I recently deployed to the middle east, and it is hot as hell here. Like really hot. And it is getting worse. I own a roadcrafter which straight up SUCKS for riding in here. I also have a Savannah 2 jacket which is a little better. I try to ride with a Leatt on, but it is a pain in the ass without a suit or jacket cut for it. So here's my question: How well would the Klim Adventure jacket do in the heat here (it gets upwards of 115 to 120, around 60 to 80% humidity)? I really want a jacket that you can wear a Leatt properly with, i.e. against the body. Anyone own a Klim Adventure and have used it in extreme heat? Tell me your thoughts. It is a lot of money to spend on something that just won't work well for me. Thanks - Damon
I wouldn't consider wearing an Adv Rally jacket in 100 plus temps. It's a large, heavy jacket with decent venting, but you are going to ROAST in those temps with that jacket. I'd definitely look for something unlaminated/non-waterproof, like the new Leatt jackets, or the A-stars Durban, something of that nature. I had the jacket for a short time (bought the wrong size), and it was too hot in 90degrees plus for me, FWIW. dc
Ventilated armored jacket with one of the vests you soak in water to keep you from roasting. Of course bullet proof ventilated vests might be hard to come by. Best of luck!
It does ok up to about 90* F as long as you're moving. Slow stuff sucks. I'd recommend (it's what I'm going to do) getting a Motoport Mesh Kevlar with a Leatt collar addition.
had been wondering if Klim's high $$ adventure suits would work for super HOT conditions. it's my premise that no heavy waterproof motorcycle suit will be functional at super HOT temps... like say 105f + most functional that I've seen at those type temps is Motoport with some type of cooling vest. which doesn't work well for me in nasty wet/cold conditions due to need for waterproof inner layer. Klim Adventure suit looks better matched like Aerostich Roadcrafter for wet/nasty conditions ... got two piece and one piece Aerostich Roadcrafter and Motoport mesh Kevlar, but no Klim. what am I missing here?
Not much - the Klim stuff is a little better compromise to try to get at a 4 season outfit - waterproof without a liner, but still with adequate venting. If you had to have one suit, it seems like a good choice.
KLIM has a new suit coming out which is kevlar mesh and a GoreTex over suit for wet conditions, reminds me of the Touratech Companero (sp?).. It will probably be serious $$ though.
have come to conclusion it's just not possible for one suit to cover all conditions. any suit that's capable of functioning in say 20f conditions with wet nasties thrown in will not work in say 105f conditions. Motoport claims theirs is good for all conditions... BS .. who would want a soaked outer layer with dry insides. then factor extra fuss factor for dealing with an extra layer. on top of dealing with all the wires with heated gear. closest to a one suit solution is Motoport with a goretex oversuit. but then oversuit gets really bulky to fit over Motoport jacket. arrrgghhh.... best solution I've found when riding in wide ranging temps is to carry two suits. Motoport for 75f - 110f ... then one piece Aerostich for temps 80F- 20f.... add heated jacket/gloves below 45f .... add heated pants below 30f... Motoport mesh kevlar doesn't compress well and takes up lots of space. Aerostich one piece packs down small.
The Klim suit is probably the best "One Suit" currently available. Either the Adventure or the Badlands. Zipped up with a layer underneath and I'm good into the low 30's. Once it gets over say 95*, nothing is going to be comfortable but the Klim is as good as anythig else. In fact, I sort of retract what I said earlier. Over 90* or so, I think the Klim may be better than the Motoport mesh, especially if it's a dry heat. The Motoport flows so much air, you can actually dehydrate somewhat quickly. With the Klim jackets, you can adjust them so there's enough airflow to keep your cooling vest working, without sucking all of the moisture out of you. It's sort of like you have your own personal micro-climate. If you're not moving fast and it's very hot out, NOTHING is going to be comfortable. Nothing.
