Klim Induction pants in grey

For 2025 Klim has introduced an updated version of their Induction Pro jacket. But they didn't bring out a new Induction Pro pant. And that's partly because there was never an old version of it. If you wanted a pant to go with your Induction Pro jacket the only option there has ever been for the lower half was the standard Induction pant.

 

And so that's what we have here. It's not new, but in every respect it's a good match for the Induction Pro jacket. And so what we're going to do is look at the pants in detail, tell you what they do, how they work, and explain what bells and whistles they come with.

 

But before we do this let's talk about what the Induction family of products does, because frankly they are not for everybody.

 

Basically the Induction jacket and pant do the same kind of job as the Marrakesh and pant. They don't come with a membrane, the idea being that they will help you to stay cool in hot conditions. In both instances, you're potentially going to need to layer. A windproof like the Zephyr to combat the effects of wind chill. A down jacket like the Maverick to insulate body heat. And a waterproof like the Scott to go on the outside if it rains.

 

The main difference is that the respective Induction garments will flow a lot more air than their Marrakesh counterparts. Now Klim created the Induction family of products largely with those who ride in states such as Texas, Florida, Georgia and xxxxxx in mind. With temperatures in these states often running into the nineties for long periods of time an Induction jacket or pant is probably going to serve you better than a Marrakesh one. And so it simply has to be admitted that if it's about the maximum airflow, the Inductions have it.

 

But for the UK and Europe, even the southern part of Europe I think we would suggest that the Marrakesh outfit flows enough air. You could cross a desert in a Marrakesh, and you'd still probably get enough air to the body. By contrast, in many situations, an Induction jacket or pant might be deemed to flow just too much air. In the Induction you could get very cold very quickly if the sun were to disappear behind a cloud. Of course you can still layer in the Induction, but with this much air flowing through the wide mesh there would still be times when it's going to be difficult to stay warm. And that's the jacket. It would be worse with the pants because layering in trousers is so much harder. There's no windproof layer. And down inner pants are few and far between.

 

What I am going to do now is look the pants in some detail, because there are things we really like about them, and things we're not quite so keen on. At the end we'll loop back and try and deliver a verdict. In fact, they're can never be a verdict, per se, on things like this. Rather, we'll tell you who we think they'd work for, and for whom we think they wouldn't.

 

The pant is made up from a number of different  fabrics. There are areas of Nylon, and some bits that are constructed from the same material used on the Marrakesh. But at least 50% of the surface are of the pant is made up from a micro-mesh. And it's this stuff that really allows the air to flow. It's the motorcycling equivalent of your grandad's string vest. The seat, the knees, the inside of the legs below the knee and the hem are all reinforced with a 500 denier Cordura.

 

 

All of these will flow air because there's no membrane involved here, but it's the micro-mesh that will flow the most. Klim call this mesh Karbonite, but what we have realised is that this a made-up word that Klim uses to describe lots of things!

 

 

In terms of abrasion resistance the pant is rated AA under EN17092; and that's encouraging because lots of mesh products only meet the A standard. The armour in the hips is D3O, but it's shaped and not flat, which we approve of because in a wider legged pant like this D3O's Ghost would simply move about too much.

 

 

You get perforated, goat-leather panels inside the knees, but that's not about protection; that's about getting better purchase on the tank. There are two zipped, slash pockets. And there's lots of 3M Carbon Black Scotchlite reflective stuff for better nighttime visibility.

 

At the bottom of the legs you get long zips to allow larger boots to be accommodated. And on the hem there are three poppers to allow the bottoms to be cinched at the ankle. The waistband is arranged with belt loops, meaning that Klim reckons you should use a traditional belt to keep these trousers up rather than a pair of braces.

 

Anyway, that's everything we can tell you about the make-up of Klim's Induction pants.

 

So, in summary, what do we think?

 

Klim is an adventure-oriented company that would like to grab a slice of the pure, on-road market.

 

When it comes to high-airflow outfits, they have three different families of product in their range: the Marrakesh, the Induction and the Baja S4.

 

Nobody is going to tell you where you can and cannot wear these suits, but let us tell you Klim's thinking.

 

The Marrakesh, in their world, is purely on-road. Now personally I often wear my Marrakesh jacket off-road, but usually with a body armour vest beneath it, because Ghost isn't right for the rough stuff. But Klim have made the bottom of the Marrakesh pants so tight that you could never wear them with off-road boots. In fact, even a Daytona Road Star is a bit of a push. To make matters worse there's no zip at the bottom of the leg.

 

The Baja S4, of which there's a new-for-2025 version coming soon, is pure off road. It flows as much air as the Induction, potentially more. But both the jacket and the pant fit wide and baggy. The pants will go over pretty much any off-road boot.

 

In Klim's world the Induction jacket and pant are still very much road-oriented. But the zips up the legs will allow them to go over any touring boot, and probably over most 'cross-over' adventure boots.

 

We like the Induction suit; and we like the induction pant. It flows more air than the Marrakesh pant, and we prefer its traditional, shaped armour to the Marrakesh's armour. We like too the fact that they will accomodate more than an ankle boot.

 

But, as we have suggested, we fear these pants might just be too much for UK riding. If you want something for the Sudan, they're going to be perfect, but for the Salisbury Plain they're might just be too much.

 

As ever, however, it's horses for courses!