There’s nothing like putting 1700+ miles on a set of off-road gear to get a sense of how it works. The Klim Dakar Collection is a competitively priced jacket/jersey/gloves/pants set designed for off-road riding. I grabbed the Dakar pants and jersey before taking off on an epic 2022 Kawasaki KLR650 Adventure trip, and here’s what I found out.
Klim Dakar Pants
Designed for the dual sport enthusiast, adventure rider, and general off-roader, the best part of the Klim Dakar Pants is that they go over the boots. Back in the 1980s, the only thing to keep debris out of your off-road boots were gaiters.
It took the anti-establishment bad boys of freestyle motocross to bring the design to its current popularity. Leading the style revolution were the LBZ Freeride pants. Designed for motocross and freeriding in the 1990s, the LBZ pants lacked pockets, and other features for real-world off-road use.
Leap forward to the 2020s and the Klim Dakar over-the-boot pants provide the practical features of storage, protection, and ventilation. The latest version of the Dakar pants is stronger, stretchier, and flows more air than previous Editions.
After eight days and nearly 1800 miles of testing, the Klim Dakar pants have proved to be both functional in warm southwest summer temperatures with its ventilation, and in wet monsoon drenches. Though not designed to be waterproof, the Dakar pants kept me dry and comfortable.
The Dakar pant frame is built with 630D Cordura twisted yarn, with abrasion-resistant 840D Cordura in the knee and seat areas. Goat leather is used at the inner knees for grip and protection. The inside knee has 600D material to resist knee brace wear. There is also a moisture-wicking liner.
Breathable stretch woven panels are featured in the back of the waist, above the knees, back of the legs, and in the crotch. This makes the Klim Dakar pant flexible enough to handle the various body movements off-road riding demands. The Silicone waistband and adjustable waist straps are great for the needed snug fit for walking around.
Giving the Dakar pants the ability to adapt to various weather conditions, the fronts of the thighs get large, zippered vents that you can open with gloves. Though not waterproof, as noted earlier, they do keep me dry thanks to Klim’s Durable Water Repellent treatment, which causes the pants to shed water.
Zippered storage pockets are located next to the long vent zippers of each leg and wrapping around the sides of the hips. They’re about the perfect size for a wallet and not so big that the contents bounce around.
Highly flexible Klim D3O armor is designed for pocketed areas in the hips and knees, and sold separately. I prefer my own choice of knee protection that I wear down my shins and are held in my boot. They can bulk up boots towards the knees, but the wide Klim Dakar pants cuff slip over with necessary movement. The knees are adjustable with hook-and-loop, as well as buttons. I prefer the latter.
Klim Dakar Jersey
The Dakar Jersey is designed for hot weather with open mesh down the sides from the armpit to the waist. This is beneficial for hard riders who use a chest protector, a hydration backpack. You’ll want all the airflow you can get.
Most of the Dakar Jersey’s durable construction is lightweight mesh of various weaves. The mesh keep you cool, and the materials stretch for needed rider mobility.
The elbows include low-profile foam that I’d prefer kept under hard plastic guards, or you can wear over.
There is also a print of silicone in the back tail to help keep it tucked in your pants. The stretch cuff keeps it in place at your wrist. The neck has a comfortable slight V opening with a narrow trim to prevent chaffing.
A zippered pocket on the left shoulder is there to carry small, light items.
I typically wear jackets, even in hot weather, with no chest protector. The Klim Dakar jersey would go well with the Dakar Jacket and its removable sleeves. I was wearing the Klim Traverse Jacket during testing in the hot states of New Mexico and Arizona during summer, but it was monsoon season. Warm temperatures dried the wet gear quickly between passing rain cells.
Klim Dakar Pants and Jersey
With venting in the pants and mesh in the jersey, the Dakar apparel is ready for the heat of the Sahara Desert, which Paris-To-Dakar rally racers used to cross annually. The deserts of the Southwest United States are able to compete with the Sahara for summer inhospitality. The Klim Dakar pants and jersey took me comfortably through a trip that would have been brutal without the right gear.
Klim Dakar Pants Fast Facts
Sizes
Regular, 30-42
Tall, 32-38
Colors
Black
Monument Gray
Striking Petrol
Klim Dakar Pants Price: $230 MSRP
Klim Jersey Fast Facts
Sizes
SM — 3X
Colors
Ice Blue
Metallik Black
Metallik Gecko
Metallik Sage
Redrock
Striking Petrol
Vivid Blue
Klim Jersey Price: $80 MSRP
Klim Dakar Pants and Jersey Review Photo Gallery
