Opinions On Held, Klim, Olympia, Rukka Riding Gear

I am fed up with my past sets of riding gear not holding up too well and looking for something better.

I have had a couple sets of JR gear that had mixed results, and my Alter Ego stuff is faded, has lost some parts (my fault), and stitching is coming apart after 3 years of use (I only do a couple big trips per year and don't ride much around home.) My wife's JR gear stitching also came apart under very little use, and the customer support from JR was terrible.

Time for something better, I think.

I liked the breathability of the Alter Ego with the large mesh, but I felt a little under-protected riding that way 90% of the time. And anytime there was some cloudy bits or the wind popped up, I suddenly got cold. Since I ride groups a lot, I didn't feel like stopping, so I simply suffered until we stopped or it warmed up again.

I would rather sacrifice a LITTLE bit of hot weather comfort and try to get something with a lot of vents that I can control.

Thinking really hard about the Held Carese II jacket with Torno II (or similar) pant.

Alternative jackets I am also shopping are the Klim Latitude Misano, Klim Badlands, Dainese D-Stormer D-Dry, Olympia Airglide, Rukka (undecided on model, lots of close-outs for sale right now, but not sure about the "ziploc" style zipper the Gore-Tex layer has)

I am also looking for better riding gloves, and looking pretty hard at the Held RaceTex and Air N Dry. I currently have some short Icon (Hooligan I think) and Alpinestars gloves (bought last year, already fuzzing up and no happy with)

Really would like to know what your opinions are on this gear if you have tried it out, or even know someone else that has it.

wow. you guys jumped all over this one. :goofy:

Well just to give an update, I have been looking at motorcycle clothing now until my eyes hurt. Down to a short list of jackets:

- Held Carese II - GoreTex (destination) liner. Slimmer non-bulky fit with low profile liners. Vents everywhere without having large zip offs. Magnetic openings, superfabric and SasTec armor. 1st choice so far, but I wish it was GoreTex outer.

- Rev'it Defender GTX - GoreTex liner and VERY similar jacket to the Held above. Does not have zip attachement at cuff like Held or the nifty magnetic flaps. But it is cheaper too

- Rev'it Defender GTX - GoreTex liner and VERY similar jacket to the original Defender above. A few more features than prev Defender. But it is more expensive and not yet avail.

- Rev'it Poseidon GTX - GoreTex outer shell: has some direct vents. Big chest vents. Can ditch the rain gear.

- Dainese Explorer GTX - GoreTex outer shell. Huge zip off areas, basically converting to mesh jacket. Maybe too much mesh, how strong is it? Big vent panels harder to deal with while riding.

- Klim Latitude Misano - GoreTex outer shell. Fewer vents, so I have concerns with it in hot weather, but very well made. A lot of money for just a shell, but it is available right where I live at a good price and I got to try it on. (last years stock) Can ditch the rain gear.

I am having a really hard time deciding from here, so I would sure appreciate if any of you have tried any of these, or have an opinion on GoreTex outer vs inner liner, etc.

These are all in a SIMILAR price range, so money isn't a big factor on this decision. (They all cost more than any other gear I have owned.)

I really like the Olympia products because of quality and workmanship. I have had a set for over 5 years and other than some fading it is still in great shape as well as easy to take care of wash and wear stuff .I like the ability to put in the liners as well as they work as an extra jacket .

Some anectodal thoughts on Gore-Tex outer layers -

When I was in the service, stationed in Washington State, we were issued the ECWCS which has Gore-Tex outer layers. The parkas and pants were re-issued every two years to those of us that spent a decent amount of time in them, because they lost their water proof characteristic. Our usage was fairly hard for ~6 months of the year. I really think it was more the washing that did them in than the wearing, but I have no proof of this. That said, if your outer layer is the Gore-Tex layer and you want to wash the bugs and road grime off, follow the washing instructions. OTOH, if your inner layer is Gore-Tex, you will hardly ever have need to wash it, but then you have to deal with a wet outer shell or rain gear.

