You’ve heard the saying a thousand times. It’s practically the first commandment of motorcycle safety: "Dress for the slide, not the ride." The logic is sound—nobody plans to crash, so you should dress for the worst-case scenario every time you turn the key. But if you live anywhere with real summer heat, you also know the struggle of staring at a heavy jacket in 95℉ weather and thinking, "There is no way I can wear that today."
I’m Kristen Staggs, CEO of Bohn Body Armor, and like many of you, I ride too. Spending time on the bike has shown me exactly how miserable bulky, overheated gear can be—and how dangerous it becomes when it distracts you from the road. That’s why our team has spent decades building armor that protects you without punishing you.
Rethink riding gear: stay protected from impact, heat, and the slide with lightweight comfort riders can actually wear outside temperate European weather.
We need to update the old adage. It’s time to dress for the impact, the heat, and the slide—without looking like a medieval knight.
Top Recommended Gear for Smart Protection
If you are looking to upgrade your protection immediately, these are the pieces I trust to keep armor exactly where it needs to be, comfortably:
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For Hot Weather Riding: Bohn Cool-Air Armored Shirt. This is our "invisible" solution for high heat. It pushes moisture away from your skin to the outer layer, allowing sweat to evaporate quickly while air flows freely—so you stay cool and dry even in extreme heat.
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For Lower Body Protection: Bohn All-Season Armored Pants. These fit under your favorite jeans, chinos, or rain gear. They cover your knees, shins, hips, and tailbone with serious impact protection that doesn’t slide around.
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For Abrasion Resistance: Bohn Kevlar® Flannel Shirt. If you want that extra slide protection without the leather jacket look, this flannel is lined with DuPont Kevlar® thread throughout the entire garment, not just patches at the elbows.
3 Truths About Motorcycle Gear (That Might Upset Traditionalists)
Before we get into the details, I want to share a few hard truths that we’ve learned after 25+ years in this industry. These might go against what you read on forums, but they are critical for understanding modern protection.
1. “Gear for when you fall, not just for how you look while riding.”
People love to talk about jackets and pants that look good on the bike, but very few think about how that gear behaves the moment you’re no longer upright. Most crashes are messy—tumbles, flips, and awkward landings—not long movie-style slides. If your setup only focuses on slide-resistant fabric and ignores serious impact protection at the shoulders, hips, knees, and back, you’re protecting your skin more than your bones.
2. The safest gear is the gear you’ll actually wear.
A full race suit hanging in the closet doesn’t protect you on a quick coffee run. If your gear is heavy, stiff, or brutally hot, you’ll start “cheating” on short rides—no armor, just a hoodie and jeans. Ventilation, flexibility, and light weight aren’t luxuries; they are what make you zip that gear up every time. Consistently worn “good” gear is safer than “perfect” gear that stays at home.
3. Armor placement matters more than armor marketing.
You can buy the fanciest CE-rated pads on the planet, but if they’re floating in loose pockets, they won’t be where you need them in a crash. Jeans twist, jackets ride up, and knee pads spin off to the side. Real protection comes from armor that hugs your body and stays locked over your joints—whether you’re sitting, standing on the pegs, or sliding across the pavement.
The Anatomy of a Crash: Why Impact Matters More Than You Think
When we talk about "the slide," we are usually picturing a MotoGP rider coming off a bike at 100mph on a track. They slide for seconds because they have runoff areas. On the street, you hit things. You hit bumpers, curbs, guardrails, and the pavement itself.
The sudden stop — the impact — is what breaks bones.
This is why we focus so heavily on armor placement and armor quality. At Bohn, we use high-quality viscoelastic foam from SAS-TEC. It’s a specialized material that is soft and pliable while you’re riding (so it moves with you) but instantly hardens upon impact to absorb and distribute energy.
Have you ever pulled the armor out of a standard motorcycle jacket? It’s often a small cup, maybe 4 inches by 6 inches. It covers the point of the elbow and not much else. Bohn’s elbow and forearm armor is 5 x 12 inches. Our knee and shin armor is 5.25 x 12 inches. We cover the entire ulna (forearm bone) and the entire shin bone.
