Klim Badlands Pro and Artemis Overview
Badlands Pro
The Klim Badlands jacket and pant combo have been a staple in the ADV community for the past handful of years. With a fully bonded 3L Goretex Pro outer shell, CE Level 2 armor, packed full of ripstop and Superfabric panels it’s no surprise people love the Badlands. For 2018 Klim brought the Badlands Pro line to a whole other level of protection and style. They even fixed a handful of nit-picks we had with the previous design like the stiff high front collar, tricky bicep vent flap, and ill-placed Superfabric on top of the shoulder.
For 2018 Klim focused on making the Badlands Pro even more protective but at the same time, easier to move around in. They were able to do this by eliminating large panels of ripstop fabric across the back of the jacket, and using lighter material on the inside of the arms and around the knees. Now normally that would greatly reduce the safety of a garment, but that’s where the Klim D3O Aero Pro armor comes into play. The shoulders, elbows, hips, and knees all receive this armor, and it is massive with 44% more coverage than before while being highly breathable. The Aero Pro armor also surpasses CE Level 2 testing in all temperature ranges; ambient, cold, wet, and hot. So, no matter if you’re riding out in the Mattawa sand dunes during the summer or the forest roads of the Olympics in the winter you’ll be safe.
For those summer rides though, Klim has added 2 new vents to the back of the upper arm to help extract that hot air. The chest vents have also been repositioned to help draw in more air as well. Now that Klim has gotten rid of their overly complicated bicep vent flap with hard to use metal clip, they needed some way to keep the water out. In steps the YKK Aquaseal zipper. It completely seals out the water when closed, even with its large teeth. Now we would love to see this on the rear pant vent as well, as in the previous generation that was always a fiddly spot to fully seal. The Badlands Pro pant does have a most substantial zipper garage for 2018 to aid in fixing this though.
The Badlands Pro pants have also dropped one adjustment strap behind the knees. With the single strap, that now uses a slide adjustment instead of Velcro, you’ll have even more freedom of movement in an area that gets bundled up quickly. Klim has extended the reinforced inner pant liner to go all the way to the top of the inside of the knee as well. This will help your pants last even longer if you are a strong tank squeezer like some of us here at Triumph of Seattle are.
Even with all of the great updates from Klim for the new Badlands Pro jacket and pant, we do still have a couple complaints. While moving to the adjustment sliders instead of Velcro (or that fiddlesome metal clip) is an excellent choice for durability, the sliders are tricky to adjust with one hand. The fitment of the jacket has changed as well. The jacket fits closer to the Carlsbad, with a slimmer waist. Now for some this is a blessing, for others this might leave you looking elsewhere for a jacket. And last but not least, Klim is finally offering a short inseam pant, but only in sizes 34-42. Having a 32 short, at the least, would be excellent for us short adventure riders. We may not be able to touch the ground, but we’re out there.
Klim Badlands Pro Jacket- $999.99 – $1029.99 sizes S-3XL
Klim Badlands Pro Pant $699.99 – $719.99 sizes 30-44 (regular), 34-42 (short), 32-38 (tall)
Triumph of Seattle eBay Store (click here)
Artemis
Finally, we have a solid piece of kit for the women in the ADV community! Klim’s lead designer for the Artemis line, Kelsey Runge, wanted the jacket and pant to “fit so the woman ADV rider could still look feminine, but feel like a badass at the same time.” This is the closest we’ve seen a women’s line of gear get to the pinnacle of men’s ADV gear like the Klim Badlands Pro. Hopefully one day soon, we will see women’s ADV gear with Superfabric, D3O Aero Pro armor, chest armor, 3L Goretex Pro, etc. But for now, the Artemis line up is a stellar combination.
What we really love about the Artemis line is the amount of adjustability you get. Not only do you get hip gussets, which are fairly standard on women’s gear, you get 6 more adjustment straps. You can slim down the forearms, biceps, and even waist to fit your body type and keep the armor from moving. One thing that would be nice to see on the Artemis jacket would be a height-adjustable waist adjustment belt. On some of our riders the waist adjustment belt was at their lower ribs.
The waterproofing taken care of by a bonded Goretex Performance shell to keep you dry. The venting scheme is specifically designed to flow air through all of the right places. Every vent but the back vents are super easy to open and close on the go. For those, you’ll either have to take the jacket off or have a buddy do them up for you. D3O CE Level 1 armor gives you full coverage of your back, shoulders, elbows, hips, and knees. Upping the protection levels, Klim even has Karbonite ripstop material on top of the shoulder and elbow panels. With the more flexible CE Level 1 armor, shoulder gussets, and light outer shell the Artemis jacket and pant move well with you as you’re on the bike, or even hiking around a cool lookout.
Come on by the shop to try the new 2018 gear on by Klim. Or if you’re in some far away land, visit us on eBay to pick up a set there. We’ll ship it straight to your door!
Klim Artemis Jacket $699.99 S-2XL
Klim Artemis Pant $549.99 – $569.99 4-16 (regular) 6-12 (tall)
