Klim Badlands Pro Jacket & Pants - Gore-Tex Adv Shell (photos)

None of these would make me get rid of the jacket and granted I've only worn it a few times but...

Is it starting to wear/break in for the long time users to this point? It would be nice if the collar were "softer" somewhat so it wouldn't rub the bottom of the helmet. Thought about getting velcron sewn to it so I can just fold the top back like the RevIt jackets with the band and tab they have. Little too cold to use the velcro at the shoulders and I have doubts about how well it will hold anyway.

Also probably gonna have more velcro put on the sleeve at the wrist to fill in the open spot just above the strap.

Any other comfort/user mods that have been done (other than cuttin the gators out of the sleeve)?

Thanks all - Still and awesome jacket/pant combo though.

The collar does break in. That was one of the things I noticed the first few times I wore it. I don't notice it at all now.

hi folks.

i am currently using a motoport air mesh kevlar jacket/pants combo with the waterproof liner for rain. as i ride in hot and humid singapore/malaysia, it is important to find a jacket/pants combo that can handle this weather. i have been very happy with my motoport gear but the sudden downpours mean i get wet by the time i stop and get the liners in, or that i bake in the heat and humidity when i put my liners on anticipating the rain. which brings me to the badlands pro jacket/pants combo.

the temperatures here range from 24-35C (which is 75-95F) and the humidity is almost always in the 90s...with the exception of really nice and cool nights after a long day of rain. this place rains like crazy. it is sunny and hot one moment, then the rain comes and it is super wet...and it rains in sheets...and then it is hot and sunny again. the cycle pretty much repeats.

i know this is an adventure jacket and is not really suited for my style of riding which is 95% road. heck...it could even be 99% road. but i am really looking to match the protection and venting i get from the motoport with the added advantage of real rain protection. the badlands pro with the d3o and armacor seems to provide the protection, the gore-tex seems to provide the waterproofing. but what about the heat and humidity?

hope that someone here riding in a similar climate can provide some insight as i would like to get one this month....if at all possible.

curiously...how do you folks wash your gear?

thanks for any insight that you can offer. looking forward to it!

Hmmm well I've got the Motoport pants and love 'em. Have the Badlands outfit too .... have only had the chance to use it in cold weather, yet I don't think your gonna have near the Heat and Humidity comfort while wearing the Badlands as you do wearing the Motoport. I would suggest using a high quality, lightweight, compact rain pant and jacket rather than the zip in stuff. Something like Mountain Hardware.... or comparable. I have pretty much stored the zip in liner in the attic and figure It was a $129- learning expense. It's much faster to stop throw on the rain jacket and/or pants and keep riding. They take up waaay less space than the Motoport stuff too... my .02

Ok, I've hit my first real negative with this jacket. The water bladder pocket . . . BLOWS!!


Who designed this thing?? Rube Goldberg?? Seriously.


One of the things, in fact pretty much the ONLY thing, that I did not like about my Rally 2 Pro jacket was that using the internal bladder pocket was a pain in the ass. Conversely one of my favorite things about the Klim Adventure Rallye jacket was that it was so easy to use the pocket. And refilling the bladder was simple too.


Has anyone figured out an easy way to use the bladder? And how do you route the hose? Wtf??

Solution.......camel back.

Yeah, I have one. It seems that the straps tend to block the air flow though which bugs.

So has anyone figured out a good way to use the bladder inside of the jacket?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pKB7B7lL8bA

Q~

That's what I was afraid of. Having to pull the back protector out to fill the bladder is just silly.

How does the jacket carry the weight of the hydration bladder? Does it pull on the collar or front of the jacket? I don't notice the weight of the bladder even when extremely full on my Adventure rally jacket, just curious how it compares to the different set up of the Adv rally jacket.

Anybody have problems with the mid arm cinch strap? Not too big a deal but seems like if they put larger velcro strips and made it a tad longer it would work better. Those small pieces don't do too well when I want them looser and there really isn't enough extra "clear area" to allow them to be secure.

Anyone had problems with it letter water in? I was coming home from work yesterday and got caught in a downpour. When I took the jacket off I noticed the bottom of my baselayer was soaking. Thought I might not had zipped up properly so give it a test today with the hosepipe, making sure I had everything done up correctly.

