Modern Vespa

Hi everyone,
Thought I'd throw something out for those who might be looking for raingear. After getting tired of either large, bulky heavy waterproof jackets that still left my legs soaked or looking at very expensive and gawky looking rainsuits, I decided to give Frogg Toggs a go after some good word of mouth round town. My dad had used them for years for hunting, but everyone I shopped for were camo. Call me vain, but I'm not trekking around in camo on my beautiful black baby. Well, I found them recently in all black and ON SALE at Dick's and Gander Mountain. Here's a link:

http://www.dickssportinggoods.com/product/index.jsp?productId=2588922

I actually bought mine at Gander Mountain which was $5 cheaper.

So today it poured cats and dogs and I had to get to school, so the ol' suit got its first real tryout. I rode at all speeds from standing at red lights to a good pace at about 55mph. All in all, it was a complete downpour the whole time and I had no windshield on, and both mudguards on the front are currently removed(don't ask why...I'll have to kill you ), so I got about the best drenching you can get.

Pros:
-The suit is relatively cheap in $.
-The suit is VERY VERY LIGHTWEIGHT..FEELS LIKE PAPER. This is a pro because it really is 'odd' material in that it feels like paper on the inside, but is very strong.
-The suit is absolutely WATERPROOF. My skin wasn't even damp or cold. All clothes, including socks were dry.
-The velcro and buttons are well designed and the ankles/wrist areas were extremely well closed(no water under seams).
-Pants zipper and velcro very tightly over ankles and comfortably fit over jeans(no snagging).
-Suit has a "padded" thick neck area that acts a bit like a rainguard around the base of your helmet and also can be unsnapped and turns into a hoodie for off-bike.
-The suit comes with its own little duffel sack

Cons:
-The front zipper is extremely poor. It closes, but unless you button up the front, it will disengage, leaving you cursing as you have to rezip the whole front. This only occurs off-bike luckily, when you're twisting and reaching for stuff AND don't have the front buttoned. Fortunately the zippers on the sides of the legs are much higher quality/size.
-Since the pants are sorta 'one size fits all', once you get the ankles zipped and velcroed up, you do have a bit of a MC Hammer pant effect going on.

Overall:
Well, as you might guess, I recommend them. I think it was a good price and I'm very happy with the results so far. It was great to be dry, and be able to quickly shed the suit and stuff into the bag. They were surprisingly comfortable and I can't stress how lightweight they feel.
For those of you who might be new to riding, especially with the mp3, I suggest getting something like this. You'll soon find out the hard way(like I did) that "rain" gear such as ponchos, rain jackets, and the like don't really stop water on a bike where the wind is sending it streaming into every nook and cranny. This does, and other bike suits do too, but I like the features and the price of this suit.


Well, that's my review...here's a few pics:

A percentage of them made will leak at the crotch, bottom stitching leaks where you sit. If this happens, just bring back to any frogtogg vendor and they will replace them on the spot. Otherwise a great product.

I also have Frogg Toggs. I bought them in the spring but we had a lot of dry weather so they went a long time stuffed in the pet carrier without coming out. My journey to Pennsylvania was the first real test then again last week in north Georgia and Tennessee. I have now ridden a few times in the rain over the last month. I find I actually enjoy riding in a light rain and seldom let weather keep me off my MP3. I just don't try to scrape my kickstand.

A few additional comments.

1. I bought the high-vis yellow (pants are black). Visibility in rain is even harder to attain. They are available in multiple colors.
2. They do keep you dry even though the material feels like paper it is strong.
3. There is a hood on the jacket which can be unrolled and worn under the helmet to keep rain from gettin in the collar. I haven't tried using it and have not gotten a wet neck.
4. The one major draw back which cancels out much of the good is the short zipper on the legs. If you get caught in a shower it is tough to get the pants on over riding boots and it will not be done in a hurry. If the pants had a longer zipper I would love them but the short zipper has me on the fence recommending them.

Excellent review and comments, many thanks guys. I was already planning on picking up a set based on my son's recommendation and knowing I will be facing the long wet here in Oreygun in a scant few weeks... but they'll be for back up and fun or range use since I will generally opt for the car when its wet.

What I didn't read was what it takes to dry them off... towel them, shake them out and hang them-? Does it matter? And do the pants go on and off over boots easily enough (or is that a result of the MC Hammer effect)? How tightly can the suit be rolled up? And really, cost in $$? Lastly, don't kill me now, but what would possess anyone to mess with their ride's mudguards??

1. To dry them out, just either give them a good wipe down(they don't soak up water so it just beads on them), flap them out, or just set them out for a bit. I found that a good shake is enough and really, the inside is always dry.

