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Thread: Anybody using Klim gear?

  1. #16
    Join Date
    20th June 2011 - 20:27
    Bike
    Dog Rooter, 1290 SDR
    Location
    Marton
    Posts
    9,842
    Well I got the Apex. Then from the shop went out and did a couple of hundered Ks. With the vents open it stays very cool. On the way home went through a heavy shower. No problem. Lets see how it lasts.

  2. #17
    Join Date
    4th June 2013 - 17:33
    Bike
    R1200GSA
    Location
    Kapiti
    Posts
    1,055
    Quote Originally Posted by R650R View Post
    You'll get more response in the adventure bike section, theres a few devotees in there...

    But when your paying upwards of 2k for a set of gear no ones going to admit its lesser than they expected or just same as cheaper gear IF that was the case.
    I'm pretty happy with my RST Adventure II pants and jacket for around $460 at a quarter of the cost.....
    The NZ rep posts in there to so youll get all the info you need.
    sorry for the thread dredge. Was looking for info on Klim and came on this.

    You make a good point. Its very expensive gear and finding fault is like finding fault with ones decision making process.

    I have the Badlands jacket and pants. I would say the following are "faults"

    Collar, nowhere near as comfy as my Rev'It jackets. You get used to it but I would prefer something higher at the back and lower at the front

    Weight. This is one heavy jacket. The various fabrics used are as close as you get to leather protection without being leather. But that means weight. Also the amount of armour in the jacket isn't funny. Those things all add up

    No thermal lining. Its just a shell. One could argue at $1600 I could feel entitled to some effort at keeping me warm.

    Pockets, there are plenty of them but the outside ones are not completely waterproof. That is just dumb. They are weather resistant but to me that is not enough. I have lots of things in ziplock bags in my pockets.

    Stiff, the fabrics feel very unforgiving.

    To offset all of that:

    Collar, I wear a $10 neck tube. Job done.

    Weight is managed by a kidney belt arrangement as seen on separate back protectors. Lifting the jacket off the shelf, its heavy. Wearing the jacket (which is what really counts) its actually really comfortable. The weight is transferred to your hips and waist, not your shoulders. So all the protection is readily carried. I wear this gear all week, all year around. Its super comfortable.

    The technical shell means you choose your own thermal regulation not some compromise from the manufacturer. The $$ go into weather proofing and physical protection. Thermal protection I can get anywhere. In my (arguably limited) experience, thermal liners are a sop at best in many jackets, like the useless piece of rubber foam often found in place of an actual back protector. Have ridden happily in temperatures from 2C to 37C wearing this gear.

    Pockets. I cant get around this one, it pisses me off big time.

    Stiffness. Wear it, the fabrics begin to conform to your shape and break in. It is unfortunate that the first experience you have with this gear off the shelf is not that comfortable but honestly it gets better as you go. My wife wears the ladies equivalents and says exactly the same thing. She has pretty much zero patience with uncomfortable clothing. This stuff works.

    Final thing, price. Yep $1600 for a jacket is eyewateringly expensive. There is heaps of really good gear out there at a fraction of the price. I have some in my cupboard. Here's the thing. I never have to worry about oversuits or waterproof liners. If it gets hot, I open some zips. If it gets cold or wet I close them. I am guaranteed to stay dry for 10 years from purchase. Nobody else even comes close to that. Rev'It and AStars use the Goretex Pro technology that Klim do in their gear. the best guarantee you can expect there is 2 years. They charge prices much closer to Klim than the cheaper alternatives.
    10 years.
    Cheaper gear will stay waterproof for a couple of seasons and even then its waterproof for maybe half an hour in heavy rain. After that you need an oversuit. Its a simplistic argument I grant you but this is like buying a new jacket every year for 10 years for $160 in terms of waterproofing but all the while you have top notch abrasion and impact protection. For me those numbers make sense.

    The brand is not flawless. It is however, very very good.
    Life is not measured by how many breaths you take, but how many times you have your breath taken away

  3. #18
    Join Date
    20th June 2011 - 20:27
    Bike
    Dog Rooter, 1290 SDR
    Location
    Marton
    Posts
    9,842
    Badlands is a ADV jacket so yes very heavy and built for a beating. My Apex is still going well and is lasting way better than any Revit jacket I have owned.

    Apex is lighter by a long way than the Badlands as it is road specific. But I have been using it for ADV. Yes they break in. Agree on no liner but a polarfleece solves that. Main zip got a bit sticky and a bit of soap solved that. My pockets are waterproof.

    If it were stolen I would buy another happly.
    Quote Originally Posted by Katman View Post
    but once again you proved me wrong.
    Quote Originally Posted by cassina View Post
    I was hit by one such driver while remaining in the view of their mirror.

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