FirstGear Kilimanjaro Air Jacket Review

[Mellow]

I just got this in the mail yesterday.

Pros:

I thought the Joe Rocket Phoenix and Alter Ego jackets were cool, this jacket appears to be much cooler and looks better in my opinion. It has a very light feeling to it probably due to the tighter weave of the material.

The quality is what you'd expect from First Gear.

Lots of pockets.

The jacket was very comfortable as soon as I put it on.

At first it seems a bit large but then again I have never found a jacket that fit me perfectly, this is close.

The liner can provide warmth if it gets unexpectedly cold.

At first the neck strap seemed to be a problem but there's a loop on the left inside of the colar you can use to pin it down if you want to ride with the jacket open a little and don't want the strap slapping you in the wind.

The liner doesn't have the 'vinyl' feeling that the Joe Rocket Phoenix liner has, it can also be rolled up into a small bundle about the size of some rain pants.

I got the yellow and black mainly for visibility.

Cons:

The armor (Taperfoam) to me is not as good as the Joe Rocket however it's more flexible and it could be the 'stiff' armor in the JR just feels tougher, I'm looking around for any type of armor material comparisons if I can find them. There's also some Firstgear Core Comp armor that can be purchased to replace the Taperfoam.

I can't tell if the pockets are waterproof, I don't think they are so if it rains you zip in the liner and remove everything from your pockets.

The liner can provide too much warmth during a summer rain.

I don't like the rear storage "cargo system" as I don't ever see myself using it, I wish it was a zip-out option. That's just my opinion, others might use it more, maybe even to keep the liner in.

Overall Level of Satisfaction:
Very High - This is a big improvement over my current summer riding gear.

http://www.motorcycle-superstore.com/photos/OG/i17952.jpg

[BrianB]

Was looking at these jackets, do you still like yours? Been about a year eh?

[Fireball18]

I was considering one of these jackets, however I think I've found the right combo for me. I wear a First Gear MeshTex jacket (the original w/o the zip in waterproof liner) and my Gerbing liner as the liner if it gets cool out. For $29.95 at my local Honda dealer, I got a First Gear water/windproof jacket liner that can be worn over or under the jacket. It really is waterproof and also makes a great windbreaker. Overall, I find the First Gear stuff to be topnotch and reasonably priced. I've tried some other manufacturers' gear but I always seem to come back to First Gear. I also wear the FG mesh riding pants with the zip in/out liner, which is also waterproof. So far so good. The only thing I wear that isn't FG is my Sidi OnRoad Sympatex riding boots which I believe are the finest riding boots going these days. I got a pair of the Oxtar Matrix boots which are good boots, but I prefer the Sidis. Guess I'll keep the Oxtars as a standby set of boots.

[Mellow]

Was looking at these jackets, do you still like yours? Been about a year eh?

BrianB,

I no longer have that jacket. I sold it as it was just too long for my short body... I have a hein gericke gore-tex jacket that I wear for the cooler months and I have been using a Joe Rocket alter ego jacket for my summer riding. But, the zipers on it were crap and for th cost of sending it in and having it fixed I found a discontinued JR Reactor jacket. It's basically a mesh jacket but with perforated leather on the outsides of the arms and shoulders. I also got a Joe Rocket dry tech liner which is basically the same type of liner that comes with the FG jacket.

The Joe Rocket quality isn't near as good as the First Gear or Hein Gericke stuff I've seen but it's also cheaper so there's a balance there. If I were a little taller, maybe just an inch or two (I'm 5'8"), I probably would have kept the FG KIlli Air Jacket.

They have discontinued the JR Reactor jacket, hopefully not due to bad zippers :mad:

[BrianB]

Thanks,
I got my wife a First Gear Kilo Jacket this spring and it is a great jacket. The trouble is that no one imports First Gear products to Canada( distribution trouble or something) and I can't find a any where to try on any of the stuff.
I really want the HT air over pants but can't find a on line store that sell both the Pants and the Kilo air jacket and ships to Canada.( Nobody wants to do this any more, not even New enough) I guess I will just have to stop and go shopping on our way to San Luis Obisbo.
Brian

[Bytes_U]