Street crashes are about impact, not long slides—our extended SAS-TEC armor absorbs energy and protects more to prevent serious injuries. Source
Why? Because in a tumble, you don’t get to choose which part of your arm hits the ground. By extending the coverage, we mitigate damage across a much larger zone. We see this all the time with customers who crash: they might have some bruising, but that massive shin armor prevented a fracture that would have required surgery and months of rehab.
The Heat Equation: Why Riders Skip Gear
We have to be honest about riding in the US. The humidity in Florida or the dry heat in Arizona is different from the mild climate in Europe, where many gear brands (like Pando Moto or Knox) design their products. European armored layers are fantastic, but they can be too thick and warm for an American July.
When gear is too hot, riders start bargaining with themselves. "I'm just going to the store," they say. "I'll just wear a t-shirt."
That is the most dangerous moment.
We designed our Cool-Air mesh specifically for this reality. It is an open-weave fabric that holds the armor tight to your skin but allows air to flow right through to your body. It works with your body’s natural cooling process (sweat) to wick heat away.
US heat makes riders skip gear—our Cool-Air mesh boosts airflow and comfort so you stay cool, alert, and protected every ride.
When you wear a Bohn armored shirt under a lightweight jersey or a vented mesh jacket, you are getting massive airflow. This keeps your core temperature down. When you are cool, your reaction times are faster. You notice that car edging out of the driveway sooner. You brake smoother.
By making the gear breathable, we help you keep the armor on. And the best armor in the world is useless if you left it in the closet because it was too hot.
The "Bursting" Myth and Abrasion Resistance
This is a common question we get: "If I slide in a mesh Bohn shirt, won't it just rip?"
It is important to understand the design intent. Bohn armored shirts and pants are primarily impact protection layers. They are designed to be worn under something else.
However, in 25 years, we have seen hundreds of crash results. Here is what typically happens: A rider goes down. The outer layer (jeans, jersey, or light jacket) takes the initial friction. The Bohn layer holds the armor in place.
Sometimes, in a high-speed slide, the fabric of the shirt might tear or melt slightly from friction. But—and this is the critical part—the armor stays where it should.
In a traditional loose-fitting motorcycle jacket, the sleeve often twists up the arm as you slide. The armor ends up protecting your bicep while your elbow grinds into the road. Because Bohn gear fits like a second skin (similar to a base layer or yoga pants), the armor is clamped to your joint. It doesn’t migrate.
Bohn’s second-skin fit keeps armor locked in place in a crash; pair it with abrasion gear for both impact and slide protection.
For riders who want that slide protection, we always recommend pairing Bohn with an abrasion-resistant outer layer. If you are riding highway speeds, wear Kevlar® jeans over your Bohn pants. Wear a leather jacket or our Kevlar® Flannel over your armored shirt.
This modular approach gives you the best of both worlds: the impact protection stays locked in place by the Bohn layer, and the slide protection is handled by your outer shell.
The "Buy Once" Philosophy: Modularity Saves You Money
Motorcycle gear is expensive. A good vented summer jacket, a waterproof winter jacket, and a leather track jacket can cost you thousands of dollars combined. And usually, each of those jackets comes with mediocre armor.
Bohn flips this model. You buy one set of high-quality impact armor (the Bohn shirt and pants). That armor is your constant.
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Summer: Wear the Bohn shirt under a lightweight motocross jersey or t-shirt.
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Fall: Wear it under your favorite denim jacket or flannel.
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Winter: Wear it under a heavy parka or rain shell.
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Commuting: Wear the Bohn pants under your work slacks or uniform.
You don’t need to buy armored jeans, armored cargo pants, and armored rain pants. You just wear your Bohn pants under whatever you already own.
This also solves the fit problem. We build our gear to fit lanky builds, plus-size riders, beer bellies, and petite women. Our sizing runs from 3XS to 5XL, with Short, Tall, and Big options. If you are 4'9" or 6'10", we have armor that will line up with your knees and elbows correctly. Traditional "off the rack" gear rarely offers that kind of precision.
Who is This For?
