KLIM Badlands Pro

[soph9]

we have D3o armour...last summer with the older version back protector...I mean summer 2011 when we were up in Alaska...it was cold...one day Cheryl took her armour out to wash her Traverse jacket and the D3o back pad was severed in half. Now, we did at times put out jackets into our top box and side cases...but in this case the temps were low and it did snap. My feeling is the D3o feels like a bricks if I leave my jacket in the garage with low temps. I bet if i really wanted to I could crack the armour before it has a chance to warm up to my body.

Now...I just keep my gear in the house from this point until the the mornings start to warm up again. I think that the makers of this armour may have over looked its vulnerable points when cold.

[V-Stormer]

Originally Posted by Scrooge

.......
I hope this doesn't sound too negative, but I want to be as honest as possible. I haven't given up on this jacket, but I am pretty disappointed with the shoulder situation. I will continue to use it to get a better idea of how it works for me.
Oh, just remembered another reason I don't post much. It takes a long darn time to be thorough. :-) Hope it helps someone else.

I think it's good to point out the weaknesses in otherwise very well made and designed gear, but you're balancing it with some positive comments too and that's good. This site has been a great help to me too and this thread in particular for helping me decide to go with the Badlands despite some shortcomings. But I feel the benefits outweight those shortcomings and some can be overcome without altering the jacket or pants.

I agree with you on the small size of some of the pads. They need to address this. The knee pads in the pants are similar, but at least the pockets are a llittle bit bigger, so you might be able to get something else in there. I have some BMW riding jeans that are close to their end of life after 3 years of almost daily use, and they have HUGE d30 knee pads in them that are still in great shape. (see photo below) They cover the inside and outside of the knee, right up over the top and down almost the full length of the shin. I'm going to suggest to Klim that they model their next Badlands upgrade after these. But unfortunately, they're too big for the pockets in the Badlands pants to swap them directly over. When the BMW pants are finally done, I'm considering trimming the BMW pads down just enough to fit the Badlands pockets and they'd still be almost twice the size of the knee pads that come with the Badlands. Pad size and coverage definitely needs to be addressed in the next upgrade. But at least with the pants you can use strap-on knee guards instead as an option.

Knee Pads: Badlands (left) - - - BMW (right)


As for the potential of the d30 pads failing in cold temps that you and soph9 mention, you might be on to something that could be a weakness in that technology. I'm not usually in that cold of a climate, but it's certainly something to keep in mind when trying to get the pads in and out in cold climes. I would be concerned for the their strength in a fall, but I'm sure even in the coldest weather, they'd stay pretty flexible after being against your body for a short time while wearing it. I keep my stuff indoors for that reason too, and even in a warming closet sometimes. I have one closet right beside my home heating system that feels like a mild sauna during half the year and I use it as my "drying" closet for hanging wet gear. Very handy!

[soph9]

Originally Posted by V-Stormer

As for the potential of the d30 pads failing in cold temps that you and soph9 mention, you might be on to something that could be a weakness in that technology. I'm not usually in that cold of a climate, but it's certainly something to keep in mind when trying to get the pads in and out in cold climates. I would be concerned for the their strength in a fall, but I'm sure even in the coldest weather, they'd stay pretty flexible after being against your body for a short time while wearing it. I keep my stuff indoors for that reason too, and even in a warming closet sometimes. I have one closet right beside my house heating system that feels like a mild sauna during half the year and I use it as my "drying" closet for hanging wet gear. Very handy!

I live right by you...this time of year with temps anywhere from 5 C to below 0 is cold enough to make the armour feel like rocks. It does like you said warm up and become more pliable once you have you gear on but if you ever wanted to try ...take the D3o when cold, especially the back protector and crack it over your knee I bet it would break.

[V-Stormer]

Originally Posted by soph9

but if you ever wanted to try ...take the D3o when cold, especially the back protector and crack it over your knee I bet it would break.

Ahhh . . . no thanks! . . . I'll take you're word for it.

I wear a Gerbings full heated liner at this time of year and one of the issues is the back is too warm due to the backpad acting as an insulator . . . so I'm fairly sure it will be pliable when I need it to be.

[soph9]

this is the best time of year to ride...hardly any other bikers on the road and yeah with heated gear I warm up faster on the bike than I do my car

[Scrooge]

Originally Posted by V-Stormer

As for the potential of the d30 pads failing in cold temps that you and soph9 mention, you might be on to something that could be a weakness in that technology. I'm not usually in that cold of a climate, but it's certainly something to keep in mind when trying to get the pads in and out in cold climes. I would be concerned for the their strength in a fall, but I'm sure even in the coldest weather, they'd stay pretty flexible after being against your body for a short time while wearing it. I keep my stuff indoors for that reason too, and even in a warming closet sometimes. I have one closet right beside my home heating system that feels like a mild sauna during half the year and I use it as my "drying" closet for hanging wet gear. Very handy!