Thanks,
I got my wife a First Gear Kilo Jacket this spring and it is a great jacket. The trouble is that no one imports First Gear products to Canada( distribution trouble or something) and I can't find a any where to try on any of the stuff.
I really want the HT air over pants but can't find a on line store that sell both the Pants and the Kilo air jacket and ships to Canada.( Nobody wants to do this any more, not even New enough) I guess I will just have to stop and go shopping on our way to San Luis Obisbo.
Brian
Brian,

I just bought my FirstGear Kilimanjaro Air Jacket and HT air overpants this spring. I love them and I was able to order from New England Motorcycle Emporium. (http://www.motoemporium.com/) They are one of the few retailers that still ship to Canada and are willing to ship via USPS to save on UPS's outrageous minimum brokerage fees. FirstGear Kilimanjaro Air Jacket order link (http://www.motoemporium.com/firstgear/kilimanjaro/kilimanjaroair.html) -- FirstGear HT Air Overpant order link (http://www.motoemporium.com/firstgear/htairpant.html) Use their tollfree number to get the shipping costs and carrier verified. The pants and jacket fit true to size, do not oversize.

On a side note, the pants came through as motorcycle parts (no duty, just gst+pst) but on ordering the jacket a month later it was declared as clothing and had excessive duty charged by customs canada plus the gst/pst taxes. It made a huge difference on the final cost. :evil:

[Ken]

I'll just add that I recently purchased a Tourmaster GX Air jacket through New England Motorcycle Emporium and was very impressed. Best price I could find anywhere ($139), reasonable shipping (free :) ), and received it within 5 days of order. Two thumbs up!

[Fireball18]

Thanks,
I got my wife a First Gear Kilo Jacket this spring and it is a great jacket. The trouble is that no one imports First Gear products to Canada( distribution trouble or something) and I can't find a any where to try on any of the stuff.
I really want the HT air over pants but can't find a on line store that sell both the Pants and the Kilo air jacket and ships to Canada.( Nobody wants to do this any more, not even New enough) I guess I will just have to stop and go shopping on our way to San Luis Obisbo.
Brian

You might want to look up Happy Trails Products here in Boise, Id.
happy-trail.com
Tim is a great guy and I know he'll do his best to accommodate you. Happy Trails sells a full line of FG products.

Their phone # is 208-377-8771. Talk to Tim or Sherry Bernard and tell them I referred you.

[BrianB]

Thanks guys,
Will most likly put my order in Monday, for now I'm off riding.
Brian

[Austin city limits]

Just got back from the "Family Truckster" trip to Virginia Beach and catching up on threads...

LOVE,,, my Air Kilimanjaro!!! I saw where Mellow got rid of his as he is,,, uuummm,,, well,,, "Height challenged" :D and wanted to let him in on a little secret... Here is a jacket that,,, though,,, it isn't as nice as the Kilimanjaro,,, it would fit in real nice... It doesn't have the pockets of the Kilimanjaro,,, or it doesn't look like you are on your way to a BMW rally maybe,,, but still real nice and it will work for anyone as it is a shorter cut jacket...

Here!!! (http://www.motorcyclecloseouts.com/detail.asp?PRODUCT_ID=HG2002-03)

But,,, back to the Kilamanjaro...

Ask Putt... I have bought,,, JUST,,, about every jacket known to man looking for the "Perfect' jacket... For me??? I Bought the Air Kilimanjaro and the Non Air Kilimanjaro... I too like Mellow have the Gore-Tex Hein Gericke jacket and really liked it... But,,, I like the Non air Kilimanjaro better for winter/wet than the Gore-Tex even...

The Air Kilimanjaro??? I think,,, is JUST,,, about,,, P E R F E C T !!! :)

Which,,, for me means,,, I will keep it,,, for another year as the never ending search continues for the even better,,, jacket... :D

:::::if you are guessing that "The Lovely Cindy" does not care,,, or want to know how many jackets terry has bought,,, YOU,,, would be correct:::::

[Putt]

The Kili is a great jacket up to about 85 degrees without the liner...
I have worn mine (thanks Terry) into the 90's and is "ok" as long
as you have the vents open and are moving.. Gets pretty dang hot
at stoplights... With the liner, have worn mine in the very low 30's
and was very comfortable, very very great protection against
cold air intrusion when eveything is buttoned up... Terry's
riding gear collection... When I went over for the Moonshine run,
walking into Terrys garage was like walking into the Sach 5th ave
of motorcycle protective gear... :)

Putt...

[NormanPCN]

I have worn mine (thanks Terry) into the 90's and is "ok" as long
as you have the vents open and are moving..

