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2016 Klim Adventure Rally - not waterproof.


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I'm still puzzled Klim put YKK Vislon zippers on it, versus YKK Aquaguard. Must be some kind of oversight, not to be expected in this top price- and -quality segment.

 

Now get that thing soaked in the nearest rain - feel free to share the experience. That jacket costs alone the price of my now 7 year old AR1, and should keep you warm, dry and comfy ;-)

 

 

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thank you. still no rain. going to have to wait for a few days ^^

i did put it on to adjust everything. it's going to need some riding to become a little softer. it feels quite stiff for now. and so clean. my old one was starting to get a nice rugged look.

oh well... soon enough, so will this one.

i did ask a Klim ambassador (not working for them) about the reasoning behind this (poor) choice of zippers. i'll see if i get a response or not.

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Sounds like you have a decent resolution finally then. I bet you could get a pretty penny for a brand new replacement jacket too.

So not to bash Klim, but a buddy of mine was over for dinner last weekend and I shared this story with him. He says it's "unconscionable" that for $1700 they didn't simply exchange it immediately. He mentioned this may be more of a Polaris (Klim's parent company) than a Klim thing.

He also shared a story of a BMW dealer taking Klim out of their store. Can you guess what for?

Polaris owns Victory and Indian motorcycle brands along with the range of side by sides and quads so this dealer saw it as putting money in their competition's pockets. Quite interesting. Having Klim lose a bunch of dealer accounts would probably hurt them a great deal.

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yes. i am happy that we could work something out in the end. although i am not sure the outcome would have been quite the same, had i not had a third party getting involved. and had i not been very resolved in getting my jacket changed and not just tested or worse, repaired.

i think that my arguments were slightly more valid than theirs at times. especially when i think about the "crease theory"...

no more rain here, or at least not in my free time, so i haven't been able to test it just yet. i will be keeping it after all, even though i did consider selling it while it was still new and had its tags.

i am grateful to Klim for exchanging my jacket, but i stand by what i have said and repeated. and have told them.

marketing this jacket as waterproof, shipping it with a label that says "guaranteed to keep you dry" and having water-resistant only zippers on it, is plainly potential false advertising.

even more so when a Klim warranty rep (1st person i exchanged emails with) tells you that they are only water-resistant and that eventually water could and would leak through.

and Klim warranty rep Nr. 2 was very happy to let me know that the jacket and its zippers passed the Goretex rain test. but does this test reciprocate riding conditions (wind, speed, creases, tall riders, shorts riders, skinny riders, etc)?

so they tell you that they passed the rain test, but they also tell you that they can leak? it just doesn't add up.

while a number of people do not have leakage issues, quite a few people do. maybe they don't all write publicly about it or cannot be bothered to start a warranty process, since nowadays, they can at times be rather tedious and/or daunting.

i reckon, for their image and reputation, that they should consider that there is a bit of a design flaw here. and that they ought to consider changing the type of zippers that they use on some areas of the jacket.

losing dealers won't do them any good. and i did write earlier about this european dealer that quit because there were too many leakage issues.

but customers voicing their complaints isn't any better. and leakage + water issues seems to be the most common problem reported.

to say that this could be so easily resolved.

Edited by beemer bunny
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My only gripes against my AR1 and AR3 are the Leatt brace compatible collars. They simply don't seal well enough due to lack of velcro surface, and let in both wind and water in inclement weather. 

Disregarding Polaris' new corporate Klim ownership - there is absolutely no legitimacy or reason that this top of the line product should leak water through the zippers. 

Period. 

Edited by bimmkatoomer
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  • 1 month later...

just got news back from klim regarding my adventure rally jacket that was sent for testing, after they replaced it.

"The results from your warranty case confirmed that you were indeed getting wet. The seam tape in the arms had let go which was only apparent after opening the garment up. I am glad that we had you send it in."

glad to know i was not imagining things. and that the zippers were apparently not at fault, despite being only water-resistant ^^

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a friend of mine wrote to me last night that he is experiencing the same issues with his adventure rally as i had with mine.

so, seam tape... or zippers? i still have my doubts about their explanation 🙄

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  • 4 months later...

I had the original Klim Adventure Rally suit and the main zipper after 3 years began to fail , I emailed Klim and they said send it in so I said I’m also getting wet through the crotch of the pants so I might as well send them along for the ride as well. 5 days later there is a box at my door step with brand new upgraded Adventure Rally pants and jacket.

I was pretty excited that it was that painless but that was prior to Polaris buying them out.

Sad to hear stories that aren’t that simple , I was very happy with the service and sorry now it’s not the same.

I do wash just as instructed and re apply the water proof spray and throw it in the dryer on high to set it in. Still dry to this day years later.

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