Klim Gear

[EricV]

I recently needed to replace my aging Aerostich Darien and decided to go with a Klim Lattitude Misano Jacket after talking to Klim at an event and getting a good look at the gear, trying the various jackets on, etc. The Badlands Pro was just a bit over the top for my needs and the Lattitude 840 was ok, but I liked the Misano version better. After some soul searching, sticker shock was still getting the better of me, but I knew I had to just do it. Then I got lucky at the casino and won a jackpot that was enough to buy the jacket. ::012:: Just one of those things, I rarely spend any real money gambling, but got lucky on the slots.

Ok, off I go to find a vendor and I see that the pricing is pretty consistent. On a whim, I checked ebay and found one vendor selling at a significant discount for new Klim gear. Motorsports - 7.

They had the Lattitude 840 for a great price, so I contacted them thru ebay and asked if they could get the Lattitude Misano for the same price and they responded that they could, just put the details and color choice in the comments when I checked out. Awesome! I did the BIN on ebay and they shipped quickly and I got exactly what I wanted. They were great to work with and communication was excellent over getting the details correct.

If you're in the market for Klim gear, check them out. http://www.ebay.com/sch/motorsports-7/m.html?_nkw=&_armrs=1&_from=&_ipg=&_trksid=p3686

Just wanted to share the good deal I found. Nothing in it for me, no association with the vendor, etc.

 

[greg the pole]

hmmm...looking at the badlands, they are about 95 bucks cheaper than list.
too bad they don't deal with us shifty canadians. :'(

 

[creggur]

Love my Latitude gear - it's broken in nicely over the past year, and has performed flawlessly - definitely worth the investment IMHO.

 

[10 ER AY]

Klim stuff looks nice and I have heard nothing but great things. I just can't get past the price tag. For as well as my Olympia gear has performed, how can Klim be $600 better?

 

[EricV]

Klim stuff looks nice and I have heard nothing but great things. I just can't get past the price tag. For as well as my Olympia gear has performed, how can Klim be $600 better?

If you're looking at Klim gear $600 more expensive than the Oly, you're not looking at comparable gear. Few people really need the Badlands level of protection, not that it isn't a great piece of gear.

If you're happy with what you have and it meets your needs, you're golden. Most start looking for higher performance gear when the current gear fails us or no longer meets our needs.

For me, the Aerostich Darien and the Klim Lattitued Misano were on par with each other. There are things I like better about each. The Klim has a liner to help protect the shell, the Darien does not. The Darien has under arm vent zippers that I can un-do/do up while riding, the Klim does not. The Klim's sleeves are about 3" too long for me and they don't do alterations, but it's a minor annoyance when the sleeves are not velcro'd up to gloves, so I can live with it.

Klim's pockets are "water resistant" because of the zippers, or so the customer service guy claims. But then he never would answer my question as to if the fabric of the pockets was goretex bonded or not. Things in the pockets of the Darien did not get wet.

I'm pretty happy with the Olympia pants I wear, (Moto X), because of the high degree of water resistance and large venting areas. They did require custom alterations to suit my 'figure' though. The knee armor was way too low.

 

[10 ER AY]

I'm short and fat so everything I own has to be altered. My Moab needs the sleeves taken in badly but I may just sell it and buy a size smaller.

The Badlands jacket is the one I see most often so I guess it sticks in the old noggin when I hear Klim. $899 is about the best I've seen for it. My Moab was about $240. My Phantom was $299. $600 was just a rough figure.

I guess I shouldve noted... I'm cheap.

 

[Darzuk]

I've had the Olympia gear and currently have the Klim Badlands. Its definitely worth the money. It has superior wind and rain protection. I originally bought it so I wouldn't have to stop and put in a liner if it started raining. The only thing I would like is a zip out for the pants up the side of the legs so I don't have to take my boots off to get in or out of them. But I'm guessing that's all part of the rain protection. Its also great in hot weather. It breaths well and with all the zippers open the air flows through quite well. Most dealers will give you 10% off if you ask.

Sent from my SGH-I747M using Tapatalk 2

 

[dcstrom]

I have the Badlands, no issues in 30,000 miles. Not totally waterproof though, I've had a little dribble in the crutch on occasion (from rain, not from me!). Two things that appealed to me - not having to carry separate wet weather gear, and the "guaranteed to keep you dry" warranty. If the leak was worse and I was somewhere that service was possible, I might send them back. But I'm using the gear just about every day now so that won't be happening any time soon.

One thing - even though you don't have to carry separate wet gear, you DO have to remove the jacket to zip up pit zips and back zips, and make sure all zips are tucked away into their "garages" - otherwise you will get leaks. Alternatively, ask a friend to zip you up!

Trevor

 

[10 ER AY]

Dont get me wrong, fellas. I'm not in any way trying to say Oly is better than Klim. That would be a ridiculous claim. I'm just saying for me and my cheapness Oly fits the bill. ::008::

 

[EricV]

Dont get me wrong, fellas. I'm not in any way trying to say Oly is better than Klim. That would be a ridiculous claim. I'm just saying for me and my cheapness Oly fits the bill. ::008::

And Olympia makes good gear too. They also make gear cut for women, which most companies don't do.

We all have different needs. I used to know a good seamstress that would work on my leather and textile moto gear, but I moved, so I'm living with the long sleeves.

I could give a laundry list of things I'd improve on the Klim. And it's disappointing that they don't do alterations after owning Aerostich gear. But after 9 years of the Darien, I've gotten pretty spoiled about just zipping up when I see rain coming. I'm tight with a dollar too, but expect good gear to last a long time and that's value to me. I came close to just ordering another Darien, but was impressed with the Klim quality and some of the differences between the two.

