Firstgear Kilimanjaro Jacket

The most glowing review I've ever written.

I bought this jacket last minute for a ride from Wisconsin to Arizona. While I don't have a ton of overall time in the jacket, I did spend >50 hours wearing it for this trip.
I was also wearing FG heated gear, head to toe, and over the top of that, windproof softshell jacket/pants. Underneath the electrics, fleece.
I rode in temps ranging from 30 degrees all the way into the low-80's.
Weather ranged from full sun, to pouring rain (rain hood was used extensively), to snow through the passes. The jacket shrugged it off.

Materials on this jacket are impressive, as are the stitching and finishing details. This coat is a whole new level for FG, in my humble opinion. I've seen some of their jackets in the past and they seemed to be just nicer than the mid range coats like Tourmaster (which I owned and loved my transition 2), etc. This jacket stacks incredibly well against other jackets in and above the price range. Definitely a higher end coat.

Wants for this jacket - on the zippers, there is some air infiltration... if it is cold, a wind proof thermal layer is necessary. I wish the jacket came with one. I would have paid extra. The zippers are covered with gussets (or whatever you want to call them) so there was no rain infiltration.

The cut is good - I am typically a large (5'6", 160lbs) and fit just right in a medium with room to layer fleece, electric liner and windproof layer with room to spare. That said, the jacket w/o layers is not bulky/looks tack sharp.

The air flow is as good as you expect for the amount. there are wrist vents, arm vents and back vents. I ride a tenere with a big screen so if I am not wearing mesh, anything is hot above 85*.

I highly recommend this jacket - can't speak favorably enough. It is everything a shell coat should be... comfortable, protective from the elements, freedom of movement, etc. etc.

I am extremely happy I went with this jacket. It really helped me enjoy my trip.

As noted in the review, this jacket is big. Pay careful attention to sizing. I wore a prior version of this jacket in large, and at 5'10", 200 lbs, this jacket in a "large" fits well with undergarments and a mid layer. I ride a touring bike, and the shoulder vents pick up air nicely, but the really great vents are on the wrists. The wrist vents pick up the air flow perfectly. There are 2 long vertical vents on the back, these are not mentioned in the review, but they are critical for good flow. You just need extra hands to close them when the rain hits you by surprise. Collar line is comfortable and adjustable, even when snug there is no sharp fabric against your neck. There is a hood, but I've not bothered to use it.
This jacket is probably too warm for 100F days, but it is good below 85F while moving.

I wear a 2XL in normal jackets, shirts and sweater. I ordered a 2XL and it fits like a glove. NOT a OJ glove. I am 6'3" 280 52" Chest and can wear this all day. Most comfortable riding jacket i have ever had. Don't know how it will do in the hot but in normal 40-55 it does great. I will update this after summer.
I highly recommend this coat.

I ride a Harley Davidson Roadking which leaves me exposed to the elements and I wanted to replace a leather jacket, nylon lightweight and a rain suit with just one jacket as I already had a Firstgear heated lightweight jacket for the cold nights. After much hesitation about spending $400 I finally made the splurge and I am glad I did. Now I just need to get a good pair of rain pants and it will be a Firstgear pair. I just took a trip up into Ontario Canada and the Upper Peninsula of Michigan near Lake Superior and the jacket performed up to my expectations. With just a sweatshirt under it I rode with weather ranging form 75 degrees and sunny to overcast damp 45 degrees and then rain with some down pours on the way home with about 60 degrees. This was an 1100 mile trip and I was never cold, or uncomfortable and I stayed completely dry. I bought the black model and used the first gear Hi-Vis vest over it while I rode on the trip. Both products are stylish high quality, functional products and I recommend them to anybody looking for this type of jacket.

I live in Colorado, so I wasn't using the vents over the last few months. Last week I headed to AZ for a week long ride, temps in the high 80's. The only issue I have is the fact that there are only 2 shoulder vents and 2 back vents, it got a little uncomfortable. Otherwise I love the jacket.

I just returned from a 5 month long, 18,000 mile trip through Canada, Alaska, and the Western U.S. The jacket went through days of rain, temps as low as 33º and as high as 101º.

The jacket performed very well and had zero leaks in days of rain in Alaska - some riding companions were wet in their Klim gear at the end of the day - but I had zero leakage.

The jacket is NOT a hot weather jacket, however In the heat or sitting still in the sun, the jacket did not seem to be as hot as my previous Kathmandu or other brands. As well, it proved to be a bit warmer in cool to cold weather than my previous jackets. It seems as if the fabric choices they have made in the 37.5 line are indeed a bit more effective in regulation of temperature. Venting is not great but does a decent job.

