Klim

Best portable mp3 cd player on the market – I recently purchased a Klim Nomad portable CD player to replace my 2 month old Philips EXP2546 portable cd player because I was so annoyed with in it (refer my Philips EXP2546 review), I have never heard of Klim before so was hesitant at first but the features seemed to good to be true as it was the same price as the Philips, I was not… Read more

disappointed, it's features are so far above the Philips player it is not funny, the inbuilt battery really lasts 14 hours, a fully lit and easy readable sized display which explains everything needed, it has 2 x 3.5mm earphone jacks (2 people can listen at the same time) plus also has bluetooth so 3 people can listen at the same time, the bluetooth pairs very easy, has FM radio, and most important for me and I am sure many others it has track memory and lock if needed, meaning it will commence playing where you turned it off last time and the hold stops you accidently moving track position when moving about, it also plays all formats including mp3 good for audio books, it also comes with a 5 year warranty better than any other makes, the company actually does reply within 24 hours via email for any answers or queries, I forgot to mention that the lit display actually turns off to save power after 15 or so seconds but display is still readable and the actual cd only spins at the beginning of each track for 15 or so seconds then stops and uses memory to keep playing which means it is completely silent to use 95% of the time not that it makes much noise anyway which I assume must save a lot of power, the 4 hour recharge time is better then replacing the batteries in my philps every 5 hours as you can also use the Klim whilst it is charging, it also comes with a full printed manual and is well packaged not plastic wrapped, also includes usb cable and Klim headphones, so far I am so impressed but annoyed at first buying my brand name Philips cd player, however, only time will tell as I keep finding more features all the time.

Badlands Pro - Pricey, but worth every cent! – Once I got into dual sport riding (I ride an R1200GSA), I realised pretty quickly I was going to need something very different to a road-going jacket. One well-known brand available in Australia makes a jacket for this purpose - which I bought ($200) - however it soon began to literally fall apart on me after only a handful of rides, and some slow… Read more

dirt off's. I spent a long time researching what was available. My wish list was pretty tall as far as features goes. It had to be waterproof, breathable, plenty of armour, quality stitching, abrasion resistant fabric, plenty of venting, unrestrictive, and able to trap warmth in during colder weather.

I was over the idea of wearing the equivalent of a hot, sweaty non-breathing garbage bag underneath an outer shell that would get soaked, and stay soaked, in wet weather. That's where the value of a Goretex membrane, laminated to the inside of the outer shell, became apparent. I wanted armour that was going to be more about absorbing concussion impacts (not sliding down the tarmac). This would be a 4-season jacket for me, so the need for plenty of venting was important, as well as the ability to 'lock it up' in cold, wet weather to stay warm and dry.

After months of researching online, I bit the bullet and ordered my Klim (pron 'climb') Badlands Pro, size XL, in the grey version. What a jacket!

It's a different fit to the usual stuff here in Oz. Whilst it has a typical fit across the shoulders, and in the arms, it's roomier around the chest, and quite long in the waist. This turns out a good advantage for when wearing base layers for warmth - still room to move, but not bulky. Additionally, the airspace around the torso works well with hot weather venting. I've ridden it in 38deg heat, and, well, I certainly wasn't any hotter than anyone else on the ride. For comparison, I'm 185cm, and an athletic 100kg. If you were any smaller, I'd go the Large.

You can read plenty about the construction on Klim's web site and other places, but suffice to say that the incorporated kevlar panels, in high-abrasion areas are well thought out. There's plenty of pockets - 100's of them - most are waterproof (the others are not meant to be - just mesh). It feels a little weighty to put on, however, once you velcro up the built-in kidney belt (a key addition to this jacket), it takes the weight off and you don't know it's there.

Whilst some of the vent zips need another pair of hands to adjust (back panels and parts of underarm vents), or you can just remove the jacket and fix them yourself, most are adjustable on the fly. One reason I chose this over the next model down, the Lattitude, was because the Lattitude back vent goes 'across' the back, meaning if you wear a hydration pack, it will close the vent off and render it pretty useless. The BP jacket instead has 2 vertical zips placed more laterally on the back, and are far less affected by hydration packs.

It's pretty stiff when new, but does soften with time. It has lots of reflector panels, some very strategically placed (most things are well thought out on this jacket.) There's a hydration bladder pocket inside the back of the jacket, but you need to almost remove the back armour to get at it - I don't use it. Klim went a little overkill with badging on the jacket, but it is done tastefully. I do like the velcro tabs on the shoulders which allow you to pin back the collar on each side to open the chest up - however I've had too many bee/wasp stings whilst riding to do this too often.

The included D30 armour is brilliant stuff - leaves CE foam for dead. The addition of a built-in section of honeycomb chest armour is appreciated after seeing a couple of mates badly bruise their chests on their screens during an off.

Despite the built in kidney belt, I would have liked to see an outer waist belt to draw the waist in. I don't have a gut (36"waist), so I don't fill the lower half of the jacket that much.

Would I buy it again? - Absolutely. It really is worth every cent, and I always feel that good protective gear is worth investing in.

Neck collar is a little soft at the back so needs to be flicked up after putting it on. Sleeves could be a tad shorter. An outer waist belt would be a useful addition IMHO.