Over the years, we’ve noticed a few specific types of riders who gravitate toward this system. You might see yourself in one of them:
The ATGATT Maximizer: This rider wears "All The Gear, All The Time." They wear Bohn as a base layer, then put a Klim or Mosko Moto shell on top. They know that the shell provides the abrasion resistance, but they trust Bohn to keep the back protector and shoulder pads locked in place better than the jacket’s internal pockets ever could.
The Hot-Weather Realist: This rider used to ride in a t-shirt and jeans because they couldn't handle the heat. They found Bohn and realized they could keep their "casual" look and airflow, but add serious CE-Level 2 impact protection underneath. They’ve gone from zero protection to significant protection without suffering.
From ATGATT pros to hot-weather riders and hard-to-fit bodies, Bohn’s flexible base layers deliver secure, comfortable impact protection.
The Hard-to-Fit Rider: Big guys, tall women, short riders—people who simply cannot find a leather suit that fits. Because our fabric is stretchy (Lycra™ and mesh), it conforms to your body shape without binding. It’s a huge relief for anyone who has felt squeezed or pinched by rigid gear.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Bohn body armor abrasion resistant?
The armored shirts and pants themselves are designed for impact protection and are not rated for abrasion resistance on their own. They are base layers. However, the fabric is durable and holds the armor in place during a crash. For high-speed slide protection, we recommend wearing an abrasion-resistant layer (like Kevlar® or leather) on top.
Can I wear Bohn pants under regular jeans?
Absolutely. That is exactly what they are designed for. They fit snugly against your skin, so you can pull your Levi’s, work pants, or cargo shorts right over them. Nobody will know you are wearing armor until you tap on your knee.
How long does the armor last?
Our SAS-TEC armor is designed to last 5-10 years before the material begins to degrade. Unlike single-use Styrofoam helmets, this viscoelastic foam can take multiple impacts and return to its original shape. If you crash, you generally don’t need to replace the armor unless it is physically torn or crumbled.
How does the sizing work?
We take fit very seriously. We don’t just use S-M-L. We have sizes from 3XS to 5XL, and we offer variations for height. The most important thing is that the armor sits on the joint. If you are unsure, our team in North Carolina can help you dial in the exact size based on your height, weight, and waist measurements.
Is it hotter than wearing a regular mesh jacket?
Actually, it’s often cooler. Because the armor is right against your skin, it doesn’t trap a pocket of hot air between you and the jacket. The Cool-Air fabric wicks sweat away from your body, creating an evaporative cooling effect as the air hits it. Many riders tell us it’s the only gear they can tolerate in 90+ degree heat.
What is the difference between the Cool-Air and the All-Season?
The Cool-Air is an open mesh weave, ideal for hot and humid weather (think Florida or Texas summers). The All-Season is a Lycra™ fabric that is solid but breathable, similar to athletic compression gear. It’s great for mild days, spring, and fall. We also offer Performance Thermal options that add 10-15 degrees of warmth for winter riding.
Does the armor cover the hips and tailbone?
Yes. This is a major differentiator for us. Most riding jeans only have knee pads. Bohn armored pants come with armor for the knees, shins, hips, and tailbone. We also protect the thigh (femur) area. It’s comprehensive coverage that covers the zones most likely to hit the ground in a tumble.
Is the armor CE rated?
Yes. We use CE-Level 2 armor for the back, shoulders, elbows, knees, and shins. This is the highest standard for impact transmission. The thigh and tailbone armor are unrated simply because there is currently no CE testing standard for those specific body parts, but they are made of the same high-quality impact-absorbing foam.
Final Thoughts: A Smarter Way to Ride
"Dress for the slide" is catchy, but it’s time to think bigger. Dress for the reality of your ride. Dress for the impact that breaks bones. Dress for the heat that drains your focus. And dress in a way that makes you actually want to wear your gear every single time you hop on the bike.
If you’re ready to feel the difference of armor that truly fits, give us a look. We’re here to help you stay safe, comfortable, and riding for years to come.
Stay safe out there. Kristen Staggs Owner, Bohn Body Armor
