It seems fitting that my last Gear Lab review as a full‑time staffer is for the Aerostich R‑3 suit. When I was the FNG in 2008, one of my first assignments was to review Aerostich’s Roadcrafter suit, the R‑3’s predecessor.
Andy Goldfine, founder and owner of Aerostich and inventor of the Roadcrafter, made it a policy to provide every motorcycle magazine editor with one of his suits. That was when Cycle World, Motorcyclist, Sport Rider, and other titles were still going strong. Here in Southern California, you could always identify a motojournalist out on the road. They were the ones wearing a Roadcrafter and a backpack while riding a cruiser or sportbike, the convenience of the easy‑on, easy‑off, wear‑it‑over‑street‑clothes suit, not to mention its crash and weather protection, making it the go‑to choice for daily riding gear.
Goldfine invented the original Roadcrafter in 1983. Back then, leather was worn for crash protection and denim was worn for comfort. A riding suit made of Cordura textile, especially one that looked like a snowmobile suit, was unheard of. Goldfine fought an uphill battle to convince motorcyclists that he was on to something. Motorcycle magazines began to sing the praises of the Roadcrafter, word spread from rider to rider in those pre‑internet days, and before long it became the preferred suit among commuters, touring riders, and the Iron Butt crowd.
The R‑3, so named because it’s the third generation of the Roadcrafter, was introduced in 2018, 35 years after the original was introduced. Goldfine spent a lot of time getting the Roadcrafter design right in the first place, and later versions have been thoughtful evolutions rather than complete overhauls. Head over to Aerostich.com and you’ll find various options to choose from in both men’s and women’s cuts: R‑3 one‑piece suits in Standard, Light, and Light Tactical versions; Roadcrafter Classic suits in one‑piece, two‑piece Standard, and two‑piece Light versions; and one‑piece and two‑piece versions of the Cousin Jeremy suit, a waxed‑cotton rendition of the Roadcrafter Classic.
What they all have in common is Aerostich’s trademark dual‑zipper closure: one long zipper from the neck down to the inside of the left ankle and a shorter zipper down the inside of the right leg. With practice, putting the suit on or taking it off takes just a few seconds. The R‑3 Standard is made of mil‑spec 500‑denier TLTex fabric with 1000‑denier abrasion‑resistant layers covering the elbow, shoulder, and knee areas backed by removable armor (a back pad is optional). The Light version is made of 200‑denier HT nylon with a hidden layer of 500‑denier in the same high‑impact areas. All suits are waterproof, available in a variety of colors and sizes, and made in‑house at Aerostich’s factory in Duluth, Minnesota.
The R‑3 has a utilitarian design that includes fit adjusters, 3M Scotchlite reflective panels, and numerous pockets, some of which are huge (one of the chest pockets is large enough to hold a half‑gallon bottle of milk). Many customization options are available. If the R‑3 has a limitation, it’s ventilation. Large vents under each arm and across the back provide some airflow but not as much as you’ll find on many other motorcycle jackets.
Buying an Aerostich R‑3 suit is not like buying typical motorcycle apparel. It’s a long‑term investment rather than a short‑term transaction, and the price reflects that difference. Once you buy an R‑3 and get it broken in, you may not wear any other motorcycle apparel for years to come. It can be cleaned, altered, and repaired like any high‑quality, custom‑made garment. Pricing starts at $1,767 for the R‑3 Light Tactical, $1,927 for the R‑3 Light, and $1,967 for the R‑3 Standard. — Greg Drevenstedt
FOR MORE INFORMATION: visit Aerostich.com