Goretex Adv Suits... Any Experience?

Goretex Adv Suits... Any Experience?

Author
Discussion

Steve Bass

Original Poster:

10,316 posts

239 months

Saturday 12th August 2023
quotequote all
So I'm looking at replacing my venerable IXS adv 2 piece that I've had for nearly 12 years.
It's been superb, having been all over East Africa, Vietnam, South Africa and now into Canada.

Looking around I'm seeing 2 piece suits by Klim or Rev'It saying they're Goretex. And cost upto and over $3300 CAD excluding taxes...
Examples like the Rev'It Dominator and Klim Badlands Pro

Anyone else have any experience with suits at this end of the spectrum and whether they're worth it or the manufacturer or sellers are just gouging???

Thx

Salted_Peanut

1,507 posts

60 months

Saturday 12th August 2023
quotequote all
This Bennetts BikeSocial summary has helpful info, and Bennetts is one of very few reviewers I trust.

https://www.bennetts.co.uk/bikesocial/reviews/prod...

GSA_fattie

2,240 posts

227 months

Saturday 12th August 2023
quotequote all
aerostich?

i didn't get one because i thought it might be a real faff importing and exporting between GB and USA if it didn’t fit or something went wrong, but it might be different as you’re in Canada

guitarcarfanatic

1,732 posts

141 months

Saturday 12th August 2023
quotequote all
Rev'it tend to have a more european cut - I found the XXL tight across my very broad shoulders, but the XXXL too wide so armour in wrong place (this is the Gore-Tex Trench). I then decided on the Klim Carlsbad in XL which was perfect across the shoulders (but is a boxy fit as designed for off-road, like the badlands). They also do the Kodiak and Latitude which are a more touring cut, but I quite like the room for layering.

The Carlsbad weighs quite a bit less than the Badlands, but is a little simpler design wise. I am very happy with it, but the trousers aren't great apparently. Not an issue for me as jacket is black and my old black trousers match.


OverSteery

3,655 posts

237 months

Saturday 12th August 2023
quotequote all
Steve Bass said:
So I'm looking at replacing my venerable IXS adv 2 piece that I've had for nearly 12 years.
It's been superb, having been all over East Africa, Vietnam, South Africa and now into Canada.

Looking around I'm seeing 2 piece suits by Klim or Rev'It saying they're Goretex. And cost upto and over $3300 CAD excluding taxes...
Examples like the Rev'It Dominator and Klim Badlands Pro

Anyone else have any experience with suits at this end of the spectrum and whether they're worth it or the manufacturer or sellers are just gouging???

Thx
If they say they are Goretex then they probably are - Gore protect their brand! Any Goretex will have been approved by Gore for their warrantee and will cost more as a result.

Generally in life you pay more for a better product with a undercurrent of diminishing return.

What are you looking for in a jacket/trouser ?

You can bore yourself *** with Motorledgeds reviews...

Personally I spent an eye watering amount in Stadler 7 years ago and have worn them daily ever since and I hope they will last another 7 years....

Steve Bass

Original Poster:

10,316 posts

239 months

Saturday 12th August 2023
quotequote all
OverSteery said:
If they say they are Goretex then they probably are - Gore protect their brand! Any Goretex will have been approved by Gore for their warrantee and will cost more as a result.

Generally in life you pay more for a better product with a undercurrent of diminishing return.

What are you looking for in a jacket/trouser ?

You can bore yourself *** with Motorledgeds reviews...

Personally I spent an eye watering amount in Stadler 7 years ago and have worn them daily ever since and I hope they will last another 7 years....
My IXS kit was great.. BUT... the jacket and trousers have quilted liners for cold and thin waterproof liners for rain. You can't use them independently as they need to be zipped together. All in all, a bit of a faff getting stripped and fitted on the roadside and carrying it all around is a PITA.
Temperature wise, I think it was aimed at the European markets as it was warmer than its ventilation cooled it so in Vietnam it was impossible to wear most of the time.
Reading about the GTX kit, it seems there's no need for liners and such which appeals and the inclusion of the GTX renders it waterproof from the get go.
Can't deny, I'm a bit staggered by the prices but if they're as good as they say I'm happy to pay for good gear. Wet and cold isn't a good thing.....

boxedin

1,399 posts

132 months

Saturday 12th August 2023
quotequote all
Goretex Pro/GTX has been around for years.
Anyone remember Hein Gericke's Master gear?

I used to ride all year in three layers at most:

winter
  1. 1 - base layer
  2. 2 - heated layer
  3. 3 - goretex pro jacket / trousers.
cooler
  1. 1 - base layer
  2. 2 - thermal lining clipped in to jacket/trousers.
  3. 3 - goretex pro jacket / trousers.
No matter whether it was Hein Gericke or BMW kit. I never ONCE got wet.

If you can afford/justify it: Goretex Pro/GTX single layer laminate is the answer.

Just keep them draughts out and you're good.

spareparts

6,783 posts

233 months

Saturday 12th August 2023
quotequote all
Klim Badlands Pro here. Bone dry and never let a drop in. Vents everywhere. Quality is superlative. But it weighs a tonne, and its weight actually keeps you exercising and warmer as a result. I hate liners and always prefer wearing my own softshell or equivalent underneath for extra warmth if needed. Klim perfect for that. Revit is more supple from new. Klim takes a while to break in, but remains watertight. Klim boxy cut, but very well thought through and feels overbuilt.

