Been using the Dainese Goretex gear for a while now and it's been fine. One thing that is diffuicult to decide is what choice for a long trip when you might experience weather changes. I prefer to wear leathers and carry an oversuit if touring in the summer but maybe this time of year, in this country, you are unlikely to get overheated in textile gear.

Like most things its best to have all the options really, overall you'd have to say that textile gives the best protection against bad weather. If that is your main priority.

Not trying to hijack your thread Mav or to put myself forward as any touring "guru" just a few observations.

No worries Paul, I'm just trying to decide what to do !

I have a bike in Germany for scratching and ring trips, and now I have a bike for some long distance trips I have planned for next year!
Just need to make the right informed decision

regards mav

I've always gone the leather route with waterproofs, but this year i bought a textile jacket from J&S for the Assen trip. It's a Arlen Ness item, thermal lining, CE hard armour etc. It was the dogs!! Really comfortable, very weather proof and warm to boot. Dries out quicker than leathers to ;)
The fit of the armour was very good and it has straps on the arms to hold them tighter. I wore a back protector for complete peace of mind.
Well recomended.
I still wore leather trousers though. Just a personal thing. Just carrying waterproof leggins takes up less room though.

Tried combining both on one trip, leathers with a textile jacket for when it got wet, bad decision, the jacket which was strapped to the back of the bike decided to part company while making some "serious progress" South of Milan. Got stuck in the central reservation of the motorway so muggins had to call the porksters to come and collect it for me. You guessed it, passport an all my docs were in the jacket pockets :rolleyes: :rolleyes: Then there was the time when some kind soul put the Ventura luggage back on my bike for me one morning and while crossing the expansion joints on a dodgy old bridge, again in Italy the whole lot launched itself skywards and nearly took the head of the guy following me. Not naming the guilty party who didn't locate the fixing screws in the grooves on the frame before tightening them ! It wasn't Stuart, honest, whoops let that one slip then....

Sorry derailing the thread.

And you want some advice on touring from a **** like that mav :lol: :lol:

As you would say........keep it real.