Amazing deal on Klim Badlands Pro

I like my elbows, so the vest idea seemed kind of odd to me

Another vote here for the Badlands. When I bought my copy, there was a huge disconnect in additional cost versus added benefit between the two models. I obviously opted for less sting to the wallet.

My approach to gear cost may be a little different than many. Riding gear is the last line of defense between health and injury after a "get off", and as such is actually an expendable item. When I get sticker shock on an item, I'll balance that with the cost of the insurance deductable (and the accompanying paperwork headaches) of an emergency room visit, hurt or not. I've not yet found any item of gear to be cost prohibitive when competing with health care costs. Afforability is another matter...

For what it is worth, I've been in mine (Badlands jacket & pants) for two seasons now, and it is still holding up very well. To date, no performance testing against the pavement (and intend on keeping it that way!!). One Iron Butt and several trips have yielded no regrets. It has been totally dry in the rain so far, too. It seemed stiff to me at first, but it "wore in" pretty quickly and is comfortable on the bike. YMMV

With either, I don't think you'll go wrong... unless it requires a loan against your homestead!!

I agree. I hit a deer two years ago and decapitated it with my handlebars going 85 mph. Fortunately, I did not go down, and that day I happened to be in full gear, whereas just an hour before I was not and had only a vest. Even though I did not go down, it taught me that perhaps by having the gear on, I had one less thing to worry about and thought through the situation vs freaking out. So, if one could detach sleeves, then why even have the jacket to begin with? Additionally, I do not care about affordability as you don't want to be thinking about you wish you had better gear when it happened. If I had a $3000 outfit on and died, at least the thought later would have not have been "He should have had better gear on".

Any idea where to get the Badlands Pro local to Fort Worth/Dallas? I called over to SLM where Goyko went, and they don't have any in stock. They can order it, but so can I in XL of course and have it come to my house...

This thread continues to morph so my 2 cents worth of thought.

I agree protection is of utmost importance to motorcyclists. I would gladly pay whatever the cost was for enhanced protection. But I can find absolutely zero empirical evidence or data that the Klim gear protects better. $600-$1,000 Klim is CE rated/approved and identical graded materials used as in jackets costing much much less. I wish there was a "Snell type" enhanced testing/certification for jackets and pants.

I think there are many reasons for someone purchasing this more expensive gear i.e. comfort, features, warranty, waterproofing, etc. I just don't feel enhanced crash protection is necessarily a valid reason. Same as a $400-$600 Arai or Shoei helmet. Comfort, quieter, less weight, etc. but same Snell rating as a lid costing 1/3 or less.

And whatever jacket, pants or helmet you choose don't forget the rest of the package. I've seen plenty riding with protective jacket but combat boots and ranch gloves that don't cinch down. Even when riding street I always wear full MX or Adventure boots, gloves that tightly cinch at wrist with velcro and knee braces with hard protection on shins, knees and lower thighs.

Happy to say I've never gave any of that gear a full crash testing yet but if I do I will have no remorse or thoughts that my cost savings on gear sacrificed any protection.

_

DeerSplitter said:

Any idea where to get the Badlands Pro local to Fort Worth/Dallas? I called over to SLM where Goyko went, and they don't have any in stock. They can order it, but so can I in XL of course and have it come to my house...

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Check with Cycle Center in Denton. I tried on a Klim jacket while there a month ago.

SilverBullet said:

This thread continues to morph so my 2 cents worth of thought.

I agree protection is of utmost importance to motorcyclists. I would gladly pay whatever the cost was for enhanced protection. But I can find absolutely zero empirical evidence or data that the Klim gear protects better. $600-$1,000 Klim is CE rated/approved and identical graded materials used as in jackets costing much much less. I wish there was a "Snell type" enhanced testing/certification for jackets and pants.

