D3O back armor = sweating back and zero airflow

[melensdad]

I have D30 back armor in my KLIM Apex Air and my First Gear Kilimanjaro jackets. Both are now Level 2. My wife has D30 back armor in her First Gear Monarch Jacket and her First Gear Mesh jacket. Monarch is Level 2, mesh is Level 1 armor.

We both have the same complaint. The armor is HOT against our backs. Zero airflow. There are ridges in the armor as well as some breathing holes, but basically its a high tech rubber panel against the back.

Anyone else have this problem?

This is the D30 armor, you can see its just a ridged pad with a few tiny air holes ==> Klim D3O Viper T5 Pro Back Protector - RevZilla

Seriously considering buying a Dianese back armor.

Anyone have one of these? ==> Dainese Pro Armor G Back Protector - RevZilla

 

[Rapturee]

here is what i use, this is the newest version and much nicer to use/adjust than the older version i have. No more sweaty back/chest = happy wife = happy ride!! :{)

https://smile.amazon.com/Maxx-Dri-C...SMXNRDAR8S0&psc=1&refRID=FYZESHYBFSMXNRDAR8S0

 

[melensdad]

here is what i use, this is the newest version and much nicer to use/adjust than the older version i have. No more sweaty back/chest = happy wife = happy ride!! :{)

https://smile.amazon.com/Maxx-Dri-C...SMXNRDAR8S0&psc=1&refRID=FYZESHYBFSMXNRDAR8S0

Interesting. I can see that working. In fact working well.

But my concern is only my back needs the air flow and that costs $10 more than the ventilated back pad in my link. The Klim jacket has a full mesh back so it seems like they made a bad choice putting a solid back pad into the pad pocket.

 

[melensdad]

...
Seriously considering buying a Dianese back armor.

Anyone have one of these? ==> Dainese Pro Armor G Back Protector - RevZilla

I just ordered the Dianese. Should arrive just in time for 7 more days of continuous rain.

The pad is basically a mesh panel made from some sort of rubber, but holds a CE level 2 rating.

Hoping it helps. I can't imagine it holding heat like my current armor.

 

[ScottHump]

How does the size/shape of the Dainese compare to your D30? I tried to put a new back pad (D30) in a FirstGear Jaunt jacket I had and the shape was just wrong enough that the jacket didn't fit right after that. It made the collar press on my adams apple and drove me insane, despite trying to trim it some to fit. I tried both level 1 and 2, neither worked out.

I hope you have better results, it looks like a sweet back pad but may be a bear to trim if needed.

 

[davidc83]

I just ordered the Dianese. Should arrive just in time for 7 more days of continuous rain.

The pad is basically a mesh panel made from some sort of rubber, but holds a CE level 2 rating.

Hoping it helps. I can't imagine it holding heat like my current armor.

I can relate to all this rain here in southern Indiana...it was on the Louisville news this morning: 2018 was record year (the past 125 years) for rainfall...The 12 months of May 2018 to May 2019 was a record 12 months of rainfall, and May 2019 was the second wettest month on record (May 2015 holds the record)..now back to our regular schedule programming....inform us if you like it after you install and wear it...wonder if it will fit in my Olympia jacket...hmmm...

 

[melensdad]

....inform us if you like it after you install and wear it...wonder if it will fit in my Olympia jacket...hmmm...

The armor arrived a few days ago. Yesterday went out for a 2.5 hour ride to try it out.

First off the the armor is slightly longer (maybe an inch longer but I didn't measure it) than the original Level 2 D3O armor that came with the KLIM Apex Air jacket. The Dianese armor actually fits in the back pad pocket better than the original D3O armor too. I think the added length keeps the armor from moving around in the pocket.

As for ventilation, there is a world of difference. It works much better. I still feel a slightly warm spot down the center of my back but its not like I'm wearing a non-breathable heating pad anymore!!! Being a Level 2 protection pad its fairly thick, again, didn't measure it, but it might be slightly thicker than the original D30 pad.

Seems like it is a bit more rigid, but not so much as to be still or uncomfortable.

I consider this a major upgrade. But it does come at a fairly high cost.

