KLIM Carlsbad vs Alpinestars Andes V3
Laminated GORE-TEX against a Drystar membrane with a zip-out thermal, at roughly four times the price. One of these two jackets publishes a CE abrasion class and the other does not — that is the difference most comparisons miss.
Buy the Alpinestars Andes V3 Drystar unless you ride in sustained rain or spend real days off pavement — then the KLIM Carlsbad is worth every bit of the difference. The Andes V3 gives most riders what they actually need: a waterproof membrane, a removable thermal liner that makes it a genuine three-season jacket, and CE-certified shoulder and elbow armor in the box, at roughly a quarter of the Carlsbad’s price.
But there is one published difference that no amount of value changes, and it is the reason this page exists. KLIM publishes a CE abrasion class for the Carlsbad — “CE AA RATING CERTIFIED TO EN 17092-3” — plus D3O CE Level 2 elbow, shoulder AND back armor included. Alpinestars publishes no EN 17092 class for the Andes V3 at all, and its back protector is a foam pad. That is not a small gap: an AA class means the garment itself was tested for abrasion, seam strength and tear resistance, and only 2 of the 27 jackets in our registry publish a class. The Carlsbad is one of them.
Every figure below comes from the maker’s own product page as recorded in our registry on a dated visit — KLIM’s Carlsbad page for the first column, Alpinestars’ published specification for the second. We own neither jacket, have tested neither, and make no claim about how either one wears; our methodology says exactly what that means.
How this is funded: we earn a commission if you buy through our links, at no extra cost to you. It never changes which gear we recommend, and we’ll tell you plainly when to skip a pick. Full disclosure.
Laminated GORE-TEX shell
KLIM Carlsbad
The reference hard-use adventure jacket: a GORE-TEX shell with huge vents that actually open, built for riders who spend real days off pavement. Expensive, and the one ADV riders keep replacing with the same jacket.
Price as of October 17, 2026. #ad How we’re funded
Drystar membrane + thermal liner
Alpinestars Andes V3 Drystar
The adventure-touring value benchmark: a Drystar waterproof membrane, a removable thermal liner and CE armor at shoulders and elbows, for roughly a quarter of what the GORE-TEX flagships cost.
Price as of October 17, 2026. #ad How we’re funded
| Spec | KLIM Carlsbad | Alpinestars Andes V3 Drystar |
|---|---|---|
| Garment CE class published | CE AA, certified to EN 17092-3 | None published |
| Armor included | D3O CE Level 2 LP2 Pro elbow and shoulder, D3O CE Level 2 back pad | CE-certified shoulder and elbow protectors; back is a foam pad |
| Waterproofing | Laminated GORE-TEX Performance Shell — membrane bonded to the outer | Drystar membrane built into the shell |
| Thermal liner | None listed — layer underneath instead | Removable thermal liner included |
| Main fabric | FPL400 chassis with 630D Cordura twisted-yarn overlays at shoulders and elbows | Polyamide shell with Drystar membrane |
| Ventilation | 2 double-headed forearm vents, 2 chest vents, 2 offset back exhaust vents, collar tab | Zip vents; Alpinestars publishes no vent count |
| Reflective material | 3M Scotchlite C790 carbon black | Reflective detailing |
| Sizes published | SM through 3X | Standard touring size range |
| Cut | ADV fit, cut for standing on the pegs | Touring fit with room for the thermal liner |
| Price tier | Premium | Mid |
| Who it is for | Riders doing real off-pavement days and sustained weather who want a published AA class | ADV and touring riders who want all-weather range on a realistic budget |
Laminate versus membrane: what actually changes in the rain
Both jackets are waterproof. They get there differently, and the difference shows up after about twenty minutes of real rain.
A laminatelike the Carlsbad’s GORE-TEX Performance Shell bonds the membrane to the outer fabric, so the outer face cannot soak through: water beads and runs off, and the jacket stays light. A membrane inside the shell, which is how Drystar is built into the Andes V3, keeps you dry but lets the outer fabric wet out — the jacket gets heavier, colder against the wind and slower to dry. For a two-hour shower on a commute, nobody cares. For a six-hour day in Oregon drizzle, it is the difference between arriving comfortable and arriving wearing a wet tent.