I think there are many reasons for someone purchasing this more expensive gear i.e. comfort, features, warranty, waterproofing, etc. I just don't feel enhanced crash protection is necessarily a valid reason. Same as a $400-$600 Arai or Shoei helmet. Comfort, quieter, less weight, etc. but same Snell rating as a lid costing 1/3 or less.

And whatever jacket, pants or helmet you choose don't forget the rest of the package. I've seen plenty riding with protective jacket but combat boots and ranch gloves that don't cinch down. Even when riding street I always wear full MX or Adventure boots, gloves that tightly cinch at wrist with velcro and knee braces with hard protection on shins, knees and lower thighs.

Happy to say I've never gave any of that gear a full crash testing yet but if I do I will have no remorse or thoughts that my cost savings on gear sacrificed any protection.

_

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Great comment. My worst actual crash involved me wearing a Firstgear Kilimanjaro jacket and Tourmaster Cortech pants. The jacket was toast but did its job. The pants didn't even show signs of having slid at 70mph down a chip sealed road. They did their job as well. The left SIDI boot had minor abrasion marks on the left pinky toe area, but nothing else. Good zippers, heavy stitching, and good armor placement is key. The ability to cinch sleeves to keep elbow armor in place is important. I actually think the armor in the Badlands Pro could use better coverage on the elbows and knees, particularly with respect to covering the inside of the elbow at the funny bone and both sides of the knees. Slightly better hip armor would be good too. My CyclePort Airmesh Kevelar II has excellent armor placement. I have crash tested the Badlands stuff in a pretty nasty high side on a forest road. It worked great. However, on a simple water crossing where the front washed out in 1/4" of water because of algae, the inside of my right elbow swelled to the size of a cue ball because the armor in the Badland Pro did not cover it. The CyclePort stuff got all kinds of crash testing! It always did its job. Both suits are still in good condition and are part of my regular wear when riding. I think SOME of the more expensive gear is better because of its ability to handle a crash and still be serviceable. The cheaper stuff can often be a one shot deal, which could easily end a ride/trip even though the rider/bike are perfectly fine and able to continue riding.

Being a proven "Crash Test Dummy"...My First Gear Mesh jackets and pants did their jobs in both crashes. That being said I think I'm going to go back to wearing a textile jacket at least. The mesh really "rashed" out on the second one but it did its job. I'm thinking that the textile fabrics will do a better job.

The helmets were both HJC Sy-Max III and protected my head from any injuries. The chin bar stayed locked thru the tumbles. That will be purchased again.

Gloves were Firstgear and Joe Rocket and did their jobs. The Joe Rocket pair did get rashes out a bit more but they had better knuckle and finger protection. Either will be a repeat purchase.

Boots are Diasese (spelling) and have survived both crashes and will be on my feet again.


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jhansen said:

Being a proven "Crash Test Dummy"...My First Gear Mesh jackets and pants did their jobs in both crashes. That being said I think I'm going to go back to wearing a textile jacket at least. The mesh really "rashed" out on the second one but it did its job. I'm thinking that the textile fabrics will do a better job...

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I'm not a fan of mesh. Just gives up too much protection and when temps soar actually more uncomfortable for me to get blasted with hot air.

This was just posted yesterday on another local forum. High speed get off with some serious rash from grass and sticks. Imagine if it was asphalt or concrete instead. Jacket looked near perfect after, the mesh just passed through the rash.





complete story here for those interested.
http://www.motohouston.com/forums/showthread.php?t=347848

_

As a follow up on where to get Badlands gear, I ended up just ordering direct from the Klim website. I debated doing expedited as it says 7-10 business days lead time and then shipping time, but the tracking shows it will be here in 4 days from now. Since I posted this just 2 days ago, that is great news. Thanks for all the input on the gear.

I bought my KLIM stuff from RevZilla.com. They have fast delivery and returns/exchanges are very easy and quick. KLIM is one of those brands that doesn't let its retailers set their own prices, so it is hard to really find a special "deal" on them unless maybe you find a closeout special. At best, you might get them somewhere that does store credits for past purchases that you can then apply to the KLIM gear. RevZilla and RockyMountainATV both do that. Buying online instead of local can save you a LOT on sales taxes.

