Best Mesh Motorcycle Pants of 2016
In this video/article:
- Icon Raiden Arakis
- Olympia Dakar Dual Sport
- Dainese’s Drake Super Air Tex Pant
- Firstgear HT Air Overpant
Icon Raiden Arakis
First up is my own pair – the Icon Raiden Arakis . I chose these last year, and after riding with every other pant in this video … they’re still my favourite.
The reason I love the Arakis is its shape. Icon calls this a relaxed fit and I say amen . Every mesh pant should look like this, because airflow is all about space . I need room between my leg and the surface of the pant if I want air to flow in the front, around my leg and out the back. The Arakis provides a very roomy fit and – for that reason – it ventilates better than every other pant on my list.
Of course, this baggy style is meant for ADV riders. But all you Harley hogs, sport monkeys, scooter scoundrels and touring techies should really consider crossing party lines for this pant.
Protection is so-so. The knees are D3O viscoelastic stuff – soft against your body, rigid in a crash – that’s great. But there’s no hip armour at all, and Icon didn’t give me pockets for adding the pads either, so that’s annoying. I do have ballistic nylon here and here, which I like. But the rest is Icon’s “Fighter Mesh.” I mean, they can call it whatever they want – it’s still just a basic polyester that’ll tear to shreds on a long slide.
I was impressed with the features though. The big one is cowhide leather on the inside of the knees. This makes for a nice grippy contact area on my gas tank. Every manufacturer should have thought of that but – at a mere 200 dollars – the Arakis is the only one on my list that does. And then there’s the pockets – two zippered ones on either side, and if you open them up, there’s a second little zipper that gives you access straight through to your shorts or jeans or whatever you’re wearing underneath. There’s also a zipper at the ankle but it’s not long enough. If you try to take these pants off while wearing motorcycle boots, it’s still a pain in the ass.
Fitment wise, I’m 6”3 and I normally wear size 33 jeans. I ordered this pant in size 34 and it fits great. I can wear it over jeans no problem, I’m wearing it over shorts right now, and when it’s really hot out… I don’t wear anything underneath. Between the double Velcro adjusters on the waist, the claw buckle out front and the adjustable and removable suspenders, it’s not hard to get a good fit.
I only have two problems to mention. For one, this mesh liner is pretty weak. My keys ripped a hole through the pocket after about 10,000 clicks, so I wouldn’t recommend carrying anything sharp or heavy in there. I also dislike the colourways. Black is cool, except for the fact that it gets hot in the sun. And the only other option is camo, which is a little too Rambo even for an ADV rider like myself.
Olympia Dakar Dual Sport
Now, for 240 dollars I could get a pant that ventilates slightly less than the Arakis but has a bunch more features. And that’s the Olympia Dakar Dual Sport .
So what can these do? Well, they hold a bunch of stuff for starters. I have the classic zippered waist pockets on either side, which we saw on the Arakis. But then I also get two big cargo pouches on the thighs and – if I look on the flap itself – there’s a mini zippered pocket for keys and cards. On the back, I have two more Velcro flap pockets. And down at the bottom, there are side leg zippers that are actually long enough to get these pants off over boots. And that’s a good thing too because for the main event..
They turn into shorts! Ride in them, hike in them – they’re fast drying so you could even swim in them. And yes, zip off pants are hopelessly lame. They scream “middle-aged father on family vacation.” But you know what? Dying of heat stroke is lame too.
Protection is good on these guys. The knee pads are made from this grid of armour plates that move independently. Olympia calls it Motion Flex and I call it the most comfortable knee padding on my list. Then it’s EVA foam hip pads, 500D Cordura on the non-mesh areas and 3M scotchlite detailing for night time visibility.
Size-wise, I have a 33” waist and these 34s fit well. If I wanted to wear them over jeans, I would probably take a 36. The ankle zipper ends 6” above the bottom cuff, so they can be hemmed easily. And there’s some stretch fabric on either side of the waist in case I get a bit fatter. It comes in pewter and black by the way and in my opinion, this pewter is the one you want. The Dakar doesn’t ventilate as well as the Arakis, so you’ll need a lighter colour to stay equally cool.
Now, I’ve already said that mesh pants should be baggy. But you’re allowed to disagree with me, especially if you’re a sport rider.
Dainese’s Drake Super Air Tex Pant
This is Dainese’s Drake Super Air Tex Pant and it looks the part. No, a slim fit like this doesn’t flow as much air as the first two we looked at. But I tested these out on a 35C day in Montreal, and I didn’t die. So that’s pretty good. At the very least, the Drake is much cooler than a regular textile pant and worlds cooler than perforated leathers. Plus, this is the most lightweight option on my list.
In terms of protection, it’s a pretty half-hearted attempt from Dainese. CE-approved knee protectors are fine, but there’s no hip or tailbone armour. The mesh panels – on the thighs, shins and calves – won’t slide that well. Neither will the regular textile fabric, to be honest. I was disappointed that this wasn’t high-denier Cordura or ballistic nylon or something like that. It is QuickDry though, which is nice.
Dainese gets a passing grade on the features, but it’s no A+. Just pockets here and here, a modest amount of reflective piping along the calf zippers and a zipper interface to match Dainese jackets. The main feature I like – which isn’t even something they brag about in the press release – is this inner knee panel. It gives a really nice contact feel on the tank of my bike.
Sizing on the Drake would be spot-on for a leprechaun. For regular humans though, it runs really small. I have a 33-inch waist, which would put me in a Euro size 48 according to the chart online. But I bought this size 52 and it fits like a charm. Bear in mind that this is not the kind of pant you want to wear on top of your regular clothes.
Firstgear HT Air Overpant
But this one is! It’s the Firstgear HT Air Overpant and like the name suggests, you put it on over shorts, jeans, sweatpants … whatever.
The HT Air is the most premium option on my list, and Firstgear really thought of everything. It’s made from 600-denier polyester and 250-denier mesh, making it the sturdiest pant we’ve seen. It has CE-approved knee armour and padded hip panels. It has 2 zippered pockets on the front, plus two zippered pass-through openings if you want to get into your clothes underneath. The reflective panels are the largest we’ve seen, and there are also side zippers that run most of the leg length, so it’s super easy to put on over boots. Plus the inner calf is covered in a heat resistant panel if you want to play footsy with your muffler.
Perhaps the biggest feature is the inner lining. It’s a waterproof and breathable layer that can be folded away for hot weather, worn under the pant in chilly weather and – in rainy weather – it can be worn on its own as a rain shell!
The HT Air does clock in around 320 dollars, which is a bit steep. But it could be worse *cough* Klim Voyager Air *cough* 550 dollars *cough*.
Fitment wise, the HT Air comes in a bunch of regular, short and tall sizes. You’d better be a giant to get the tall ones though, ‘cause I’m 6-foot-3 and this 34-Tall is way too long. Good on the waist, but long. It’s also a little heavy, so I wish Firstgear had provided suspenders. Of course if I had a firstgear jacket, I could attach it using the interface zipper, and that would help to hold the pants up too.
And that’s it for my favourite mesh motorcycle pants. Thank you very much for watching.