2. The pants go on fine for me. I'm not as tall as Fuzzy, I'm about 5'9"-10". The zippers zip up and you put them on them zip down the side and velcro the ankles. The MC Hammer effect is because the legs are long(designed to fit a wide variety of lengths).

3. The whole suit can fit tightly into its bag which is about the size of a football.

4. My suit cost me $50.

5. The mudguards are off because one got ripped off by debris in the road...took out all the allen bolts, flap and everything. The other one was ripped in half, so I just removed it. Got two brand new ones sitting on a shelf from Athens scooter company. Just gotta get out there and put them on(along with a billion other things).

Glad I didn't need to be eliminated to read that last part... thanks for the reply. definitely gonna pick up a set - soon.

Thanks for the observations. I love my FTs jacket for hiking and camping, so the bike suit is a natch. Currently have a nylon suit that doesn't completely suck but is heavy, awkward, and doesn't breathe at all. FTs will probably pack smaller, too. OK, I'm sold!

Getting the pants on for me is not a height problem, it is a boot problem. I always wear motorcycle boots. The leg zippers are short and it is a bit of work to get them over the boots. If it is already raining and no cover available this results in getting wet while putting them on. If I remove the boots they go on easy, but then my feet get wet. If I wore tennis shoes to ride they would go over the shoes OK, but I am serious about ALL the gear ALL the time and tennis shoes provide little protection in an incident.

If you do a google search for reviews of Frogg Toggs on motorcycle sites, the short leg zippers is the one consistent complaint. My bottom line is a great jacket but the short zipper makes the pants marginal for me. Many motorcycle stores carry them if you want to check them out before purchase. I just couldn't find the high vis yellow in a store.

A few months ago I looked at frogtogs based on reviews. I couldn't find any locally that had high visibility colors, so I went with rain gear by tourmaster. The price was about $20 more, but I needed the gear at the time and got a set with high viz yellow and reflection. They are designed to go over your motorcycle jacket and pants. Like the frog togs, the leg zipper does not go high enough to make it easy to put the pants on with motorcycle boots.

With the weather turning cooler, I will be wearing a waterproof liner inside my Olympia gear (and soon to be cycleport gear). Although the gear may get wet, I will stay dry with the liner. Works well for when caught in the sudden rainstorm.

I have been riding since 1979 and have found that if the zipper goes all the way up the leg they leak. The only way around that is to put a Velcro closer over the zipper and that is a pain to get sealed right like on the jacket.

Wayne B

I usually ride in the rain - many hours in one day as a matter of fact. But I am on horseback not scooter. I have been looking around for something other than my Austrailian oilskin coat. I like the fact that it is very light weight as though it may be raining here it may not be that cool and my current waterproof gear makes me very hot. I may have to give it a go. The price is certainly reasonable.

I rode down to Panama City in the rain and my Frog Toggs did great (aside from the fact that I looked like a ridiculous turquoise Sta-Puff marshmallow man) - coming back there was some kind of monsoon or something and in constant crosswinds and horizontal HEAVY rain the Frog Toggs eventually (we're taling about 5 hours) soaked through and were saturated. They also weren't tight enough on my wrist and when I stopped in Eufaula and let go of the handlebars water poured out where it had puddled in my elbow armour That said, I rode from Eufaula to Columbus, GA in just regular rain and the Frog Toggs actually dried out and were doing their job again. Unfortunately, the clothes underneath were still wet, so by the time I rolled in at the house I was all wrinkled up like a prune.

I think more like Sta-Puff marshmallow woman or remembering your online name, marshmallow girl. What man would wear a turqoise rain suit?

I too am a big fan of the Frog Toggs. I have two sets. If you roll the pants just right, stuff them in the sack, and then roll the jacket just right you can stuff the entire suit into the little pocket at the rear of the MP3-500 trunk.

Haven't tried FT's yet. I have a very expensive Gore Tex (LL Bean) rain suit that I inherited from my father in law. It keeps me perfectly dry but may need to get a larger size pant as he was a bit shorter than I.

Just adding my own positive experiences with using Frogg Toggs. I had just gotten them before I went on a trip and had to put them on a few times during it. On one day I was stuck riding in the rain for a few hours and my waterproof gloves had started to soak through but my body remained dry.

I do have the same complaints others had mention about the flimsy looking jacket zipper and the pants not completely covering the boots. And even though its breathable if you're stuck in traffic things get a bit warm.

But I love that they're easy to store and you can bust them out and put them over your existing clothes pretty quickly.

I post over in the not-so-modern section, but I wanted to get in on this conversation because I am considering buying Frogg Toggs today. I am looking at the suit which is specifically made for riding:

http://www.froggtoggs.com/store/choose.asp?ItemNum=FT1122&ItemColor=22

do any of you have this specific suit? I'd like to buy it today, but I think I'll have to order it online and wait for it to show up next week.

