Transit 3 Waterproof Leather Pants

Well, I’m surprised not more people have reviewed these leather pants. In Amy. Are, as you can see from my review below, I’ve had these leathers since 2010. They reflective tape on the back of the lagers are now a little scuffed but the leather is still perfect. No fading of the dye, no cuts or scrapes from general wear. I do on occasion treat the leather with either a leather cream or mink oil to make sure it does not dry out. The leather portions are still waterproof. I’ve had to treat the non-leather portions with sparky on waterproofing chemicals over the years. I do that about once a year and it seems to work well enough. The material is stretchy, so you shouldn’t expect the waterproofing to last. Keep your gear treated and it will be fine.

As I said below, I got these for $700 back in 2010. After 13 years they are still the best rigging gear I own. That breaks down to just over $50 a year, and I still have a great pair of riding pants to wear for the next decade or so.

If you scroll through all the reviews on these Transit Pants, you will find my first review I did on 8/26/10 (second from the bottom on this list). I still have this original pair of pants and they are just as good as the day I bought them. The leather has held up over the years and I have no issues with the zippers or stitching. Indeed, these are the best riding leathers I have ever owned - been riding for almost 30 years now. They have never let me down in the rain, and feel bombproof. While they cost a lot (over $700 back in 2010), the longevity of the pants have paid off.

Reading recent reviews of the Transit 2 Pants I see that there has been some issues with fit. This is disappointing to hear. For the price of these, you should expect to have a correct fit. If you must send them back to get the correct size, then do so. They are worth the hassle. 6+ years of wearing my set and they are still going strong. I suspect that I may never have to buy another pair in this life.

My pants (40R) are slightly long, sitting on the top of my boot (31 inch inseam) but it's not worth fussing over. I'd thought these were over-pants, but they're snug over my calves. Must have been made for "tooth-pick" legs;).

None the less, these are a credit to the Aerostich reputation. Well Done!

Back in what feels like early 2011, I ordered a full Transit Suit (1.0, original version), because of the promise of a waterproof leather suit which fitted my commuting needs perfectly. A friend of mine had issues with sizing in the past and the jacket didn't cut the mustard with him, but my friend and I are shaped quite differently as well, so I took a chance and dropped the nearly $2K on the full suit.

I did not regret it. I rode that suit every day for nearly 3 years, rain or shine. It was perfect - a little hot, but I'd still ride it in 114 degree weather. Loved the bajeezercrap out of it. It kept me dry, and its quality shone in every stitch.

it survived several SMIDSY murder attempts by cagers, until one day in 2014, I got smacked by a driver who changed lanes into me (he was in the lane adjacent to me and decided to change lanes without looking in pretty tight traffic - ugh) - the jacket fared fairly well (some good scrapes but still wearable) well but the pants were busted at the zipper. The zippers, I was told by an associate, are unrepairable, and I'd have to "take them to a nearby tailor" which meant they'd not be waterproof at the zipper anymore. Oh well. The guy's insurance paid for another suit. So I got the Transit 2.

The Transit 2 jacket is a great change, though the fit is slightly different on the collar / neck area. Otherwise, I love the modifications. Interestingly, when I placed my order, the Transit 2 jacket shipped right away but I was told I'd have to wait nearly 3 months for the pants. A little over 3 months later I finally got my pants, and I was stoked. I put them on and....

...well, they clearly made some strange changes to the Transit 2 pants. I ordered the exact same size I had before - 32S, and the legs were tighter in weird places. The knee gusset was located slightly higher than on my old Transit 1 pants. Worse, and actually the worst of all - "32S" apparently translates to pants with a 36" waist. I put the pants on and they basically slid right off. This had NEVER happened with my old pants. They were pretty snug with a pair of 30 pants over them, sometimes if I ate too much one day and had to let my belt out a bit it would be awkward to fasten the Transit pants.

I stood there, and contemplated. My old transit pants were the perfect suit, and suddenly, the suit was sullied in my mind. I pulled my pants up, and thought, well shit - I waited more than 3 months for these pants, what happens if I try to ship them back? And then go through sizing after sizing, how long would it take for me to get my -next- set of pants?

So now I have pants that aren't quite as good as my last pants. The fit is completely wrong, beyond vanity sizing wrong and just wrong wrong, and they no longer fit correctly in the legs as they had before without a single question. The supply chain issues I had getting this pair have kind of put me off as well... these pants may have all the same "features" as the other pants, but at the end of the day, if I can't reliably get the fit to be quite right even though it was perfect before, they drop in score for me. What would have been "5 star" gear is now a 2 or a 3 - which is a shame. Gear this expensive should have more attention to those details.

Oh well. They're still good, but more in theory than practice. I still wear them - I sure spent a lot of money to not. But it's disappointing every time. C'est la vie I suppose.

Have about a years worth of riding in these pants. Hands down the best riding pants I've ever owned in 40+ years on the road, leather or textile. The broke in really nice. No bunching behind the knees. Waist fit and comfort is excellent. Very well thought out. Great Pocket and Zipper placement Not overly hot in sub 90 degrees temps. BUY THESE!

I have the two piece Transit suit. It is a fantastic piece of gear. It was comfortable from the minute I put it on and it is getting better every time I use it. If the waist is a bit big like mine is I suggest a good stout belt. I used the money belt from my Dairen light pants and the buckle on it is not very strong. The suit is fairly heavy until you put it on, then it does not feel heavy at all. The zippers are a bit small and in a new suit they settle in the zipper seam and are hard to pull with gloves on. I am getting the very good zipper pulls to supplement the suit for this reason. I have not yet ridden in the rain or on a hot day and will report on the results when I do. This is one great suit.

Aerostich recently sent me brand new replacement pants under their warranty.

I just wanted to say thank you very much to Aerostich.

I recommend buying these pants because they are a great product. Quality construction and comfortable.

But the even better reason to buy these pants or any product from Aerostich is theey has shown me that they value their customers as much as their product.

I sent the Transit Pants back to Aerostich to review the water leak problem.

I received word today that they performed a pressure test and it resulted that the pants are leaking and taking in water in the crotch area.

I was informed that they will honor their warranty and replace the pants.

Unfortunately, my size is not available until June. I wouldn't mind so much, but it is currently the rainy season where I live. In lieu of this they are sending me back my old pants to use until then and suggested I use their Nikwax spray on repellent during the interim.

Thank you Aerostich for addressing this issue.

Sorry your Transit pants have not met your requirements. They are not supposed to leak. This is a waranteeable item. Please send your pants to us at ‘Repairs, Aerostich, 8 South 18th Ave West, Duluth MN 55812 and we’ll evaluate them and contact you. Include a note inside the package about this problem, and your email and telephone contact information. – Customer Service

Ok. So here is an updated review of the pants.

Right now I am not 100% happy with them.

I just got done riding in the rain. Before, in rain riding my crotch area never got wet, but today the my crotch area is completely soaked.

If you look at the photos there is a non-leather material in the crotch and down the inner thigh area. Perhaps this was treated with some form of waterproofing when I first ordered the pants but now water can completely penetrate this area.

This is unfortuante as I need to consider an alternate pair of pants for wet riding.

Am I the only experiencing this?

I still recommend the pants for comfort, fit, style and protection but not for wet riding.