Klim Adventure Rally Air Jacket

I've been wearing this jacket for most of the summer now and I'm very happy with it. I've worn other mesh jackets from other companies and while they kept me cool, I always had this nagging thought in the back of my head about how much protection they actually provided. Lets be honest, not much. If you do hit the pavement, you just know that mesh is going to shred to pieces within 10 feet of sliding. But not with this thing! This jacket is built like a TANK! The Carbon Kevlar mesh is thick, yet super breathable and flexible - not as stiff as I thought it would be. The D30 armor is in all the right places and I don't feel like my elbows or shoulders would slip out of place in a crash. It's heavy, but the harness system distributes the weight well, even while carrying a full hydration pouch in the back.

Sizing: I fell in-between a Medium and a Large based on the Klim size Chart. I'm 5'8", 185, 42" chest, athletic build. I ordered both and while the Large fit in the chest, it didn't fit anywhere else....it was just too long in the sleeves and overall length. Forget about getting it altered either....very few places can sew/alter the Carbon Kevlar material, not even Klim USA. The Medium fit perfect in the sleeve length and jacket length, but it was a little tight in the chest and felt like it was digging into my armpits a bit. I decided to keep the Medium and I'm really glad I did....the large would have just been too sloppy. The good news is that the material allows for a little bit of break-in and stretch after wearing, unlike the Goretex counterparts. It no longer feels overly tight in the chest and no issues with digging in around the armpits. It feels perfect now and I can comfortable get a baselayer or heated liner under it for the fall/winter.

Couple this jacket with the Gore-tex shell or another waterproof shell of your choosing and you'll have a 4-season do-it-all jacket:
Heated liner+Jacket+Shell = Fall/Winter.
Base Layer+Jacket= Late Summer/Early Fall. Jacket+Shell=Rain/Chilly Mornings.
Jacket alone= Hot summer days.

My only complaint is that the jacket was late arriving to market due to production delays, which may have attributed to the jacket's high cost. It's an amazing jacket, but at the current market price, I don't foresee it being a big seller unless Klim can lower the MAP pricing.

I live out in CA and wanted a suit that will be cool in summer and that i could layer if it gets cold. This is it! The construction is rock solid, you feel like Ironman in this thing...
Sizing was difficult, I am 205lb, 6' tall 44" chest... the L was too tight, the XL is better but big around the waist, so i have to compromise a little. It feels too much but once you are riding it is very comfortable and cool. No restrictions in movement.
The pant was the same, tried a 34, too small (I am a jean size 34x32) Went with a 36 and that is very comfortable (suspenders work well)
Overall it's a great suit.
4 star because the sizing is not perfect for the average guy. A waist strap would have been nice to have.

Safety is #1 for me with warm weather comfort a close second. With most jackets this is mutually exclusive. You get one at the expense of the other. Not so with the Adventure Rally Air.

Fit is good. I would say spot on. The armor and straps can make putting the jacket on feel like putting on a really good protective leather jacket. Which is fine by me.

The jacket feels heavy on the hanger. Add in the hydration pack and it feels impossibly heavy to wear. BUT because of the way Klim designed the jacket, once on you hardly notice the weight. He internal harness helps spread the weight on your hips and across shoulder. A day of riding did not leave my shoulders and back sore like when I wear a separate hydration pack.

Air flow is decent. Sitting at a light or standing around without air flow the jacket will get warm. But once underway the air flow is good. Of the Mesh jackets I've owned, I'd rate the airflow on this jacket as Average. I've had other that would "breathe" a lot better, BUT they did not have the armor/protection this jacket has to offer. You can definitely feel the airflow at the arms and the way the jacket is designed you can feel it flow through the jacket, but chest area ventilation isn't as good. Other jackets I've owned it was almost like wearing a t-shirt...

If I have one dislike about the jacket its "looks". To me it looks almost like a chain mail suit. Its bulky look is only exemplified once you are wearing it. Even if you aren't a big guy, it makes you look the part. And if you are a big guy like me, you look twice the size!

