Klim Badlands suit

[johnlt]

This is a product review of the Klim Badlands suit. I had the Klim Traverse suit and used it on a trip to Alaska this year. Very waterproof (rained almost every day) but lacked sufficient pockets in the pants and not enough vents in the jacket. I recently upgraded to the Klim Badlands suit and absolutely love it. Great venting with two arm vents on each arm plus a large under arm vent and two exhaust vents on the back. Another neat summer feather is Velcro attachments for the top of the front zipper such that you can unzip the top 6 or so inches and the Velcro will hold it open. Great venting in summer riding weather. It is also made with the Gortex Pro fabric which breathes much better than the standard Gortex (but at a price). All zippers are the waterproof type that really work. The Traverse had the same kind of zippers and I forgot that I had an envelope with money in it that I left in a zipped pocket when I ran the jacket through my washer. It kept it completely dry!!. The suit also has the D3O armor for the elbows, shoulders, back, hips and includes a chest pad (removable for those who don’t want to use it). It has 7 pockets on the outside of the jacket for plenty of storage. This includes a large rear pocket as well as a small left wrist pocket. They send you a free emergency info card to keep in that pocket in addition to your credit card. On the inside of the jacket there are 4 regular pockets as well as one “hidden” pocket that they sized for a passport. It has a hydration system the routs the drinking tube into the upper right hand outside pocket for easy access. Great feature for where I live. It includes inner cuffs with a thumb hole which is great in the cold weather but I had them modified to be removable for summer riding. The jacket includes a wide back brace/kidney belt (removable) that I really like. It is kind of like the Home Depot back supports.

 

The Pants also vent very well with large front intake thigh vents and rear exhaust vents on each leg in addition to one waterproof pocket on each leg. The bottom of the leg has a 1 foot zipper so you can put them on with boots. Also has leather lowers on the inside (bike-side) of each leg. Built in attachments for Klim suspenders are included. Both the pants and jacket are very flexible and comfortable to wear.

 

The suit is guaranteed waterproof FOR LIFE.

 

I’ve had BMW Savannah II suits as well as both Aerostich Darien and Roadcrafter suits and I like the Klim the best by far.

 

[CoarsegoldKid]

Hey John, thanks for the review. Sounds like a great suit. I'm in the mood for getting new riding apparel. I really like that d30 armor material. First Gear adventure suits also use it. I would like to compare with my eyes the differences in the KLIM line at the San Mateo cycle show but they're not going to be there. Doesn't look like I'll be able to.

[Shaman97]

Not too tight in the Klim?

[markgoodrich]

John, thanks for the review, I've been wanting to get a good look at the Klim stuff, too. I talked to one of their honchos recently, and he recommended, for my riding habits, the Misano Latitude. Did you happen to consider it, and have any opinions? I have no use for zillions of pockets, but I do need cooling vents. I wear a Rukka suit, which is sort-of-kind-of mesh, but man, I get hot in it.

 

TIA,

 

M

[johnlt]

You can get a pretty good look at the suit if you go to the Revzilla website and look at their video review of the suit. It was of a prototype but little has changed. The sizing seems to run true. I wear an XL on most everything and the Klim in an XL fits me fine, not too tight and can add a nice layer or Gerbings under it. I wanted good protection but wanted something that was very waterproof on the outside layer (no liner) yet vented well. Not many suits fit those requirements but Klim hit a home run. One of the keys was the "very breatheable" Gortex Pro material. You can notice the difference.

[OoPEZoO]

I've been eyeballing those pants for a while.

 

What would you say the comfortable temperature range is for wearing them? Also, are the loose enough that they could be worn as overpants for commuting?

[johnlt]

With the leg vents, they are conmy in desert weather no problem. With longjohns, they are fine in freezing weather. They have a "loose" fit so probably could facilitate being used as an overpant but make sure the waist size will allow. Their sizing runs true for the waist.

[kltk165]

Sorry to revive an old thread. John, if you're out there, I like this jacket, and the shell concept, a lot. I tried it on at a local BMW dealer and sat on an RT. I found the collar to be intrusive and uncomfortable. I'm curious if you had a similar issue and, if so, did the collar soften up and become less intrusive? Thanks! By the way I'm 5'11" 180lbs 31" inseam. I think I was wearing size large. My wife and I really liked the back support built in to the jacket.

[kltk165]

subscribed

[markgoodrich]

I sent them an email a week or so ago asking if they're going to have a booth at the MotoGP races in Austin. The girl who replied said "no plans" but urged me to contact a dealer to get them to show up. Uh, no, I'm not only retired, I don't do marketing plans.

 

 

[johnlt]

I've been wearing mine all winter and even love it more. The collar is not intrusive at all on mine, in fact it seem quite loose because it fits nicely with my neck gaiter and Gerbings with no problem. Did you notice that the collar is adjustable. There is an adjustment in the back so you can size it for different needs.

[GRB60]

Tried on several pieces of Klim gear at the local shop recently. The sleeves are at least 3 inhes long for me. It'd cost a small fortune in tailoring to make it fit. Nicely made gear if it fits you, though.