Road Toad Reflective Suit
Frogg Toggs
$59.95
www.froggtoggs.com
800.349.1835
I forced my wife to go riding in the rain.
Sorry, I couldn’t help myself. We’d just gotten our new Frogg Toggs Road Toads and had to try them out; especially since they are guaranteed to keep you dry at any speed.
Part of the romance of motorcycling is the feeling of being one with the elements. Occasionally, you have the opportunity to feel the wet elements—as in rain. I don’t ever recall enjoying riding in the rain. However, I do recall the glorious feeling of having an excellent rain suit to keep you dry while riding in the rain.
Frogg Toggs were introduced a dozen years ago, and that’s about when I purchased my first set of them. I’d gone through the trial and error of cheap plastic rain gear. You don’t use rain gear that much, and I didn’t want to invest heavily in something I wasn’t going to use frequently. I did finally get a good Belstaff rain suit, but it weighs in at nearly three pounds and consumes more than half a saddlebag, so when I first came across the Frogg Toggs, I have to admit that I was somewhat fascinated by them.
“Frogg Toggs are 100 percent waterproof, 100 percent windproof, super breathable, ultra lightweight and most of all, affordable.” And indeed, they are. My wife and I have done our fair share of motorcycle touring from coast to coast and into Canada and Mexico, and our Frogg Toggs have accompanied us during our last dozen years. We’ve been rained on in California, Ontario, New York, Texas, and places in between. Not just your casual spring showers either, but some serious toad chokers. Naturally, we sought shelter when the downpours substantially impacted visibility, comfort level, and safety. However, our Frogg Toggs kept us dry on the inside while riding outside in the rain.
Since their introduction, Frogg Toggs have been significantly upgrading their product line, and now have rain suits that have actually been designed with motorcycling in mind. The Classic Road Toad Action Suit incorporates Frogg Eyzz Reflective Technology to enhance your visibility to other motorists during inclement weather. In addition to a reflective horizontal strip across the back of the jacket, there is reflective piping along the pant legs, jacket sleeves and front storm flap.
The full cut of the Frogg Toggs suit allows for easy donning over a heavy leather jacket and chaps. They also integrated a tuck-away hood into the collar of the jacket, so you can wear the hood under your helmet and avoid any cold wet rain trickling down the back of your neck. With the lengthened pant leg zippers, there is no problem suiting up over your hefty motorcycle boots.
Other improvements over the original classic suit include wider 1″ elastic bands at the wrists and waist of the jacket, and 1″ elastic bands at the ankles and waist of the pants. They’ve changed the drawstring in the pants from woven cotton to elastic shock cord with a cord lock. The zippers and snaps are heavier duty on the new Road Toads, as well.
Some of the primary features that I particularly appreciate are their ultralight weight and compressibility. A free stuff sack is included with each suit. The suit weighs in at only about 24 ounces, and when stuffed into the sack, is only about 10″ high and about 5″ across. If you throw your Frogg Toggs into the bottom of your saddlebag, they will compress even more when you pack other gear on top of them. So there is no reason to go riding without your Frogg Toggs along for the ride—just in case. Since they are windproof as well as waterproof, we have worn them as a windbreaker layer when the windchill factor has taken a slight plunge while riding.
The only minor disadvantage of Frogg Toggs’ patented “three layers of polypropylene material with a center layer of microporous polypropylene film” is that if it comes in contact with a hot Harley exhaust pipe it will melt like the Wicked Witch of the West. To alleviate the potential of a small hole in the pant leg on the inside of your right calf, Frogg Toggs offers the Smokin Toad Heat Resistant Patch Kit. The kit contains a 6″x10″ heat-resistant patch, adhesive and applicator brush. You just need to determine the area on your suit that may come in contact with the hot Harley exhaust pipe, and apply the heat shield to your rain suit.
If you’re any kind of a day-tripper at all, you know you’re bound to encounter a little unexpected shower somewhere along the way, just as sure as the temperature drops when the sun goes down. So for that extra comfort of staying dry, or having that extra layer for a windbreaker, a $60 set of Frogg Toggs is well worth the investment. It’s even soft enough in its stuff sack to use as a pillow for your midafternoon roadside siesta.
