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.
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.