My first suit used all year around was the previous version of the Akito Desert stuff. They were really comfy and had a lot of pockets, good Knox CE armour for the knees, elbows, shoulders and I added a back protector to the pouch that was already there for it. It have good vents and worked well in the summer and had 2 internal liners, one was for water and one was thermal. The thermal one fixes to the water one and the water one fixes to the outer textiles. This caused trouble, the textiles would get wet, the water would be kept out by the water membrane up to a point and then it will seep through. Your cuffs were always wet when it rained and so was your groin. The design was ultimately flawed if you wanted to use it in moderate to heavy rain or in light rain for longer periods of time (an hour and things would start getting damp.) The older it got the worse the leaking got, but they lasted me more than a year of heavy use. I still have them and they are kept with the inners taken out, if the sun is out and I'm going for a quick spin I use them instead of going through the hassle of taking the inners out of my usual gear. I was planning some off road riding in South Africa (which didn't realise in the end) and I was going to take them instead of my usual gear. They are perfect for everyday use if you're not going to ride in heavy rain or in the dead of winter. They are not good enough for riding with in winter, at least not at motorway speeds, you'll get away going 60 mph on back roads where the wind don't cut through you so much. I had to eventually get a rain over suit to use with them, but it's such a hassle to put the rain over suit on or to take it off that I eventually decided to buy new gear. I had a quick look at the newer Akito Desert gear and I think it will be the same story even though it does look better than the previous version. They still use the 3 layer system (thermal inner, water inner & textile outer.) I wouldn't think twice about buying it for doing some good weather trails riding, but it doesn't cut it for rain and very cold weather. This is just my opinion, formed over 25K+ miles I might add
I now have the RST Paragon II textile jacket and trousers. They are much more quality feeling (but aren't really better) than the Akito stuff and more purpose made for colder weather. They have less pockets on the outside, but there are two internal pockets which are handy. The textile outer is waterproof (or I should say "was waterproof") and it has a thermal inner which zips in. It also has proper Knox CE armour for the knees, elbows, shoulders and back included with pockets to fit hip protection (something I think is worth it after getting my hip hit hard on both my bigger offs.) It has a zip on storm collar that makes all the difference in windy, rainy and cold weather. The vents only really work a little bit if you take the thermal inner out, so it can get hot in summer, but once you get on the move you're fine. Both my front jacket pockets have the liner torn and I have to comment that the velcro that holds them close is a shit system compared to the nice poppers on the Akito stuff. The RST front pockets are claimed to be waterproof, but they leak. They got me through last year's cold weather and I have had an off with them which they protected me well (I high sided at about 40mph and got up and continued to riding a Stromtrekker weekend after it, albeit with very bruised shoulder muscles.) It only leaks a bit at the front, but I think this wouldn't be the case if the Strom didn't channel every drop of water towards your navel/crotch area. I think I might just get a rain jacket to go over it for this winter. The zips on the legs have caught on the liner below them and shredded it over time, I think this is the trade off of using finer zips: lets less water in, but are more fiddly. I'd buy the RST stuff again if they fixed the stupid pockets and maybe add one on each leg, other than that they are fine.
I'd buy something different next time around (which would probably be next year somewhere around Stromtrekkers III.) Having had the Akito and RST textiles I know better what I want. For starters, if I can buy something with Gore-Tex next time I will probably go that way. Having clothing that is properly waterproof in the heaviest rain is at the top of my list. Following very closely is how warm it is in the coldest months and then protection, comfort and practicality (more pockets!) If you're not sure what you want, go for the cheap stuff first and you'll quickly learn what you need. Most people who say to buy expensive not to buy again have already had a few sets of cheap stuff to know which expensive stuff they want. On the leather vs textiles debate: it's textiles all the way for me. Putting on that damn rain oversuit just isn't something I want and I can't imagine trying to dry out leathers is any fun. I always wonder if a leather race suit isn't going to feel weird on a bike like the Strom, after all, it's made to sit in a crouch on a crotch rocket
I'd get leathers if I use a bike on track as I feel they provide better protection in higher speed scenarios.
