My RANT:
We hope KLIM gets their act together and come out with a DUAL SPORT suit in female sizing that is the same quality as the guys in the very near future. We LOVE KLIM but it seems other companies such as BMW are a head of the game treating grrls as equals when it comes to the ADV suits.
It’s not rocket science that grrls ride DS bikes and we demand the same protection as guys. There are no surprises when it comes to our needs for fit, colour choices, layering choices as well look. In what sort of what appears to be a low-budget BMW video you can get an idea that both the male and female version of the GS Dry suit are made equally with the sole difference being BMW is acknowledging grrls have different sizing needs.
We don’t need a suit with a kidney belt, the need for suspenders because the pants are so heavy, don’t have a need for all the technical accessories. We are simple riders that would like a simple suit. Some decent amount of jacket pockets, love pants side pockets, a suit that we would want to go out to dinner in, a suit that is comfortable you don’t even feel like you are wearing it…a suit that when done riding for the day you are not craving the need to tear it off. See, we are not picky….just sometimes less is more for us. 😉
Presently, Cheryl and I wear the KLIM Traverse. WE love this suit but one draw back for instance, Leslie has to wear a large jacket due to genetic hips and pants a size up for the same reason. Same with Cheryl. We are both wearing suits that are technically too large for us but we make do.
Sometimes I feel the market for real DS ADV gear tailored to grrls leaves us with not much to choose from that will fit…so, why not dress like this pic? Just Kidding, had to throw in another wedding pic that I love. 😉
We ride all year-long too, so the gear needs to be waterproof without a doubt from the outside in.
Harley has amazing marketing strategy and offer more than enough chooses for their female riders not only in gear but bikes.
I am seriously going to consider this new GS Dry suit and will find stock to try it on. I will wait until the new year to see if KLIM comes out with a respectable female suit that is a H20 proof shell. We like to layer ourselves, need waterproofing from the outside in, not the other way. We hate embedded layers and do not need a quilted thermal layer at all. We use our heated liners.
So, I am aware Olympia, Rukka and others have female sizing too. But when you look at price, quality etc…. BMW seems reasonable at a cost around $1000 for jacket and pants. Looking forward to checking this GS Dry suit out some time soon. See the tacky but informative video here…
I am aware some grrls want or need pink gear. WE are not those grrls but can appreciate the need. But gear manufacturers still need to provide the same quality, same material same design choices. It’s really that simple. Hey KLIM if you read this…make the Overland suit with side hip gators, add a few more pockets and add female sizing to your pants and you have 2 suits sold over here. 😉
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Advgrrl Motorcycle Adventures & More 
Yes we have been watching Klim since your post last year regarding the female sizing in their gear, but still nothing. I wrote them and they said September but that date has come and gone and still nothing. It would seem that Polaris buying them has changed their focus back to the snowmobile garb. We will be buying next spring and if Klim is in the game then they will be considered, but if not, then it is good bye to them.
KLIM says March 2014, we shall see
I now you did not like the original Latitude but have you tried the Misano version?
yeah I still do not like the collar height…better but the collar for us is not a fit. Too bad eh?
I have been waiting for over a year for KLIM to unveil their female gear. I presently have the Traverse pants and the fit is good for me but I don’t have a decent jacket. I too ride a GS and need a proper fitting waterproof jacket. If KLIM doesn’t get their act together soon I will be looking at another brand.
Well if you ride a GS and don;t mind branding your self as such I think this BMW suit is worth investigating. KLIM said March 2014 we should see a female line for bikes. I will wait to see if their well over due promise comes to fruition.
I have the GS Drysuit and love it. I am mostly a commuter, with a few off road excursions and have been wearing this suit since May ’13. It fits my athletic figure (arms and thighs are usually an issue for me), the fabric is flexible, lots of pockets in the jacket, comfortable collar, comfortable armor, the ribbing in the back to help keep the back armor from sweating you out is wonderful, the venting is front to back at the pits and I was worried I would overheat (we are in the 100’s for three months a year), but it was tolerable. Have only experienced two short rains, I didn’t get the least bit wet and very pleased that the ice cold rain we have didn’t suck all the heat out of my body like the aerostich does. Didn’t feel drafts in the cold, now that the temps are at freezing I wear a heated liner. There are so many very thoughtful features it is hard to remember them all. If you have an opportunity, try one on. It is expensive and I was worried when I bought it especially since there were NO reviews, but I love it. Did I mention all the pockets? Love pockets…
Awesome thanks for the review! This will help not only us but anyone else who has questions. My last question. True to size with room for the heated liner to fit comfortably? Or size up ?
