gerbings vs aerostitch kanetsu electric jacket

[voyageurs]

20 degrees over mountain springs and low 30's to ride in and i am freezing my butt off. i have the aerositch kinetsu. it is the electric windbloc jacket and has never seemed very warm. i have always been a cold rider and as i get older it definately gets worse.

 

does anyone have a comparison of the gerbings to the kanetsu? i have all ready spent $200 on this jacket and hate to spend another $200, but i would like to be warm.

 

sometimes in the low 40's for a long ride i can get extremely chilled .

 

comparisons would be very helpful. i ride a '99 r1100rt.

thanks,

bob

[flat_twin]

Hi Bob,

I've had both jackets and the Gerbings is much warmer. What are you wearing for an outer layer? The Aerostich gear lets a lot of cold air pass thru. For very cold rides I wear my old Tourmaster jacket and pants. They don't breathe at all and are terribly hot in the summer but they work great in the winter.

Wearing a good base layer is very important. A good set of silks or "Underarmor" or similar clothing is a good start. The Gerbings should be worn over over no more than two thin layers and should be slightly snug to keep the heated panels close to your skin.

[Calvin (no socks)]

Bob, I have a Kinetsu jacket... I rarley use it.. Florida ya' know... but recently I found out I had been wearing it inside out and couldn't feel any heat....I turned it smooth side in and wow...what a difference...

[JR356]

Hi,

 

Agree with the above posts.I have both the Gerbings and Kanetsu windblock electric.The Gerbings is much warmer for any given condition.

 

Yes,make sure you wear the Kanetsu smooth side in!

 

You might look at www.warmnsafe.com,lots of folks prefer their liner to the Gerbings.

 

Upside,you can recoup a lot of your outlay on the stich,by selling it here or Ebay.

 

JR356

[Joel]

You might look at www.warmnsafe.com,lots of folks prefer their liner to the Gerbings.

 

+1. Never had a Gerbing liner, but I can't believe it would be better than my Warm & Safe. YMMV.

[Jim VonBaden]

Let's put it this way, I sold my Darien with Kenetsu liner for a Gerbing Cascade jacket with zip in electric liner.

 

Much warmer. I never go above half way, where with the Kenetsu I had it full blast all the time and was never really warm. Not usually colod, but not warm.

 

Too bad the Kenetsu isn't more like the Gerbing. I liked the Darien overall.

 

Jim

 

PS I hated the cords for the gloves not being integrated also.

[USAF1]

Gerbings..........no other way!!

 

Pat

[voyageurs]

thanks everyone for your responses. i have been wearing the jacket correctly and still not been warm enough when it really gets cold. remember, i am a desert rat from vegas and anything under 70 degrees is cold. i guess i will try to sell it and then get a gerbings.

once again thanks for the help,

bob

[scross]

I've been riding in the mid 20's the last few weeks with relative comfort. I use a Widder electric vest under a First gear jacket in the winter, but for this cold weather have made a few additions. The difference was to add a thin fleece over the vest and under the jacket, then a hood under the helmet. This morning it was 25F when I hit the freeway for some 80mph commuting, my fingers still get cold buth rest is toasty!

[Mike]

Bob--

 

I seem to recall that Gerbings used to provide do custom installations of their heating elements into others' garments. It might be worth checking if you like the basic design of the Kanetsu. I've got one and I'd agree that it only provides a small amount of heat. Personally, it's plenty for me, but I also have a Widder vest that I can crank up to the "uncomfortably warm" zone very easily--simply put, the Kanetsu is not as warm as those from Widder and Gerbings.

[RayClar]

+1 also for the Warm & Safe

 

I use the electric jacket liner, sized to fit snug, under the BMW Commuter 3 with its liner.

 

On an 1150R with touring shield, I've gone as low as the mid 20's so far and still haven't turned the heat-troller up past half-way.

[jimswms]

+1 also for the Warm & Safe

 

I use the electric jacket liner, sized to fit snug, under the BMW Commuter 3 with its liner.

 

On an 1150R with touring shield, I've gone as low as the mid 20's so far and still haven't turned the heat-troller up past half-way.

How snug? I think mine is too big..

[RayClar]

Not so snug as to be uncomfortable or restrict movement, but I am definitely exercising the side strech panels when zipping it. That tight fit makes all the difference in how warm the liner feels.

 

As a point of reference, I am 5'8" +/- 195 lbs an use a medium.

[Bruce C]

Calvin

 

By the "smooth side", you meen the black satin to the inside and the fleece to the outside, correct???

 

I have the Kinetsu Windblock vest and use it all the time. I have never cranked it up beyond 1/2 way using a Heat-Troller semi-permanent controller.

 

One thing I really like about the Aerostich is the lack of a collar. A collared shirt,vest and insulated liner would make my neck bent forward uncomfortably.

 

I freely admit that a heated liner(with heated sleeves) appeals to me.