sagerat
Boxers uber alles
Greetings,
So last late fall I bought a Roadcrafter 3 and have put a couple of thousand miles on it. The suit is the best commuting gear I've ever used; very convenient and fantastic weather protection. I've been in cold, wind, rain, and temps from upper 30s to mid-80s. It's the latter where for me the R3 falls short. The venting just isn't there. I've run it wearing just LD riding shorts and wicking shirt underneath and still just roasted, even with armpit vents open and back vent open and without my Camel Bak. The chest vents on my old Rallye 3 suit spoiled me. The numerous pockets on the R3 are both boon and bane as it took me a while to settle in on a system of this also goes in this pocket, that always goes in that pocket, these go there... The R3 is very comfy both on and off bike. Drawback is when touring solo and making pit stops, it's either lug suit into bathroom or go into bathroom suited, unsuit to do business, then resuit, or leave suit on bike, which for paranoid me is not an option. Heck, I lug my helmet into the restroom as a Schuberth ain't cheap. For food stops, I just wear the 'Stich to my table and then zip out and pile suit onto the booth. I laughingly call it my semi-inconvenient convenient suit. Overall, I give the Roadcrafter 3 a solid B+; for me it's excellent for commuting, decent for day rides, and below average for touring. I've tried wearing my Camel Bak and it blocks the rear vent. Don't get me wrong, I'm very happy with the purchase and have no regrets.
So three weeks ago I gulped and bought the Klim Badlands jacket and pants for a trip down to SoCal and back. In about 2,500 miles I had temps from upper 40s to low 90s as well as wind, more wind, high winds, and absurd winds, as well as rain and lots and lots of sun. Klim gear worked great in all conditions. The jacket and pants have enough pockets to cause me to lose track of things...again. The venting is fabulous. This is where the Klim really outshines the Roadcrafter 3 is its arm vents, back vents, chest vents, and then the excellent venting in the pants. Plus my Camel Bak does not crimp the airflow at all. The Klim wears lighter on the body than the 'Stich. Fit on the jacket is excellent, the pants are solid; neither the Klim nor the R3 knee pads caused any discomfort on long rides, although the Rally 3 pants would cause a bit. The Klim's jacket to pants zipper works very well. The Klim for me is a superior choice for touring, equals or slightly betters the R3 for day rides, and trails as commuting gear. The Klim is vastly superior for dual sporting, but then that's its primary purpose; I bought the R3 knowing I'd never use it for dual sporting.
In short the Klim and the R3 complement each other. If I had to pick one, knowing what I now know and after using both for several thousand miles, I'd go for the Klim Badlands jacket and pants, but luckily I don't have to make that choice.
YMMV.
So last late fall I bought a Roadcrafter 3 and have put a couple of thousand miles on it. The suit is the best commuting gear I've ever used; very convenient and fantastic weather protection. I've been in cold, wind, rain, and temps from upper 30s to mid-80s. It's the latter where for me the R3 falls short. The venting just isn't there. I've run it wearing just LD riding shorts and wicking shirt underneath and still just roasted, even with armpit vents open and back vent open and without my Camel Bak. The chest vents on my old Rallye 3 suit spoiled me. The numerous pockets on the R3 are both boon and bane as it took me a while to settle in on a system of this also goes in this pocket, that always goes in that pocket, these go there... The R3 is very comfy both on and off bike. Drawback is when touring solo and making pit stops, it's either lug suit into bathroom or go into bathroom suited, unsuit to do business, then resuit, or leave suit on bike, which for paranoid me is not an option. Heck, I lug my helmet into the restroom as a Schuberth ain't cheap. For food stops, I just wear the 'Stich to my table and then zip out and pile suit onto the booth. I laughingly call it my semi-inconvenient convenient suit. Overall, I give the Roadcrafter 3 a solid B+; for me it's excellent for commuting, decent for day rides, and below average for touring. I've tried wearing my Camel Bak and it blocks the rear vent. Don't get me wrong, I'm very happy with the purchase and have no regrets.
So three weeks ago I gulped and bought the Klim Badlands jacket and pants for a trip down to SoCal and back. In about 2,500 miles I had temps from upper 40s to low 90s as well as wind, more wind, high winds, and absurd winds, as well as rain and lots and lots of sun. Klim gear worked great in all conditions. The jacket and pants have enough pockets to cause me to lose track of things...again. The venting is fabulous. This is where the Klim really outshines the Roadcrafter 3 is its arm vents, back vents, chest vents, and then the excellent venting in the pants. Plus my Camel Bak does not crimp the airflow at all. The Klim wears lighter on the body than the 'Stich. Fit on the jacket is excellent, the pants are solid; neither the Klim nor the R3 knee pads caused any discomfort on long rides, although the Rally 3 pants would cause a bit. The Klim's jacket to pants zipper works very well. The Klim for me is a superior choice for touring, equals or slightly betters the R3 for day rides, and trails as commuting gear. The Klim is vastly superior for dual sporting, but then that's its primary purpose; I bought the R3 knowing I'd never use it for dual sporting.
In short the Klim and the R3 complement each other. If I had to pick one, knowing what I now know and after using both for several thousand miles, I'd go for the Klim Badlands jacket and pants, but luckily I don't have to make that choice.
YMMV.
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