rookie needs riding gear help,klimate or keweenaw? (long)

[SledFreak]

When I talked to Klim, the girl told me, the Kewweenaw is warmer.

 

[**sj**]

funny that was my question....I was looking at it today...both are very nice...one of my buds bought the yam version at port...

the stuff was some of the nicest gear Ive seen..

so I started looking and the way it was explained to me the keewanaw is the latest greatest...has gators on the arms...more pockets etc...I was told the warmth difference was pretty insignificant...and was leaning towards the klimate for better price but after looking at the keewanaws extra details it was harder to look back...

whats a good price for either set..? klimate jacket and bibs vs keewanaw jacket and bibs..

 

[vsmpowered]

whats the difference between midwest and up riding

 

[**sj**]

whats the difference between midwest and up riding

think he / they said there is a difference in outwest vs. up of michigan riding...

 

[Traildale]

After three years riding with Klim gear, I can relate the following:
1) Their boots are outstanding. Warm and DRY.
2) There is no "one setup" that works.
3) You need to learn about layering through experience. What's perfect at 2 PM will be cold at 8 PM. Everybody is different. I always ride with one less layer than most of my buddies.
4) You should bring or wear an extra layer or two, even if you are just doubling up a base layer.
5) While it seems like a hassle to change layers when riding, it does give you the ability to have the perfect comfort level all the time.
6) With the wind exposure on the legs common with current sleds, you will need to have a few layering options below the waist as well.
7) The options for inner layers have a much greater impact on warmth than the outer jacket or shell.

A typical day starts with a single base layer, mid fleece layer, and Klimate outer. At the first stop, after getting warmed up, I' shed the fleece until it cools down later in the day. That night, i'll double up on the base, add the fleece, or a heavier fleece - which is good down to -10 or -15 for me.

 

[Irv]

I just purchased some FXR Floatex SX gear and only the jacket has an inner liner, sure don't want to be fiddling with layers all day long and from what I have been told, I shouldn't have to?

 

[yamadog1]

klim

talked to two different girls both said klimate would be warmer, on price you should get 20% off, maybe more if you know dealer well.
i have tog's bibs also and i wear them most of the time.

 

[SledFreak]

Well, I bought the Keewanow jacket and bibs and inferno mid layer and base layer as well as the new Arctic boots.

 

[yamadog1]

klim

you will be very happy, and look good to.

 

[MR.HAPPY]

If a person needs all these layers to be warm, this Klim stuff must suck!
Is it really that bad?
You don't need layers in cheap Farm & Fleet or Fleet - Farm jacket or bib!!!

Is the Klim stuff warm or not?



BR

 

[spike337]

I can never figure out what's the warmest, or what is middle of the road, etc. They do a terrible job imo of advertising. "Keeps you dry" "Wicks away sweat" I'm freezing my ars off! I am not sweating, believe me! Agreeed on the layering thing too, it's starting to be a little too much work and messin around for me. But i'm not in Canada or out in the mountains, so i can stop if i get cold i guess.
You get what you pay for, and i finally broke down and bought some Klim gloves, Togs. No idea if they're the warmest, coldest, or medium warm gloves they offer, but they'll keep my hands dry, lol. Once again, never had wet hands.
Hope the stuff is good, i'm interested in some duel sport jackets too.

 

[MR.HAPPY]

I want to be warm without wearing 50 lbs of clothing and the layering thing is not easy on a Yamaha with very little storage!

BR

 

[**sj**]

I dont have Klim (yet) but the experts say layering is the key..this way you have control...

 

[northerndoc]

I see a lot of confusion on this subject here on the forums... I think it all comes down to the old-school/ new-school ways of thinking. The purpose of layering is not only to give you flexibility to be comfortable (warm) in different temps/environments, it is also to help control moisture and wind. Moisture is the biggest enemy to being warm. You have to get it off your skin if it's there and prevent it from coming in from outside. You sweat all the time during the day, even if you can't feel it- you are DEFINITELY sweating when you ride. You can't be warm if you're wet. As the sweat evaporates it pulls heat from the body- the reason it feels cold when you get out of the shower.

If you are strictly a trail rider in the U.P. for example, you likely spend long periods of time at high speed with minimal physical activity. It's also likely that you won't sweat nearly as much as say, someone riding in the mountains out west. Therefore you need more insulation to keep warm and are less concerned with perspiration control. In your case you would likely be fine (as people have been for years) wearing jeans and a sweatshirt under a bulkier, heavily insulated outer coat and bib. You might not need the benefits that most Klim products (or similar technical clothing) will afford you.

If, on the other hand, you find yourself off-trail regularly, are an extremely aggressive rough trail rider, ride out west often or just happen to sweat a lot... you probably need less insulation but more perspiration control. In this case, layering is much more beneficial. It all depends on how you ride. Klim clothing is patterned after the technical clothing that was developed for mountaineering. It relies on layers because layers are more efficient at removing moisture from the skin and offering protection from the wind. They also afford the adjustability that everyone else here has mentioned. The insulated offerings from Klim (Keeweenaw, Klimate) are an attempt to meet the needs of Midwestern trailriders who need more insulation and also rarely find themselves needing just a shell and base layer because of the cold temps and super-low windchill factors developed on a railroad grade for 30 straight miles at 90mph. Most Klim shells are not designed to be WARM in the traditional sense(large quantities of bulky Thermofil insulation- like Carhartts), because your mid layer is supposed to provide the insulation.

Whatever type of riding you do, they are likely to have you covered. I personally purchase Klim gear because I prefer the adjustability of the layers and I tend to be a very active rider both on and off-trail. Even with all three layers on for the coldest stuff my setup is still not as bulky as the majority of insulated old-school snowmobile gear out there. The stuff is also nearly indestructible and they stand by their product like no other clothing company I have had experience with.

Sorry for the novel, but it just irks me to listen to people forming judgments about the product without understanding the concept... In the end- the stuff sells itself. If you understand what it's designed to do and use it as such you'll never buy anything else.

 

[spike337]

You're right northerndoc, i think i fell into the "One of those guys" clubs i swore i never would when i was younger. New, modern tech, don't understand, (like computors) so it's their fault! lol.
You did clear things up quite a bit for me, and i'd bet i'm not the only one that was/is lost.
Like i said, i bought a pair of their gloves, pretty much just going off price and reputation, because that's all i could gather, Good rep+expensive, =should work? Mike.