Klim Overland Jacket & Pants Review

Anyone familiar with Klim is aware the company manufactures some pricey and very sophisticated apparel such as the $1,599 Adventure Rally Jacket. Like any well-balanced business, Klim also offers products with less stratospheric pricing and fewer features, while retaining the functionality and quality for which Klim is known.

At $429.99 – $469.99 Klim’s Overland Jacket is just such an item. For 2014 the Overland Jacket was upgraded with D3O’s T5 EVO Range body armor for elbows and shoulders, as well as a D30 XT back protector. Both are certified to CE level 1 standards, while the positioning of the elbow pad is customizable within the jacket to a low and high position.

Constructed from a combination of nylon fabric and a PTFE (Polytetrafluoroethylene, also known as Teflon) membrane with 840D ballistic fabric overlays on the forearms, elbows and shoulders, the Overland Jacket is more abrasion resistant and water repellent than crocodile skin. To ensure dryness, Klim employed 2-layer Gore-Tex construction and water-resistant YKK zippers on all exterior pocket openings. The main jacket zipper is not water-resistant but does feature a dual flap design. Both the neck and jacket bottom can be sufficiently snugged against rain and cold via shock cords and locks.

The Overland jacket does utilize vents – two vertical intake and two vertical exhaust, all with water-resistant YKK zippers – but it’s not ideal for use in really hot weather. Consider the Overland good the three seasons that aren’t summer. Not to say it has a removable warmth liner for winter riding, or any warmth liner for that matter, but worn in combination with gear like Klim’s own base and mid-layers, the jacket/pants combo will provide enough cold-weather protection to keep a rider comfortable in frigid temperatures (personal experiences may vary depending on amount of fairing protection).

Constructed from the same combination of nylon fabric, PTFE membrane and 840D ballistic fabric overlays, the Overland Pants ($409.99 – $439.99) are the perfect matching equipment for the lower half of your body.

Like the jacket, the pants incorporate D3O’s EVO Range of body armor at the knees and hips. Two vertical intake and two vertical exhaust vents for warmer weather, and water-resistant YKK zippers are used except for the external pocket. The pants also utilize an adjustable velcro waistband as well as adjustable velcro cuffs to keep wind and water from creeping up your leg from the bottom.

Both the Overland Jacket and Pants come in a choice of black or grey. While not the most visible colors for the some of the inclement weather you may be riding in, each garment is outfitted with 3M Scotchlite reflective material.

Beyond the garments’ capacity for providing protection in a variety of weather conditions, enough can’t be said about fitment. Without having tried on the jacket or pants prior to their arrival, it was amazing to find that Klim’s fitment charts actually measure up (pun intended). Both items fit with the comfortable familiarity of an expensive pair of blue jeans.

Although the gear is more adventure-touring than sport-touring in appearance, I wouldn’t hesitate to recommend the Overland Jacket and Pants to either variety of rider. From the photos you can see I’ve worn it in both scenarios, and the combination proved a good choice both times.

So, if you’re looking for some quality, all-weather riding gear that won’t break the bank give Klim’s Overland models a look-see at www.klim.com. At about $910 for the pair, you’re still saving nearly $700 compared to that $1,600 Adventure Rally Jacket.

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