Just for fun, things I'd change/add on the Klim Lattitude Misano after wearing it for ~6k miles;

Add the collar retention feature from the Badlands so the open collar doesn't flap.

Make the sleeve pocket larger by 3/4" (zipper opening), and add a matching on on the other sleeve. I use it for CCs so I don't have to un-glove at gas stops, but if I had two, I'd dedicate the left one for emergency contact, (it's in there too right now).

Shorten the sleeves 2" and add a waterproof zipper to the cuff so you don't have to mess with the velcro every time you put it on.

Change the underarm vent zipper to a larger, single direction one that you can actually zip open/closed while wearing the jacket. Ditto for the top of arm vents.

Change the back vent zipper so that you can zip from the sides to the center to open it, or from either side to the opposite side, rather than just one open, the other closed as it is now. (more flexible)

Stiffen the mesh inside the vents so it doesn't catch on the zippers when closing vents.

Use goretex material on the patch pockets so they keep things dry. (unknown if this is already so, but seems not)

 

[HoebSTer]

The Badlands jacket is the one I see most often so I guess it sticks in the old noggin when I hear Klim. $899 is about the best I've seen for it. My Moab was about $240. My Phantom was $299. $600 was just a rough figure.
I guess I shouldve noted... I'm cheap.

With gear, I used to use the less expensive stuff, as it would do it's job for a short period of time, then I would have to replace it further spending money. Ten years ago, i bought an AeroSTich Darien jacket for $397. Lat year I sold it for $260. SO, that to me is $137 dollar jacket spread out over 10 years. This was a cheap jacket, less than anything out there with GoreTEX. I have switched over to the Klim, and often wonder if the resale value will be that good in ten years like the STich. I didn't buy with intent to sell, it but was just in good shape, and there are people out there to spend the money rather than the going rate of $400+ on a new one.

Romney was selling the Klim at discounted prices once here and may still do today. I also have a struggle when STich makes them in Duluth, MN.

Jeff

 

[EricV]

Ten years ago, i bought an AeroSTich Darien jacket for $397. Lat year I sold it for $260. SO, that to me is $137 dollar jacket spread out over 10 years. I have switched over to the Klim, and often wonder if the resale value will be that good in ten years like the STich. I didn't buy with intent to sell, it but was just in good shape, and there are people out there to spend the money rather than the going rate of $400+ on a new one.

I suppose it depends on how much use the jacket gets. Perhaps I could have gotten more, but I sold my 9 year old Darien for $80. I think I paid closer to 360 for it though, (no liner). I looked at is as someone getting a good piece of armored gear for cheap instead of buying a cheap non-armored jacket. Not everyone can afford top quality gear. It only takes one go down to understand it's value though.

 

[Tippo]

i own both the Klim Badlands Pro jacket and pants and a Aerostich Roadcrafter 2 piece. I like both. The Aero is easier to put on and take off so I wear it on short jaunts like to the post office. The klim looks like it would give better protection in a crash and it has better ventilation so I use it for off pavement and long trips. The Klim also accepts my Alpine Stars Scout boots. The legs on the Aero are too narrow for off pavement boots. (Though I guess I could sent the to Minnn for alteration. I think all gear should be evaluated on its ability to protect the rider in a crash. Not too sure about Olympia and other less expensive options.

Jeff
Colorado

 

[creggur]

When I was looking to upgrade my gear, Olympia was on the shortest list. It came down to Oly or the Klim Latitude. Klim won because its waterproof without a separate liner - I hated donning and doffing rain gear, and didn't want to deal with liners.

Love my Latitude, and have carried items in the chest pockets through torrential downpours, and it stayed perfectly dry. No complaints so far, a year or so in, and expect many years more from my investment - the quality is truly top-drawer...

 

[BaldKnob]

Replaced my 10 year old Teknic Monsoon pants earlier this year with Klim's least expensive line of gear, the Traverse. So far, extremely happy. Fit and finish are worthy of the price (although, should come with hard armour) and a 3hr ride in the rain proved to be dry. Excellent vent system for warmer temps and room inside to wear a base layer when temps drop. There is enough room for knee braces if needed. While the cost is a turn-off, you will be getting a quality piece of gear.

 

[MurphCO]

As for durability, I low sided in my Badlands pants and jacket last year near Fussen Germany and slid about 20 feet.

The jacket showed ZERO damage, the pants ripped slightly but that's because they were drug between the peg and the pavement the whole way.....no damage on the butt


Plus, chicks dig fashion and expensive fashion is way cooler, DUH






The rented Triumph took about 1,500 euros worth of damage




Moral of the story is Triumphs are pussies, and the Klim gear is awesome

 

[10 ER AY]

Keeping in mind the Badlands stuff is off the table.

Which Klim pants would be best for dual sport riding in Georgia heat? I've got my Phantom 1-zee for colder temps but I would like to have some nice pants for the summer. Mx1west has several different models for around $100.

 

[BaldKnob]

Keeping in mind the Badlands stuff is off the table.

Which Klim pants would be best for dual sport riding in Georgia heat? I've got my Phantom 1-zee for colder temps but I would like to have some nice pants for the summer. Mx1west has several different models for around $100.

If you want waterproof (Gore-Tex) the least expensive pant is the Traverse. The Dakar and Mojave pants are great warm weather pieces but don't promise a completely dry ride.

 

[creggur]

I ride the Latitude gear year-round in Florida - it's hot (like anything with any real protection), but with the right base layer works just fine...

 

[Icecold Dan]

I recently got a discounted pair of Mojave pants. The venting is awesome and they are very comfortable, although the are a little long on me. The downside is that the don't offer much road protection, and are in no way waterproof. They come with flimsy soft foam pads in the knee and hip. I plan to replace these as soon as I find something that works.