Steve Bass

Original Poster:

10,316 posts

239 months

Saturday 12th August 2023
quotequote all
spareparts said:
Klim Badlands Pro here. Bone dry and never let a drop in. Vents everywhere. Quality is superlative. But it weighs a tonne, and its weight actually keeps you exercising and warmer as a result. I hate liners and always prefer wearing my own softshell or equivalent underneath for extra warmth if needed. Klim perfect for that. Revit is more supple from new. Klim takes a while to break in, but remains watertight. Klim boxy cut, but very well thought through and feels overbuilt.
Cheers Ade,

I'm between the Klim Badlands Pro A3 and the Revit Dominator 3.
I like the fact you can fit a hydration bag with the Klim but I think the Dominator can be had for about 1k less including the bib and other bits and pieces....
Also, I can try the Revit on whereas the Klim is mail order so possibly a few goes on getting the right size and fit.
Klim is still preference though

Lambo FirstBlood

979 posts

185 months

Saturday 12th August 2023
quotequote all
Have you considered the Hideout Hi Pro suit? I haven’t got any personal experience but anyone who has seems to wax lyrical about their quality and their service.

Steve Bass

Original Poster:

10,316 posts

239 months

Saturday 12th August 2023
quotequote all
Lambo FirstBlood said:
Have you considered the Hideout Hi Pro suit? I haven’t got any personal experience but anyone who has seems to wax lyrical about their quality and their service.
Read good things but availability in Canada may be an issue

Steve Bass

Original Poster:

10,316 posts

239 months

Saturday 12th August 2023
quotequote all
spareparts said:
Klim Badlands Pro here. Bone dry and never let a drop in. Vents everywhere. Quality is superlative. But it weighs a tonne, and its weight actually keeps you exercising and warmer as a result. I hate liners and always prefer wearing my own softshell or equivalent underneath for extra warmth if needed. Klim perfect for that. Revit is more supple from new. Klim takes a while to break in, but remains watertight. Klim boxy cut, but very well thought through and feels overbuilt.
Ade, do the jacket and pants zip together??

Tribal Chestnut

3,001 posts

188 months

Saturday 12th August 2023
quotequote all
Recently went for the Rev’It Dominator, having been massively disappointed with going the M2M route and trying Klim but finding that the sizing was just mental.

Rev’It sizing isn’t as good (for me) as it used to be - e.g. in order to get trousers with large enough thighs and ample bum space, I have had to compromise with a waist which is far too wide.

The fabric is very stiff, probably due to being Goretex Pro, which does cause it to ride up a little around the shoulders, although the armour appears to stay in place adequately. The M2M fabric on my other suit though is brilliant in comparison - soft, durable and waterproof.

Quality & waterproofing seem fine, but I’m only a few months in so haven’t been through any truly atrocious weather yet, nor have I had much of a chance to wreck it.

The hand warmer pockets are absolutely crap - it’s a real squeeze getting my hands warm and they have stupid stud fasteners - why bother? Just spend the money getting the design right.

It does have a few other silly and, to me, pointless features, such as an expanding rear pocket - why does it need to expand? Are they trying to compete with Klim for the amount of fabric used per suit?? Unnecessarily large thigh pockets & a silly ‘mini’ zip to hold the torso and legs together - I only ever use the full zip.

My other bugbear is the internal pocket - I have an iPhone 13 mini and it will only fit in horizontally. A minor irritation but it should be a non-issue on a suit like this.

Originally I wasn’t keen on having to spend more on separate liners, but I’ve grown to like that idea now and am actually looking forward to trying my RST gilet and Oxford fleece thing. I have never used the leg-liners on a suit, so that is not a problem.

Hard to say if I could recommend it to others as I haven’t used it ‘properly’ yet, but I don’t regret my purchase (yet?).

Lambo FirstBlood

979 posts

185 months

Sunday 13th August 2023
quotequote all
Steve Bass said:
Read good things but availability in Canada may be an issue
Sorry, should have read your first post in more detail.

Salted_Peanut

1,507 posts

60 months

Sunday 13th August 2023
quotequote all
Undoubtedly, Hideout would ship an off-the-shelf sized suit to Canada. But you’d want to email or talk with them on the phone to ask about their standard sizes.

https://www.hideout-leather.co.uk/contact-us/

Steve Bass

Original Poster:

10,316 posts

239 months

Sunday 13th August 2023
quotequote all
Salted_Peanut said:
Undoubtedly, Hideout would ship an off-the-shelf sized suit to Canada. But you’d want to email or talk with them on the phone to ask about their standard sizes.

https://www.hideout-leather.co.uk/contact-us/
Yeah, but duty to pay on delivery and a potential nightmare returns scenario just doesn’t make it a practical option.

Salted_Peanut

1,507 posts

60 months

Sunday 13th August 2023
quotequote all
Fair enough.

