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I would hope so since it is a mesh jacket. Pretty much any mesh is going to flow almost like you don't have it on when you're moving.
Best ventilating Klim Jacket for K1600GT?
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I have the Klim Latitude jacket and pants with my 2013 K16GT and rode 5000 miles through WA, ID, MT, WY, CO, AZ, CA, NV and back home to WA this past summer. I mention this because it gives you some sense of the climates I encountered along the way. The daily average high temp was 95F with the hottest day at 112F (Indio, CA) and the coldest at 48F (Yellowstone). Humidity varied but was relatively dry compared to the South East.
I think you should consider what you're trying to accomplish. The trouble is, most road trips involve a variety of weather conditions, so can your everyday commute or typical ride around home. So unless you plan to ride only in warm weather (and if you figure that out, tell me how) it's not just about getting the best venting possible. You should also consider your own sensitivity to heat or cold. Some people and body shapes handle different weather better than others, which is why personal testimony isn't always helpful in deciding which gear is best for you.
I grew up in Southern California, have a tall thin body type and have always had a sensitivity to cold temps and an above average tolerance for hot temps. As luck would have it, I now live in the Seattle area where it's wet and cold 8 months out of the year, yay for me. I can easily pick out a Washington native, they're the person standing around in sandals, light summer pants, and a short sleeve shirt when it's 48F and raining. Now with that back story, let me tell you my experience with the Latitude.
I've ridden with this jacket / pant combo for about 2 years commuting year round (I don't own a car) in temps as low as 28F (with down liners top and bottom) and as high as 112F (with a cooling layer). The gear performed reasonably well in all those conditions, which is incredibly difficult to pull off by any manufacturer. Of course, I've seen a ton of rain in this gear as well which it's managed without any issues whatsoever.
In terms of cooling, I get the most cooling from the arm vents and the pin-down collar. The chest and back vents help but even with the winglets open on the bike, they only accomplish so much. Using a cooling undergarment like the Under Armor Cold Gear makes a considerable difference. Surprisingly, the leg vents were also quite helpful. It's sometimes hard to tell until you close them for a bit and open them again and you're instantly reminded how much heat they're carrying away.
Yes, the Latitude is lighter weight material, and that works better in the heat I think and also makes them more comfortable to wear in general. One important point, the armor and protection in the Latitude is designed for street riding crashes. Klim will tell you that equates to one, high speed / high impact crash and then you say thank you and buy new gear. Gear like the Kodiak and the Badlands is more Adventure oriented and so the protection is designed for several low speed crashes without sustaining too much damage to finish your trip. That's something to consider when you're thinking about how you'll use the gear.
I also like the lighter color options on the Latitude, any color lighter than black helps out tremendously. Food for thought in helmet selection as well.
The Klim gear in general tends to fit a bit roomy on my 6'4" / 185 lbs frame. This helps in warm weather by allowing more air to circulate in general. In colder weather it allows room for my Mountain Hardware Ghost Whisperer (highly recommended) 800 down filled jacket and pant liners. With these liners in, I could hike to the North Pole without issue. The gear is a bit stiff right out of the box but it has broken in nicely. After my long trip this summer, I washed it per the instructions in a commercial washing machine and hung dry. I think washing actually helped break them in further and improved the fit as a result.
Otherwise, the Klim gear has been bullet proof. I have matching gloves and all of it has been indestructible and still looks as good as the day I bought it. I really recommend this gear in terms of its ability to comfortably tackle a wide variety of climates, stand up to hard use, and do so with safety, comfort, style and function.
I think you should consider what you're trying to accomplish. The trouble is, most road trips involve a variety of weather conditions, so can your everyday commute or typical ride around home. So unless you plan to ride only in warm weather (and if you figure that out, tell me how) it's not just about getting the best venting possible. You should also consider your own sensitivity to heat or cold. Some people and body shapes handle different weather better than others, which is why personal testimony isn't always helpful in deciding which gear is best for you.
I grew up in Southern California, have a tall thin body type and have always had a sensitivity to cold temps and an above average tolerance for hot temps. As luck would have it, I now live in the Seattle area where it's wet and cold 8 months out of the year, yay for me. I can easily pick out a Washington native, they're the person standing around in sandals, light summer pants, and a short sleeve shirt when it's 48F and raining. Now with that back story, let me tell you my experience with the Latitude.
