Originally Posted by
Cat4Lifer
As for added protection against road-rash being a good reason to wear a base-layer: I guess...but I don't agree it's good enough reason to merit wearing one. I mean, if it were a "good reason," why not--as some have already intimated--cover your arms and legs as well? As they are more likely to get road-rash than is one's torso/back.
That's fine, my intent was not to tell everyone to wear one but to provide an example of another benefit. You guys can make your own decisions of benefits/drawbacks of wearing one and come to your own conclusions.
That said,
I've never seriously damaged the skin on my arms in a crash so it is not a priority to me. Legs would be nice but I hate having fabric on my knees because of the constant movement. But my back often gets the brunt of the crash, like this one. I landed directly on my back, and it would have been shredded pretty good had I not been wearing it.