Same thing. Bottom of my top was wet and inside pockets were noticeably wet, especially the left side as the contents of the pocket were obviously wet.

I've also noticed some fuzzing of the material above the left side pocket and at the bottom of the phone pocket which is underneath the Klim logo.

Going to send back to dealer for it to be checked out.

Just wondered if anyone else had anything similar?

I've ridden twice in pretty good rain with zero leaking.

Hydration: I've ridden with a full 1 liter bladder and it does pull on the shoulders but I only rode for an hour and had no problems. I suspect many hours may feel burdened but will have to wait until summer to test. Also I used the 1liter Platypus which worked and fit better than my camelback reserviors

Nibbi: I've ridden twice and once in hard rain and the other in light rain and didn't experience any leaks. But I will be very interested to hear what your dealer finds. Also I use Goretex and eVent jacket and pants for hiking in rain and I often treat them with waterproof replenishing chemicals to maintain and improve their performance. I will be curious how long the waterproofing lasts on this Klim suit.

Embarrassing moment happened to me today with regards to the pants. :eek1

It pays to be careful when you put your bike keys into your pants pocket! My wife and I were out for a ride. We stopped to grab a bite to eat at our local pub. I mistook the side zip vent for a pocket, unzipped it and dropped my bike keys in there. I eventually realized my mistake, thinking that they would just end up dropping out the bottom of the leg.

Nope! They ended up down by the cuff of the trousers, but trapped inside the space between the outer shell and inner liner. Now imagine the scene. Middle of town, out in front of local Harley bar. Two BMWs in the "Harley Parking Only" space. Me with my leg vent unzipped whilst my wife's fishing around with her arm buried down my pants telling me I should "just take them off!"

Oh well, all's well that ends well. She got the keys out and we had a nice dinner. Nobody was injured falling off their bar stools laughing at us, either.

Those Harley folk's just wished they had as much fun as you two had. You can't make this stuff up.

Just finished a 2 week ride from PA to FLA and back... about 60% of it in the rain including the last 400mi yesterday. Jacket kept me BONE dry at 78-80mph with the last 250mi getting pretty torrential... heavy winds to boot!
Was a leetle sticky in Georgia when temps hit 80+ after the rains but once moving the vents kicked in well. I believe I'm gonna go ahead and cut and re-sew the cuffs now.

What works better with the Badlands: Long gauntlet style or short gloves (thinking Klim Element--which one to get). My gut tells me go with the short. There just seems like too much bulk already at the end of sleeve on the Badlands with the combination of cuff, velcro, and wrist gaiter already to try and stuff all that under gauntlet. I also think it's more waterproof to run a short glove under the sleeve cuff than a gauntlet over top. There's nothing worse than that feeling of water running down the outside of your sleeve into your glove!

But, on the other hand, the Element Long seems to offer a great deal more protection, not just in terms of the gauntlet, but also on the hand area itself. I also think it's more waterproof to run a short glove under the sleeve cuff than a gauntlet over top. There's nothing worse than that feeling of water running down the outside of your sleeve into your glove!

Does anyone have any experience here re: Klim Element or any similar glove?

I use both short and long gaunlet gloves. Any glove that you can wear inside the cuff will be more comfortable, imho. There's a bit of bulk to the cuffs which just compounds when you wear a gauntlet over it. I'm actually picking up a pair of gloves this weekend that have a long(ish) gauntlet, but it's thin and will fit under the cuff.


That said, I ride nearly every day with gloves that have a thick cuff that goes over the jacket cuff. I notice it if I think about it, but it's really no big deal.

For all but the really warm weather, the BMW Atlantis III glove is a perfect match with the BP. No water will every run down the BP sleeve and into the inside of my glove again. I don't know why it's taken so long for the glove mfgr's to figure this out. If the KLIM Element had this feature it might be worth the extra $100.
Atlantis-III

• Double cuff: Inside cuff is long, snug-fitting and waterproof, made of neoprene; outer cuff is leather with water-repellent zipper.
• 2 eyes at bottom on leather cuff to run off rainwater.

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Cheers,