The Badlands Pro A3 is the world’s first AAA-rated, Gore-Tex Pro Shell suit. Now the Badlands is far and away Klim’s best-selling adventure suit. It’s the suit that made the brand famous. But we have an admission to make. We don’t really understand it. Okay, we do understand it, but we think it’s neither one thing nor t’other. We love what Klim does, their philosophy, their attention to detail, and so on. But we don’t love the Badlands. And that’s because it purports to be an off-road/adventure suit. It fits large and loosish in both the jacket and the pants. And this makes sense because if you’re riding off-road you’re going to want to move about on the bike; and a tight-fitting road suit wouldn’t allow you to do this. But if you’re working hard on the bike, the last thing you want is a laminated membrane that’s going to stop cool air reaching the body, and that’s going to stop hot sweat escaping from it. Now I feel sure that Klim might protest that the Badlands has loads of venting; and indeed it does, but the two components are in essence fighting against one another. Far better, in our view to have a jacket that vents better because it has no membrane. If it rains, put a waterproof over the top. Again, some might say that the Badlands avoids the hassle of having to stop and put a waterproof on. And it does. But, in our world, the main role of an adventure suit is to provide protection and to aid breathability. And in that regard, we think the Badlands is a compromise. Now this is our perspective, and owners all over the world will suggest that we’ve got it wrong. But for every job there’s an appropriate tool; and we can’t quite see what the Badlands is a perfect tool for.
This having been said, the new-for-2021 Badlands Pro A3 is the most technically advanced Badlands ever. And one of the main reasons for being able to make this claim is its AAA rating. It’s made from a new fabric called Vectran. Now meeting AAA is not, in itself, a major achievement. The problem is meeting AAA with a fabric that is comfortable to wear. But what is even more difficult is being able to do this and still meeting Gore’s demanding requirements on breathability. To date, everybody has failed to do this . Klim has succeeded. It is impressive, but in some ways not unexpected, that a niche player like Klim got there before the big boys. But, and we hate to introduce another note of dissent, but we think this new material, Vectran, should have been used on the Kodiak rather than the Badlands. And that’s because the abrasion resistance that forms a significant element of the demanding AAA rating is kind of wasted if you’re riding off-road. Off-road, you fall, you tumble, sometimes you hit things, but usually not at great speed. If Vectran had been used on the Kodiak, it would have given Klim the world’s first road suit with an AAA rating. And that is the Holy Grail. It is what Rukka, Stadler, Halvarssons and everybody else has been trying to achieve. Hopefully, Klim can do this next year, and hopefully they will still be the first.
Now, with all that off our chest, let’s tell you about the Badlands jacket. In addition to Vectran, you get Superfabric on the shoulders, elbows and forearms. There is Aero Pro Level 2, D30 in the elbows and shoulders. There’s a D3O Viper Pro Level 2 protector in the back. We’ve already spoken about the Badland’s venting, so you might not be surprised to learn that the jacket has no less than 12 vents. Klim’s other thing is pockets, and so the jacket has 14, including one on the back that is compatible with a Hydrapack. There’s lots of other detail that is probably best discovered when you’re up close to the Badlands. We’re talking about a moisture-wicking, mesh liner, adjusters on the collar, hem, cuffs, for arms and so on.
Despite some of our reservations, the Badlands is a brilliant suit. For some people, it’s going to be the perfect suit that’s going to do a bit of everything they need it to do.
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