The Klim Artemis Jacket for women is a mix between two men’s styles: the Carlsbad and the Badlands, the cream of the crop!
For 2022 Klim has updated the Artemis with new colorways (the Peyote/Potter’s Clay is our favorite) and they’ve done a great job of bringing some of the elements from the men’s Carlsbad and Badlands to create the ultimate women’s jacket. The overall design and colorways match up with the Badlands and the Artemis has the same Molle strapping at the upper chest. We also see the same use of SuperFabric® (you can read more about super fabric here )at the shoulders and elbows that take the abrasion resistance to another level. The panels behind the SuperFabric® have also been beefed up from the prior version with stronger Cordura® fabrics. The Artemis has a Gore-Tex® Performance Shell like the Carlsbad instead of the 3-Layer Pro Shell of the Badlands. The bottom line is Gore-Tex® is guaranteed to keep you dry and by using this slightly lower tier shell they have trimmed the cost of the jacket by about $400. Not a bad trade off in our opinion.
Klim is really stepping up their women’s gear game and an important factor in that evolution is this very important bullet point: DESIGNED FOR WOMEN BY WOMEN. It may not sound like that big of a deal, but I promise you that makes a big difference in little things that might go unnoticed to the untrained eye. One major point we keep hearing from our women shoppers is “please no more pink gear” and it looks like Klim is finally hearing that voice internally as well because these colorways and the color blocking are fantastic! Another big complaint we often hear from customers is in regard to vent placement on a jacket like this one. Klim has that covered as well, they’ve taken the vertical vents of the Badlands and Carlsbad and made them Cross-Body vents for better air circulation. There are bicep intake vents and exhaust vents at the back of the jacket to help pull the air through and around the body.
The Artemis has great storage options with a large zippered back pocket, two water-resistant hand pockets, two vertical chest pockets, one ID stat card pocket at the forearm, one internal napoleon pocket, and two internal zippered pockets on either side at the belly. The right outer hand pocket has a divider on the body side that allows you to store some items more securely within the pocket and keep them separate from the rest of the contents. The forearm ID pocket has a hidden pocket behind the flap once you unzip it. You can use this to store important documents or cash if you’re traveling in questionable areas. Klim also has a hidden pocket behind the back protector for even more security of important documents. To access this pocket you have to remove the back protector to get to the fairly large hook and loop sealed pocket. This pocket is large enough for a passport for example.
The adjustability on this jacket is impressive. There are adjusters at the waist, bicep, forearm, and a drawcord at the hem. The drawcord can be easily tightened by pulling the end from inside the hand pockets on either side of the jacket, when you want to release just pinch the holder at the hem near the zipper and pull the cord back through. There are also two large zippered gussets at the hem you can unzip to open the hips up by another 4-5 inches. The cuffs have a two way zipper that allows you to open one way for airflow and the other to open the cuff to go over a glove. On the opposite side of the cuff is a hook and loop adjuster for the perfect fit. The collar has an adjustable drawcord that you pull to tighten then push back against the neck to lock into position. This is designed to be used with one hand while wearing gloves. The main zipper can be opened at the top and pinned back to the shoulder area as well to maximize air intake, and it’s a two way zipper so you can open up the waist as well when in the riding position. There are also large shoulder and underarm gussets for mobility. Klim even included a connection zipper in the jacket to mate it to your favorite riding pants.
The Klim Artemis jacket for women is the ultimate women’s touring jacket style. With the best abrasion resistance options paired with flexible armor and tons of storage and venting options, this jacket will be at home on any terrain in any weather. :: Mike, 08/16/2022
