Rukka Wet Weather Gear

I have finally managed to scrimp and save my pennies in the penny jar and purchased my new wet weather gear. What did I buy I hear you all shout.

I ended up purchasing a complete Rukka outfit. Originally I was going to purchase the Argonaut Jacket and pants however the company have changed the design and they were no longer available. I ended up purchasing the Armas Jacket and Pants with a pair of Argosarus gloves. Rukka is a Finnish brand so what the Fin's don't understand about cold wet weather is not worth squat

The Jacket and pants can be zipped together to make a complete suit and with a crotch strap to hold the front of the jacket in place. When I decided to purchase these i contacted the local distributor based in Melbourne and asked about fitting and measurements. Mari-Anne was great and had me take a number of different measurements to ensure that the Jacket and Pants fitted perfectly.

All of the clothing is made from Gore Tex Pro Shell material with Kevlar and Cordua woven into the fabric of the Jacket and Pants for added protection and abrasion resistance. They also incorporate the latest Outlast fabric technology which is an adaptive comfort technology which is designed to absorb access body heat and release it to keep you comfortable. The Jacket and Pants also have Armacor Patches in high abrasion areas such as knee and elbow areas. (As a result of the Armacor you are advised to cover your tank in a protective plastic film which is supplied with the pants.) The Jacket has a unique lockout closure instead of a standard zipper which ensure that water cannot leak in. The lockout closure is very similar to a divers dry suit closure and is a rubberised double overlap closing mechanism. To ensure that this lockout zip works correctly it comes with a silicone oil pen which you rub over the zip to keep it running free and easy. The bottom of the zipper also has a small fabric flap which folds over the end so that your tank does not get scratched. The Jacket comes with a multitude of pockets four on the outside and three (waterproof) on the inside to keep all your small nicknacks stored. The pants are very comfortable to wear and have removable braces to help hold them in place. They also have a sticky antislide patch on the seat to keep your in contact with your bike in wet conditions. This takes a little getting used to if you are used to shifting your weight about on the bike during cornering (you need to lift yourself up slightly to move). I found that after a few days of riding i became very used to this and then found it to be quite helpful in providing a little extra grip to pull the bike over in the corners. The gloves are leather with a high wrist cuff which fits nicely under the double cuff of the jacket. Again they are made with Gore Tex fabrics and I went for the ones with bright yellow patches for extra visibility. The Gloves also have a titanium protection plate over the knuckles. Both the Jacket and Pants also have high vis scotch bright reflective patches on them again to help visibility at night.

So did they all work out?

Well typical with any purchase for a specific purpose it took ages before it actually rained. I purchased all this at the MotoGP in prep for my trip to Tassie. Firstly because Tassie is meant to have a lot of rain and secondly because it is meant to be cold. For two weeks we had fantastic weather bright sunshine and warm, just typical. With one day in Launceston when we had a few scattered showers and we did not ride as we had a winery tour they only other day it rained was last Friday when we started the trip back to Sydney. When I say it rained however that might be a little misleading. Tassie true to form tried to make up for the lack of rain for two weeks in the one day. The weather was so bad that as we can through Oatlands (the midlands of Tassie) I came over the brow of a hill to be confronted by snow and Ice about and inch deep in some places. The rain continued through out the day as we made our way up to Devonport via a stop over in Launceston to get the wife's chain checked (another story but not about a bandit so I wont bore you all). I am pleased to report that despite all that the Tasmanian weather threw at me for the entire day I remained warm and dry from head to toe.

If anyone is attending the Motorbike show in Melbourne then you may well see Innotesco the distributor. These guys are great and offer a customer service that I have never experienced Before. I had ordered a pair of pants for my wife but they were unfortunately not in stock and had to be ordered. Mari Anne however drove up to Port Melbourne at 7:30 am to meet us on our return from Tasise with a pair of pants so that we had them for our ride back to Sydney. She constantly offered advice on sizing and availability. They are not cheap and I would class them as the top of a premium brand. The gloves however are of a similar price to every other maker and well worth the investment as is all of the clothing.

Nice write up Mpottsy. It sounds like quality gear. Did Innotesco have a booth at the MotoGP?

Yes they did it was where I picked up all my gear on my way through on the big trip.