The flip side is heat. A laminate has no liner to remove, so in cold weather you layer underneath — which is why the Carlsbad is the better three-season shell and the Andes V3 is the better all-in-one jacket. Our cold-weather gear guide covers the layering side, and heated liners are the other answer to the same problem.
The armor difference is bigger than the price difference suggests
The Carlsbad ships with D3O CE Level 2 armor at the elbows, shoulders AND back. The Andes V3 ships with CE-certified shoulder and elbow protectors and a foam back pad, which means the most important insert in the jacket is a separate purchase. That is normal rather than scandalous — most jackets do it — but it is a real cost to add to the sticker price. A CE EN 1621-2 Level 2 insert costs a fraction of the price gap between these two jackets, so this is a solvable problem on the cheaper jacket, not a reason to buy the dearer one. Our back protector ranking and the armor hub ranking both start with exactly that insert.
What an AA class means, and what it does not
- It is about the garment, not the armor. EN 17092 grades the fabric and construction — abrasion, seam strength, tear resistance — in classes AAA, AA, A, B and C. AA is the middle protective class and the usual target for touring and ADV gear. Our EN 17092 guide explains each class.
- Its absence is not proof of a weak jacket. Certification costs money and is voluntary in the US, so plenty of well-built jackets never get tested. What we can say is narrower and more useful: one of these two jackets has been measured against a published standard and the other has not.
- Only 2 of our 27 jackets publish a class at all. That is the real finding here, and it is why we rank on disclosure wherever a maker provides it. The same pattern runs through gloves and boots, and it is the opposite of helmets, where a US federal standard is mandatory for sale.
If neither is the right shape
There is a middle route these two miss: a vented dual-sport jacket with removable waterproof AND thermal liners, aimed at riders who split time between dirt roads and the commute.
The dual-sport middle ground
Fly Racing Terra Trek
A dual-sport-focused adventure jacket with big zip vents, a removable waterproof liner and armor pockets throughout — aimed at riders who split time between dirt roads and the commute.
See the full ADV jacket rankingBig zip vents front, back and on the arms, both liners removable, hi-vis panel options. The honest limits: liner-based waterproofing wets out the outer shell in sustained rain, exactly as described above, and FLY publishes no CE certification for the included armor.
Our verdict
The Carlsbad is the more protective and more capable jacket, and the Andes V3 is the one we would recommend to more riders. If your riding includes genuine off-pavement days, standing on the pegs, or week-long trips where weather is not optional, the Carlsbad’s laminate construction, published AA class and Level 2 armor are worth the money and the layering inconvenience. For commuting, touring on pavement and weekend ADV-styled riding, the Andes V3 plus a Level 2 back insert gets you most of the way for a fraction of the cost — and that combination is what our adventure-touring ranking is built around.
Frequently asked questions
Is the KLIM Carlsbad worth four times the price of the Alpinestars Andes V3?
For riders doing sustained weather and real off-pavement days, yes: you are buying a laminated GORE-TEX shell that does not wet out, a published CE AA abrasion class certified to EN 17092-3, and D3O CE Level 2 armor at elbows, shoulders and back. For commuting and pavement touring, no — the Andes V3's Drystar membrane keeps you dry, its removable thermal liner covers more of the year, and adding a CE Level 2 back insert costs a small fraction of the price gap.
Does the Alpinestars Andes V3 have a CE rating?
Alpinestars publishes CE-certified shoulder and elbow protectors for it, and no EN 17092 garment class. The back protector it ships with is a foam pad rather than a certified insert, so an EN 1621-2 Level 1 or Level 2 insert is the first upgrade we would make to it. In our registry only 2 of 27 jackets publish an EN 17092 class, so the absence is the norm rather than a mark against this jacket specifically.
What is the difference between laminated GORE-TEX and a Drystar membrane?
