Textile pants v kevlar jeans

[Waipukbiker]

This has prob been thrashed out on other threads but Im interested in getting comments from the Adv community.

To me, kevlar Jeans with knee pads should have a much higher sliding/abrasive resistance than textile. They are designed to handle tar seal so shingle shouldnt be much of a challenge for them plus you are normally riding slower than the average roady when you part company with your beast. (Well some of us are)
The ones Ive seen have a Kevlar lining throughout the whole garment so it dousnt matter which part is against the deck when your sliding.
Im thinking more as a summer garment so the lack or water proofing is not so much an issue ( I carry a pair of lightweight shower and windproof over pants anyway).
Im thinking comfort as in fit and temp as to why Ive brought this up.

Ross

[Gremlin]

All textile is not made equal. There are some pretty crappy garments with thin textile, then some very good ones that are arguably better than leather.

Problem with gravel type riding etc, is not so much abrasion but more the puncture type impact of landing on lots of stones etc...

[Waipukbiker]

I suppose there are 2 parts to this,

1, Impact injury from landing on stones, the shock is going to get transmitted through whatever you wear but what is the best penetration resistent layer on impact with the likes of 65mm chip ( Normally only used as a basecourse but graders can lift it up to the top surface) Top grade textile or kevlar.?
The lower end of the Kevlar products are a lot cheaper than high quality textile stuff and cost is a real factor with a lot of people.

2, Abrasion injury from sliding along, At least stones will tend to move along with you unlike the pure chip surface of seal, kevlar is supposed to withstand sliding on seal but again, some are better than others plus there are some now using other linings that are supposedly better than kevlar so Bucketifino.

[NordieBoy]

I like my Draggins in the summer but as they're black jeans, not for adventuring.
I had a pair of Draggin Cargos that got used a lot off road (nice and baggy for armour) but not even slightly water or gorse resistant.

[dmoo1790]

Problem with gravel type riding etc, is not so much abrasion but more the puncture type impact of landing on lots of stones etc...

I second that. I got a puncture wound from a rock on the last DB1K. Was wearing draggin jeans but the rock got me below the knee/shin Kevlar and knee/shin pad but above the boot. I think I need more overlap between the boot and shin pad.

I reckon total Kevlar coverage would be good protection but likely to be too hot in summer.

[cooneyr]

I reckon what's as important as anything is how well they look after you when you are on the bike. Think - if I were tramping what would work better. I'd never wear jeans for adv riding for this reason (I've done a lot of alpine climbing and tramping). Jeans when wet suck the heat out of you. If your adv riding and going anywhere near water you will get wet. Same applies for hot days when you sweat. Jeans will suck and textile will be better in this regard.

Cheers R

[GPS MAN]

I 2nd the description that Ryan gave.

I wear textile on adventure rides and my draggin jeans when just tooling down New Zealand's wonderful roads......did I say wonderful?..that should be treacherous roads.... especially when wet

[clint640]

I've got Draggins, textile armoured pants & MX pants. Draggins tend to mainly get used around town as I find the Kevlar lining gets uncomfortable on long trips, they're heavy if they get wet too & take a while to dry. Axo MX pants with MX knee guards plus foam hip armour are my 1st choice for summer riding, comfort plus protection, dry out quick after rivers or rain showers. Rainsuit goes over the top if it is wet or cold. The armoured, lined textile pants are for winter.

Having done a bit of crashing I would consider good armour that stays in place more important than debating the finer differences of abrasion resistance between textile & Kevlar. Strap on MX knee guards are cheap & real good. You're more likely to get serious injury from that initial hit than skidding along the ground, & you'll usually be skidding on bits that should be armoured.

Cheers
Clint

[cooneyr]

I've got Draggins, textile armoured pants & MX pants. Draggins tend to mainly get used around town as I find the Kevlar lining gets uncomfortable on long trips, they're heavy if they get wet too & take a while to dry. Axo MX pants with MX knee guards plus foam hip armour are my 1st choice for summer riding, comfort plus protection, dry out quick after rivers or rain showers. Rainsuit goes over the top if it is wet or cold. The armoured, lined textile pants are for winter.

Having done a bit of crashing I would consider good armour that stays in place more important than debating the finer differences of abrasion resistance between textile & Kevlar. Strap on MX knee guards are cheap & real good. You're more likely to get serious injury from that initial hit than skidding along the ground, & you'll usually be skidding on bits that should be armoured.

Cheers
Clint

What ^ said. Said it much better than I.

[Horney1]

All textile is not made equal. There are some pretty crappy garments with thin textile, then some very good ones that are arguably better than leather.

I wore out some Draggins. Felt happy enough doing dirt roads in them. Only problem was grade of denim was light so they ended up ripping all over the place. ( after a couple of years) . I would consider branches snagging etc when making your decision..

[bart]

What ^ said. Said it much better than I.

+1.

I wear enduro type pants (MX pants but not quite so fitting). The pants are fairly light weight but dry quickly. MX boots cover the shin, and knee pads underneath cover the rest (not armour, just light weight wet suit type stuff). Works for me.

People get a little hung up about getting wet. Getting wet isn't a problem. Getting cold is.

[DR Girl]

As with Clint & Bart. I wear MX pants with MX knee guards ( cost only about $30 back in 2007 ) & MX boots.
I wear merino leggings both summer & winter with my MX pants. Merino absorbs the sweat in summer & keeps you warm if weather wet, cold or both. Also stops the knee guards 'strap' abrasion on the backs of your legs. Set up very comfortable.
I resort to the heavy restrictive textiles with their quilted liner, &my merino leggings in Winter cause I'm a girl LOL
Only prob for you Ross . . . it means buying yourself a pair of MX boots !