First Gear Kathmandu Jacket?

[Casejeep]

Im looking at the new model of the first gear kathmandu. I like the look and idea of it but cant find any up to date reviews of it.

Ive had the Klim Latitudes and BMW Rallye 2. wasn't 100% happy with ether.

What is the quality like? is it super bulky? would you recommend it?

[Casejeep]

Well it looks like no one has this jacket which isnt a good sign.....

[some call me...tim]

I can't comment on that specific model, but I've been very happy with the couple pieces of First Gear stuff I've had. Seems to be very good bang for the buck, a notch up from Tourmaster, I'd say.

[NuckaMan]

I do not have the Kathmandu Jacket....but have experience with First Gear products.

While they many not use the same "exotic" materials such as BMW, Rev'It or other high-end moto-wear, their quality and function is quite good. In my opinion, they offer some serious bang-for-buck gear.

If there is a knock against them, sometimes the way the gear is sized or cut is a little wierd. I know it can be difficult, but try to find a local dealer to try it on to see how it fits on your body type.

Motocyclegear.com and Revzilla.com offers some fantastic reviews on the products they sell and do the best they can (via internet) to explain the way a particular model is cut.

Give it sometime, I know there are more than a few Kathmandu owners here....I believe reviews were all postiive.

[TacocaT]

I purchased a Kathmandu jacket back in May. So far so good. Hard to match for the price and the quality seems good. Had 2 lower speed get offs in the dirt and it has held up well. Good amount of adjustable for the Armour and adjustment of the body and arms is easy. I strap adjustments make it feel less bulk with out a lot of bunching near adjustment points. at least for my body type I am 6'1" about 180 and I went Large tall. Vents pretty well I am comfortable up to around 80 degrees at slower speeds. Tolerable at 90 degrees if you are moving faster and open up the front zip a little. I have not used it much in the cold weather with the liner yet since I have another jacket.

Been caught in a few hard rains this summer and stayed dry. Never tried the hood. Dry pockets are also nice and work well. The only thing I don't like is the built in hydration pack deal. It seems like kind of a gimmick. Nice idea but it is not well supported so it pulls the jacket back against your neck I felt like the collar was trying to choke me when it was full of water. Luckily it is easily removable.

Overall I like the jacket. I wanted a jacket reasonably priced jacket that already had good d30 armor and was waterproof without a linear and this one fits the bill

[Casejeep]

Is it bulky? i do most of my riding on dirt at slow speeds. the jacket just looks huge. is it not noticeable?

Originally Posted by TacocaT

I purchased a Kathmandu jacket back in May. So far so good. Hard to match for the price and the quality seems good. Had 2 lower speed get offs in the dirt and it has held up well. Good amount of adjustable for the Armour and adjustment of the body and arms is easy. I strap adjustments make it feel less bulk with out a lot of bunching near adjustment points. at least for my body type I am 6'1" about 180 and I went Large tall. Vents pretty well I am comfortable up to around 80 degrees at slower speeds. Tolerable at 90 degrees if you are moving faster and open up the front zip a little. I have not used it much in the cold weather with the liner yet since I have another jacket.

Been caught in a few hard rains this summer and stayed dry. Never tried the hood. Dry pockets are also nice and work well. The only thing I don't like is the built in hydration pack deal. It seems like kind of a gimmick. Nice idea but it is not well supported so it pulls the jacket back against your neck I felt like the collar was trying to choke me when it was full of water. Luckily it is easily removable.

Overall I like the jacket. I wanted a jacket reasonably priced jacket that already had good d30 armor and was waterproof without a linear and this one fits the bill

[dmaxmike]

I have a kat jacket and over pants. I wanted to go with Kilm latitude but just could not pull the trigger on such expensive stuff when I maybe get out one weekend a month. My first riding jacket was a first gear jaunt jacket and it always kept me dry and safe so I figured I would give this stuff a try. On its only weekend outing since I got it in September I had temps from the 20’s to the high 70’s and I was comfy the whole time. Also had a little bit of rain and standing water on the roads and one stream crossing and I was dry the whole time. I’m short and fat so I went with the 40 short pants and an XL jacket in short. With all the adjustments adjusted it feels very light and not constrictive to movement on the bike at all. I would buy it again. Watch the review on revzilla that’s what I did and who I bought from.

[Macho Man2]

I have had the first generation Katmandu jacket for 3 years and really love it a good bang for the buck jacket. I use it for my cold weather jacket with a aerostich pullover liner, I've never used the supplied liner. Temp range from 30 to 70 and and even colder with my heated jacket liner. I have ridden in several hard rains and stayed dry. Never been down to test the armor or material on how it would hold up though, just my 2 cents.