Tribal Chestnut

3,001 posts

188 months

Tuesday 24th October 2023
quotequote all
Just following up on the below; it leaks!!!!

Not massively, but wet arms as the vents don’t seal adequately.

Double checked all the zips were closed fully after getting wet arms last Wednesday, but they were wet again when I got in this morning.

This was after only about 30 minutes on the bike.

Not good on a jacket supposedly at this level.


Tribal Chestnut said:
Recently went for the Rev’It Dominator, having been massively disappointed with going the M2M route and trying Klim but finding that the sizing was just mental.

Rev’It sizing isn’t as good (for me) as it used to be - e.g. in order to get trousers with large enough thighs and ample bum space, I have had to compromise with a waist which is far too wide.

The fabric is very stiff, probably due to being Goretex Pro, which does cause it to ride up a little around the shoulders, although the armour appears to stay in place adequately. The M2M fabric on my other suit though is brilliant in comparison - soft, durable and waterproof.

Quality & waterproofing seem fine, but I’m only a few months in so haven’t been through any truly atrocious weather yet, nor have I had much of a chance to wreck it.

The hand warmer pockets are absolutely crap - it’s a real squeeze getting my hands warm and they have stupid stud fasteners - why bother? Just spend the money getting the design right.

It does have a few other silly and, to me, pointless features, such as an expanding rear pocket - why does it need to expand? Are they trying to compete with Klim for the amount of fabric used per suit?? Unnecessarily large thigh pockets & a silly ‘mini’ zip to hold the torso and legs together - I only ever use the full zip.

My other bugbear is the internal pocket - I have an iPhone 13 mini and it will only fit in horizontally. A minor irritation but it should be a non-issue on a suit like this.

Originally I wasn’t keen on having to spend more on separate liners, but I’ve grown to like that idea now and am actually looking forward to trying my RST gilet and Oxford fleece thing. I have never used the leg-liners on a suit, so that is not a problem.

Hard to say if I could recommend it to others as I haven’t used it ‘properly’ yet, but I don’t regret my purchase (yet?).

Fullook

780 posts

79 months

Tuesday 24th October 2023
quotequote all
I missed this thread when first started so, Steve, I suspect you've probably made your decision and bought something by now.

I returned to biking a year ago with the intention of riding longish distances in all weathers & throughout the year.

I did a bit of research, had a pretty clear idea of budget, and ended up going for the Rukka Kalix 2 jacket and trousers. They were by some distance the cheapest Rukka goretex suit (I think because it's 2 layer rather than 3 layer goretex) not too heavy, nice and flexible / comfortable.

In the event I ended up doing even more winter & wet weather travel than I expected (parent 170 miles away fell ill) and the Rukka was faultless - completely dry even up to 4+ hours in driving rain, also wind proof and more than warm enough paired with other layers (& heated Keiss jacket underneath!).

Ultimately I chose it over Klim options mainly for reasons of style, and over other Rukka options for reasons of cost. Maybe I got a good one and others may have different experiences, but I would recommend it wholeheartedly to anyone making a decision based on a similar set of requirements.


GSA_fattie

2,240 posts

227 months

Tuesday 24th October 2023
quotequote all
Tribal Chestnut said:
Just following up on the below; it leaks!!!!

Not massively, but wet arms as the vents don’t seal adequately.

Double checked all the zips were closed fully after getting wet arms last Wednesday, but they were wet again when I got in this morning.

This was after only about 30 minutes on the bike.

Not good on a jacket supposedly at this level.


Tribal Chestnut said:
Recently went for the Rev’It Dominator, having been massively disappointed with going the M2M route and trying Klim but finding that the sizing was just mental.

Rev’It sizing isn’t as good (for me) as it used to be - e.g. in order to get trousers with large enough thighs and ample bum space, I have had to compromise with a waist which is far too wide.

The fabric is very stiff, probably due to being Goretex Pro, which does cause it to ride up a little around the shoulders, although the armour appears to stay in place adequately. The M2M fabric on my other suit though is brilliant in comparison - soft, durable and waterproof.

Quality & waterproofing seem fine, but I’m only a few months in so haven’t been through any truly atrocious weather yet, nor have I had much of a chance to wreck it.

The hand warmer pockets are absolutely crap - it’s a real squeeze getting my hands warm and they have stupid stud fasteners - why bother? Just spend the money getting the design right.

It does have a few other silly and, to me, pointless features, such as an expanding rear pocket - why does it need to expand? Are they trying to compete with Klim for the amount of fabric used per suit?? Unnecessarily large thigh pockets & a silly ‘mini’ zip to hold the torso and legs together - I only ever use the full zip.

My other bugbear is the internal pocket - I have an iPhone 13 mini and it will only fit in horizontally. A minor irritation but it should be a non-issue on a suit like this.

Originally I wasn’t keen on having to spend more on separate liners, but I’ve grown to like that idea now and am actually looking forward to trying my RST gilet and Oxford fleece thing. I have never used the leg-liners on a suit, so that is not a problem.

Hard to say if I could recommend it to others as I haven’t used it ‘properly’ yet, but I don’t regret my purchase (yet?).
might it need cleaning and reproofing

just a thought if its used everyday