Klim Badlands v/s Rally 4

[batman1]

Has anyone swopped from one outfit to the other either way, and if so which did/do you prefer, the Rally 4 looks great but the Pro-shell on the Klim seems to have more function over fashion??

 

[Berin]

Has anyone swopped from one outfit to the other either way, and if so which did/do you prefer, the Rally 4 looks great but the Pro-shell on the Klim seems to have more function over fashion??

I had a Rally 2 which I swapped for a Badlands. Big advantage is the Klim is waterproof, so no panicky stops to take the jacket off and put the Goretex inner in when it starts to rain. In fact, it meant on trip with the Rally I didn't really bother with the Goretex liner, but kept a waterproof outer on hand, which kind of defeats the objective. The Klim is well made, good pockets, D3O armour with a chest protector. If I have a criticism it's that the troos are a bit baggy - but you can use them with enduro or noramal touring boots. I use braces with them too

 

[batman1]

Thanks Berin, I'd hoped for more responses, so really appreciate yours, do you still have the Badlands?

 

[Berin]

Thanks Berin, I'd hoped for more responses, so really appreciate yours, do you still have the Badlands?

Yes, I do. It's what I use for all my trips now, very comfortable to wear with the internal kidney belt which keeps it in place, lots of vents of you need them (I've used it in 35ºC and it wasn't too bad) and waterproof. It doesn't have a thermal inner but if it gets cold I just put a soft shell, a heated jacket or one of these on underneath. I think this is better than having a thermal liner as you can use these off the bile too. it's also got good pockets on both jacket and trousers. Trousers also have good vents, room for knee braces. I also like the D3O armour, which is comfortable to wear. Plus, I've had really good experience with Klim and AdventureSpec. I had a Klim Valdez parka which at 3 years old had been used for trail riding and lots of off road trips, and was a bit tatty but waterproof. But on a long wet ride it let water in, so I contacted AdventureSpec who changed it immediately for a new Traverse jacket. Same happened with a pair or Traverse trousers, again over 3 years old but replaced when they leaked.

 

[spm0912]

I have the rallye 3 and badlands. Both are good but in different ways. For summer touring when it's likel to be hot I wear the rallye, it's well vented and very comfortable to wear all day, never bothered with the inner liners, I carry waterproof over trs and jkt for the odd day it rains. The Klim is used in the winter and for over here when the weather is forecast to be shitty. If I had to choose one and rode all year round in the UK it would be the Klim. Both often appear on here second hand, spoil yourself

 

[batman1]

Many thanks, and much appreciated spm, that RAB under jacket looks pretty good too Berin, I think that I've heard of Rab before somewhere, I hear that some guys wear a Powerlec underneath, is that the make of your heated jacket Berin?

 

[RedRick Esq.]

I went from a Rallye 3 to Badlands and would not go back !
Waterproof as opposed to soak up the water but keep it off your skin thanks to a drop liner was no good on a 4 day wet tour of Scotland.
Once the Jacket was wet i couldnt get it dry and hated it !

I also think the Klim has better venting

 

[MotoGoLoco]

How are you guys wearing the Klim stuff finding their sizing?

i.e. if you're a say, UK Large/42-44" in shirt sizing, stuff like Hein Gericke was pretty true to that - is Klim the same or do we need to go up/down a size?

Seriously considering a set of Badlands Pro, assuming a good mooch around the Rukka & Halvarssons stands at Motorcycle Live next month doesn't sway me either of those ways instead.

Cheers
JM

 

[batman1]

Hi Redrick, It looks like it's going to be a Klim Badlands, and they keep getting cheaper! £900.00 at the beginning of the year and now down to £600.00

 

[Berin]

Many thanks, and much appreciated spm, that RAB under jacket looks pretty good too Berin, I think that I've heard of Rab before somewhere, I hear that some guys wear a Powerlec underneath, is that the make of your heated jacket Berin?

No, I use this one, which is most excellent. I have the remote heart troller which means it's easy to use with different bikes, and it's not bulky like the Keis and Gebring stuff

 

[Berin]

How are you guys wearing the Klim stuff finding their sizing?

i.e. if you're a say, UK Large/42-44" in shirt sizing, stuff like Hein Gericke was pretty true to that - is Klim the same or do we need to go up/down a size?

Seriously considering a set of Badlands Pro, assuming a good mooch around the Rukka & Halvarssons stands at Motorcycle Live next month doesn't sway me either of those ways instead.

Cheers
JM

I'm 42-44 and have a large. It's a little generous when worn just over a base layer, but gives room for some mid-layers too. Adventure bike warehouse in Manc and adventure bike shop in Sudbury stock them, I think

 

[Edventure]

I've gone from Rallye 3 to Badlands Pro. Wouldn't go back. Waterproofing is excellent on Badlands and saves all that faffing putting liners in when it rains.

 

[stolzy]

If I understand correctly that the Rallye 3 uses a goretex inner layer then there is no contest. Goretex inner layers are one of the stupidest ideas ever foisted on motorcyclists - you're better off with a decent waterproof oversuit.

 

[spm0912]

FFS Yes waterproof drop liners are cack, and I include here those suits which have a liner sewn into the clothing. Any kit that has the waterproof element bonded to the outside will always be more waterproof. The problem is waterproof and breathable don't play nicely together despite what Mr Gore might say. Klim tackle this by providing extensive venting but it does rely on air being able to flow through the gear, if you sit behind a great big tank and screen you are obviously limiting air flow. These suits are also very stiff, especially when new.