Bill

[Casejeep]

Originally Posted by Macho Man2

I have had the first generation Katmandu jacket for 3 years and really love it a good bang for the buck jacket. I use it for my cold weather jacket with a aerostich pullover liner, I've never used the supplied liner. Temp range from 30 to 70 and and even colder with my heated jacket liner. I have ridden in several hard rains and stayed dry. Never been down to test the armor or material on how it would hold up though, just my 2 cents.

Bill

I live in AZ and like to ride Death Valley and the desert so i wanted a jacket that would be better at higher than 70 degrees.

[Casejeep]

Originally Posted by keiji

It looks like that jacket uses a removable WP liner. IMO the biggest reason to consider firstgear stuff is that most of their waterproof gear has the membrane laminated to the outer shell.

I'm not really sure why you gave up on the Klim & BMW?

Well the Klim Latitude had little to no venting. If it was above 80 degrees you started to melt. The gortext shell is very stiff even after wearing it for almost a year.

The BMW Rallye 2 Pro was better but the lack of adjustability in the arms was a turn off, i couldn't keep the elbow armor in place. The Rallye 3 seemed to fix the problem.

[PWRCRZR]

I had the old style Kat jacket for one season and now have had the new style Kat jacket for a season. I like the jacket for touring and multi day adv rides. I do find it a little bulky at times and definitely find it to be warm. Not sure it would be my choice for low speed technical riding in desert heat. The jacket is defiantly waterproof and has never failed me in foul weather. I also like the d3 armor in the new jackets, very comfortable and worked fine in a low speed off. I would definitely give first gear stuff high marks for bang for your buck.

Good luck with your search...finding perfect gear is like finding perfect tires

[outsidein]

Originally Posted by Casejeep

Im looking at the new model of the first gear kathmandu. I like the look and idea of it but cant find any up to date reviews of it.

Ive had the Klim Latitudes and BMW Rallye 2. wasn't 100% happy with ether.

What is the quality like? is it super bulky? would you recommend it?

If you are unhappy with the Klim and BMW gear you will absolutely hate the much, much cheaper quality Firstgear jacket.

I compared this to the Olympia AST and the AST is far better in the price range of the FirstGear jacket but not as good as the twice as pricy Klim or BMW jackets. Where the FirstGear jacket really fails is that it uses cheap quality and thin nylon and has basically no abrasion protection if you ever crash, also venting is less well designed. Both jackets sell at a similar price point.

[motolombardo]

I have the kat and have been fairly happy with it. I bought it primarily for winter use.

Pros:
Liner high quality with good cuffs
Waterproof zippers
Hood thin enough to fit under the helmet and keep the rain off your neck

Cons:
Slightly bulky (good waist band straps though)
Shoulder pads extremely noticible/wide
Built in hood interferes with certain hemets when stowed
Could have better ventilation (mine is a pre-2012)

Overall, I give it a 7 out of 10

[Travex]

For the money spent you will get a generously featured, durable, waterproof well made jacket of decent materials. I own both Klim and Firstgear products and have been very pleased with both. However, in my case the Kathmandu causes me great friction and discomfort in the neck. It reddens and scratches the skin considerably right on the apple. I originally thought it was simply a bad marriage between the collar and my helmet strap, not. Oddly, there is also no visible clue as to what is causing this.
As I haven't seen this complaint too much I'd also add that mine is likely an isolated experience and should be considered as such. The collar is the only complaint I have and otherwise I consider the jacket fairly bulletproof and definitely waterproof and warm. Other than the collar it has not failed me in any other way.

Unfortunately for me, I was in an auto accident the day I ordered it online and hadn't been able to ride (or wear it) for about 2 years and therefore cannot return it. I just contacted Firstgear to initiate whatever repair or fix is necessary and will follow up with that experience.

[docwells7]

I had the first gen Kat and thought it was a good waterproof jacket. The day I bought it, it was pouring and I had to ride 2 hours to my destination. Water literally beaded up on the outer material. I love jackets that are waterproof without having to wear the liner (read AST). The only moisture that got in was actually my fault because I didn't keep the gusset in place when I zipped up the jacket. I therefore had a nice wet patch in the middle of my chest.
The only thing I didn't like about the jacket (and the pants for that matter) is the lack of hand warmer pockets. It's intended as a Fall/Winter jacket, so I thought it would be nice to have a place to keep your hands out of the elements...especially since the pants have no pockets either. It has plenty of waterproof pockets to put lots of items in, it's only the slash pockets that usually lie just behind the lower pockets that are missing.
As it turns out, I found a great deal on both a Ranier and Kilimanjaro on close-out and sold the Kat. It's a good jacket, and if the hand-warmer situation isn't a big deal to you, go for it. I did keep the pants and still like them a lot.