KLIM gear - Latitude, Badlands Pro or Adventure Rally?

[stevepsd]

Thinking about upgrading my gear and trying to determine the 'real' difference between the Klim Latitude, Badlands Pro and the over-the-top Adventure Rally.

The would be my go-to-gear for the ST covering rainy Oregon coast weather to fairly hot desert riding, street and dirt (not single track), for that I have my pressure suit and assorted kit. The pants would be worn as overpants if possible....some say you can other say you can't.

Comments, suggestions?

 

[fbiebesh]

The badlands comes with the d30 armor, if I recall, Beefier outer shell, and more ventilation. Also a few more features. The best deal is probably a latitude the you upgrade to the d30 armor. All that said, I love my badlands very much. I just wish they made it in lighter colors.

 

[markjenn]

I love my Latitude jacket and pants and I live in the same part of the country as you and ride similar missions.

I didn't do an exhaustive comparison between the Klim offerings.... basically, the Latitude meet my criteria for a Gore-Tex do-it-all suit and was just at my threshold of pain for cost (about $1K all up). I didn't consider spending more. It was between the Latitude and a new Aerostich 2-piece Roadcrafter and I decided to get something a little more stylish and tailored this time around.

From what I've read, none of the Klim gear, especially the bulkier high-end adventure-oriented stuff, fits very well over street clothes. And the Latitude pants have a little bit of an odd fit - they're roomy overall, but the waist is cut in fairly aggressively and I think you'd have to go way-too-big in size to have a waist that would allow another pair of pants to be comfortable underneath. But with my typical over-the-road kit (silk-weight long johns), they're very comfy. I think Klim specifically says the pants are NOT cut for them to be used as overpants.

If you want the ability to go over clothes, I think it is hard to beat the Aerostich Roadcrafter, especially if you go the 2-piece route and use the bibs accessory to hold up the pants. This gets you a lot of room underneath. For street touring, I'm still going to be using mine.

BTW, I'm getting ready to depart on a big tour which will involve cold weather riding AND desert riding and I'm packing some mesh pants as well as my Latitude. I just can't see this stuff breathing well enough to be anything but super uncomfortable on a 90+ deg day. I think the Roadcrafter has bigger vents and more flexibility in this regard.

- Mark

 

[stevepsd]

I stopped in at a Yamaha dealer that carries Klim and tried on all 3 jackets. The Adventure Rally had a really odd fit, when the body fit correctly the shoulder area was huge (and I'm not small), it would have been perfect if I was wearing my old high-school football pads!

The Badlands pro was not bad, but the only main body shell adjustment is with the built-in kidney belt. The armor was very nice. It's a beefy and heavy jacket. The built-in hand cuffs were odd.

The Latitude was very nice all around, but the armor is not as substantial as the others. The only irritation appears to be the collar, which was very tall and rubbed my neck & helmet. Plus there is no way to secure the collar open as there is with the others. It fit the best of them all.

I did not get to try on any pants as they were all out of everything above a 36" waist.

The dealer recommended using the Traverse pants as a overpant, but they did not have in my size to try. They are pretty light compared to the others.

Still deciding.

 

[markjenn]

The only irritation appears to be the collar, which was very tall and rubbed my neck & helmet. Plus there is no way to secure the collar open as there is with the others.

Perhaps the most common complaint about the Latitude jacket. If you zip the jacket all the way to the top and velcro the collar closure closed as it most naturally lies, it is uncomfortable, at least with a new and relatively stiff jacket. I have been able to simply close it more loosely and it is Okay, although I still wear a buff underneath to keep the neck chafing down. Or leave it open. I haven't had the flapping issue that some complain about. Maybe this is a bike-aero-specific issue.

I think all these problems tend to go away as the suit breaks in. My Roadcrafters have had somewhat uncomfortable collars initially, but were fine after a few trips/washings. But it may take longer with the Latitude since the collar is taller.

- Mark

 

[XD40Master]

I ended up getting the Latitude in light grey, due it's balance of features, protection and cost. You can still upgrade the armor to the higher quality stuff in the Badlands and Adventure Rally. The pants fit great for me in Tall 38" and the jacket is perfect in XL with plenty of sleeve length. I usually have issues with the collars on jackets, but I am happy with the Latitude collar. I like that it is tall because I tuck it up under my helmet when it's cold. I haven't had any real complaints, other than I wish I had bought this gear years ago. I've got 4 really nice jackets in my closet which I am going to sell now at a substantial loss. For me, the Latitude suit is a great overall value. I never got to try on the Adventure Rally suit as Touratech doesn't stock it (I think). This is the most I've ever dropped on one gear purchase, and I think it was worth it. If I had to change anything, it would be to add the nicer armor, and shorten up the bottom front of the jacket by an inch or so. I don't like the jacket bunching up when seated.
Good luck!

 

[markjenn]

If I had to change anything, it would be to ... shorten up the bottom front of the jacket by an inch or so. I don't like the jacket bunching up when seated.

Just in case you don't know about this, there are two side zippers at the jacket bottom designed to help this problem.

- Mark