Suiting up to ride home in the rain last night my zipper wouldnt work. I zipped up the jacket and looked down and the zipper halves had not engaged as the pull passed by. Just closed the snaps and got home dry in light rain. Used a pair of pliers to close the tab openings a bit and the zipper worked for my ride in in the rain this morning.

Anyone else have this problem?

Is my corrective action appropriate for a zipper pull?

Georgia is wet this week. 5.5" rain last night after 2" during the day yesterday here.

Great timing Fuzzy. I just had this problem two days ago and was ready to throw my Frogg Togg jacket in the fire...kept splitting. Don't know if this is a permanent fix or something that I might have to do before each use, but I took a pair of needle nose pliers and squeezed the back end of the zipper pull(on the empty side that matches up to the other zipper teeth) to make the teeth be forced together more tightly. I only saw a small gap close when I did this, but the zipper works perfectly now. Been zipping it up and down for the last day and a half with no splitting, even when I try and pull with my hands, they stay snug.

I checked a couple of other sites and apparently, its the jacket zipper problem that is in each design. Like I said in my review...only downfall I could find thus far.

The zipper in my old FTs jacket is also a weak link. Treating it with Zipper-Ease should help.

The problem with mine(and I suspect Fuzzy's based on other web accounts) is not that the zipper won't move, its that despite zippering it, the teeth are not 'pressed' together tightly and just slip open beneath the zipper pull right after you "zip" it. In essence, the zipper assembly is too loose.

I also love my FT's. My wife got me a set for my birthday last year. I've only been in the rain twice, but they worked great. I actually wear them more in the spring and fall during the early morning rides that are a bit chilly. They block the cold wind as good as anything else I've tried.

-nub

+1

My winter gear is water proof. This weekend I wore my Frog Toggs for the first time since my comments last fall. Major rain in Panama City Beach Friday. Water soaked through wetting the butt of my pants. I am in the market for new gear if anyone wants to buy some slightly used and ineffective Frogg Toggs. Size XL, High Viz Yellow Jacket.

yeah not sure if I updated this topic or not, but my frogg toggs are worthless. They started off well enough, but then my pants had the exact same problem. I had to work one day all day with a soaked crotch area. Combine that with the broken zipper issues and I wouldn't give you $5 for another set of Frogg Toggs.

I'm looking for some decent rain gear as well. This time, whatever I buy will come with some sort of money back guarantee.

I have this rain suit that I picked up at Cycle Gear (Motoboss which is Cycle Gear's house brand). My jacket is yellow.





I also have the wet crotch problem, but only occasionally. I haven't figured out what causes it because it doesn't happen all the time. No problems at all with the jacket, zippers, etc. and the pants have a nice large velcro pocket on the front that comes in handy.

You have to find something with no seam in the crotch or you will get wet.

Not only that but where and how the pants are attached - I finally figgered out that's why they put the zipper in the back of the jacket for the pants - keeps "plumbers butt" exposure letting water trickle in.
I'm pretty happy with the waterproof "wind liner" that comes with my Tourmaster pants and jacket but admittedly I have not had the long term exposure y'all are talking about. My biggest issue would be the ankles and wrists as they don't really seal all that well. Hmmmm - wonder if I could use one of those velcro wrap straps to do the job properly...

I have a harley rain suit that I have had for a few years now. It is the best suit I have ever had. The jacket and pants were sold individually for sizing. Now they were not cheap in price, the jacket was like $140 and the pants were about the same. The quality is outstanding though. I have never been wet even in a down pour. They both are lined as well so the don't stick to you like the cheaper rain suits do. The cuffs have both velco and elastic to keep the wet out from your wrists.The pants are full zippers up the legs to make easy on/off with a velco flaps to seal. The neck has a nice soft lining and velco to keep it sealed as well. The zippers have never hic-cupped at all.

Same here for the Frog Toggs, mine are several years old and have been replaced once under warranty for snaps falling off. The leaky crotch is par for the course so anyone who uses them as a bike rainsuit can expect the same. I've relegated mine to wear in the garden, etc., beyond that I don't feel they're good for much else.

FWIW for just a few bucks more (under a hundred bucks) you can buy a two-piece suit from TourMaster that really works. The pants have suspenders and are high waisted so water doesn't get into them, at least not during normal riding. I've used mine for a lengthy ride to Alaska and along the Oregon coast, both areas of frequent rain storms and always stayed dry and warm.

Two other outfits I've owned and been disappointed with are Triumph's Chevron one-piece suit and one of Rev'It's "4-season" two-piece outfits.

