Are mesh pants worth it?

[Bullgoose]

I've just been riding in jeans this summer and have found them to be pretty hot. My legs get sweaty and the jeans get sticky and stuck.
I've been looking at some mesh pants at motorcyclecloseouts.com and I'm wondering if they'd be cooler.

TIA

[B]

I ordered a pair of Fieldsheer when I bought my Fieldsheer High Flow 2 jacket...love the jacket - sent the pants back. Jeans in the heat & chaps when its cool enough for me.  in teresting to see what gets posted; I haven't talked to anyone the really likes them so far.

[Hollywood]

real bikers don't wear mesh pants! if they're too hot, take a water hose or bucket of water and pour it on yourself! That's what we do when it's really hot.
Mesh pants? must be riding a MOPED! ROTFLMAO   

[Hollywood]

no offense meant.. I never heard of mesh riding pants. 

[Red Diamond]

I wear Levi Relax fitting jeans, they are loose fitting if you don't buy them too tight and cool riding. If you wear those cowboy cut type jeans, they can get uncomfy when you start to sweat. LOOSEN UP A LITTLE AND THE AIR WILL FLOW.

[B]

real bikers don't wear mesh pants! if they're too hot, take a water hose or bucket of water and pour it on yourself! That's what we do when it's really hot.
Mesh pants? must be riding a MOPED! ROTFLMAO   

Are thread-bare Levi's considered Mesh ... if so we may be in disagreement here! 

[Bullgoose]

   No shortage of opinions here!
Well, you guys have talked me out of it... actually shamed me out is more like it. It's just that it's been so dang hot lately, I was looking for anyway to cool off. Maybe I'll have a cold one, lay down, and not think about this anymore.
I wear 501's, but I gained some weight and they are a little snug. So, I guess mesh underwear is out of the question?

nJOY!

[Rocketman]

I guess I'm just not a real biker.  My mesh pants work out pretty well.  As with any mesh, they're actually hotter if you're not moving.  Once you get moving, things are pretty good.  Look for some with a higher percentage of mesh as opposed to reinforcement/padding.  Some have very little mesh in all actuality, which means they won't work well.
That being said, I've found that if I prop my feet up JUST RIGHT, with some loose jeans, I can get a nice breeze up my pant legs.  Not enough to equate to the mesh, though.

Mark

[Houdini]

I've been looking at the Tour Master mesh pants.  I figure if I wear them with gym shorts on underneath that should supply a good breeze.  I honestly don't care what the 'real bikers' think about what I am wearing as long as I am comfortable.

So, I guess mesh underwear is out of the question?

Not necessarily; I always wear Under Armor underwear when I ride; they keep me cool and dry quickly if I get overheated and sweaty.   

[BnB Tom]

. . is nothing sacred?

[Houdini]

. . is nothing sacred?

Not around me...   

[RainMaker]

Not necessarily; I always wear Under Armor underwear when I ride; they keep me cool and dry quickly if I get overheated and sweaty.  

WAY too much information...

[tybme]

I got a few laughs when I showed up to a b-day party last summer wearing chaps over shorts. It was 100 degrees that day and I didn't want to hang outside wearing jeans. Plenty of airflow to keep me cool riding 

[Disco]

Are mesh pants worth it?

Absolutely yes.  I love my Olympias and would bet that if I'd had them and worn them last September they would have minimized or prevented the road rash on my right pelvis and the swelling on my left hip. 

Anything is hot these days if you're not moving so the mesh advantage is much smaller while still.  However, once moving, they breathe better than jeans - even with the armor in - so accumulated sweat or rain will evaporate faster.  Mine came with an impervious, quilted rain/winter liner that makes riding in sub-freezing temps doable.  You can even sleep in the liners if you're ever Holland, MI and are forced to stay at that filthy Econolodge. 

Throw in the Scotch-Lite piping and the fact that, on long trips, you don't have to pack as many pairs of jeans, and it's a no-brainer. 

The only "down side" might be that they make you look like a propeller head.  So effing what!?  Too many "real bikers" dress for the ride and not the crash.  That's fine and works the vast majority of the time.  Go through a crash though, and your dress code might change.

[Jess from VA]

First, if you get mesh, they must be pure solid mesh, no panels or zip open pockets to mesh, and no convertibles with rain liners.... just a waste of money (already have rain gear).  

Second, they are almost exclusively black which is totally stupid, but what most riders want for the look.  Black are hot, obviously, but only a light color makes any sense (only a few available).

Third, even pure mesh pants have a full length NYLON mesh liner which is also hot as hell.  And all mesh comes with varying amounts of armor, some removable (knee pads) some not (hip padding).