MadScientist

Some anectodal thoughts on Gore-Tex outer layers -

When I was in the service, stationed in Washington State, we were issued the ECWCS which has Gore-Tex outer layers. The parkas and pants were re-issued every two years to those of us that spent a decent amount of time in them, because they lost their water proof characteristic. Our usage was fairly hard for ~6 months of the year. I really think it was more the washing that did them in than the wearing, but I have no proof of this. That said, if your outer layer is the Gore-Tex layer and you want to wash the bugs and road grime off, follow the washing instructions. OTOH, if your inner layer is Gore-Tex, you will hardly ever have need to wash it, but then you have to deal with a wet outer shell or rain gear.

Thanks this is exactly the sort of first-hand experience I am looking for. I know what GoreTex is advertised as doing, but a lot of things don't necessarily perform perfectly as advertised in the real world. Everything has its limitations. Call me a skeptic.....

After riding with an Alter Ego with a ton of mesh on it, I also realized that while mesh is cool, it holds bugs and dirt and is a PITA to clean. So I am thinking of jackets that have the right amount of venting to get the job done, but not be too much mesh.

The lady at the local bike shop was talking to me about the Klim gear and mentioned something about the GoreTex and if a leak were to occur. They advise washing it following the directions, then see if the leak persists. Sometimes the washing apparently restores waterproof function? It didn't make a ton of sense to me, but I have ZERO experience with GoreTex stuff.

But most of the M/C gear with GoreTex carries lifetime warranty on the water proofing, so if it fails, they replace your gear with same or equivalent.

Keep the info coming please!

When the parkas and pants would fail, it wouldn't be a "leak" per say from some distinct spot. More like you would be on you knees or elbows and start to feel wetness over that spot. Or you are standing in the rain and evenetually the shoulders would start seeping water in.

I like many Olympia products also.

I was set on getting something with gore-tex. Mostly for breathability and rain proof characteristics.

And looked at the Klim Badlands pro, I liked it better than the other Klim jackets for various reasons, like size, fit and features.

I haven't seen the Held Carese II in person but it was one of the jackets I had been reviewing.

While I was looking at the Klim line I happen to see Firstgear's TPG Rainier jacket.

And then I saw the Kathmandu jacket and pants which is what I ended up buying.

I thought the large Kathmandu jacket fit me just about right.

And I liked the feel of it better than the Badlands pro, which I had gone to try and buy if it felt good.

Living in southern California most think it's all sun and perfect weather.

But in the half year I've had the Kathmandu jacket and pants I've ridden in driving rain for over 4 hours while the temps ranged from mid 50s down to 29 according to my GS's gage.

I was very skeptical in the rain worthyness of the jacket and pants. But so far I've never gotten wet from rain or water. On the ride over the grapevine it was dark and I stopped to change my shield to a clear one and when I got up there was a sizeable pool of water between my legs that I hadn't noticed while riding.

If rain proof is something you want I'd want the outer shell to have it built in, not an interior liner, as that just means the outer shell will get wet and become heavy and probably make you colder.

I'm just speculating from my experience with other jackets that claim to be water resistant that I've used.

I may end up with a Badlands pro, but I'm pretty satisfied with the Kathmandu right now. The jacket and pants longevity and durability will be tested as I wear them daily and on longer road rides and when I'm offroad on my XR.

Good luck on your purchase.

And definitely try them on.

Rukka & Held are 2 companies I would happily recommend. Quality kit that does what it says.

Rukka zips are fine, no issues from me.

Another Olympia fan here.

I was considering an Olympia one piece suit, as I like my Olympia mesh suit. I called to talk with them and the person on the phone said (in response to my "how waterproof it is it really?" question), "well, nothing is really waterproof."

I kept shopping.

Well I pulled the trigger on the Held Carese II jacket and Torno II pant. Had everything I needed at a price that was high, yes, but not insane. One of the things I liked about it in the end was that you can (according to Held's product literature) pull the GoreTex liner out and wear it over the top of the jacket / pants.

Bye Bye rain gear!

Will post up some real impressions when I actually get it and try it out.

UPDATE: Got my shipment of gear in and the quick impression is WOW!

I bought the Held Carese II jacket with Torno II pants. I am 5'10" and weigh 210lbs (I am a bit broader in shoulders, have bigger leg muscles, but an extra 10lbs around the middle) so i used Helds size chart and came up on the higher end of Large sizing. I chose to go with the XL size because of bigger legs and upper body build. Glad I did. It fits perfectly, allowing room for an extra thermal layer if needed, while arm and waist adjustment made things fit like a tailored piece of clothing. Not overly bulky either.