I found the build quality to excellent and better than expected. I'm 6'4" and weight range about 260 - 275 at worst and the XXL was a perfect fit - as if made for me. It is not boxy and I still had some adjustment room in the sides.

I wouldn't pick this jacket for an "all season" in some place like Texas, AZ, etc, but I've decided to wear it to Mexico, Central and South America for the next leg of the journey.

My experience has been excellent...

Watched review video, found out jacket comes large. I'm 6'3", 226lbs, I ordered an XL Tall, fits like a glove.

This jacket is solid, I was fine riding 4 hours in the mid-July Mid-Atlantic sun without being uncomfortable. I think it's a great deal for this jacket to include the CE armor.
A handful of jackets in this price range will have shoulder and elbow armor. This provides both plus back protection, so this could possibly be compared with jackets $50 cheaper if you are looking at the 320-350 range of jackets w/o back protection.
It's definitely stylish and I think it's a good style that can be adapted to a hi-vis appearance.
The jacket fits me according to the size chart. I'm a medium, 5'9" 160 lb.
I may include photos at a later date.

This new 37.5 version is substantially better than the previous model which I have been using. It is more comfortable thanks to softer fabrics throughout and elastic panels in critical areas. It is also more stylish. It still looks like what it is: a dedicated motorcycle jacket, but socially less challenged when off-the bike. It has all the D30 protectors I was aiming at; shoulders, elbows and back, and then some. The chest protectors are a new concept for me. I reckon they are for incidents like pebbles or so hitting the rider’s chest.

I have double feelings about the elimination of the thermal liner. The removable liner was not easy to put on and off with two side zippers, four snap fasteners in the arms, one more at the neck, and a Velcro strap at the back; all to be aligned. I had ridden a bit outside of my comfort zone for countless hours and miles just for eliminating the process. Grabbing another layer from a saddlebag and just putting it on –and vice versa- is easier, for sure. Therefore, the waterproof and breathable outer shell that the new version is makes sense but the thermal liner of my old Kilimanjaro jacket is still on duty. I went to my tailor and asked him to transform it to an independent jacket with front zipper that fits snugly over my heated jacket liner.

While at the tailor, I also asked him to modify the sizes of the various Velcro adjusters of my new Kilimanjaro jacket so that when I tighten them for wearing just a base layer, their extra length do not dangle out and catch furry clothes. However, I am still able to secure them firmly, when loosened for wearing a base layer, an electric jacket liner and a third layer (the above mentioned modified liner) under my Kilimanjaro 37.5 jacket. He added some Velcro material onto the adjusters and cut some of them for size but this was only a cosmetic modification made to measure. The jacket could not come this way and fit everyone in the same size bracket. With the exception of adding Velcro material onto the shoulder vent straps, the adjusters did not need a modification. Mine was an effort to make it resemble a custom made jacket, due to liking it very much.

I also modified the front upper pockets: I chopped off the waterproof inner pouches in order to transform the pockets to chest vents. I would suggest doing the same to those who do not need that many front pockets and/or who do not like wearing items in the pockets of their jackets, anyway. The hidden, upper vertical waterproof zippers of this jacket offer an excellent opportunity for this easy modification. Since the shoulder vents can be kept wide open thanks to Velcro straps (that open even wider if additional Velcro material is sewn onto the existing straps), the double sided zippers in the arms can act as vents and the back exhaust openings are huge, I expect good ventilation from this jacket but the weather is too cold for this, at the moment.

There is no zipper at the lower back for zipping pants. However, there are two elastic adjusters at the lower hemlines which I found very useful. They make a tight seal at the lowest edges of the jacket. The same adjusters existed at the previous model as well but the crisp nature of the fabric was preventing them to seal as effectively.

Size XLT fits perfectly to my 110 Kg (242 lb), 202 cm (6’7”) tall frame with 117 cm (46”) chest (measured over a base layer and a heated jacket liner). There is room for a third layer and a snug fit with just a base layer can still be obtained, if so desired, thanks to various well positioned Velcro adjusters. Arm length merits particular appreciation for my size.

I am very happy with my purchase. Durability needs to be assessed but if the previous model is a reference, the Kilimanjaro 37.5 jacket should be hard to beat in terms of value for money.

I've had this jacket for a few months. It's been perfect. While the air flow is less than a lot of jackets ( the only vents are near the shoulders and upper back), it still stays pretty cool. Make sure to get the sizing right or return to get the right size. I originally bought a medium, but it was really too baggy on my 5' 9", 170lbs frame. The small fits great, though it's a bit snug at the hips.