There are a million choices for off-road riding gear on the market, which begs the question: How does a rider pick gear that’s actually a good kit and not just cheap gear that’s only advertised benefit is that it makes the wearer look like a dixie cup? (Whether or not looking like a Dixie cup is actually a benefit is up to you.) Having good riding gear matters, as it will hold up to more than one ride, and deliver real (not just style) benefits to the wearer. KLIM is known for making quality riding gear, and their latest offering is no exception. The all new XC Pro kit combines great fit, versatility, and comfort with the durability and technical features KLIM is known for to make a great off-road riding kit.
The XC Pro kit consists of a jersey, pants, and gloves, that are all new. Starting with the in-the-boot only pants, one of the first things you’ll notice is the Vectran logo on the textile that’s on the knees and seat of the pants. Vectran is a super-fancy textile that has incredible tear-resistance and durability properties yet is surprisingly lightweight and pliable. KLIM developed Vectran textiles to create the world’s first CE triple A rated Adventure riding kit, the Badlands Pro AAA, so just know that XC Pro pants are sporting some top shelf textiles in the high wear areas. Moving to the inside of the knees, you’ll find just the right amount of leather for gripping the bike without bunching up. A single zippered pocket on the outside of the right leg can swallow up a modern phone, a few snacks, or whatever else you need.
Turn the XC Pro pants inside out, and you’ll notice that all of the seams are taped. Combined with backer panels that cover up the Vectran and leather panels, the XC Pro pants are incredibly comfortable to wear. If you’ve ever worn entry-level plastic-y feeling moto pants with seams that chaffed your legs, know that the XC Pro pants will not rub you the wrong way. Knee brace users will appreciate that there are no seams or threads to snag on Velcro, and the leather backer panel is an 840D Nylon, so you don’t have to worry about wearing holes through the knees of your pants with your knee braces. Mesh panels that start at the back of the boot line and run up and through the crotch also do a solid job of keeping things comfortable from a thermal standpoint, and plenty of laser-cut perforations throughout the pant help with temperature regulation as well.
The laser-cut perforation treatment is also found on the XC Pro Jersey, only the textiles here are Brrr cooling fabrics. The idea behind Brrr fabrics is that they feel cooler to the touch than other textiles and they dry very quickly – and no, there’s no scary PFAS or anything here, as these fabrics are chemical free. Brrr fabric is also found in the underarms and sides of the jersey, and this textile is essentially the same textile as KLIM’s Aggressor -1.0 cooling / hot weather base layers. The black panels found on the shoulders and outer forearms is a two-way stretch nylon that provides great range of motion while simultaneously providing a great serving of durability.
Rounding out the XC Pro kit are the new XC Pro gloves, which in short are awesome, because they’re simple, light, and comfortable. The palm is a single layer of AX Suede leather, with perforations for airflow. The back of the hand is a stretch Nylon material that’s peppered with TPU pads for protection that do not restrict range of motion. The thumb and index fingers of the gloves have MULT-E-TOUCH functionality, so you don’t have to lick your fingers to use your phone while wearing the XC Pro gloves. KLIM gloves have become pretty hit or miss for me in the last few years, but I’m happy to report that the XC Pro gloves are a return to form for KLIM. Just like the gloves I loved from several years ago, the XC Pro gloves are simple, effective, and they provide all day comfort.
Donning the full XC Pro kit over soft (Leatt Airflex and 3DF) standalone knee, elbow, and torso pads and starting a full-send yoga session reveals no issues with fit or range of motion. Okay, there was no yoga involved, but the XC Pro kit does not impact range of motion with soft pads on. One tester who was wearing older-gen knee braces reported that things were a little sung around the braces, but completely ridable. A second knee-brace wearing tester reported that there was plenty of room for knee braces, so we’ll call that a your mileage may vary depending on what protective gear you’re wearing underneath.
While riding, the XC Pro jersey and pants work so well that you hardly notice them. Whether sitting or standing, zipping down a long dirt road to get to the good stuff, or getting after it on some single track or doing some soft enduro in the rocky places of the world, the kit doesn’t distract from your riding experience. If gear has a fit issue, it’s going to catch your attention while riding, but the XC Pro kit was unanimously reported to work well and be very comfortable.
One issue that was identified by multiple testers is that the Velcro on the gloves isn’t the best. Fully engaging the Velcro closure requires really cinching the closure tight, which proved to be too tight for some of our testers. These riders then opted for a looser setting, which meant less Velcro engagement, and in a few cases this resulted in the Velcro coming undone while riding. Yet even with the Velcro undone, the gloves are completely usable, so this is certainly not a deal breaker.
To assess thermal comfort, we’ve worn the XC Pro everywhere from early season Colorado mountain single track sessions, to proofing road books in Baja. The XC Pro kit is comfortable across a wide range of temperatures, making it very versatile. As you start to get into very hot or cold conditions, there are other options that will work better, but these condition specific kits are very intentional about the narrower temperature ranges in which they excel. The XC Pro kit trades absolute performance in one temperature narrow range, for solid performance across a much larger range of temperatures.
All said and done, KLIM has a great new off-road kit in the XC Pro line. As with any other gear KLIM makes, it delivers technical features, is well made, and works as advertised. The XC Pro kit is a great daily driver – you can use it when conditions are choice, if it’s getting warm out, or there’s still some late or early season snow hiding out there; the XC Pro kit will keep you comfortable from both a thermal and fit standpoint. There are a million options out there for riding gear, but KLIM’s XC Pro kit is absolutely worth checking out. For more information, and to see other colorways, visit KLIM.com
