Scott D. from Indiana

July 30, 2008
I really love these Alter Ego pants. When I first got them, I thought that there was not much removable material to call them a "mesh" pant, but realistically, the amount of heat spilling off of the radiator makes having more material actually cooler. A huge win is that there are dual-zippers on the side, so you can actually open the side to get more air to your legs from the outside edge (away from the radiator). My one complaint would be the stretchy belt is not well thought-out; it has a silly plastic loop that will rotate and loosen under tension, so it's difficult to tighten them up. The Alter Ego jacket is a fine convertible jacket. I have worn it in mesh-mode in 90F weather riding down a highway and been very comfortable. In full-form, the jacket is a good heavy-weight jacket, however it's not been cold enough to test how cold it can go. The jacket suffers from the same goofy plastic loop design at the waist. Also, it's a nuisance that the removal exterior and mesh interior have independent pockets; when you convert your jacket, you are either leaving something in a pocket behind or making it inaccessible. With the mesh and non-mesh sleeve covers on, the wrist area is very thick, making it difficult to place the end under a pair of gauntlets. In addition to the plastic-loop goofiness shared between the two pieces, they both have very loose collar velcro strips. It's not possible to cinch the feet openings or wrist openings tightly against the skin, making me a little skeptical of it's warmth in the cold. Of the two pieces, I would buy the pants again without hesitation. I would probably buy the jacket again because I don't believe there are any other jackets with the amount of versatility and protection offered, despite some problems.