How long should your riding clothes keep you dry

[Why Not]

I know most of the high end riding garments are guaranteed for life. However, I know that everything has to eventually wear out. Even GoreTex looses it's ability to keep you dry after it flexes so much.

If the manufactures guarantee's it for life do you really expect it to last that long? For example, A Klim Valdez parka, if you had one that you wore for 4 or 5years under hard conditions and it started to leak would you expect the manufacture to warranty it?

 

[Blu Du]

nothing is water proof for ever that's for sure. that scotch gaurd spray works pretty good. My out fit is at the point where i spray it down before every ride. hope to get a new klim out fit ths year

 

[snowdad4]

lifetime guarantee. for sure! had a pair of klim pants. 3 years old. started to leak in the butt and knees. contacted klim, sent my pants in, had a NEW pair on my porch in less than a week! the most outstanding customer service i have ever been exposed to. as long as they arent ripped or trashed, they will stand behind the guarantee. no, i am not affiliated with klim, just amazed at how they stood behind their products, especially in this day and age.

 

[whitefish]

lifetime guarantee. for sure! had a pair of klim pants. 3 years old. started to leak in the butt and knees. contacted klim, sent my pants in, had a NEW pair on my porch in less than a week! the most outstanding customer service i have ever been exposed to. as long as they arent ripped or trashed, they will stand behind the guarantee. no, i am not affiliated with klim, just amazed at how they stood behind their products, especially in this day and age.

Exactly! You pay a butt load for there gear and yes it's good but the service is great. As long as they continue that aspect, they have a customer for life even if I look like every other Klim poster child in the parking lot.

 

[rmkboxer]

I have been wearing klim free ride pants since 02, I have done nothing to them but wash them and I've never gotten wet through them

 

[MARV1]

Depends on who manufactures the product and what they describe as a lifetime of the product.

 

[TurboT]

Just what they said. Klim is tough to beat. And yes, there customer service is awesome! Even though you pay some $$$, you won't regret it.

 

[AkHockey10]

Depends on what the snow is like. I wear G-Max and really like it..dont have problems that much that i would be concerned. yup.

 

[MJay]

A lifetime gurantee doesnt always mean your lifetime. It could also mean the expected lifetime of the product. My riding gear never keeps me dry anyways. But its no big deal, you can only get wet to the skin. The ride back kinda sucks though when your fingers are frozen to the shape of the bars. As long as the temp isnt colder than -30 I dont really care about gettin wet.

 

[amery3]

I would expect it to stay waterproof as long as it isn't wore out on the outside aswell. If the shell is getting noticably wore (pilling, torn, fabric threads stretched, punctured, etc), then I understand losing waterproofness, but if that's not the case, I'd be contacting the company about it.

 

[Work - Never]

I would expect it to stay waterproof as long as it isn't wore out on the outside aswell. If the shell is getting noticably wore (pilling, torn, fabric threads stretched, punctured, etc), then I understand losing waterproofness, but if that's not the case, I'd be contacting the company about it.

This is pretty close to the right answer to this question in my opinion.

 

[JHG]

Klim is good stuff for sure....and if you show some intrest and are nice to the company reps and the snow expo the give you free stuff!!

 

[Ore-sno]

My klim bibs are 5 years old and have'nt gotten wet yet. they are starting to show sings of wear, might start to leak soon. they are spendy but if u get 4 or 5 years out of them it makes it alot easyer to spend the $$$.

 

[Mooseknuckle]

Exactly! You pay a butt load for there gear and yes it's good but the service is great. As long as they continue that aspect, they have a customer for life even if I look like every other Klim poster child in the parking lot.

 

[Wheel House Motorsports]

the whole pay for what you get is definately true in the outdoor clothing industry, the only thing i dont like is high end ski clothes, they are not very tough at all, a $200-300 arc-teryx coat is super nice, until you catch them on something and they rip. thats whats nice about good sledding gear. I have some castle racing snowpants, they arent meant to be super waterproof, but they are quite light, and are meant to hold up in sno-x conditions, as i have slid against my running boards, bean run over, tangle up in trees and they dont have a single rip or even little scratch on them, thats why i wear them. and i think half of the moisture from sleding comes from the inside. cuz you go rom stadning in the super cold to make a line and get stuck to digging out at which point you need very little clothing on to stay warm, and now your all sweaty, its hard, you spend a lot of time going back and forth.

all in all, Klim stuff is worth the money, and i dont even own any, i have just seen it perform for fellow riders for the last two years.

 

[Ex-Member]

+1 for Klim... I wasn't too sure about dropping >$200 for a jacket at first, but after using it for a season i wouldn't go any other way.

Same with most other sled gear IMO... $200+ for a tekvest, worth every damn penny.

Get what you pay for, i guess.

That being said, I've been real happy with the $20 snowboarding pants i've been using for the past few years. Snagged a few trees and caught 'em on the rails a few times, still in great shape.

 

[Supplicate]

I'm pretty hard on anything and everything I own. If it lasts for two seasons, I'm generally pleased with it.

 

[Powderhound]

A lifetime gurantee doesnt always mean your lifetime. It could also mean the expected lifetime of the product. My riding gear never keeps me dry anyways. But its no big deal, you can only get wet to the skin. The ride back kinda sucks though when your fingers are frozen to the shape of the bars. As long as the temp isnt colder than -30 I dont really care about gettin wet.

I used to feel the exact same way about riding... UNTIL LAST YEAR... I upgraded to Klim gear and I was not wet once last year. You couldnt pay me enough to ever ride wet again... The defference is AMAZING... Sitting in the truck going home as dry as when you left in the morning ... No shivering for 40 miles..... Buy the nicer gear it is a no-brainer

 

[Jeff C]

I have a set of 10+ year old Reima goretex bibs that have never leaked.

Fantastic product........

 

[R J]

I know most of the high end riding garments are guaranteed for life. However, I know that everything has to eventually wear out. Even GoreTex looses it's ability to keep you dry after it flexes so much.

If the manufactures guarantee's it for life do you really expect it to last that long? For example, A Klim Valdez parka, if you had one that you wore for 4 or 5years under hard conditions and it started to leak would you expect the manufacture to warranty it?

If you follow the care instructions and so on it will last and keep you dry. I wash my Klim stuff once a year, (in the spring), I then treat it with the Revive X from Gore Tex and put it away in the closet hung up, not folded or cramed in a gear bag. As long as I don't gain too much more weight I don't even have the slightest idea when I will purchase different gear. It's still that good.

Remember warranty is usually covering manufacturing defects, not normal wear and tear or user neglect. So the answer is no, I wouldn't expect the manufacture to warranty it.