you a sore neck on motorways.
Gloves: We carry two pairs of gloves each, one thick and waterproof pair for cold days and one lightweight breathable pair for warm days.
If you’re interested in what else we take on our adventures and what to pack for yours, check out our packing list guides:
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Thanks for checking out our How to Choose Your Adventure Motorcycle Riding Gear Guide. We hope you enjoyed it! Here’s a few more articles on adventure bike kit that we recommend you read next.
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We hope you found this adventure bike riding gear guide helpful. If you have any questions, tips or suggestions let us know in the comments below. We’d love to hear from you!
I’m really enjoying your site. Thanks for all the advice.
Silly question: if you’re heading off now with your heated jackets, do you also take your down jackets or are they now redundant?
Cheers
Jason
Hey Jason! Thank you so much! Really appreciate that 🙂
Not a silly question at all!
So, we didn’t feel it necessary to carry heated jackets and down jackets at the same time.
The heated jackets were used alongside thick thermals in temperatures down to -15C.
Once the weather got better, we sent our heated jackets home and replaced them with down jackets.
The down jackets are excellent in low temperatures as well, but eventually let the cold in if you’re sitting on the bike for hour-after-hour, so electrically heated was the way to go for riding day-after-day in cold temps.
But once the weather got better, then the down jackets were more important because they could also double up as going-out jackets (which heated gear couldn’t because it’s too thin). And we started camping more, which made the down jackets even more important.
So, in short,
+ if it’s cold enough to wear heated gear, then we don’t really need down jackets as well because it’s unlikely that we’ll be wondering around places for hours on foot and camping.
+ If it’s not cold enough to wear heated gear, but still cold, then down jackets are super important and functional. A good down jacket is 10 times better than a woolly jumper, packs up smaller in your bag and fits under your riding jacket better.
+ If you have the space and are travelling through cold weather (we didn’t because at that time in our trip we were on one bike and had to make hard choices about luggage) then we’d take both – especially if you use a very lightweight, packable down.
Hope this helps!
Hi. I’m thinking about buying a new jacket with a goretex waterproof layer. It can be taken out. I’m interested in what you’re saying about leaving those layers behind at home. Wouldn’t a goretex layer be better than a cheap waterproof throwover? thanks
Hi Daniel, good question. Yes, a Gore-Tex membrane is more likely far more waterproof than a cheap waterproof throw-over. However, what we’re saying is that it’s too much of a faff to be worth the extra quality.
If you’re in Southeast Asia and it’s boiling hot you’re not going to have a sticky waterproof liner zipped inside. A tropical rain storm kicks in, you’re not going to want to pull over on the side of the road and take your trousers and jacket off and zip that liner inside them! Plus, even if you did, the suit will take the rain and become sodden and heavy and take time to dry.
It’s far easier to just pull over and chuck a throw-over on. Plus, you can use that throw-over when off the bike if hiking for example while you can’t with a removable inner.
Hope that makes sense. Good luck with choosing your jacket!
Cheers,
Andy
Thank you that is very helpful. I think you are right and will choose a throwover. That means I can choose a cheaper adventure jacket too as i dont need a goretex layer. Do you recommend any jackets?
thanks
No problem Daniel. Yeah, you can save a load if you don’t opt for Gore-Tex. Sure, this article should help The Best Adventure Motorcycle Jackets.
Shout anytime if you have any more questions,
Cheers,
An excellent resource. Thank you
Do boots that are both riding and trekking ( ok, to a certain extent ) exist ?
Hi Rob, thanks for your message! Yes, we use Altberg boots. You can check out our Altberg Warrior Military Boots Review here . The ones we use are the Altberg Warriors – these are military boots. But Altberg do the same boot with added protection for motorcyclists called the Hogg.
Hope this helps, cheers 🙂
You give good advice, but you skipped right over riding pants. Which is exactly what i am looking for advice on as prepare for my next big trip.
Hi Rubble,
Thanks for your comment.
All the information in this guide on jackets and suits is the same advise as for trousers. I didn’t specifically write a trouser section as it would just be a repeat of the jackets bit. However, you’re right, that’s not super clear so I will take a look at rewording and reorganising this guide to include that properly.
So, if you were planning on buying a Rev’it Sand 4 jacket for example, our advice is to remove the thermal and waterproof lining for big trips or RTW travels. And the trousers would simply just be the matching pair with the same liners removed also. Or another brand/pair of trousers with those liners removed.
If you’re heading to colder climates and you know the majority of the time you will be in wet/cold conditions then you may want to consider a pair of pro-laminate trousers where water would just run off them (but these seriously lack vents and breathability) or waterproof lined trouser and simply keep the liner in (but these can get hot and sweaty too and the outer trouser will get sodden if riding in multiple rainy days). If you’re riding in wet weather one day, hot the next and cold the day after, then the throwover option is best.
Hope this helps, please feel free to throw any questions our way anytime!
Cheers,
Andy
Really enjoyed this guide. I also stopped relying on waterproof liners and switched to carrying a lightweight rain suit instead. It takes a minute to put on, but I find it much more comfortable than riding all day in a heavy waterproof jacket when the weather is warm.
The point about choosing gear based on the climate rather than marketing is spot on. Too many riders end up buying “adventure” gear before thinking about where they’ll actually be riding.