Contrary to popular belief it doesn't always rain when you ride your bike, in fact most people don't even ride their bike when its wet out. I appreciate that it does rain here more but I, like most on here head south to the continent for our touring pleasures where usually the weather is a little kinder. In the last 3 years I've probably done 20k miles in my Rallye and only needed to don external waterproofs about 10 times (just done Bilko's US jaunt, 5 k miles worn x2). The other advantage of separate waterproofs is they are easier to dry if you do get saturated. I've never used the inner liners (which are not goretex anyway) so if you buy new they are a bit of a waste of money.

So back to the OP's original Q, it's apples and pears really as both suits perform well within their parameters, it's up to you to decide where your priorities lie. If you can only afford one and you live in the UK, Klim it is but 2nd hand Rallye's come up on here all the time due to the "I wore it once and got soaked" brigade not really 'getting' what the suit is for so you could have both!

Just MHO obviously

 

[JohnnyBoxer]

FFS Yes waterproof drop liners are cack, and I include here those suits which have a liner sewn into the clothing. Any kit that has the waterproof element bonded to the outside will always be more waterproof. The problem is waterproof and breathable don't play nicely together despite what Mr Gore might say. Klim tackle this by providing extensive venting but it does rely on air being able to flow through the gear, if you sit behind a great big tank and screen you are obviously limiting air flow. These suits are also very stiff, especially when new.

Contrary to popular belief it doesn't always rain when you ride your bike, in fact most people don't even ride their bike when its wet out. I appreciate that it does rain here more but I, like most on here head south to the continent for our touring pleasures where usually the weather is a little kinder. In the last 3 years I've probably done 20k miles in my Rallye and only needed to don external waterproofs about 10 times (just done Bilko's US jaunt, 5 k miles worn x2). The other advantage of separate waterproofs is they are easier to dry if you do get saturated. I've never used the inner liners (which are not goretex anyway) so if you buy new they are a bit of a waste of money.

So back to the OP's original Q, it's apples and pears really as both suits perform well within their parameters, it's up to you to decide where your priorities lie. If you can only afford one and you live in the UK, Klim it is but 2nd hand Rallye's come up on here all the time due to the "I wore it once and got soaked" brigade not really 'getting' what the suit is for so you could have both!

Just MHO obviously

Well summed up

 

[Beemerman59]

I have both a Rallye 3 suit (bought secondhand off this site) and a Klim Badlands Pro jacket which was bought new from the proceeds of a cheque sent to me by Gore when my HG gear started leaking. The Rallye 3 suit is best for the summer (dry weather) as its lighter and I think slightly cooler in warm weather but the Klim wins hands down for winter and wet riding. I still have an HG Master V set of trousers to go with the Klim in the winter but I would like to replace these as soon as I can justify the price to myself and I expect to do down the Klim route for those. I have tried to find that perfect all season gear but it has sadly eluded me, so I will generally be sticking to separate summer and winter suits.

 

[Sgt Bilco]

Just as an aside, I use the older version of this: http://olympiamotosports.com/catalog/motoquest-guide-jacket/

I replaced my Rallye 1 jacket with it and find it excellent in most conditions as it's well designed, loads of vents you can open when riding and was the right price i.e way over half the price of a Rallye 4. I'm not sure if they are available over here but some BMW dealers stateside sell them and they outsell Rallye's by a considerable margin because they are better value.

They have layers which is a pain and they suffer the same as rallye jackets i.e the outer layer gets drenched, heavy and cold when it's pouring but we had a few hours of absolute torrential rain on my last trip stateside and it didn't leak a drop. I will be carryting a cheapo waterproof jacket for when it gets bad from now on. Absolutely brilliant jacket in all other weathers though and when it's very cold, I use a heated jacket underneath with no liners. I also have a 6 year old HG master V suit which is still going strong, has never leaked a drop which I wear over here when I know there is rain about but it's lack of venting makes is stay in the cupboard in summer.

I've thought about a Klim but at the moment, I really can't justify the price tag although the people on my trips who wear them absolutely love them and I can see why.

You pays your money etc and SPM0912 sums it up very nicely

 

[batman1]

Thanks Bilco and others,

The Klim seems to have to come out as the best all-rounder between the two garments for my purpose, the price of the Klim was questionable at the beginnings of my search, however I see that the strength of the £ against the USA dollar has changed the situation quite lot over this year.

In January a Badlands jacket was around £950.00 and now you can pick one up for £600.00 making it a realistic investment.

Thanks to everyone for your very helpful inputs, I think that it will be a Klim Badlands for me, mainly because of it's Pro-Shell design, and perhaps a powerlec heated under jacket, then I'm covered for every eventuality and the powerlec will double up as an evening street jacket when I reach my destinations, which means one less bulky item to pack.

Cheers guys.

 

[newboy]

Thanks Bilco and others,

The Klim seems to have to come out as the best all-rounder between the two garments for my purpose, the price of the Klim was questionable at the beginnings of my search, however I see that the strength of the £ against the USA dollar has changed the situation quite lot over this year.

In January a Badlands jacket was around £950.00 and now you can pick one up for £600.00 making it a realistic investment.

Thanks to everyone for your very helpful inputs, I think that it will be a Klim Badlands for me, mainly because of it's Pro-Shell design, and perhaps a powerlec heated under jacket, then I'm covered for every eventuality and the powerlec will double up as an evening street jacket when I reach my destinations, which means one less bulky item to pack.

Cheers guys.

I have the Klim BP and Powerlet jacket

Only gripe is that Powerlet has no pockets...

The principle is great though. BP is waterproof and ventable.. Electric jacket is warm and wearable off bike

I think Warm n Safe do one with pockets
http://www.warmnsafe.com/all-heated-jacket-liners/

 

[batman1]

Hi Newboy,

Definitely could do with some pockets and that Warm & Safe USA stuff looks good, anyone know if it is?