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Roadcrafter vs. Olympia Phantom

A little late to the party but I've had my Phantom suit since July of last year. Here's my take:

Entry/exit takes a little practice but I can now don/doff in less than a minute.

Yes, there is lots of velcro but that also means lots of pockets and vents. I find myself storing most of my flotsom and jetsom in the external waterproof pockets rather than stashing them in a tailbag or sidebag, which is nice to keep things on your person. Wet weather riding is fantastic (fantastic = dry). I've experienced no leaks to date - and I've ridden in some frog stranglers.

The vents are great but the suit gets really hot above 90*. I've ridden in temps in excess of 100* and, while it's not too bad when moving, when you stop, you roast. Mesh would be the answer for summer riding, especially if commuting in traffic.

The liner is awesome and very comfortable down to about 35*. Below that, 'lectric garments would be very handy. The liner also isolates the wind to a very high degree and creates a very solid barrier between the wearer and the elements.

Just to give an idea of the comfort factor/temp range, I rode from the Woodlands area to New Braunfels on Tuesday morning and left the liner at home. The temp got down to 43* around Brenham and I will admit that I was chilly. Long sleeve T-shirt and short pants on underneath. When the sun finally came out and the temps popped up into the mid 50's, all was right with the world. The suit is very comfortable at that temp with no liner and all vents closed tight. When I left New Braunfels yesterday, temps were in the mid 80's. Same configuration - shorts, long sleeve T-shirt. I was warm but still had all the vents closed. I stopped to grab a splash of water, opened a few vents and cruised home in comfort. In hindsight, the only thing I would have done differently on this trip was to install the liner for the colder temps on Tuesday. I could have removed the liner easily when the temps warmed up and just thrown it in one of the sidebags.

I love this suit. Mine is the "Pewter" color, not the retina-burning yellow. I'd buy one all over again but for around here, it's realistically a 9 month suit - stick to mesh during the real blistering months. I have never worn a Roadcrafter so, unfortunately, I can't do a head-to-head comparison.

BTW - I bought mine at Motoliberty in Dallas.
 
Good to have a ride report. I suspected that it would get a little warm at 80+, that's when I pull out the mesh jacket. I'll look at the Stealth then check out the Phantom when it starts getting cooler.
 
Nice write-up! Thanks!

How is it size-wise? For instance, I tend to dress baggy so I'm not sure what size "fits" but I'm guessing I'd be an XL in the suits, is that enough room to wear my work clothes under it so I don't have to change when I get to work? I can wear shorts and a t-shirt to work.

Currently I just wear a leather jacket, gloves, jeans and boots. I don't mind changing shoes, but I'd rather not have to change entirely.

I work with a few bikers that change clothes altogether and that just looks like too much work. :D

My commute is about ~58 miles each way (Canyon Lake to I10/Wurzbach in San Antonio). Fortunately I work at night so I don't have much traffic on the way there at all and when I come home at 9am, it's pretty light heading this way.

I've really considered this suit though for the cooler months. I was just unsure about getting jeans on under it and still being comfortable.

Thanks. :)
 
I picked up my stealth suit yesterday from Moto Liberty in San Antonio and I can say this is an outstanding suit! The fits is awesome and you can tell this is a high quality product. What I especially like about it is that it fits right over your clothes so you can get to work and not get dirty. It takes seconds to put on and seconds to take off. And it looks great - especially in grey. Should be good for a few years...
 
How protective does the stealth suit appear to be? abrasion resistance? armor quality and stability?

I ahve a roadcrafter and am impressed with its apparent quality, but find it a bit of an oven during the summertime. :sun:
 
I wish I had found this thread earlier! I have had an Olympia Phantom for close to a year. In the Hi Vis yellow. I have two pair of Olympia Airgilde pants. And I recently bought the Olympia Stealth in pewter/Hi vis.

Phantom: The velcro is no problem once you have owned the suit a while and learn how to deal with it. And it is slightly less grabby after a while. Only waterproof if you take the time to fasten the velcro flaps properly. I feel like the suit would give very good protection. I am 6' 220lbs and bought the XL. With the liner in it is about a half size tighter than I would like. I use a Gerbing heated jacket under it without the liner. I have ridden in 38 degrees in comfort that way. The top part of the suit is pretty well vented. The legs are not vented at all. The suit is just ok at 75 degrees. At 80 degrees I want out of it, even when moving. Legs feel like you are in a sauna with plastic bags on! I would buy this suit again, but only to use for 3-5 months here in Houston.

