Usually if you are going on a multi-day trip you will want to bring rain gear.  Personally, I hate rain gear.  I feel like I am wrapped in plastic.  The Kilimanjaro jacket eliminates the need for a rain jacket because it is waterproof.  Even the zippers and the pockets are waterproof.  The fabric breathes so I don’t feel like I am wrapped in plastic.  I can wear this jacket on a cold day and, unlike my leather jacket, cold air does not leak through the zippers.  If it’s a warm day you can unzip the vents, there are five of them.  The zipper on the front of the jacket is a double zipper, so you can unzip the bottom to allow for more air flow and for more room to move.  This jacket also a removable liner that can be worn on its own as a windbreaker.  The liner also happens to be waterproof.  The Kilimanjaro jacket has CE approved armor in the elbows and shoulders, but the back protector is kinda whimpy.  It’s just a thin piece of foam.  Unfortunately it can’t be replaced with something more substantial because the pocket is not the shape of a standard back protector.

This jacket has a lot of pockets.  In fact, it has pockets inside of pockets.  The two big cargo pockets in the front have zippered “hand warmer” pockets behind them.  The zippers are waterproof, so they are a little stiff and a little hard to get into.  The cargo pockets fold over Velcro shut.  The way they fold make them waterproof too.  It is easy to overfill these pockets, making it difficult to zip up the jacket.  There are also two chest pockets that have waterproof zippers and Velcro and a snap.  These pockets can be a challenge to get into, but once you do get in you will find smaller organizer pockets for your pen, tire gauge, mileage log, earplugs, etc.  There is also a cell phone pocket and two other pockets on the inside of the jacket, and a hidden wallet pocket.  The removable liner/windbreaker also has two interior pockets.

My one complaint about this jacket is that even as bulky as it is there is not much room for layers under it.  It worked out well with my heated liner, but if I did not have the heated liner then there may not have been enough room in the jacket for enough layers to keep me warm on a cold day.  Also, the sizing is off.  Order one size smaller than you usually wear.  I ordered my usual size and it was huge on me.  The armor floated around loosely nowhere near where it should have been.  I returned it for one size smaller and it fits fine.

I wore my Kilimanjaro Jacket on a week-long trip down the Blue Ridge Parkway, down through Deal’s Gap, and back to Cincinnati.  I wore this jacket through rain, fog, 40 degree temperatures, 80 degree temperatuers, and every temperature in between.  What a wonderful jacket.  It kept me dry.  The pockets are waterproof and they kept my phone, camera, and wallet dry.  I was able to keep warm by adding extra layers underneath, and when the weather got warm I was able to open the vents and get good air flow.  When I wasn’t wearing the full jacket, I was often wearing the liner, which is a wonderful waterproof fleece windbreaker when worn on its own.  This could have been a miserable trip if I had taken any of my other jackets.  Good gear makes all the difference.

Eric on the starting line at BUB Motorcycle Speed Trials, 2008. He set a record.

First snow of the season 1/2/2012