For 2021 the Klim Hardanger One-Piece Suit is updated. This suit remains a true workhorse for serious riders. Commuters and touring riders will enjoy the protection and practicality of this suit for wearing over your street clothes in almost all kinds of weather. This suit is fully waterproof with the best Gore-Tex technology and fully laden with D3O armor. And it’s fully kitted with pockets, vents, and easy entry zippers. The overall quality of this suit is on par with the best out there (Aerostich Roadcrafter to be specific).
The biggest design feature to talk about with this one-piece suit design is the material. The entire suit is made of a very rugged bonded GoreTex material which is waterproof and breathable. “Bonded” means the abrasion resistant fabric is directly bonded to the GoreTex waterproof membrane to produce a durable, abrasion resistant, waterproof and breathable garment. In a full suit, it really would be darn near impossible (and heavy) to make something usable in separate layers. Klim, being so experienced with these fabrics has put it all together in this suit.
This suit has zippered vents to help with climate control in warmer weather. I’ll refer you to the list of vents on the suit (above) to get the idea. Also, have a look at our photo gallery. The vents all open and close with waterproof zippers to maintain the waterproof characteristics of the suit when closed up. And when the zippers are open, the air passes directly through to your body. Climates vary greatly for our customer base, so I can’t make any blanket statements about usable seasons, but I think the suit would work in the summer months in wet/mild/coastal areas but might be warm in warmer areas of the country. But one thing I can say is… in comparing this suit to the VERY FEW other full suits like this on the market, I think it would compare favorably with regard to venting due to the direct vent feature. Also helpful in hot weather is the collar design. There are small loops on the collar ends so you can tie the collar back and leave the main zipper cracked open.
For crash protection, Klim offered their D3O units for elbows, shoulders, hips, and knees. The D3O back pad is included as well so there is nothing else to buy. Each armor unit is fitted into a fabric pocket and the pocket is anchored to the inside of the suit with Velcro. The Velcro area is generous so you will be able to move the armor up/down and side/side to best fit your body. The armor used in the suit is the “vented” type from D3O which is molded into a honeycomb shape to improve airflow.
One of the changes to this new suit is the entry zipper setup. This year, Klim is opting to offer a front main zipper from neck to crotch and then two other long zippers, one on each leg that goes from crotch to ankle. In past designs (and also with Aerostich) one LONG front main zipper goes from collar all the way down to the ankle of one leg, and then there is a second zip for the second leg. Honestly, I don’t know why the change. The previous setup obviously makes the suit a full “step in” design, but in our many years of dealing with Aerostich used suits, a couple of complaints I’d hear is that the one main zipper is apt to failure over a long period of time and also a bear to replace and secondly, the crotch area over which that main zip passes is an entry point for water that pools in the lap when sitting. I’m not saying those are the reasons for the change, but they may well be. Anyway, each has pluses and minuses, and apparently, Klim thinks this is the better approach.
Pockets are ample and have a similar arrangement as with the previous design. There are six zippered pockets on the front chest and thighs, there is one pocket inside near the breast that has a pass-through for your headphone cords and then there is a little short zip pocket at the end of the left sleeve for your license, etc. And inside you’ll find a hidden pocket on the back/inside of the back pad, which took me a while to locate even though I knew where it was! Other things I think are nice: the large steel ring on the front of the suit is an anchor point for a lock so you can secure the suit to your bike, there is a key chain lanyard built into the upper left chest pocket, both collar ends have loops to hold them back from your neck if you want to zip down the neck opening a bit (already mentioned), and sturdy fit adjusters on the arms torso and legs. I also like the extra heavy duty patches on the shoulders elbows and knees to beef up those areas. :: Paul, 08-03-21
Klim says: The Hardanger is KLIM’s first fully armored, weatherproof one-piece engineered to be right at home on an epic long-distance journey or your daily commute. Fully featured and streamlined yet durable, this one-piece provides high levels of protection and comfort. Industry-first integration of D3O® LP1 vented armor system offers high performance impact protection while providing unprecedented ventilation.
