Quote Originally Posted by lstayner View Post
Here is my 2 cents worth:

To start out, I ride close to 20K miles each year. I started out with an inexpensive pair of 6th Gear mesh pants. They lasted 1 year and were done. I bought a pair of Tourmaster Caliber pants for cold weather riding. They lasted 2 seasons before the liners gave out. I bought the Olympia Air Mesh 3 overpants and really liked them. The nice thing about them is that you can have them shortened if you have legs on the shorter side like me. I wore them for 4 years and then bought Motoport kevlar mesh overpants. They were custom fit to my measurements. I lost a bunch of weight this past year so I was able to send them in and have them resized to fit. The nice thing about Motoport is that they have a 7 year warranty against defects.

IF you are an occasional rider, I would start with the Olyimpia brand for pants and a jacket. They are excellent quality at a reasonable price. If you are a die hard rider, then take a look at Motoport. You cannot go wrong with either.
I can't speak to the longevity, but I've heard others talk about Motoport gear. Also look into Aerostitch. I think they also customize their gear.

Are you looking for occasional and local riding or for touring? I have Olympia pants with panels that open with mesh behind them. They're great for touring when you may go from hot plaines to cold altitude all in the same day. They also come with rain overpants.