Spend enough time on the road, and you’ll develop some tips, tricks and routines to make your life easier. These tips are much more useful on the Kancamagus Highway than they are in the Kalahari, but many ADVers head out to wet destinations this time of year (Labrador, Alaska, etc.), so perhaps these will be of some use to you.

After years of touring through Atlantic Canada’s fog, rain and even snow, I’ve given up on waterproof gloves. Period. They work OK when you’re riding close to home and can dry them out between uses, but if you’re going to be on the road for hours on end, day after day, my experience is that gloves with Gore-Tex or other waterproof liners don’t dry out properly. They leave your hands a soggy mess, and even makes it hard to pull your gloves on.

So, here’s my alternative: I bought a pair of Aerostich Triple Digits rain covers, which in my experience do a far better job of keeping rain out. I wear them over a pair of mesh or leather gloves. As soon as the rain stops, you take ’em off and put them away. If your hands are a bit damp, the breeze will dry your non-waterproof gloves quickly, especially if you have heated grips running as well.

This isn’t always possible, especially if you’re on a small bike. But if you’re bringing a pair of spare shoes along anyway, why not get a set designed for motorcycle riding? Cortech, for instance, has a few different pairs of affordable waterproof riding shoes with protection built-in. It’s not as good as a pair of full-length boots, and certainly not something you’d want for off-roading, but for a day of highway miles, it might be a welcome change—especially if you want to dry out your full-length ADV boots.

If you want something a bit more flash than Cortech, most of the Euro brands (Alpinestars, Dainese, etc.) sell similar moto-shoes, with plastic ankle armor. Log onto Revzilla or wherever else you shop, and take your pick. Keep your liners—but only use them for backup, or off-roading

These days, motorcycle gear makers love waterproof liners, made to button or zip into riding gear to keep the rain out. Some of these systems work better than others, but if you’ve ever used them long-term, you’ve probably experienced the inevitable trickle around the edges, when something doesn’t quite fit properly together. Or maybe you’ve done the one-legged hop in your underwear underneath an overpass, trying to zip the waterproof liner into your riding pants.

Buy yourself a rainsuit to fit over your riding gear. It just works better. But keep your liners for a backup; they typically pack up tight, and can be easier to jam into a stowaway spot than a cheap rainsuit. Also, I think liners, particularly pants liners, are better if you’re riding off-road. If you’re in thick brush, or if you end up falling off the bike, the liners will survive better than an exterior rainsuit. I’m still sad about the lovely pair of Scott rainpants I shredded during an off at the Fundy Adventure Rally … Don’t wear a hoodie

This is obvious, but still a lesson some new riders are learning the hard way.

If you wear a hoodie under your riding jacket, and the hood hangs outside your jacket collar, it’ll get soaked in the rain. As the hours on the road pass by, that soaked hood will eventually seep downwards and soak your whole upper body. This is an excellent way to get cold and miserable and ruin your ride.