Klim Badlands......Your Opinions

I'm off to the Sportsbikeshop in Leeds tomorrow to have a good look at the Badlands range.

I intend to use it on European Tours (if we can go in 2021) as well as pottering around the Yorkshire Dales and Peak District, so I need a suit that is totally waterproof but cool in hotter climates. I have had laminated suits before and really rate them

Never spent so much on a suit before so I would like to ask for your experiences with the suit, both good and bad, and whether you think they are worth the money

Thanks in advance

Mike

well it will depend on what you ride, what boots you wear, how tall you are? etc etc.

I have the badlands trousers and whilst they are very waterproof I think the design is SHITE, and would not buy them. In no particular order

1. the knee armour does not stay in place, constantly catches on my boots and and is always siting to low.
2. forward opening pockets, not waterproof enough
3. If you wear motorcross or high adv boots pain in the arse to get on as you have to lift the whole lot up to the knee just to get them on
4. they are ok on the bike but just not comfortable as a pair of trousers to walk around in off the bike.

no comment on the jacket as I dont have one.

MIKE R said:

I'm off to the Sportsbikeshop in Leeds tomorrow to have a good look at the Badlands range.

I intend to use it on European Tours (if we can go in 2021) as well as pottering around the Yorkshire Dales and Peak District, so I need a suit that is totally waterproof but cool in hotter climates. I have had laminated suits before and really rate them

Never spent so much on a suit before so I would like to ask for your experiences with the suit, both good and bad, and whether you think they are worth the money

Thanks in advance

Mike

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I wouldn't bother going. Their selection, range and sizes particularly if Rukka and Klim are shite as is J&S next door.

Sportsbikeshop have made sure that they will have 2 sizes of jacket and pants in that I can try, plus a couple of Dane and Oxford jackets.

I've said I'd go so I will but if I'm not impressed I won't go again.

Thanks for your thoughts

Mike

bowser said:

well it will depend on what you ride, what boots you wear, how tall you are? etc etc.

I have the badlands trousers and whilst they are very waterproof I think the design is SHITE, and would not buy them. In no particular order

1. the knee armour does not stay in place, constantly catches on my boots and and is always siting to low.
2. forward opening pockets, not waterproof enough
3. If you wear motorcross or high adv boots pain in the arse to get on as you have to lift the whole lot up to the knee just to get them on
4. they are ok on the bike but just not comfortable as a pair of trousers to walk around in off the bike.

no comment on the jacket as I dont have one.

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I have trousers and jacket. Pretty much agree with Bowser regarding his comments on trousers. Jacket is very good with decent pockets. The small pocket on left arm is very handy for credit card, motor way toll tickets etc. Very good weather protection (trousers & Jacket). Decent ventilation all round but still pretty hot to wear on warm summer days. Excellent waterproofing I have ridden through all day long torrential rain and never a drop has got through and exterior dries pretty quick ready for next day's ride. Owned mine for about 4 years.

In response to the comment about the positioning of knee protectors, etc. Dane kit has two positions/pockets for any armour.

The klim trouses have adjustable pockets for the armour in the knees, it just does not work, it wont stay put where you want it to. its frustrating as hell for me as these were provided as a replacement for my original rally trousers which were pretty much perfect, other than being water proof, I really think these are shite trousers, the design is just crap, lots of little things just wrong and bloody annoying enough to make the whole a F..king pile of shite.

MIKE R said:

Sportsbikeshop have made sure that they will have 2 sizes of jacket and pants in that I can try, plus a couple of Dane and Oxford jackets.

I've said I'd go so I will but if I'm not impressed I won't go again.

Thanks for your thoughts

Mike

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Please give us your thoughts on the Dane gear after you've checked it out (and the Oxford Hinterland)

S20 5G sent this......

younger06 said:

Please give us your thoughts on the Dane gear after you've checked it out (and the Oxford Hinterland)

S20 5G sent this......

Click to expand...

Oxford hinterland is great but has poor venting

For what its worth,
I invested in the Klim Badlands jacket with the Klim Badlands pro trousers. You must try this kit on to get a proper fit as It is on the large size but it is a quality bit of kit and its very heavy. Ive had no issues with knee or hip pads moving or in the wrong place and even though it doesnt have a warm inner garment Ive always stayed warm and more importantly dry. It cost a lot of money but you do get what you pay for....

I was in the same predicament last week, and after trying the Klim, went with the Rukka Overpass suit (ROR on their website). The fit is more relaxed than normal Rukka kit, and the venting is unlike any other Rukka kit. It doesn’t come with liners, so you can layer up as you see fit. Being a 2 layer laminate means it’s fully waterproof, but not as stiff as their other suits.

Here's a review I wrote to share with mates after a 3-month trip in the Badlands last year...

Big decision on a trip like this is between a laminated suit - good in wet and cold (with right layers) - or a more vented/breathable/mesh suit and rain over-suit - better in hot weather. I chose the Badlands, partly because it’s very tough/protective; partly because I hate the “shall I, shan’t I” dilemma on showery days and partly because Klim say the latest version is even better vented than the previous one. I was willing to put up with its (heavy) weight and stiffness.

