Despite its lack of obvious mesh panels, the brilliance of the second-generation Klim Marrakesh jacket is that the entire garment is made of an abrasion resistant fabric that passes airflow like water through a sieve. The Marrakesh is comprised of a 4-way stretch 1000D Cordura fabric that achieves a commendable CE AA rating without giving anything up in the ventilation department. There are three main differences between the outgoing/original Marrakesh jacket and the new version. 1) Aesthetically, the jacket’s been cleaned up, ditching the contrasting zippers, and adding a nice brown color option. 2) Fit wise, somebody at KLIM screwed up, because the sizing is skewed up nearly a full size. So if you’re a generally a medium, 100% you’ll be a small in this jacket. And 3) the jacket still uses a D3O Viper L1 back protector, but it now features Level-1 D3O Ghost armor in the shoulders and elbows, instead of the LP1 model. While this is nice, we highly recommend upgrading to L2 Ghost, which is still thinner than the outgoing armor, but passes Level 2 impact testing. So we think it’s a no-brainer. Shop all D3O armor options here. To get the elbow armor precisely positioned, KLIM utilizes a “ladder” style Velcro adjustment, with 3 positions for relative armor positioning. So how’s it ride? Frigging fantastic—as long as you’re not trying to dodge cold air. Layering under this jacket is an option, but you’ really want a rain shell over the top too. At its heart, it’s a summer jacket meant to be worn over a t-shirt while tackling, say, an urban commute, or a backcountry route. The fit is extra comfortable thanks to the stretch of the Karbonite Mesh material. Just stand on the pegs and gas your bike and you’ll feel wind whip through the torso of this unique summer moto jacket. Also available a women’s version, which sports a zippered hip gusset for dialing in the fit. With the surprising amount of ventilation this jacket delivers, for longer hauls it would be wise to consider packing along some sort of moto-specific rain shell. The jacket does come with a hydrophobic coating to help repel water, and dry quickly after a soaking. As with all Klim jackets, a full 5-piece D3O armor complement is included; in this case Level 1 Ghost limb armor, and a Viper L1 back protector. Highlights: 1000d Cordura fabric construction Stretch woven material fully porous for airflow Hydrophobic coating repels water and dries fast YKK zippers with Hypalon zipper garages CE AA rating certified to en 17092-3 Cargo: 4 External Pockets 4 Internal Pockets 1 Inner Chest Pocket Sizing Note: This new Marrakesh 2.0 runs almost a full size large -- see the addendum to the size chart at the Size Chart link, and size down for best results!