Why would a mesh jacket have vents?

[Austin city limits]

Why would a mesh jacket have vents?

What Putt is talking about is the Old style Kilimanjaro... It was non-Mesh and only has vents...

The New style Kilimanjaro is better venting but the same principal...

The Air Kilimanjaro has mesh over about 90% of it as only the tops of the shoulders is non venting really...

So,,, my statement to the inventory inspector ((("The Lovely Cindy"))) :rolleyes: on why I have 2 jackets,,, that look almost alike was,,, 1 was for Cool/Cold/Rainy weather,,, The other is my 20 day Summer trip Hot/Cool/Rainy jacket...

She,,, just turned and walked away,,, back to the house... ;)

[BrianB]

Well I got my Kili Air jacket and am very pleased with it. Rode several days well into the 90s and was quite comfortable. My one thing is that their sizeing chart is on the big size. I ordered a large jacket, and it fits like my extra large Joe Rocket, which I bought to fit over all my winter gear. Trouble is if I had gone with a medium I think that the sleeve lenght would have been a bit short. Very nice jacket so I will live with it being a bit loose, and I think with the liner in and a sweat shirt/ heated vest it will be just fine for those cold fall days we get here in Canada. Now the pant are a different story, I wear a size 34, all ways have, but I was just swimming in the size 34 HT air over pant, sold them to my freind who normaly wears a size 38 and they fit him just fine. Going to see if I can find a place on the way to WeSTOC that sells these pants so that I can try them on. Any Ideas?
Brian Browning
Going pant less still:-))

[Louie Louie]

I received my kilimanjaro air in XL and it seems kinda large(thats what the size chart recommends... However, I will try it for a couple days and see how it feels. I ordered in Yellow.. I'm 6'2 and weigh 185. I ordered non tall because the "tall" one seemd to be too lengthy.Anyone have the same issue?

[NormanPCN]

Most jackets are cut quite roomy. If you want a closer fit you would have to go down a size. This is possible with FG since they have tall sizes. Typically with standard sizes a tall person might end up with a bigger size just to get a decent sleeve length.

Remember to keep some room to layer in winter and not have the jacket feel snug. I know you have an electric vest. Try the jacket in winter setup. Vest, liner and typical cloathing layers. Also for summer you might want room for a cool vest.

[Mark]

Remember to keep some room to layer in winter and not have the jacket feel snug. I know you have an electric vest. Try the jacket in winter setup. Vest, liner and typical cloathing layers. Also for summer you might want room for a cool vest.

Louie,
Norman is giving good advice... And you could bring it to WeSTOC X to test it; being from the desert, the coast is going to feel like deep winter to us anyway... :)

WeSTOC X, only 18 days!

Mark

[Louie Louie]

Yes indeed folks. I am taking the much spoken jacket to Westoc and comparing jackets w/ my ST extended family! I got an XL but sent it back for a L and well see how it goes.

Norm, looking forward to seeing the jacket you speak of highly.

I owe you and Uncle Don breakfest and anyone else who wants to join us for a 4.30am ride
:eat2: :banr1: :usflag2: :headbang: :-D :chat1: :new: :chicken: :sbike1: :cus: :weights2:

[1downfourup]

I bought a First Gear Kili Air and found it was too large for me, and hated the tiny zippers to get the waterproof liner in and out and the fuss of putting the liner in... could not imagine trying to do this as the skies were about to open up on me. I concluded that ya gotta have one jacket for hot days, another for rain, and another for cold days.... that one jacket just does not do it all, well.

[Austin city limits]

I bought a First Gear Kili Air and found it was too large for me, and hated the tiny zippers to get the waterproof liner in and out and the fuss of putting the liner in... could not imagine trying to do this as the skies were about to open up on me. I concluded that ya gotta have one jacket for hot days, another for rain, and another for cold days.... that one jacket just does not do it all, well.

UUUuuuMMMmmm,,, well,,, what do I do???

I NEVER,,, E V E R,,, zip the liner into my jacket unless it is winter and I will not be taking it out for a long time... Stow it till you need it... A big Zip Lock bag is good as you can flatten it out and get the air out of it and it packs down to a fraction of its fluffy self... ;)

Try this... Put ON,,, the liner first... Just match up the Velcro in the front... THEN,,, put on your Jacket... The liner is very light,,, very comfy,,, and looks good just walking around in it even... It adds 7 seconds to add the liner as I do it,,, zipping it in takes a good 5 minutes...

