KLIM Tactical Shirt

KLIM Tactical Shirt

Great design, highly functional, unfortunate color.

by Martin Hackworth

Photo: KLIM

I just uploaded a story a few hours ago to the MoJazz Tech page about the importance of choosing lighter colors for wearable gear that is to be used in technical terrain in warm weather. Though the "black body" effect referenced in Back in Black is mostly confined to the outer layers of clothing that are directly exposed to sunlight, thin or ventilated jerseys let enough sunlight through to turn something like the KLIM Tactical Shirt into an infrared heat source with an equilibrium temperature above ambient.

What's that? Boy, I don't understand a word you just said. I hear you. Go read Back in Black and when you are done all of this will make more sense.

After several summer rides I've found that this garment is indeed a bit hotter than it needs to be - even under a jersey. But it's still a vast improvement over every other item in my inventory of next-to-the-skin armor. It's designed well enough to somewhat offset the sole color choice, black. .

The perforated PORON® armor and flow-through fabric holding all of the armor in place work as well as they can to keep you cool. The Tactical Shirt is lighter, less bulky and a bit cooler than everything else in it's class I've tried. The soft padding is more than adequate for slower single track speeds. It more than does what it's supposed to do.

Nits? Beside the color not many. I'd like to see a bit more armor wrap around into the biceps area of each arm. the fit is tight so getting it off, especially after a ride, requires a good tug on the fabric around the neck and shoulder areas. I suspect that's where the fabric will eventually blow out. I also suspect that you'll get your money's worth long before it does. Sizes seem to run European so you might want to go up a size if you have to guess.

Subject to the caveat that the black is an unfortunate choice for the only color currently available, I nonetheless highly recommend the Tactical Shirt if your gig is mostly single track. Despite being black it's still cooler than just about anything else I've used. If you are wearing KLIM pants as part of your ensemble you can slip a set of PORON or D30 pads in the knee pockets of those and be ready to get after it with considerably less bulk than just about any other system that's worth a hoot.

KLIM provided me with a Tactical Shirt at a professional discount for evaluation and review.

KLIM Tactical Shirt

MSRP - $249.99

The Good: works well enough considering it's relatively light weight and low bulk
The Rad: Ultra lift body-shaping effect that's Arnold Schwarzenegger in the Terminator era
The Gnarly: Black! Why does it have to be black?

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