Slipped the old CE Level 1 D30 pad out of my wife's First Gear mesh jacket and upgraded her to the Klim Level 2 D30 back armor and she didn't even know that I upgraded her protection.

 

[Deleted member 5383]

D30 has a reputation for breaking down early anyway. Seems like the way to go is the Dainese if you want a CE2 insert.

I love my Pilot Slate mesh jacket. Good pocket placement, a great build of premium materials and a trim fit – with no stupid liner to hassle with when it starts raining. It just makes better sense to me to use external rain gear; it's faster to change over and you can go econo or premium, and buy from a number of markets and not just MC-oriented ones. Anyway. I decided I wanted the mesh to be allowed to be as cool and breezy-airy in the back as it is everywhere else for those hot days and those long periods at intersections. The two back protector inserts that looked the best for ventilation were a CE2 one from Dainese, and the CE1 Alpinestars Nucleon KR-CELLi. I decided I was cool with CE1 for this purpose because it's even slimmer and more flexible.

After some use in a variety of conditions I have to say these back inserts built around a lattice approach are just what the doctor ordered. They are so flexible without losing their shape and pass so much air they are the perfect mates for mesh jackets – which is after all about being as cool as possible and still having some protection. Highly recommended! Later if I go for a CE2 insert for a solid textile jacket it's definitely going to be something a lot like this because in that case you will still want breathabilty so as to not get clammy after exertion. I've used Dainese inserts elsewhere built around this approach and they are great.

Take a look at the pictures at the link above. I haven't seen any others that show the true nature of that product so well but here's the standard company-supplied image from the back...

 

[GregC]

D30 has a reputation for breaking down early anyway.

I haven’t seen or heard this. I’ve put D3O in my summer and 3 season jacket and in my pants. Do you have any specific info on this? Googling didn’t turn up anything.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[Deleted member 5383]

I haven’t seen or heard this. I’ve put D3O in my summer and 3 season jacket and in my pants. Do you have any specific info on this? Googling didn’t turn up anything.

Just ran into it in reviews and mentions here and there, enough to where it stuck with me though I don't recall the specific sites. Like a lot of armor introductions it was touted as being incredible and I do have it in boots and gloves, just reporting what I've seen. Time always seems to tell what early marketing does not, but it could be like tire reviews ; }

 

[melensdad]

Since my Apex Air jacket came with CE Level 2 it seemed logical to replace the pad with a new CE Level 2 pad instead of downgrading to a Level 1 pad.

I'm happy with the choice of Dianese's honeycomb like back pad for giving me the airflow and back protection.

That also allowed me to upgrade another jacket from Level 1 to Level 2, which I considered a major plus. I favor higher levels of protection and hope to never test them!

I've upgraded other great to Level 2 pads and, with textile jackets (her First Gear Monarch and my my First Gear Kilimanjaro) the D30 level 2 pads are great, especially in cool to colder weather, which is when those jackets get more frequently used. We both have hi-viz rain gear to go over the top of our mesh wear.

 

[Deleted member 5383]

I don't consider CE1 to be an downgrade from CE2 so much as I consider them both alternatives, to suit one's use preferences and their risk assessment. Much like some might want a motocross-type boot for some uses, but a shorter lighter boot for others. If one were concerned about really heavy protection they'd be buying something other than jacket and pants inserts – they'd be using dedicated armor instead ; }

 

[melensdad]

I don't consider CE1 to be an downgrade from CE2 ... If one were concerned about really heavy protection they'd be buying something other than jacket and pants inserts – they'd be using dedicated armor instead ; }

While dedicated armor is certainly an upgrade, Level 2 is also an upgrade over Level 1, which is also an upgrade over non-rated foam pad.

This is no different than some shell and mesh materials being upgrades over other materials that look the same but have lower abrasion resistance. Putting thicker or more impact absorbing armor into a jacket or pants that will shred when the material hits asphalt makes no sense, but there are plenty of people who have walked away from pretty bad oopsies and speak high praise for more, rather than less, protective gear.

Reality is if a driver hits us we are probably crushed.

But I'll take as much protection as I can reasonably get and a simple visual comparison in the dimensional differential between a Level 1 and a Level 2 D30 piece of armor is enough to convince me that Level 2 offers more protection.