On my 9,300 mile 20 day trip I Put on/Took off my jacket liner probably 15 times,,, and was POURED on about 4 times and it worked perfect,,, I stayed 100% dry... 1 time was from the summit of Mt Evans all the way down the mountain to Winter Park... NOT,,, recommended as lightning was chasing me down the whole way... :eek:

[Louie Louie]

I've been practcing folks...Can get liner in in 8 seconds and back on in 22 seconds!

[texxter]

I am selling my first generation Kilimanjaro and buying the Air as an all-Texas-season jacket. I really like this jacket! I found it for $218 (http://www.motorcyclecloseouts.com/detail.asp?PRODUCT_ID=50-2872) + $10 S&H at MotorcycleCloseouts.com, significantly cheaper than the $242 street price most merchants charge for it... I have read good things about this online store, but I wanted to check with the Forum... any positive or negative experiences to share? That seems like an excellent price for this jacket...

Thanks!

[Austin city limits]

Tex~~~

Buy the Hein Gericke,,, who makes Firstgear stuff instead and you can get the exact same coat,,, which is called the Timbuktu and it will only cost you $199 as I did... And,,, IMHO,,, looks even better too... ;)

Timbuktu!!! (http://www.motorcyclecloseouts.com/detail.asp?PRODUCT_ID=HG2000-01/02)

[Louie Louie]

I also bought a Kili air and have it down to a science and can get the liner on in 10 seconds. Just remember that the liner is zipped from the top down. VERY pleased w/ the jacket...Did great at Westoc. I also thought it was too big and got a smaller size!

[texxter]

Tex~~~

Buy the Hein Gericke,,, who makes Firstgear stuff instead and you can get the exact same coat,,, which is called the Timbuktu and it will only cost you $199 as I did... And,,, IMHO,,, looks even better too... ;)

Timbuktu!!! (http://www.motorcyclecloseouts.com/detail.asp?PRODUCT_ID=HG2000-01/02)

Terry, thanks for the tip - nice jacket and nice price, I will check it out. The camo color would go better with an ATV than an ST, IMHO... but the black/grey is nice...

[Louie Louie]

Check it out. Very happy w/ jacket, especially once you master the liner installation. :03biker: :) :attentio: :banr1: :usflag1:

[texxter]

Well, it gets harder and harder


Belstaff Trekker - $100 on Ebay, good reviews
HG Timbuktu - good quality, $200
FG Kili Air - good reviews, $218

I don't think I can go wrong with any of these jackets... I am curious why the Belstaff Trekker does not sell... any ideas? Looks good...

http://www.b5glx.com/suzuki/belstaff-trekker%20detail.jpg

[Austin city limits]

Tex~~~

The Belstaff are good jackets but,,, comparing apples to apples,,, the Belstaff is NOT,,, repeat,,, not a mesh jacket... In cold/cool/little warm weather that is fine... Warm/hot/scorching it is not IMHO...

The camo color would go better with an ATV than an ST, IMHO...

:::::austin,,, slowly walks out into the the shop,,, and looks at his Camo Timbuktu uuummm,,, well,,, "ATV" jacket which he thought looked pretty cool/different riding those 9,300 miles on his trip:::::

:rolleyes:

:D

[Tor]

Check it out. Very happy w/ jacket, especially once you master the liner installation. :03biker: :)

Louie,

The one you got for replacement, was it a "Large"? You first got an XL, if I understand right? How tall are you? I'm 6'2" and thinking about a regular Kilo for the fall/winter, so I need some size recerence :D

[texxter]

Tex~~~

Buy the Hein Gericke,,, who makes Firstgear stuff instead and you can get the exact same coat,,, which is called the Timbuktu and it will only cost you $199 as I did... And,,, IMHO,,, looks even better too... ;)

Timbuktu!!! (http://www.motorcyclecloseouts.com/detail.asp?PRODUCT_ID=HG2000-01/02)

I ended up getting the Timbuktu Air and Cargo overpants. I love them!! Also, FYIW, my transaction with Motorcyclecloseouts.com was perfect and the price quite good: $199 for the jacket and $159 for the pants. Shipping for both was very reasonable too, $10.

Thanks for the good advice.

http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y213/texxter/mygear.jpg