The suit did really well. It protected me with no real damage (to me or the suit) in two minor spills, kept me 100% dry and had enough adjustment to be worn comfortably with just a t-shirt or a down jacket and heated vest. It has three big design faults - the neck is far too low in bad weather (Rukka’s storm collar is WAY better), the velcro on the internal kidney belt trashes everything it touches given enough time and the cuffs aren’t wide enough for anything other than short-cuff gloves (Rukkka have this better sorted). It also had two manufacturing failures - several of the string zip-pulls on the jacket snapped and one of the metal ones on the pants leg also snapped. The jacket ones weren’t a big deal; the pants one made it really hard to get boots on and off and a zip-tie wouldn’t go through what was left of the zip. It has a minor design fault too - the sleeve pocket (glasses, tracker etc?) is totally useless - it fills up with dust and rain.

It also has one major downside that I never thought about. 3 months is a long time to wear a suit. Keeping it clean isn’t too difficult - shower and scrubbing brush every now and then. Stopping it smelling is tougher. The guys with non-laminate suits put them in a hotel laundry every few weeks. Would you trust a laundry with a $2,000 Goretex suit, a thousand miles from a bike shop? We were lucky with the weather; we had much less hot weather to deal with than expected. Given that, I’d probably choose the same suit again. If it had been hotter (or if I ever do a much hotter trip) I would likely choose a mesh or breathable jacket and rain suit. After 3 months, the grime and odour become depressing.

Three guys had the Touratech Companero dual-layer suit - a full, armoured mesh suit with a full Cordura laminated Goretex suit to go over it. Nice idea on paper but in reality the worst of all worlds - a major pain to put one over the other or take it off and both bits are heavy. Don’t buy one!

PS I removed the knee armour and wore Forcefield knee tubes instead. That way the armour is in the right place when you fall!

Many thanks for all your thoughts

I'll post my thoughts when I get back

Cheers

Mike

Probably too late but I find my Badlands to be the worst looking suit off the bike I’ve ever owned, how ever on the bike it has been the best. I have changed most of the armour to Forcefield & wear mx knee pads, taken out the back armour and used to wear a separate back protector before changing to an airvest last year. None of the changes cost me anything, apart from the airvest as I already had the Forcefield armour & back protector.

I’ve found the suit to be excellent in all weathers, never leaked, kept me warm with a heated vest at 0c and cool at 30c with the vents open. I’ve had the suit 4 years & worn it for around 25,000 miles, it still looks like new after a wash and I’ve no reason to think I won’t get another 4 + years from it. Would I have another one, certainly but I’d also look at Stadler as they make a similar suit but with better armour and a more European fit for similar money.

MIKE R said:

I'm off to the Sportsbikeshop in Leeds tomorrow to have a good look at the Badlands range.

I intend to use it on European Tours (if we can go in 2021) as well as pottering around the Yorkshire Dales and Peak District, so I need a suit that is totally waterproof but cool in hotter climates. I have had laminated suits before and really rate them

Never spent so much on a suit before so I would like to ask for your experiences with the suit, both good and bad, and whether you think they are worth the money

Thanks in advance

Mike

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Mike, MY Moto up near Ikea just off M62....chat to the about Halverseens gear. ��

Just my tuppence worth as I sold both but the Badlands is awesome if it fits but the Dane range “Sealand” for example is excellent value for money and very under rated here in the UK I personally think due to lack of marketing so less sales...

I have a Dane Goretex laminate jacket, a quality piece of kit.

tom

+1 for Dane. Been using their gear a few years. The perfect clothing is a holy grail, Dane is the closest i have found so far, and I have had plenty of others in 40 years!

seahorse said:

+1 for Dane. Been using their gear a few years. The perfect clothing is a holy grail, Dane is the closest i have found so far, and I have had plenty of others in 40 years!

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+1 Agree.... I've had many brands over the years.... Rukka, BMW, HG ect. However, I bought a Dane Asted Pro Shell jacket & trousers about 12 years ago (from Holland)....and its simply faultless. Comfortable and has never leaked. Treated myself to a new Dane Julso jacket recently, however the Dane Asted jacket is still going strong but its starting to show its age. Dane Julso details.... https://www.dane.eu/en/product/053488
Bought from https://www.sportouring.co.uk/product-category/apparel/dane_clothing/ (will price match)

After much research online, and trying on alternatives such as the Rukka Nivala etc, I decided to go with tried and tested Dane gear. Well thought out and underrated gear.

PembsGSA said:

+1 Agree.... I've had many brands over the years.... Rukka, BMW, HG ect. However, I bought a Dane Asted Pro Shell jacket & trousers about 12 years ago (from Holland)....and its simply faultless. Comfortable and has never leaked. Treated myself to a new Dane Julso jacket recently, however the Dane Asted jacket is still going strong but its starting to show its age. Dane Julso details.... https://www.dane.eu/en/product/053488
Bought from https://www.sportouring.co.uk/product-category/apparel/dane_clothing/ (will price match)

After much research online, and trying on alternatives such as the Rukka Nivala etc, I decided to go with tried and tested Dane gear. Well thought out and underrated gear.

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any good in hot weather?