Where the waterproof layer sits. A laminate bonds the membrane to the outer fabric, so the face fabric cannot soak through — the jacket stays light and dries fast. A membrane built inside the shell keeps water off you but lets the outer fabric wet out, so the jacket gets heavier and colder in long rain and takes longer to dry. Both are genuinely waterproof; the difference shows up over hours, not minutes.
Which jacket is better in hot weather?
The Carlsbad, on published ventilation: KLIM lists two double-headed forearm vents, two chest vents, two offset back exhaust vents and a collar tab for upper-chest airflow, and the vents are designed to work at low off-road speeds. It also has no thermal liner to remove. Alpinestars publishes no vent count for the Andes V3. If heat is your main problem, though, neither is the right tool — a mesh jacket is, and our mesh ranking covers those.
Do I need a thermal liner or can I layer underneath?
Layering is more flexible and a liner is more convenient. A zip-out thermal liner like the Andes V3's is one less thing to pack and works well down to cool-but-not-cold. Layering under a shell like the Carlsbad covers a wider range, because a base layer plus a mid layer plus a heated vest beats any built-in liner — and you can strip it in stages rather than all at once.
What should I add to either jacket?
A certified back protector if the jacket did not come with one — on the Andes V3 that means replacing the foam pad with an EN 1621-2 insert, which is the single biggest protection gain available to you for the money. Beyond that: nothing, until you have ridden in it. Jackets are sized for the armor and liners they ship with, so adding bulk to a jacket that already fits is how you end up with armor in the wrong place.
Sources
- KLIM — Carlsbad Jacket — KLIM's published Carlsbad Jacket specification: "GORE-TEX PERFORMANCE SHELL", "GUARANTEED TO KEEP YOU DRY", "CE AA RATING CERTIFIED TO EN 17092-3", "630D CORDURA TWISTED YARN OVERLAYS ON SHOULDERS, ELBOWS", "FPL400 MAIN CHASSIS FABRIC SAME AS BADLANDS PRO", "D3O CE LEVEL 2 LP2 PRO ELBOW/SHOULDER ARMOR INCLUDED", "D3O CE LEVEL 2 BACK PAD INCLUDED", "ADJUSTABLE ARMOR PAD POCKETS", "REMOVABLE ARMOR PADS", "KIDNEY BELT COMPATIBLE (SOLD SEPARATELY)", "2 DOUBLE-HEADED FOREARM VENTS", "2 CHEST VENTS", "2 BACK EXHAUST VENTS OFFSET FOR BETTER AIRFLOW", "COLLAR TAB BACK FOR INCREASED AIRFLOW TO UPPER CHEST", "3M SCOTCHLITE C790 CARBON BLACK REFLECTIVE MATERIAL", "DOUBLE-HEADED FRONT ZIPPER", "YKK ZIPPERS". Sizes SM through 3X. No thermal liner is listed (accessed September 18, 2026)
- KLIM — Carlsbad Pant — KLIM's published Carlsbad Pant specification: "GORE-TEX PERFORMANCE SHELL", "630D CORDURA twisted yarn overlays in abrasion zones", "Goat leather on inside of knees for grip/protection", "CE AA rating certified to EN 17092-3", "KLIM Rogue CE Level 2 vented hip/adjustable knee armor", "2 Thigh intake vents", "2 Thigh exhaust vents", "Jacket-pant zip connection", "Waterproof fly zipper gusset", "Zipper/snap adjustable cuff". No thermal liner is listed (accessed September 17, 2026)
- MotoCAP — Independent Motorcycle Clothing & Helmet Assessment — Independent Australian lab rating protective clothing and helmets for protection and comfort (accessed July 21, 2026)
Keep reading
Best adventure touring jackets
The full ADV ranking both of these jackets sit in, from GORE-TEX flagships down to dual-sport textiles.
See the rankingEN 17092 explained
What AAA, AA, A, B and C actually test, and why only 2 of our 27 jackets publish a class.
Read the standard guideKLIM Carlsbad vs Latitude
The other Carlsbad comparison: two GORE-TEX KLIM jackets built for different jobs.
Read the comparisonBest waterproof motorcycle jackets
Laminates and membranes ranked together, with the wet-out trade-off stated on every entry.
See the picks