That is a hard question. Street clothes I wear 6 ‘relaxed fit’ pants (athletic thighs more so than normal women ;), and bought the size 40 Drysuit pants. The pants have adjustable tabs (Thank you BMW!) to cinch in the waist a bit, otherwise the size up for thigh fit wouldn’t have worked. Jackets I wear small/medium street clothes and my mc jackets are either 36 or 38 and I bought the size 38 Drysuit Jacket.
Aerostitch has two one-piece suits in women’s sizes and they offer alterations. They have room for heated undergear, and a convenient port for the cord to go through. Very comfy and well made stuff. Same color combos as the guy’s suits. Probably too many pockets though for my taste, but just don’t use them. Their armor is very good and comfortable.
Everyone I know who owns aero stitch love the gear but does not hold up to our rains. They leak. But nice stuff though.
Plus we need a suit for everyday riding that does it all. Our Traverse does it all minus being too big.
Klim was showing their women’s suit at the BMW Rally in Salem but it was just a prototype so we couldn’t try it on. There was a nice feature to customize pant length with a zipper. They promised March 2014. March will be the time frame for me to replace my BMW Comfort Shell. It has served me well but isn’t really waterproof anymore despite repeated Nikwax applications. It has about 70,000 miles on it so I’m not complaining….
The GS suit looks nice and would match my x-head GS 🙂
Colleen from Santa Cruz
you take any pics of the KLIM gear? Does it appear to be the same quality Cordura as the guys? Anymore details would be greatly appreciated. Leslie
I didn’t take any pics but the suit was light grey with orange accents. It was the same material as the male version. They said they had planned to launch the suit in Spring of 2013 but the beta tests showed that there were some changes required before putting the suit on the market. They found that pink wasn’t a good color (I hope they just meant pink accents for goodness sake!) and there were some other sizing issues. From what they told me, it was ready for production and was on track for 2014. I hope so. I haven’t tried Klim gear but I’d sure like to check it out as an option. BMW gear has always treated me well as far as fit and technical specs (I LOVE the “pine cone” breathing material for versatility) but the waterproofing never lasts as long as I would hope.
Crossing my fingers for Spring…
Colleen
BMW are pretty good catering to both men and women—they’ve had unisex or male/female cuts for most of their clothing/PPE for as long as I can remember. I have the rallye 3 jacket and city 2 trouser and they have proven to be as-advertised for 1 1/2 years now. The rallye 3 jacket was warrantied recently due to a minor defective seam where the rubber gasket is attached to allow the drink pack to go through, but they simply replaced it with a brand new jacket. It isn’t waterproof with the liner removed (which was reinforced when I forgot it at home and had to ride nearly 400 miles home in the rain from the netherlands last year)—but with the liner in it is very warm and dry. The city 2 trousers are not waterproof at all so I use a pair of waterproof overtrousers with these. One thing that I love about the BMW gear is the NP protectors. They use a substance similar to d3o so they mould into the shape of your body (from your body heat) and you can’t feel them from that point.
I love my somewhat flashier and VERY warm icon patrol raiden gear which is in the same price bracket as the BMW gear, and like that it is waterproof without the liner (good for wet summers) and I would say it is just as well made, but icon put some uncomfortable protectors by default (and you have to buy the back protector separately) which I have replaced with all d3o protectors at considerable expense. For that reason, and the Germanic humourlessness of the functional design without embellishment, the BMW gear is the better of the two, overall, by a whisker.
I like the look of the Icon gear…thought about buying a hi viz jacket but want to see the KLIMS grrl versions and try the BMW dry suit in female sizing. No matter what brand in guys sizing jackets are to large for me
I have a PDX shell also (which I keep on the bike all the time as it folds down to nothing) – it is of course designed to go overtop of a protective jacket but it’s very effective in keeping out the rain/wind… The ladies version (http://www.rideicon.com/products/?productGroupId=66606) looks like the exact same cut as the mens but only comes in black with your pet hate – pink accents! On the other hand a mens (http://www.rideicon.com/products/?productGroupId=66522) in extra small would probably fit just right over top of your protective jacket… and wearing hi vis yellow makes everyone look like they’ve just stepped out of a tanning salon!
good Intel Colleen thanks a lot