Klim Induction Mesh Jacket Reviews

KLIM INDUCTION MESH JACKET: LONG TERM REVIEW

If you ride in hot weather, you know how hot even a ventilated jacket gets for adventure riding. I always avoided wearing mesh jackets as the idea of sliding down the road with such flimsy gear was not appealing.

But eight years ago I was sick of sweating so settled on the Klim Induction jacket. It's possibly the most ventilated jacket on the market, but also comes with armor and abrasion resistant materials that meet the seond highest standard CE rating... very impressive for a mesh jacket.

Expensive. Yes. Is it worth the money? Lets find out with our Klim Induction mesh jacket long term review. Here are the main claims to fame of the Klim Induction mesh jacket.

- Abrasion and tear-resistant Klim Karbonite mesh
- Rhino-stitch technology
- 840D abrasion zones at elbows and shoulders
- UV-resistant material
- Fleece-lined collar
- Integrated D3o armor system
- 3M Scotchlite reflective materials
- Stretch material at elbows
- YKK zippers
- Jacket passes CE Rating  AA prEN 17092-3 (text continues below)

What is Rihno stitch technology? Sounds impressive, but absolutely no explanation on what it actually is. Try googling it. There is zero information.

The ventilation on the Klim Induction mesh jacket? Brilliant. There is so much mesh that even in first gear you feel air pushing through.

Very high quality zipper. Heaps of reflective bits for safety. Plenty of pockets. Including this cool little pouch for your sunglasses. The fleece lined collar is very comfortable. When so many jackets are coming in black only, it's great to see Klim offering high visibility colour schemes. There's a removable liner that is fully waterproof, even after all these years.

It's the armor and abrasion resistance of the Klim Induction mesh jacket I'm really interested in, normally the downside of mesh jackets. Lets start with abrasion resistance. The mesh is Klim's Karbonite material, they claim it is 750% more abrasion resistant than normal mesh. However, there is no evidence of their testing, or explanation of how they tested it. And against what. So we have to take Klim's word for it. And I did come across forums posts where guys said it held up well in their accidents though. And it has passed the AA standard for abrasion testing, the second highest rating possible.

The abrasion zones for elbows and shoulders of the Klim Induction mesh jacket? These are rated to 840D. It is enough? Well most textile jackets rely on a 600 denier fabic which always fails in abrasion tests. And the Klim Induction jacket has passed the AA standard for abrasion and impact testing.

On to the Klim Induction mesh jacket armour. The D30 EVO armor is soft and comfortable compared to most other options. It's pretty advanced stuff as under impact it suddenly stiffens to disperse the impact. Nice. Again it's good enough to reach the AA standard.

Another thing I liked, the Klim Induction mesh jacket is made in Vietnam, a country with a very solid textile industry from French colonial days. So much bike gear is now made in China where quality control ain't so hot. And given how China is acting on the world stage lately I'd rather not support them until they behave a bit better.

So what's not good about the Klim Induction mesh jacket? I have zero complaints so scoured the internet for criticisms. Some were about the jacket not fitting correctly, I ignored these there are plenty of overweight riders out there and you really should test the fit before buying it. One rider said he didn't like the way the wrist cinches strap up. But overall the user reviews average 4.7 to five out of five stars.

If you have the money, then this is probably the most ventilated jacket you can buy that meets the second highest safety standards. I had a quick look at the main competitors and they either aren't rated or meet the third standard at best.