Earlier this year I was in the market for some new riding gear since my time with Rev It’s Dirt Series had ran its course. For the last two years I wore the Rev It Component H20 jacket and Continental pants and they weren’t bad, but they also weren’t great. To replace them I was looking for something that would be light weight, water resistant, and offer solid protection in the terms of armor and abrasion resistance. I looked at Rev It’s line up along with Alpinestars, Klim, and Fox Racing’s new adventure line. After much deliberation I decided it was time to go back to Klim since I really liked my experience with the Dakar set up that I wore a couple years ago. The last time I bought Klim gear I was looking for something that was light weight and offered solid protection. While the Badlands and Carlsbad lines were good, I felt that the Dakar line up was better suited for the style of riding that I do.
This time around I decided to go with the Marrakesh line up. For the second generation of the Marrakesh line, Klim did a complete revamp that made it more for light adventure riding and sport touring in warm weather. The Marrakesh jacket provides the highest degree of comfort and durability by using Karbonite™ Micromesh Cordura® nylon fabric that is stretch woven which provides excellent breathability and abrasion protection. To reduce weight and bulk, Klim added low-profile D3O® IP Ghost pads. As for the Marrakesh pants they are made of the same Karbonite™ Micromesh Cordura® nylon fabric with added low-profile D3O® IP Ghost protection in the knees and hips. While the Marrakesh line isn’t true adventure gear like Klim’s Carlsbad or Badlands line it does fill the gap between the Dakar dual sport line and the adventure riding gear.
So far, my experience with Klim’s Marrakesh gear has been pretty positive since I purchased it in January from Klim and one of their suppliers Moto Camp Nerd. Klim has priced the Marrakesh jacket at $419.99 and the pants at $379.99 which puts it just under Klim’s Carlsbad and Badlands line. The Marrakesh jacket fits me very well, I wear a size XL and the pants I’m wearing a size 38. My measurements fit Klim’s size chart accurately, I’m 5’10 and have a stocky build who enjoys a little too much beer at times. The jacket is roomy and comfortable which has plenty of space to wear a fleece underneath on cold days. As for the Marrakesh pants they are also roomy and don’t bind up in the knees, the stretch woven material doesn’t constrict or feel tight in the thighs while sitting on the bike for hours on end. The pants are meant to be worn over riding boots, but I’ve been able to tuck them into my Alpinestars boots with no issues. Both the jacket and pants have plenty pockets for storage and zippers have the typical Klim quality.
As for how the Klim Marrakesh line holds up to the conditions, I recently wore it up in the mountains of South Carolina on a weekend trip where temps dipped into the mid 30’s early in the morning and then rose to the low to mid 70’s later in the day. The breathability of the micromesh Cordura nylon allows plenty of air to get in which has kept me nice and cool when as the temperature heats up. For those colder mornings I’ve wore a fleece jacket over a base layer and still was warm despite the micromesh allowing in a solid amount of air flow. Overall, the Marrakesh jacket and pants has performed as expected and for me it’s turning out to be a good three season system. I think Klim did a great job redesigning the Marrakesh line and even though it’s not a true adventure setup it does the part very well especially in the Southeast with our climate.
Stryker ADV 