Stealth: Made similar to the Airglide products. VERY easy and quick to put on. I bought a 2XL in this one. I wanted it slightly big for airflow. Made to fit over clothes. Armor is similar to the Airglide products (adequate) although I wish I could move the knee armor slightly more to the "outside". I bought the pewter/hi viz. Not as "loud" as my Phantom but I think it stands out well. Very comfortable to wear, with arm straps to adjust for flapping. Seems cool enough in the mid eighties but I think my Joe Rocket mesh jacket and Airglide pants will be cooler in the real heat coming up. But the protection is much better with the Stealth I am sure. The real surprise I found was wearing the liner out of the Phantom in the Stealth! Very easy and quick to put on it is perfect for the cool morning rides. I have ridden in the upper 40's to work with this and it was good for the 50 minute commute in comfort. Putting on my Cortech rain coat over the Stealth makes it warmer than I might have imagined. I can see wearing the Gerbings under the one piece liner under the Stealth in 30 degree weather. So that makes the Stealth more usefull than the Phantom. It in itself is not waterproof but its versitility is outstanding.
 
I had a Phantom. It will roast you in Houston in August. Now I have Motoport Air Mesh Kevlar jacket and pants. It is much cooler. Looks goofy, feels stiff, but works well and is cool. But, uhhh, the price isn't easy to warm up to.
 
I wish I had found this thread earlier! I have had an Olympia Phantom for close to a year. In the Hi Vis yellow. I have two pair of Olympia Airgilde pants. And I recently bought the Olympia Stealth in pewter/Hi vis.

Just curious, how is the Phantom holding up?

I've got the AST jacket and Ranger II pants. The jacket keeps trucking along working like a charm. I'm on my second set of pants in two years. The Ranger II pants just seem to fall apart. The pair I just purchased a in August lost one of the snaps on the back pocket within the first two weeks! I've been impressed with most of their clothing items but the Ranger II pants have left me sorely disappointed.

As for the velcro, it does 'loosen up' over time and with use; however, I've seen the 'Stitch and it is faster on and off. I also like the way 'Stitch does a full zipper on their two piece suits rather than the useless 8" job on the Olympia.
 
I've used the Stealth for almost eight months now, the warm part of the year as Texas counts it. It has good airflow and protection for the summer months. It's not as cool as jeans, but no suit is going to be.

Now that we're starting to get into cooler weather I'm going to layer the liners from my airglide pants/jacket under the stealth for added warmth and waterproofing. Then I'll consider an electric vest for the really cold stuff. I'm not planning on getting a Phantom this winter unless the Stealth with layering isn't warm enough, or the putting on and taking of of layers becomes annoying.

I guess it comes down to being cheap at heart. The Stealth retails for $300 and can be worn year round, the Phantom retails for $450, the Roadcrafter $780 and two-piece Roadcrafter $850. I don't see the point of spending over twice the amount for a suit that I can wear only part of the year.

Sure the custom fit and colors would be cool, but it's not cool enough to offset the year round wearability and cost savings to my mind. If I was going to check into another textile suit that was a little warmer for the four months of the year that I'd use it, I'd try the Phantom after my good experiences with the Stealth.

But unless I start contemplating a cross country trip I'm going to pass on the Roadcrafter for now. After all $280-$400 isn't an insignificant savings. And I have to admit I like the Olympia hi viz color, the more the guys at work call rib me about it, the better. :lol2: If I lived somewhere wetter or cooler then my answer might change, but I advocate the Stealth for Texas riding.
 
stealth02.jpg

The Olympia Stealth. I have to point out that I'm not quite as good looking as that model.
Phantom01_2008.jpg

The Olympia Phantom.
120_1ha.jpg

And of course a Aerostich Roadcrafter.
 
I got my stealth from MotoLiberty in SA and it works great. I use it more
than the rest of my gear now. I put my Gerbing on under in when in ES on the cold mornings(mid 40-50 last month and it worked great.

In and out is quick over jeans and a shirt I wear it to work on occasion
when I can ride to see customers.
 
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