Mesh pants for summer! Convertible pant feedback req'd.

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Summer is coming up, and I have in mind to get a pair (if not two) of summer mesh pants. I am tentatively planning my first "really long-a** motorcycle trip" in June. I'll be riding up to Northern VA to visit a friend, then we're going to ride around that part of the country a bit.

Looking around a little bit on Google, I've found a few contenders:

Tourmaster Tracker Air Mesh, the Xelement Street Rider Convertible, and the Olympia Recon 2 Mesh Tech Transformer are at the top of my list. The Xelement are the least expensive at about $60, with the Tourmaster coming in at about $110, and the Olympia fetching about $140.

They all are 'convertible' meaning the bottoms of the legs zip off converting the pants into shorts. I like the idea since my trip will be in summer, and should we stop somewhere to take in some sights for a while, I could whip off the boots and pant lowers and enjoy just being in shorts and a tee shirt.

The Tourmaster is available in a 'gunmetal' color, the Xelement in a darker gray color and the Olympia in a lighter silver/gray. I definitely side with the lighter color in this aspect, so the Olympia would win.

Cost is also a consideration... I could get two pairs of the Xelements for the cost of one pair of the Olympia, but I'm more familiar with the Olympia name, and I'm confident they'd probably be better quality.


Does anyone have any experience with any of them?
 
OP
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I think the battle royale will be between the Olympia and the Tourmaster. I like the Olympia, but for one thing - no built in waist adjustment. They do have belt loops, though, but that's another piece of kit to take with every ride. They're also made so that you can have the pant legs easily hemmed to get the exact length you need.

The Tourmaster does have waist adjustment, and costs a bit less. Both look like really good products.
 

Mellow

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Just ordered the Olympia Recon 3 pants, really like the cargo pockets. I have the olympia airglide 2 pants as well but they are 3 years old and I try to replace my cheaper gear (if you want to call it that) every 3-4 years.

I'll review once I get them but I'm sure they'll be great. I'll still wear pant under them and not shorts as some have had heat from the ST mess with their shin area.
 
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Don't limit yourself to conv pants. A regular pair of mesh pants with gym shorts under them works just as good. Might even take less time to slide them off and on at your stops than trying to get the bottoms zipped back on. Just a thought.

R
 

Throttlejockey

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I have the Olympia Airglide 3's. They are mesh but are built more for protection than cooling, which is fine with me.
 
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I've been using BMW convertible pants for a while now. Spendy but proven to be worth every penny. They're a light desert color, great for long days in the heat. My old pair has longer shorts(?) when unzipped than the new pair. I think it's because if the shorts are too long, the heavy-duty material rubs the sensitive skin area behind the knees while you're walking - sucks when it's muggy. The newer shorts don't rub, they're shorter - more function over form. My only advice would be to see what your new pants look and feel like as shorts before you buy.

BTW on long trips I always keep a pair of Crocs bungeed to the luggage. It doesn't take long to unzip the legs and don the Crocs, and if the Crocs get wet in the rain - no problem.
 

SupraSabre

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I've had the TourMaster Flex pants for almost three years now and love them. I have been using them for my cold weather commuting and hot weather commuting. They are great! :hat1:
 
OP
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Don't limit yourself to conv pants. A regular pair of mesh pants with gym shorts under them works just as good. Might even take less time to slide them off and on at your stops than trying to get the bottoms zipped back on. Just a thought.

R

I'm not going to limit myself, I just think the convertible pants will be particularly useful on the vacation I'm planning. I'd sure rather have a regular pair of mesh pants for the ride up there since it will be 1400+ miles (which I'll probably cover in two days), but once the buddy and I head out, we'll probably be stopping at places, and being able to whip off the boots, convert to shorts and throw on some sandals or something will be a pretty awesome capability.
 
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I am in the market for a pair of mesh pants myself, one of the posters mentioned mesh over pants and wearing shorts under them, that is what I think I am looking for. Anyone have information on those? The convertible pants are a thought though, and the Crocs wouldn't take up much room
 

st1300doug

Ok, I'm 6-2", 270lbs. Does ANY pant (mesh) maker have a size 46" waist? I mean...most show maybe a 40". I KNOW there are some bigger guys here. Oh...and cost less than $110.00 ??
 

T_C

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I use a pair of First Gear HT air pants for my summer gear. Kept them on even at 111? temperatures. They are not convertibvle but the side zipers come almost all the way up to the top, so it is really easy to slip them off over your boots. Of course if you are taking off your boots and throwing on a pair of Crocs that wont; matter too much.

Converting pants to shorts is easy, zipping them back into pants not so much. I bet I could take on and off a pair of overpants (with shorts underneath) before you could zip the legs back on. I'd say try before you buy. Convertibles are a neat idea, but implementation is not as good, IMO.
 
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I use First Gear Mesh, with shorts underneath. Take off the pants and go with the shorts when we stop. Easy peazy.
 
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I've been using the same pair of Joe Rocket Alter-Ego pants since 2008 ... full-length with a wrap-around removeable panel exposing mesh. I like them so much that I've since acquired another pair of their newer style which hangs in my closet for whenever this first pair is retired. The only time I don't wear them is when I don the Gerbings Xtreme heated pants.
 
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I would also love to get some good mesh pants that actually work in hot weather. I had a pair before (can't remember brand) and if I wore shorts under them, they would make my legs sweat more than if I just wore jeans. The "liner" that are in these things feel sticky and awful on bare legs. Anyone use some that feel good over shorts and actually provide some air flow through them?
 
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