Klim Carlsbad jacket review

[Kaveman]

The new Klim Carlsbad jacket I purchased last week is the first piece of Klim gear I have ever owned. I’m probably like a lot of others in that I always wondered if it was that good. I saw lots of guys that had it and said it was great. I wanted it but I didn’t have the budget for it.

 

I ordered the navy blue RedRock color in a XL. I don’t know my measurements but I usually ware a XL shirt and coats so that’s what I ordered. I ordered it directly from Klim on Monday evening and it was on my porch Friday afternoon. The same day I picked up my blue T7. The packaging was very nice also. 
 

The jackets I have had in the past have all been Moose brand. The Expedition jacket, XCR jacket and most recently the ADV1 jacket. Of all these jackets the ADV1 is the closest to the Carlsbad jacket. 
 

The first things I noticed were. The material is very flexible and soft to the touch.  The zippers are very high quality and move very nicely. They are also placed in spots that make sense to me as a rider. I really like the color I picked too. It’s just different enough but doesn’t stand out. They make 3 other colors also with a high visibility one as one of them. I almost got it but I like the blue one.

 

The first time I tried it on it felt pretty good. The arms felt a little long at first but I hadn’t ridden with it on yet. The main front zipper was easy to access and the outer pockets were easy to open but secure very well with the Velcro. It felt very good with all the movement I could expect. One of the biggest things that stood out for me this first time on was how comfortable the collar is. It’s great. With the size I got it is going to be great for layering when it’s cold. My battery powered vest will fit nicely under it. 
It is in the high 80s here so I opened all the vents after I took it off. The vent zippers move with a little restriction because they are a sealed zipper when closed. All the vents seemed to be in well thought out places. I really like the arm vents. You have a couple options with them which is nice. 
 

I have worn this jacket 3 times now. I know that’s not many. All have been pretty warm rides. No rain yet. I can tell you that the vents work extremely well. Especially the arm vents. It almost feels like you’re wearing a short sleeve T-shirt not a adventure jacket with built in armor. The only part of my under shirt that felt sweaty was the middle of my back. One of the main reasons I want a jacket like this it because of the built in armor. You hardly notice it’s there. I was able to move very freely and the arm length felt much better while riding. Klim put a lot of thought into this one but probably my favorite thing about it is the collar. It’s so comfortable compared to what I’m used to. And the little clips to keep the collar open for more ventilation are brilliant. Nobody wants to wear an adventure jacket when it’s hot but this makes it much much easier. 
 

One thing I always say about riding gear is “if I’m not having to think about it, it is working good” The only reason I was thinking about this Carlsbad jacket as I was riding was because it was so good. I was trying to find something to gripe about but even after wearing it 3 times while writing this I’m not able to. I’m now a believer in Klim, especially the Carlsbad jacket. 
 

Here is a link to Klims website for the Carlsbad jacket.

Carlsbad Jacket | KLIM

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Edited June 14, 2020 by Kaveman