I'll buy as good of protective gear as I can afford and leave it at that.

 

[Deleted member 5383]

I consider CE1 an upgrade over CE2 for my use and preferences. Just like I'd rather wear my Alpinestars Belize almost any time I go out in any weather, rather than my Thor MX boots (or the Alpinestars Corazon or any other tall adventure boot for that matter). I know what the differences are.

EDIT: for that matter I'm happier with a Ryobi 40V spin trimmer and 40V 14"-bar chainsaw over a gas-driven weedwacker or 14" gas chainsaw for what I use it for ; }

 

[melensdad]

EDIT: for that matter I'm happier with a Ryobi 40V spin trimmer and 40V 14"-bar chainsaw over a gas-driven weedwacker or 14" gas chainsaw for what I use it for ; }

FWIW, I own a Ryobi 40V and a Stihl gas weedwacker ... and a Ryobi 40v chainsaw and a Stihl chainsaw. They each have their own uses. I don't contend they do not.

 

[Deleted member 5383]

Just getting ready to do my fourth 4'-high spring burn pile. Then: ride!

 

[SilverRocket]

I had a D30 level 2 in the Cortech VRX Air jacket for several years now. I took it out the other day when I hand-washed the jacket and after putting it back in it seemed to bow out the back of the jacket more. Maybe the jacket shrunk a little?
I dug out my jacket's original, cheapo back liner and there was a big difference in shape that I guess I didn't notice originally.
I trimmed out chunks of the D30 with an exacto knife and it fit inside the jacket's back pocket much better.

But I also used compressed air to clean out the dust in the D30 and noticed that a lot of the holes were actually caves, and had thin layers of orange rubber still over them. Like the machine that was supposed to make the holes didn't go through all the way. So I went to work with the knife.

I didn't notice any difference today, but I've never had any issues with ventilation in that jacket. The D30 rubber is still soft and not disintegrating, like a lot of my jackets' black armor has done.
When you pull the elbow and should pads out of an older jacket, when washing it, be sure to do it outdoors or over newspapers!

 

[melensdad]

...
But I also used compressed air to clean out the dust in the D30 and noticed that a lot of the holes were actually caves, and had thin layers of orange rubber still over them. Like the machine that was supposed to make the holes didn't go through all the way. So I went to work with the knife.
...

I did the same with an Xacto knife! Most of the holes were not actually holes as the machine making them clearly had some issues. I did checked all the D3O backpads (we have 4 of them between my wife and myself) and between those 4 pads approximately 50% of the holes were not actual holes I trimmed and reinstalled all the pads back into their respective jackets.

The problem I had with the D3O in the Klim is that the Klim Apex Air jacket holds the backpad tight against my body, it seems to have a more tailored fit. A D3O pad held tight to the back pretty much wipes out the airflow from the big back vent. The Apex Air is about 30% mesh and 70% leather. My wife, who has a First Gear full mesh jacket with a D3O level 2 pad installed seems to have much better airflow to her back than I have. I suspect that its either the cut of the jacket or the full mesh that makes the difference.

I'm much happier with the Dianese back pad in my Klim Apex Air but I have no plans to replace the D3O in my First Gear Kilimanjaro textile jacket.

 

[Hank]

I also replaced the Alpinestars with the Dainese in my Firstgear mesh. I rode about 120 miles today in the humidity. It is better, but not amazingly so. The Alpinestars had some holes in it, but they were narrow and the open construction works better.

 

[melensdad]

I also replaced the Alpinestars with the Dainese in my Firstgear mesh. I rode about 120 miles today in the humidity. It is better, but not amazingly so. The Alpinestars had some holes in it, but they were narrow and the open construction works better.

I think the Alpinestars design is much better than the D3O and flows much more air than the D3O.

I thin the Dianese design is only marginally better than the Alpinestars design and probably only flows a bit more air than the Alpinestar but probably not a lot more air than the Alpinestar.

Just curious, is your Alpinestars a "Level 1" or a "Level 2" impact protector? The Dianese is a Level 2. I have seen Alpinestar in Level 1, but I believe they make both Level 1 and Level 2. FWIW, my D3O back armor is Level 2 and I wanted to stay with Level 2 protection.