I am totally with ya, and had like 7 browsers open from amazon prime to eBay to revzilla, etc until they all started running into one another. The price for my size (XL Jacket and 34 waist) was the same amazingly unless I wanted XXL or bigger. However, the only place that had the pants my size was Klim itself. I guess that is a pretty popular size. Amazon Prime could have had the jacket here in the same afternoon for those interested but no pants. Since it is 36 as a high in DFW through this weekend I figured I can wait to Monday.

I got the XL jacket as well. Fits great and I can add layers under it without it getting cramped. I am a 42-44 chest, 34 waist and 34 inseam at 5'10". I got the pants in 36" with the suspenders. I have the ones that have Velcro and attach to loops inside the waist of the pants. They join in the back, but so low that the shoulder straps always slid off my massively broad shoulders... Yeah, so anyway, my wife just sewed a little patch up higher, near the shoulder blades, to keep the straps closer together. That worked perfect. No more fidgeting with the shoulder straps sliding off while riding. Without the suspenders and wearing only LDComfort long underpants as a base layer, the pants would slide down a bit even with the Velcro waist straps as tight as they can go. With jeans on underneath, they stay in place pretty well. I basically just wear the suspenders all the time. Also, she sewed extra Velcro around the waist band so the straps could be adjusted tighter. That extra little bit works perfect! I like the waist slightly snug so it doesn't move around a lot. When I walk, the knee armor slides down far enough that the top edge of it rubs just under my knee caps, which is incredibly annoying. I may have to do a little internal sewing to help hold it in the higher position where it sits when the leg is bent.

How are the sleeve lengths on the Klim jackets? I'm not excessively large in the ponson for a 6' guy, but I do have a 35" sleeve length. Almost always have to get a bulky XL jacket have anywhere near enough sleeve length when my arms are outstretched on the bars.

wildernessrider said:

How are the sleeve lengths on the Klim jackets? I'm not excessively large in the ponson for a 6' guy, but I do have a 35" sleeve length. Almost always have to get a bulky XL jacket have anywhere near enough sleeve length when my arms are outstretched on the bars.

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I have no idea what my arm length is However, I seem to have plenty of length in the sleeves. If I don't do the wrist Velcro and let it hang loose at my side, the sleeves come to my knuckles where the fingers attach to the hand. When the straps are fixed (the normal way I wear it) there is no restriction in arm movement other than me not being able to scratch my back. But, that is more a function of my stiff shoulders than the jacket...

Well, it is Monday and my jacket and pants came in. My wife has not asked how much it was yet, but she has been eyeballing me as I have been trying the Badlands set on.

In answer to the sleeve length, I am 6', 205lbs and decent shape, and they seem to fit perfect. I got the 34 inch waste pants (because I am 34" waste), and they fit great...if I don't wear pants...jeans seem to get tight, so maybe you are only supposed to wear long underwear at most I guess?

I can wear jeans or other layers under my pants if I relax the waist adjustment straps a little bit. Otherwise, I wear the LD Comfort full length leggings and pull the straps extra tight. I just checked my Badlands pants. They are size 38. All my jeans are size 34 waist in any brand

mitchntx said:

I bought into the Klim hype ... $160 worth of hype purchased in July.

Was looking for breathable gloves that had gel padding in the palms.
I've spent $160 on a laundry list of gloves, so it seemed justifiable.
Will be the last pair of gloves I have to buy.

My experience? Not impressed ...

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An update ...

I did make contact, sent pictures and wound up with a positive outcome.
I would have preferred a different tactic.

Had to send them this photo ...



If the gloves are in stock, they will ship them to me.
Can't give me a timeline ... will expedite, but at a cost.

So for the time being, I am without.
I can make do or not ride on slacker days, but don't think I should have to.