The Chevron to its credit worked well but two things spoiled it for me, one, it was awful to get into, taking way too long, and two, once inside you sweated like a pig as the material doesn't breath. I sold that outfit right away. I bought it as a direct result of a review written by someone who thought it the greatest thing since sliced bread. His experience was very different from mine so your's might be too.

The Rev'It I still have but as a rain suit it's miserable. In fact if you do any research on their products that's widely stated on a number of forums including their latest & greatest $1500 look-at-me-I'm-an-adventure-rider outfit. I'll never buy another of their products, at least not one that claims to be rain proof.

So far the one outfit that has been bullet-proof, easiest to get into, and very rain resistant has been my one-piece RoadCrafter suit from Aerostich. To date it hasn't failed me and remains my favorite.

So there ya go, hope this is of interest to some of you.

LL75

Sorry to hear your experiences with Frogg Toggs have not been that good. Have to say I could not be happier with my solution though it is not cheap. I wear a GoreTex PackLite Bike Wear jacket which is designed for cyclists. I think it retails for around $250 but I found mine in my closet so for me the price was right . But I would happily pay the money again as the quality cannot be beat.

First off is it waterproof? Well it's GoreTex which is still the gold standard I believe (hence the price). I rode for 6 hours in a rainstorm that had Noah looking out his toolbox and at the end of the ride my companions stripped off and they were miserable as could be. Most of them looked like they just got out the bath while I was bone dry.

But it is much more than just a waterproof jacket, it is the small details that I love. It has one zip up the front and then two flaps which Velcro shut over it. The simplicity of the design means I just zip and go. My previous jacket had a 'storm flap' with clips and a zip which was a pain to open/close. The zipper is YKK and it has never given me any problems, never caught in the material etc (and this jacket is now 12 years old). It is a double zipper which lets me zip it open from the bottom which is great for getting access to my bike jacket pockets at gas stations. This jacket itself only has a large back pocket, no side pockets. This is a little inconvenient but preferable to having pockets which leak.

It is designed for cyclists who have a similar riding posture to us. In other words no problems with the length of the arms or the back. The cuffs also have a Velcro attachment to let you seal the sleeve. I can get the sleeve under or over my gloves depending on my mood.

The PackLite feature allows the whole jacket to fold away into the back pocket in about the size of a 6" sub sandwich. This also has 2 velco attachments which can be used to attach the jacket to a crossbar on a bike. Not a necessary feature for us but could be handy if you had a sportsbike with limited storage.

I actually wear this jacket every day over my summer mesh jacket. This combo has been my winter riding setup for the past 6 months and I could not be happier with it. I would pay a visit to a good cycle store to see what they have. The PackLite feature is not necessary so you might get the price down quite a bit. Also a lot of cycling gear comes in hi-viz with reflective piping built in if that is important to you.

Continuing my cheapskate solution I use my ski over pants on the bike also. They are Marmott pants (not sure of the model) and have full length zips up the side which makes getting into and out of them a breeze. Not sure if this make them more susceptible to leaks but on our scoots your legs are pretty well protected so I have not had a problem with them. For me the important test was no more wet crotch which it passed with flying colors (which my RevIT Cayenne Pro pants did not).

I had heard nothing but rave reviews about FroggToggs so bought a set a few years ago even though they looked frail. Found out they last as long as they look, not long, paper thin. Far as I'm concerned I got suckered out of $55. Screw me once, shame on you. Screw me twice, it ain't gonna happen.

I really like FT's lightweight design; but was never sure of its flimsy construction.
After watching a friend ripping his here and there, I decided not to get one -- instead I got this.
After over 1,000-miles in the rain, I'm glad to report that: it's worth every penny ($35.99).

I've had my FT's for nearly a year now. They haven't failed to keep me dry. They are much better than my more expensive motorcycle rain gear I was convinced to buy when I bought my MP3. The hoodie always keeps the rain from running down my back. I recommend them to everyone I ride with.

ponydrvr,

Do you consider yourself a super-careful fuddy duddy, seriously?

Just watch, it seems unrelated at first, but you will see the Frogg Toggs in use:

At 8:19 you can see where the guy rips the legs trying to put them on...that tells you what the Frogg Toggs are like.

for all of you that bought and have those frogg-toggs. if you would have bought the extended warranty with them it would not have been a probelm, but finding the proper dealer to service might have

Hello

If you have a problem getting your overtrousers on when wearing boots place your boot in a plastic supermarket bag and you can just slip your booted foot through the overtrousers.

Grumpy (wet in the UK)

Nice tip! I'll give ity a try. Good use for those bags...

Those look nice and the price is right. How large is the package when rolled up? I have the water/wind proof liners for my Tourmasters but it's a hassle getting them on when it's raining. Better to have a pull-over.