When you get a new piece of riding gear, the first moment that you put it on everything is wonderful. It’s the best jacket/pants/pair of gloves you’ve ever had. It isn’t until down the road that you find the little things about it that bug you. Or on the flip side, you find something you really appreciate about the garment. You’ve really got to put it through it’s paces in different conditions to make a fair assessment.
That is one of my biggest gripes with the way riding gear is reviewed across the web. Someone takes one ride in a jacket and gives a review. You know? Riding 20 miles in a jacket doesn’t cut it. Wear it for a week, a month, in variable conditions THEN review it.
And I get it. Reviews need to be timely to sell the current model but the process is often flawed, in my opinion.
::Taking my curmudgeon hat off::
So, on the lighter side of things – Of course I LOVE the waterproofness of the gear. But if you would’ve told me that one of the things I would appreciate most about my Klim Altitude jacket was 2 stupid clips inside the front pockets, I would’ve rolled my eyes at you. Which I’m really good, by the way.
Two stinkin’ clips.
Inside of one pocket, I clip my itty bitty point-n-shoot camera and on the other, I clip in my SPOT tracker. And then… my life is perfect.

As a motorcyclist, you know how it goes. Sometimes you pull over to the side of the road to snap a photo and have to go fumbling around pulling your (non-DSLR) camera out. Maybe you keep it in your tankbag or topbox so that it doesn’t get wet. *fumble*fumble*walk*walk*snap*walk*walk*fumble*fumble*
Because my life is now perfect, I get off the bike (or maybe not) pull the camera out of my pocket without fear of dropping it, because in my perfect life it’s clipped to me, and *snap*. Then I willy-nill-illy shove the camera back in my pocket. And I am freeeeeee!
Life? Perfect.