Was just visiting with the Moto Liberty guys at the Dallas Motorcycle show. They stock a fairly extensive inventory of Klim gear at their store in the metroplex region. Also did an interview with one of the Klim reps while we were there. Will have it on an upcoming episode of the Outdoors With Wheels radio show soon.

I would like to spend some time talking with the people that actually design the gear. Like many designers, they seem to get about 80% of it perfect and then just totally blow it on that last 20%. Maybe it is a cost thing rather than an oversight But dang, KLIM is already on the high end of the cost spectrum and as much as I like my KLIM gear, it could be a lot better with minimal additions.

I would encourage you to do exactly that. Help 'em get that last 20% dialed in sweet. Then we all can feel good (well better) about the fact that while we are spending copias amounts of cash for gear. It is truly primo, and unrivaled in what it provides and how well it functions. The rep we spoke with in Dallas made it seem like there was fairly open communication at Klim. When we get together soon for your next on air interview, we can also try to make contact. Maybe we will be able to get hooked up with someone in the right department. As a long time Klim gear user with many thousands of miles of street, & dual sporting, and a few harrowing get offs along the way, plus being the keeper of the whole dang Two Wheel Texans asylum! I would certainly hope to see them listen to, and at least absorb what you have to say.

Update - so Klim sent me a second set of jacket and pants to compare against the first set because I thought the jacket was a tad to big at XL (I am 46 chest and where XL shirts) and the pants were too small at size 34 (I am 34 waist). In the mean time, I wore them out to the National Grasslands the other day and got use to them a bit. Trying on the large jacket they sent vs the XL jacket was a no brainer, the large was too small. It is a little tight with just a t-shirt on underneath so I staying with the XL as it does fit well and has room for extra layers.

The pants were a debate. The 36 pants seem to fit fine in the waist and allow for a pair of jeans on underneath I guess, but the knee/shin guards move around a bit whereas the 34s fit fine if I where long underwear and the knee/shin guards don't move around but they restrict mobility a little while getting off the bike. So after trying them on and off for about 30 minutes I am going for the 36 inch waist, and if the guards move around, I will sticks some Velcro in there and it should work great.

Customer service was great. The first time I ordered through the website, but when I calls them when I was concerned about the sizing.a woman named "McKinney" (who sounds hot if that matters to anyone) answered on the first ring, and asked around about sizing for me. I called Klim back when I got home to confirm what we had discussed, and when I called Klim the second time to confirm the order a couple hours later, the same woman answered again and remembered who I was.

I am not wild about the armor in the Badland Pro pants. The pants themselves are good, especially with regard to keeping out rain. The zipper pulls could stand to be beefier as I have snapped a few off, but that's not a big deal. The knee armor does move around and the coverage could stand to be better on the inside and outside of the knee, like wrap around armor. Also, there is no thigh or tailbone armor. I think there is minimal hip padding, but not much. I am thinking they are really expecting people to be wearing independent protection underneath the pants, kind of like dirt bike pants over dirt armor. What I really like about the MotorPort/CyclePort AirMesh II Kevlar pants I have is that the armor is fantastic in terms of coverage and effective protection. the knees and thigh are very well covered, as is the tail bone. I had them add in a double layer of padding (not armor) at the hips. If you have ever fallen over in rocks, you know that the thigh, hip and tailbone can take a beating just like the knees. If I could combine the best features of my Motoport pants with the KLIM, I'd have a great pair of pants!

The elbow armor in the jacket is much like that of the knee armor in the pants. It moves around and should have a broader coverage. I had a front end washout on a SLICK water crossing at about 10 mph on concrete. I landed with the right arm out and the inside of the elbow smacked flat on the concrete HARD. The armor protects the point of the elbow fine, but the funny bone was completely unprotected. In the two minutes it took me to stand up and take off my jacket, the elbow was seriously swollen and bruised! Had I been wearing the Motoport Kevlar jacket, that would not have happened. It took 3-4 months before the soreness and sensitivity to pressure went away.