The jacket and pants have vents and pockets everywhere, but some of my favorite features are: the zip attachment at the wrist between the jacket and liner, the magnetic latches for pockets and vent flaps, the vents on either side of the main zipper, and chest / leg large triangular vents. The GoreTex inner layer can be removed, and can also fit over the jacket and pants like rain gear, according to Helds literature. I have not tested this yet, but it does look like it should work.

I opted for upgraded SasTec armor in the hips and back / coccyx. I used the recommended Held SAKARI, Rückenprotektor 11026868-001 (back/coccyx), as well as SAS-TEC SP-2/20 11018371-001 (hip replacement) and they all fit in their pretty well, except for the back plate which required trimming (with kitchen shears) on the top and both sides. I am confused why Held recommends the Sakari protector when it includes a chassis for the armor plates (not needed in the jacket), and does not fit without trimming. I wonder if there is a more suitable back plate in Held's line-up? Would take some trial and error, but there is probably a better choice. I followed the recommended purchases however. The green SasTec armor does add a bit of thickness and bulk compared to the foam protector, but I think it is totally worth it, and the jacket still feels less bulky than my old JR gear.

The pants fit as comfortably and well as the jacket, and they feel MUCH less bulky than my last couple pairs of riding pants, but there are a couple minor complaints: the foot opening is too small and is awkward to open the liner while it is beneath the flare of the outer pants shell (easier to figure out when you watch a product video review). I knew this ahead of time from watching the revzilla vid review, but it is something I can live with. The next complaint had to do with replacement hip armor, which likes to roll/fold itself if handled excessively, making the pants not fit properly when you try to put them back on. Only fix is to open the armor pockets and adjust. Kind of annoying but doesnt happen too often. Hoping some velcro tabs can fix this. Last complaint was the knee armor not having the adjustability I would like. It is marginally too low (when walking I feel it positioned slightly too low) but when on the bike it works OK. There is no further upwards adjustment in the pocket, but I could adjust lower if I wanted (not that it helps me any.)

The light grey color will do well in the summer riding heat, and I appreciate the ability to now tune my ventilation more freely as I ride.

Nice jacket. I missed this thread. I really like the Klim Overland jacket. Tried one on today. Perfect fit. It's heavy but really well made and includes the D3O armor. Have to wait for a few extra bucks - it's $500. That jacket looks really well made and comfy.

superfunkomatic

Nice jacket. I missed this thread. I really like the Klim Overland jacket. Tried one on today. Perfect fit. It's heavy but really well made and includes the D3O armor. Have to wait for a few extra bucks - it's $500. That jacket looks really well made and comfy.

Tried on the Klim Latitude Misano here in Ft Sask (they had last years stuff at clearance price) and it was really nice fitting stuff and felt pretty decent but it seemed like a lot of money for what is basically a technical shell. I think I would be more inclined to buy the Klim gear for riding the KTM, as it seems more adventure oriented, but it is really quality stuff.

I especially liked the emergency information pocket on the lower arm: I thought this was a fantastic idea that every manufacturer should adopt.

Bought a thermal layer Klim jacket for "the boss" and she really loves it.

If I ever decide to go with new gear that has a Gore outer shell, I will probably go with the Rev'it or Klim stuff. Rukka is nice stuff too, but pricey and seems better geared for the cold.

That Overland jacket is a nice jacket too and it was on my list for a while

If you're gonna spend Klim money on gear, just go right to AeroStich and be done with it.

Klim is another come lately with a cool name.

'Stich is located in Duluth MN, run by a great group of people.

Search ADV Rider for some really interesting takes on the supposed value of KLIM gear ...I personally can not afford it, and after having read the reviews would not consider the stuff even if I had the $$'s. OR if you ride a top of the line BIM GS, please ignore this as your fiscal values do not compare to the other 89% of riders.

I can replace my Firstgear Killiman multiple times, should the need arise for the price of a similarly kitted out KLIM touring style, 

Another vote for Aerostich here.  My Gore-tex Darien has held up for many years, and still does not leak.  I've crash-tested it, as well as Aerostich's repair service, and both came through with flying colors.

Great people, great gear.