Also the edges of the end panels looks unfinished. What I mean by this is look at the pocket for the "Spot" unit or some of the other "edges" its almost as if they cut the material and stitched panels together without putting an edge or trim on those pieces. Now I understand the purpose of trim or edging is to prevent fraying and this material won't fray, but it looks unfinished. Minor details and as I stated my first requirement for a jacket is safety which trumps everything else.

Hello,

I'm on a long ride around the world on both tarmac and dirt roads. I've been using the old skool badlands pro from Florida to Nepal (around 20,000 miles) and I have absolutely loved the BLP. I do my trip in sections so I'm able to go back to the states or Europe to switch gear out. Through a friend I was able secure a screeching deal on the Rally Air jacket and pants. Since all of my cold weather, high altitude riding was finished as I head into SE Asia, Australia and New Zealand I wanted to change my suit to something spec'd out for higher temperatures, the Rally Air. Before I brought it to to Thailand where I left my bike I needed to use it in October to ride a bike from the South of France to Sweden, via Octoberfest in Munich (hehehe).

Before I get into this I'm a huge KLIM fanboy as I'm hard on just about everything in my life and I expect things to keep up. If I shell out good money for sturdy gear I expect it to preform. Although I'm a fan I've noticed a few things that I'd like to share. Both good and bad.

The Good:

Protection: The protection is unreal, I haven't come off at speed but I feel like the mesh is from the future. It isn't that disintegrating plastic shit from Joe Rocket. I use a HitAir Vest so that mitigates the back and chest armor, which thankfully I took out and left at home, more on that in the cons. The Leatte neck piece coming off is huge if you want to get even more air passing over you. All the armor stays in the right places and is easy to get in and out. Obviously there is zero protection from the wind and from the rain, but you know this going in (I froze my berries off in Sweden, my fault for not having anything else). No issues at all with protection.

Looks: She's a pretty cool looking suit in a chain mail sort of way, the pants are very comfortably snug and you can spend all day in them. They're minimalist as apposed to the jacket once you remove the ridiculous cell phone pouch on the right leg.

Comfort: The overall comfort is pretty good. I'm 6'3" and 250lbs. I'm hard pressed to find things that fit me in general. The crotch, back of the knees and underarms have an amazing flexible and stretchy material that makes all movement really easy.

The Bad

Protection: I haven't been down, yet. But I've had a few accidents in my day and I've seen the before and after of most of the gear involved in them (except for the cayenne pro, that was cut off of me and discarded) and just by the feel and weight of the whole setup, I can't think of anything I'd improve in regards to protection. I don't use the back or chest protection, it was waaaay to bulky and I've relying on a CO2 canister to help me out on my torso.

Looks: I think this is where I have most of my gripes. The jacket is really bulky. I listed my size above and it makes me look like whatshisface from HALO. Not cool. It's a wide set up from front to back with the water bag, back protector, you, chest protector and another crazy cell phone pocket all add up. Pockets!!!!! How much shit are you all carrying on your person while riding a bike? Make the bike carry it! Anyway the lower back pockets are my main target, they're crazy looking. It's big enough with a bulging water bag and a cargo style pocket that it goes in, but there was no need to add pockets to the lower rear to bulk out a waistline even more. The minimalist front pockets are absolutely perfect. Except the crazy cell phone pocket on the left side, cargo style and huge. I don't get it.

Comfort: Very occasionally the backpack straps get twisted, minor and rare, other than that this suit is comfortable. 10,000 miles on this suit and this is the first time I've ever thought of comfort. Thats a good sign. My only complaint and it was the same with the badlands pro is the crotch zipper. It's the same plastic zip as the rest of the jacket and it can't keep up with the wear and tear of getting in and out of the suit and violently urgent bathroom super novas. I thought as it's not water proof that they'd get something a little more sturdy in there instead of pocket zipper grade zips. Now my shirt sticks out of the pee hole and I shamelessly clean off my sunglasses with what is poking out. I'm not sure I should be allowed to travel internationally.

Thats it, all in all a great suit especially once it gets dirty and has bit of a "MadMax" look to it. If I could trim the lower rear pockets and the left front breast pocket plus change the crotch zipper it would be perfect!