I had previously read about cracked knee pads in the cold, but I didn't think it would be an issue in the jacket due to less flex needed in those particular areas. I keep my gear in the house or a heated area at work when commuting, so breaking the pads through normal use shouldn't really be an issue for me. I agree that body heat should help, but I noticed the other night in the 30's that the pads were considerably stiffer when I got home than when I put the jacket on and that was after one hour. I don't expect them to be exactly the same at 30 degrees as they were at 75, but I do expect them to provide the same level of protection in the event of a fall. I don't think that's an unreasonable expectation. If they crack due to flex when cold, I wonder if it would shatter on impact from brittleness in the same conditions.

I think I'll contact Klim to see if they have any data about d30 performance at lower temperatures. The last thing I want to do is wonder if something I bought primarily for protection only works in a fairly limited temperature range.

[Mr_Gone]

I haven't found anything specific regarding how d3O armor protects when it's cold, but I believe it was originally designed for snowboarding and skiing applications. Seems like they would have considered that these sports occur during cold weather.

Then again, maybe I'm assuming too much.

[V-Stormer]

Originally Posted by Mr_Gone

I haven't found anything specific regarding how d3O armor protects when it's cold, but I believe it was originally designed for snowboarding and skiing applications. Seems like they would have considered that these sports occur during cold weather.
Then again, maybe I'm assuming too much.

I'm thinking in a fall, the main thing is abrasion protection of things like knees, elbows, shoulders where the skin is thin and joints are protruding. Some absorbtion of impact is there too, but that's secondary even for foam padding. Even if the stuff did crack when cold on first impact, it's usually in a tight fitting pocket that would hold it in place for the few seconds of a slide and it would probably still provide reasonable protection.

The main take-away for me here is being extra careful (or not to mess with) removing the pads from the pockets when they're really cold to avoid a problem. I have bent and removed pads when they are quite a bit more stiff than room temp, but have never seen them crack or been concerned they would. But I bend them slow and don't force them. I'm confident enough in the material that it will work when I need it most.

[Mr_Gone]

I just pulled the trigger on buying a Badlands Pro jacket. I ordered it from Mike at Tellico Moto, a fellow advrider inmate here. Mike was great! The price was fantastic!!! Mike didn't have the jacket in stock in my size and color, so he'll be ordering it from Klim and having it sent directly to me. I should have it by next weekend .

I will try to post some feedback on the jacket here, after I've ridden in it for a few hundred miles.

Thanks to everyone who posted on this thread. All the advice, recommendations, suggestions, and experience was invaluable.

[zenjen]

Originally Posted by Mr_Gone

I will try to post some feedback on the jacket here, after I've ridden in it for a few hundred miles.

I noticed you're from Mt. Home. My 3x great grandfather, Jacob Wolf, built the Wolf House in Norfork. - That's a very nice area to test ride your new jacket.

[Mr_Gone]

Originally Posted by zenjen

I noticed you're from Mt. Home. My 3x great grandfather, Jacob Wolf, built the Wolf House in Norfork. - That's a very nice area to test ride your new jacket.

I ride down that direction every Sunday. Push Mountain Road is very near to where I live, and I try to ride Push Mountain every week at least once.

[enduro0125]

One modification I did to my coat was to put a button on the lower arm strap.
The Velcro didn't want to hold so I put a snap on each arm.

[Mr_Gone]

Originally Posted by enduro0125

One modification I did to my coat was to put a button on the lower arm strap.
The Velcro didn't want to hold so I put a snap on each arm.

That's a brilliant idea. I will do the same thing if I find that the Velcro does't hold on my jacket. Thanks for the idea.

[vibenation]

Question:

Has anyone yet washed their Badlands suit?

My pants are stone cold filthy from a season of dirt riding and I already have a bottle of Nikiwax products Tech Wash and TX.Direct spray on that I have previously used to clean and re-up the waterproofness of my work coat that kicked butt. Anyone used these products on a Badlands set yet?

Seems like the right thing to do and the inside of the coat and pants STINKS because I ride mostly in hot weather where I really should be wearing full motocross pads, pounding through rock gardens on my DRZ400 :)

Would love to clean them but whatcha think, either product an issue?

[enduro0125]

That is what I plan on using when I do wash mine
Let me know how it turns out for you.