Whether you’re planning a weekend ride or a round the world motorcycle odyssey, gear is important. But which gear? Off road gear? ADV gear? Which works better, and when?
Gear choices are as individual as bike or route selection, and there’s no one perfect algorithm to fit all. But here’s what worked for me on the Trans America Trail, Back Country Discovery Routes, and round the world so far.
Go Light
This is true for any gear, not just your riding attire: the lighter, the better. On the other hand, “lighter” can sometimes mean a compromise in safety – and that’s a big no-no, especially if you’re riding off road a lot.
Last summer, my partner and I rode across the States loosely following the Trans America Trail and a few Backcountry Discovery routes. Knowing that we were going to ride as much off road as possible and that most of it would be in hot conditions (Moab in July, anyone?), we chose light off-road gear. My set up included:
- Klim Mojave In-Boot Pants
- TCX X-Desert Goretex Boots
- Abakus body armor
- Sedici motocross jersey
- Klim Powerxcross Pullover jacket (Note: this is a snowmobile, not motorcycle jacket)
- MSR Xpedition Helmet
This way, I was more than satisfied with the protection and durability, but felt light enough to tackle more technical trails, deal with hot weather and attend off-road riding classes in New Mexico and Colorado.
What worked:
- Klim Mojave pants were seriously awesome: I came off quite a few times during that summer, and crashed on all sorts of surfaces: gravel, rocks, mud, tarmac (thanks, drivers of Bar Harbor!). After six months of intense daily wear on all terrain and in all weather, Mojave held just fine – apart from a few scuff marks on the knees, I’m sure I could have used these pants for at least two-three more years, easily.
- The Abakus body armor was of the cheaper kind, but women just aren’t blessed with a lot of options when it comes to motocross gear so I got what I could – and it didn’t disappoint. I didn’t have any serious accidents, only a few slow-speed off road dismounts, but the armor held well and I got away with nary a bruise.
- Klim Powerxcross Jacket did what it said on the label: stayed 100% waterproof, even in torrential rain. If you’re looking for a lightweight Gore-Tex outer layer, this jacket is the way to go.
What was OK:
- Sedici jersey: it fit, and it did its job, and that’s really all I have to say about it. Apart from the rather uninspired design, I think Sedici worked okay.
- The MSR helmet. Finding a helmet for me is not an easy task, for obvious reasons, so I was grateful that the Xpedition fit. I liked the design and the simplicity of the helmet.
What didn’t work:
- TCX X-Desert Goretex Boots started leaking water after six months of use. Heavy use and abuse, granted, but I expected a little more out of $350 adventure boots. They finally fell apart at the seams on the Trans Labrador Highway in Canada, leaving me with cold wet feet for over a month – needless to say, I wouldn’t want to repeat the experience.
Go ADV
Although most of my lightweight gear worked great for the Trans America Trail, Back Country Discovery routes and the Trans Labrador ride, both Paul and I decided to switch back to ADV gear before leaving the US border.
My set up across Mexico was:
- Klim Altitude jacket
- Klim Badlands pants
- Gaerne SG12 motocross boots
- Klim Krios helmet
The reason? First of all, I get cold. I get really, really cold, even when the weather is mild: if Paul was riding in his t-shirt, body armor and jersey, I’d be wrapped in my base layers, a sweater over the armor and the Powerxcross jacket. I get cold even if I’m riding technical trails, and if it’s cold and raining, I’m just miserable. ADV gear is more sturdy, waterproof, and windproof, so it just makes more sense for me.
Another reason to switch to ADV gear was the fact that after leaving the US last fall, we wouldn’t get back to any Western country for at least two or more years. And sure, gear is available in most big cities across South America, but we figured we wanted something durable and reliable, something that would last us for years. Wouldn’t the Mojave or the Powerxcross last? Perhaps, but being much lighter, it’s simply no match for the serious stuff that the Altitude and Badlands are made of.
Finally, those durable materials in ADV gear do offer more protection, whichever way you look at it. Planning to ride some really remote Andean regions, we just want to have the best protection there is, and ADV gear offers more in terms of safety than off-road gear does.
So far, what worked:
- Altitude and Badlands were perfect for the all-terrain, all-weather riding. Riding round the world, we pretty much live in our gear day in and day out, so great fit, comfort, durability and protection are extremely important.
- Klim Krios is so incredibly lightweight I’m starting to suspect it’s made out of dreams of baby unicorns. It may not matter that much when you’re just out for the weekend, but riding every day and often doing long distances, a lightweight helmet makes life so much more comfortable.
What could be better:
- If only Gaerne made the SG12 waterproof! Protection-wise, these boots are great. Coming out of Real de Catorce in Mexico, I dropped my bike on a steep rocky trail. My foot got trapped between the bike and a rock – and I didn’t feel a thing, thanks to Gaerne. If the SG12’s were waterproof, I could confidently say these were the perfect adventure riding boots ever made! For now, though, I just use GoreTex socks when it’s raining.
Mix and Match
Right now, I’m perfectly happy with my gear, and I wouldn’t want to go back to my off-road set up. Paul on the other hand, is thinking of switching again, if only partially: there’s nothing wrong with mixing and matching gear in any way you like.
Once we get our bikes to Siberia, Paul is thinking to keep his Klim Carlsbad pants, but get a compression suit and a jersey and only use his Klim Carlsbad jacket (with the armor out) when it’s cold. “Lightweight gear just offers more maneuverability for more technical trails, and I like feeling light and move freely when riding off-road. Klim Carlsbad suit is amazing, but I feel that a compression suit and jersey set up would be more comfortable riding tougher off-road tracks”, - says Paul.
Me, I can’t wait to test the new Klim Artemis suit – the very first ADV riding suit for women that has just as many safety features, materials, vents and pockets as the men’s version. Either way, though, I’m sticking with ADV gear instead of the off-road set up: I love the comfort, protection, durability and waterproofness it offers too much to compromise it for more freedom of movement.
Photos by rtwPaul.
