Winter gear on the cheap (poor college student)

[primal]

So, as we all know, winter is on the way. It's already getting pretty chilly in the mornings here. Twice a week I have to head out around 7 AM, and its been just below 40 degrees recently. So, I've started assembling a poor man's winter motorcycle wardrobe that I'm hoping will suffice this winter. So far I'm planning on wearing the following:

* Thermal underwear
* Two pairs of socks, one under the thermal underwear and the other over top
* Jeans
* Nice thick windbreaker that I'm going to modify with some sort of cinch to keep the wind out
* Underarmor ColdGear long sleeve undershirt
* Regular t-shirt (what I'll be wearing once I take everything off)
* Light zip up hoodie jacket
* My leather riding jacket with the liner installed
* My regular gloves with latex gloves as liners
* Arctiva Power Stretch balaclava (ordered this weekend)


At this point, my only concern is the gloves. I've got this idea of getting a pair of those cheap one size fits all stretchy gloves and wearing latex gloves over top of that (to create an air pocket for insulation), with my regular riding gloves on top of that. I'd like to get some gauntlet gloves if I can find some for cheap, but I'm pretty confident in my Underarmor shirt keeping my arms warm.

Any advice?

[patrick_777]

Layers are definitely the way to go.

[primal]

Yup, I'm planning on wearing as many layers as the zipper on my jacket will allow.

[Brian Donofrio]

I ride every day in the winter.

The trick is to have layers and no air leaks. A basic 1 piece snow suit is a good start. I have a Highlander by Fieldsheer, kinda like an Areostich (motorcycle suit ) suit with amour built in, but in a pinch a regular snow suit would do just fine.

Next you need to cover your neck and head. I wear a buel neck warmer (free giveaway when you test a Buel ) and a Beleclava ( you can get them at most motorcycle shops .) Thin is good it has to fit in your helmet and the thicker neck gator keeps your neck warm.

Finally gloves with gauntlets that come up over the snowsuit.

If it gets real cold ad your rain gear it will keep the wind out and the warm air in.

Really long distance ad some heat packs (iron ore stuff) and stop at gas stations for hot cocoa it really helps.

Finally and I haven't used this on my GZ is an electric lined cloths. This is really only for extended rides.

Some examples many other options are available.

http://www.overstock.com/Sports-Toys/Mo ... 51-000-006

http://products.pricerunner.com/results ... q=snowsuit

Gloves
http://www.whitehorsepress.com/product_ ... ts_id=5495

Beleclava
http://www.airsoftatlanta.com/images/bl ... va_jpg.jpg

I took something like this from sears and cut the bottom off for a heavy neck warmer.
http://imcoolnow.com/BIZyCart.asp?ITEM= ... ENT=IMCOOL

and last and perhaps not least layer up the Union suits

http://www4.jcpenney.com/jcp/Products.a ... 1Prod=True

They usually put them on sale for $26.

The nice thing is that with the one piece you can keep layering and knock get chocked at the waist by the elastic on the 2 piece suits.

Oh and boots

http://workingperson.com/products/22_35 ... i_sku=2076

and heat packs just be careful they don't end up cooking your nuts

http://www.basspro.com/webapp/wcs/store ... bled=false

BD

[alanmcorcoran]

I generally found that, as long as you don't mind bulk and possibly extra sweat, it's easy to dress warm for cheap (I learned to ski wearing jeans, cheap cotton "long" underwear, two flannel shirts and a green, lined, canvas/cotton/nylon Army Jacket with a built-in hood I got at Goodwill for twelve bucks. [Still have it 30 years and two zippers later.]) Looked stupid and, I got kind of sweaty when I was working hard (cotton sucks for wicking) but I wasn't cold. The expensive stuff breathes and wicks better, generally is able to provide more air insulation in a thin light package and provides a greater range of suitable temperatures. If you don't mind bulky, you don't need expensive. And the underarmour, if it's the "right" one, will wick pretty good (that stuff is not considered cheap to me.)

Where I don't think you want to skimp are the gloves. I haven't invesitgated winter riding gloves yet, but I remember from my bicycle days, the fingers get real cold, real fast, especially with cheap or thin gloves. I found that the constant pressure to hold the bars, brakes and shifting levers made them that much colder because they were clenched, weren't moving that much, and they are hanging right out there in the wind. Fortunately, you don't need to shift with your fingers on a motorcycle, but you might need to work the blinkers. I think the three layer approach you described is going to really hamper your ability to do anything but squeeze and twist (and maybe that too.) I suggest you check around and get the best winter gloves you can afford. I got a pretty nice pair for cycling, but they were not designed for asphalt protection. I think they were in the neighborhood of fifty bucks.

[patrick_777]

+1 to Brian's post up there. Very good information.

My winter gloves were about $50 from CycleGear. They fit fine but are a little tight. I should have gone a size up, but I'm able to move fingers around pretty well, and they're molded for gripping handlebars so there's no resistance in your fingers from fighting the gloves. They are also armored on the every knuckle of every finger, with a plate on the top of the hand.

Not a bad buy, but not "cheap" per se.

[primal]

Originally Posted by alanmcorcoran

And the underarmour, if it's the "right" one, will wick pretty good (that stuff is not considered cheap to me.)

Yea, not cheap, but I bought it 4 years ago and I've only worn it once. I'm glad I kept a hold of it, though.

[gzrider]

Try the local craigs list , I check every few days for used gear

[mrlmd1]

One of the best ways to keep warm is to get a good windscreen with protection out over the grips to keep your fingers. knuckles, and hands out of the 50+mph wind. It also deflects the wind off of your body.
The more you can shield yourself from the effect of the wind in removing heat, the more you can stay warm. Anything in your clothes which can block air entry, like raingear, will also keep you warm, maybe too warm. But it's easy to open up for ventilation if that happens.
Read about "wind-chill factor".

[Easy Rider]

Originally Posted by primal

So, as we all know, winter is on the way.

Sigh!

Just a couple of comments:
You should not have latex next your skin. Wet is your enemy.

I didn't follow your plan in detail but it might be overkill; but better too many clothes than too few.

Here's how I approach it: Dress like you would for comfort if you were just going to be standing out in the open. Then ADD a 1 piece showmobile suit and extra or heavier gloves.

A good (large) windshield makes a HUGE difference.