Gear Recommendations?

[Hokosaki]

Looking at gear in Chapparal catalog. What are the important things to look for when buying protective jacket, pants, boots, helmet and gloves? Are there certain brands to look for and brands to stay away from?

[shpielers]

Welcome to KR!

I haven't seen Chapparal myself so I'm not sure what all they have. But as a general rule of thumb, you get what you pay for. Cheap gear is cheap for a reason. Inferior materials, workmanship, overall quality. So the really cheap stuff isn't what you're going to want to get. Yeah, it's a lot more affordable...but hospital trips aren't. Quality gear is made to hold up in a crash, to not bust at the seams, to not come apart, to not get worn through. Cheap gear...isnt. Quality gear can hold up through a minor crash, and keep on being used.
That doesn't mean buy the most expensive thing on the market - just avoid the cheapest.

Generally, leather holds up to road rash better than mesh.

However, leather can get quite hot, and tends to cost more.

You're from Texas - it's going to be hot. I'd recommend looking into perforated leather for jackets/pants.

Get a jacket that either has a spine protector built in, or has a pocket to put one in (and then buy it and stick it in there). On that note, buy gear that has armor (knees, elbows, shoulders, hips, etc). Leather/mesh is for road rash. Armor is for impact. Most sport type jackets/pants come with it, I'm not sure about cruiser style gear though.

Another general rule - make sure it fits right. Proper fit is really important. If something is too loose, it'll come off in a crash, or move around so it isn't protecting you like it is supposed to. If you aren't sure what properly fitting feels/looks like, try a local mom and pop place - chain store often have sales people working there who either dont ride themselves, or who aren't very educated, or who dont care. The mom and pop place wants your repeat business, which means A) keeping you whole if you go crash and B) actually being helpful. + the people working/selling at these types of places tend to be serious riders themselves (at least in my experience)

As far as general brands/recommendations, my $.02
Avoid Bilt. It's Cyclegear's brand. It's generally crappy. The bike cover I have of theirs is fine. The gloves I got...lasted 1 riding season before the stitching came out. I've heard similar stories from people I know about their pants and jackets too. Haven't heard anything bad about their helmets, but I personally wouldn't trust me head in one.

Dainese makes some great gear. It is, however, expensive.
A Star makes good gear, and not quite as expensive.
Shoei and Arai make great helmets. (helmets tend to have different tiers - the more expensive tiers are supposed to offer better protection - ie shoei quest < shoei rx1100 < shoei X12)
Tourmaster and Fieldsheer make good gear that is more touring oriented

And finally:

ATGATT

All The Gear, All The Time.

Even if it's cheap gear, it is better than wearing none. You're new - if you ride, you will have an accident. Maybe in 3 weeks, maybe in 15 years. But it will happen. Dress appropriately. The best rider in the world can't take into consideration the soccer mom yelling at the kids in the backseat instead of signaling her lane change, or the teenager too busy texting to watch the road.