I got some used Stupid-Black MeshTex Firstgears for a good price.  Moving is OK, but stopped or just slow is way worse (hotter) than loose jeans, especially on an interstate with the extra wind protection.  If I ever get another pair, they will be white, or light silver or tan..... screw looks, we are after function here, right?

So, I turned them inside out and cut out the nylon mesh liner all the way up to short shorts (just so my tighty whiteys didn't show thru, which is all I wear underneath), and I took all the removable armor out to allow more airflow.  However, the liner had covered some really sharp sewn mesh seams which were coarse enough to nearly draw blood on the inside of the pants, so I had to take them to a Korean tailor and have them sew some cotton BDU patches over the top of the sharp seams on the inside of the pants (mostly around the knees in front).  

I now have the most open mesh you can get, pure exterior armor mesh with no liner and no armor (although in stupid-black).  Moving they are great, but stopped and very slow the engine heat IMMEDIATELY travels to your bare legs because it is essentially like riding with shorts.  So stopped and and very slow a pair of loose jeans is really better because they actually act as an insulator to keep the red hot engine heat off your legs.

Overall, I have found that relaxed fit (old man) jeans are about the best hot weather riding pants you can get.   The loose pant legs hold their shape (esp out on the hwy pegs) and allow the wind to blow up your pantlegs pretty good.  I have even thinner 6 oz cotton and light canvas pants which are lighter weight than the jeans, but they do not hold their shape at the bottom so wind does not get up the pantlegs so well, and they tend to blow clear up to my knees, which the jeans don't do.

Finally, pure mesh are pretty good so long as you keep moving, but stopped or slow they suck.  And if the temps drop or it rains you can get cold pretty fast.

These statements are about pants for hot weather, but I make no claims as to protection....obviously if you want best protection, full armored and lined mesh are far superior to baggy jeans.  

[bigguy]

I find them very comfortable, but the heels occasionally get hung on my foot-peg.

[5_19]

Kevlar made by MotoPort. Yes they are worth it cooler than jeans wearing short underneath.
Always wear them on anything over about 15 miles especially when hot!

[Doc809]

With some of this information, I'm gonna have nightmares!!! L

[B]

Bullgoose - try em for yourself... I just found them A LOT bulkier than I expected.

[Houdini]

so my tighty whiteys didn't show thru

Under Armor makes tighty-blackies...

[Jess from VA]

so my tighty whiteys didn't show thru

Under Armor makes tighty-blackies...

I know, I have some, but I have found underarmor boxerjocks in the compression material is WAY hotter than a pair of cotton jockeys in the high heat of summer.  They're great in cool/cold weather.

I asked the wife if she had any black cotton briefs I could get into, and she thought I was being fresh.     (Oh Stanley...)

[BnB Tom]

Isn't there a C & W song writer out there that can put all of this together?

     I mean . . there's glad, there's sad and there's sex.

The  only thing missin' is a little bit a drinkin'   
   

[Valkpilot]

Kevlar made by MotoPort. Yes they are worth it cooler than jeans wearing short underneath.
Always wear them on anything over about 15 miles especially when hot!

Nice cow.

[KerryNolan]

I bought a pair of ICON riding jeans a couple years back, they have some black stretch fabric panels strategically located in the inseams, and extra thick material in the knees and rear. I have to admit, they are comfortable in the summer.
Kerry

[Rocketman]

Nice cow.

But does the cow have mesh pants?  What about the bear?

[Bullgoose]

Wow! Tons of input on this one.
I got the info I was looking for. The mesh pants seem to be great if you're moving, but hot when you stop, which is the problem I'm having with the jeans. Today I went for a ride up to north Austin. No problem with the heat (95+ w/humitidy). But after my business, the jeans were sticky and, everytime I put my foot down, I had to pull up on the jeans to adjust the tightness around the knees. The mesh pants seem to be great when you're moving, but when you stop, they get pretty hot. Not much difference than the jeans.
So, why spend the money?

[Houdini]

The mesh pants seem to be great when you're moving, but when you stop, they get pretty hot. Not much difference than the jeans.

The biggest difference will become apparent if you crash.

[MP]

The mesh pants seem to be great when you're moving, but when you stop, they get pretty hot. Not much difference than the jeans.

The biggest difference will become apparent if you crash.

+1 on that!  I use the moto mesh armored pants.  Hope I never need the kevlar, to keep the plastic from melting into my skin, and the armor, to spread impact, but I know it is much better that jeans!

Other than that, no difference!

MP