I've ridden with this jacket / pant combo for about 2 years commuting year round (I don't own a car) in temps as low as 28F (with down liners top and bottom) and as high as 112F (with a cooling layer). The gear performed reasonably well in all those conditions, which is incredibly difficult to pull off by any manufacturer. Of course, I've seen a ton of rain in this gear as well which it's managed without any issues whatsoever.
In terms of cooling, I get the most cooling from the arm vents and the pin-down collar. The chest and back vents help but even with the winglets open on the bike, they only accomplish so much. Using a cooling undergarment like the Under Armor Cold Gear makes a considerable difference. Surprisingly, the leg vents were also quite helpful. It's sometimes hard to tell until you close them for a bit and open them again and you're instantly reminded how much heat they're carrying away.
Yes, the Latitude is lighter weight material, and that works better in the heat I think and also makes them more comfortable to wear in general. One important point, the armor and protection in the Latitude is designed for street riding crashes. Klim will tell you that equates to one, high speed / high impact crash and then you say thank you and buy new gear. Gear like the Kodiak and the Badlands is more Adventure oriented and so the protection is designed for several low speed crashes without sustaining too much damage to finish your trip. That's something to consider when you're thinking about how you'll use the gear.
I also like the lighter color options on the Latitude, any color lighter than black helps out tremendously. Food for thought in helmet selection as well.
The Klim gear in general tends to fit a bit roomy on my 6'4" / 185 lbs frame. This helps in warm weather by allowing more air to circulate in general. In colder weather it allows room for my Mountain Hardware Ghost Whisperer (highly recommended) 800 down filled jacket and pant liners. With these liners in, I could hike to the North Pole without issue. The gear is a bit stiff right out of the box but it has broken in nicely. After my long trip this summer, I washed it per the instructions in a commercial washing machine and hung dry. I think washing actually helped break them in further and improved the fit as a result.
Otherwise, the Klim gear has been bullet proof. I have matching gloves and all of it has been indestructible and still looks as good as the day I bought it. I really recommend this gear in terms of its ability to comfortably tackle a wide variety of climates, stand up to hard use, and do so with safety, comfort, style and function.
I use a layered defense. I have the Marrakech Klim jacket as the basis. Incredible jacket with Great ventilation. I bought thicker armor to make it even better. Then when it starts getting cold I layer a heated jacket underneath. Then as the final defense I throw a Klim gortex rain shell over all If it starts to rain or temps drop into the 40s. I’m a sissy when it comes to cold. I live in California and commute every day through the year on a motorcycle. I have ridden in Montana snowy cold on a 5000 mile trip with just those top pieces Last year. The little snow flake was lit up on my dash for two days and I was toasty with that combo and heated gloves.
Specialkized...
Thank you for the lengthy and informative response. In my initial posting I clarified my posted question to compare the Klim Latitude to the Klim Apex (which I currently own). I guess after so many posts readers respond to the title. Now that I think about it, I usually don't go back to read the initial posting, especially for longer strings of responses. Good lesson for me for future questions I post.
I was wondering which jacket (Latitude vs. Apex) vents best on the GT with the winglets open?
- The Apex vents differently than the Latitude with large diagonal vents under the arms.
I am a Klim fan. I have had several jackets, pants, and base layer items as my riding has morphed from dirt to adventure to long-distance touring. I have an Apex that is 3 years old with 35,000 miles on it, still in sound shape but faded and stained (florescent fabric areas). It is very comfortable...broken in I guess. I am on the opposite end of the heat/cold tolerance scale. I lived in AK for 30+ years so I struggle with riding temps above 85. I prefer an electric jacket to bulky down layers for cold riding. Part of my reasoning for considering the Latitude is that the red color version would look great on my silver/black GT Sport with red graphics.
The rides I enjoy most are multi-day, multi-state road trips in the mountainous NW. I am retired, don't commute and I live in a little western town so I don't really do short run-around town trips.
PS: On the long trip you reference, did you stop at the Lochsa Lodge (Lolo Pass) for dinner?
Thanks again for your description of the latitude's performance.