My Adventure Rally is fine into the high 90's dry desert heat as long as I'm moving, standing around it's not. If it's hotter than 100 I avoid riding unless it's a for a few hours or less passing through a hot area. With all the vents open and collar off and wrists opened up there is plenty of air going through out the jacket. For high humidity and heat IMHO nothing is going to be comfortable I could wear shorts and T shirt and be sweaty and miserable in that east coast summer weather
I've used the Roadcrafter alot in the southeast US. It is not best suited for that environment. I picked up the Badlands this year.. I did 700+ miles across Kansas & Missouri in June, with the high being 106... I don't believe that anything will work well in those temps. Stopped to hydrate, internaly and externally every 100 miles or so. The Badlands flowed enough to get good evaporative effect without letting the furnace blast get to you. Very good and effective compromise!! It also spent a day in torrential rain without a leak..
I used my Spidi Expedition suit up to about 90 then swapped into my Spidi Netwin over that temp. Both offered good protection (clearly better in the Expedition as it is certified Level 2). I could have used the Expedition in higher temps but not in stop-start traffic which is what I am mostly in around here. I think three seasons are the best you are going to get from a suit if your temps go above 90 and especially if you live somewhere where it is humid (like NJ).
I know you're asking about a ADV jacket, but why not just ride in a pressure suit??? It'll be cooler for those temps. Stow away a thin breathable rainsuit if needed.
O.P.-- I ride in temps quite similar to that in the lower Sonoran Desert (SW AZ). Though it surprises many people, it gets very humid here in the summers. One day I recall specifically, I was driving home at 112F and it started to rain... Anyway, the best I've tried in those conditions are (depending upon how much shielding you have available from a fairing, etc) either a perforated leather jacket like the KomodoGear Ceno I wear, or a leather jacket with super-high-flow, but closeable, vents. That over the top of an LDComfort long-sleeve turtleneck shirt completely soaked with water is about the best a person can do, IMO/E. I also have a phase-change cooling vest, and although it's very useful, I don't like it overall as well as the LDComfort. Be careful, though, a perforated jacket, or especially a mesh textile, will evaporate your cooling water TOO quickly. I ride a sport bike and basically lay on the tank in order to get what wind shielding I can from the tiny fairing & windscreen. my ~40-mile (one way) ride each afternoon sees the arms of my LDComfort shirt completely dry, and the torso pretty well dry except under the back armor. Air flow there is reduced, plus I'm sweating and keeping it wet. :| Also, WEAR SOMETHING LIKE AN LDCOMFORT HEADLINER UNDER YOUR HELMET. That's super important/helpful to keep the body cooled. Good luck! I don't especially like riding when it gets above 110, and it's quite un-fun above 115. It's doable, but not at all fun. KEEP LOTS OF WATER ON YOU, OR RIDE WHERE YOU CAN GET WATER IMMEDIATELY. If you can't do this given your assignment, then don't ride if you don't absolutely have to.
in Oklahoma we can get brutal summers, high temps combined with high humidity. when temps gets 105-110f range it's downright dangerous without loads of water handy. for longer rides some type of vent control would be useful. but for stop and go .. nothing beats mesh kevlar, where all the venting possible is desirable. folks who claim riding in 95f degree with a heavy double layer Goretex suit is doable are nuts. getting into a hot sauna is also doable too.
We rode through TX, NM, and AZ last August. I wore the ADV jacket (and pants) sans collar the whole way. It wasn't pleasant, but we only had to stop for gas and refilling of the 3l bladder. Temps topped 115F through Phoenix and the gear at that temp actually protects you from the heat as long as you stay moving and hydrated. At one point traffic slowed to stop-and-go in Phoenix and the bike was headed to overheating so we got off the highway and stopped for a while. Sitting in stop and go traffic on an overheating bike in full gear in 117F :eek1 is no one's definition of fun I don't care what you're wearing. I also wore the full gear in May in Moab last year on the 530, but that was "only" 95-100F. The gear is hot, but it carries 3l of water, and as long as you fill it with ice and water, it will help cool for a few hours and hydrated a few more. just another data point...
entire point of last post was to point out ... if one is riding in stop and go traffic. Heavy two layer suits in 105f+ is nuts. still not pleasant but max air flow when stopped is still preferred.