Thank you for the lengthy and informative response. In my initial posting I clarified my posted question to compare the Klim Latitude to the Klim Apex (which I currently own). I guess after so many posts readers respond to the title. Now that I think about it, I usually don't go back to read the initial posting, especially for longer strings of responses. Good lesson for me for future questions I post.
I was wondering which jacket (Latitude vs. Apex) vents best on the GT with the winglets open?
- The Apex vents differently than the Latitude with large diagonal vents under the arms.
I am a Klim fan. I have had several jackets, pants, and base layer items as my riding has morphed from dirt to adventure to long-distance touring. I have an Apex that is 3 years old with 35,000 miles on it, still in sound shape but faded and stained (florescent fabric areas). It is very comfortable...broken in I guess. I am on the opposite end of the heat/cold tolerance scale. I lived in AK for 30+ years so I struggle with riding temps above 85. I prefer an electric jacket to bulky down layers for cold riding. Part of my reasoning for considering the Latitude is that the red color version would look great on my silver/black GT Sport with red graphics.
The rides I enjoy most are multi-day, multi-state road trips in the mountainous NW. I am retired, don't commute and I live in a little western town so I don't really do short run-around town trips.
PS: On the long trip you reference, did you stop at the Lochsa Lodge (Lolo Pass) for dinner?
Thanks again for your description of the latitude's performance.
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@AK2ID you're so gracious, my apologies for missing your theme entirely. I've telling my kids for years that Daddy doesn't know how to read, you've just confirmed their suspicions. 
I don't have any experience with the Apex, but just for you, I watched the Revzilla review to get an idea. It appears to me that the Apex jacket has more venting than the Latitude, with two vents in the arms and of course the big diagonal side vents too. It is difficult to answer how those vents might interact with the K16 winglets for cooling, but I could see how they might work quite well. On the Latitude, the chest vents are too high (on me anyway) for the air coming from the winglets to impact the vents and so the impact of using the winglets is somewhat limited. I get better results by using the bottom half of the zipper to expose my lower torso a bit and pickup some cooling that way.
One interesting omission from the Apex is that of the pin-down collar. On the Latitude, this is without a doubt the greatest source of cooling and comfort if hot weather. Cool air flowing over your upper chest and neck has a massive impact given the amount of blood in that area and it's proximity to your brain and critical organs. If the goal was to make the Apex more optimized for hot weather (and I can't say that it was), this seems like a miss to me.
The Apex also appears to be more of a sport oriented fit compared to the Latitude. This might just be perception but I think the Latitude is a bit longer in the waist and perhaps a little more relaxed in fit. Again, that's just my perception from watching the video and looking at the pics. Is there a dealer somewhere that has both jackets so you can try them out?? Another approach would be to buy both jackets from someplace like Revzilla and then return that one that doesn't make your cut.
Best of luck!!
I don't have any experience with the Apex, but just for you, I watched the Revzilla review to get an idea. It appears to me that the Apex jacket has more venting than the Latitude, with two vents in the arms and of course the big diagonal side vents too. It is difficult to answer how those vents might interact with the K16 winglets for cooling, but I could see how they might work quite well. On the Latitude, the chest vents are too high (on me anyway) for the air coming from the winglets to impact the vents and so the impact of using the winglets is somewhat limited. I get better results by using the bottom half of the zipper to expose my lower torso a bit and pickup some cooling that way.
One interesting omission from the Apex is that of the pin-down collar. On the Latitude, this is without a doubt the greatest source of cooling and comfort if hot weather. Cool air flowing over your upper chest and neck has a massive impact given the amount of blood in that area and it's proximity to your brain and critical organs. If the goal was to make the Apex more optimized for hot weather (and I can't say that it was), this seems like a miss to me.
The Apex also appears to be more of a sport oriented fit compared to the Latitude. This might just be perception but I think the Latitude is a bit longer in the waist and perhaps a little more relaxed in fit. Again, that's just my perception from watching the video and looking at the pics. Is there a dealer somewhere that has both jackets so you can try them out?? Another approach would be to buy both jackets from someplace like Revzilla and then return that one that doesn't make your cut.
Best of luck!!
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Yes, it's a great summer jacket and very comfortable. Have the pants as well. Had mine for two seasons now
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Tips for hot weather riding
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