Best Rain Gear I've Ever Used
Equipment
I just returned from Kodiak Island and wanted to share with others how incredible well the Kuiu Raingear was. The weather was typical Kodiak and I more or less lived in the raingear and it is awesome .I had 2 hunters in the field and they both had decent gear but it was heavy and didn' breath. The pants have zippers 3/4 the way up the sides (That you can zip from top to breath or zip up for easy on-off) which I was skeptical of, but they were flawless. I'll attach a pic of me in the gear, I really like the camo too and the fact that for raingear it is incredibly quiet.
The bear is a RIFLE KILL, but still an awesoe animal and was shot at bow range which kills me as a bowhunter but my hunter was happy. I also wore the Attack Pant the whole time and they are flippin great too. They are made for active hunting and really are the best I've used.
cool. what about durability?
cool. what about durability?
cool. what about durability?
Flying brass I think you are on full auto....:)
Answer the man be for he gets pissed off!
cool. what about the durability?
Seriously though...what gear have you used in the past (for comparison)? I'm really impressed with the KUIU gear I have...but I've been holding out on the raingear to see how it stacks up to proven gear using eVent like Westcomb and ID.
I have full Sitka Raingear, Helly Hansen Impertech, Browning Hydro Fleece and Kool Dri. The Kuiu held up awesome for 9 day hunt. The thing I really like is the flexibility and light weight part. Have two more 7 day hunts to do and wore it again this morning running a couple baits in. The quality seems great, time will tell, but I would put my money on it. Some of the gear I've had didn't last one hunt. I also have a Mtn Hardw. Shell and I will leave it now.
I wish they made it in tall sizes! I need a good set of rain gear for a bowhunter in a tall size.
This is what we all need. Hunters using the clothing and voicing their opinions on the ease of use, durability, and quietness, in all different hunting situations. Thanks for the report, keep them coming. JJ
JJ x 2
Thanks for the report.
I don't need to know what you wear in the shower.....
Hey bigkev...
I can vouch for the fact that my KUIU gear is plenty long for my 6' frame. I could probably wear it at 6-3 or so. I'm guessing you're a mite taller 'n most of us though.
If you give it a shot, let us (or me) know how it fits. Returns are easy...
Sorry, but I STOPPED looking at them as soon as I saw the price tag!!! $250.00 just for a pair of the pants!!! You have GOT TO BE KIDDING! No Thanks. I'm a bit more realistic with my money than that.
KD, I am 6'9" tall. They are looking into making me a longer set. I would only need an extra inch or two in the sleeves, but may try the XXL anyway to see if it fits. I know the pants will be too long and I only need a L or maybe XL in the pants.
I'll stick with my Sitka Gear. It will be used for the 5th straight year on Kodiak this fall. Extremely durable.
How well does the Sitka gear that is non-rain gear shed water? Would it be ok in a light rain? What about the noise? Thanks!
"Sorry, but I STOPPED looking at them as soon as I saw the price tag!!! $250.00 just for a pair of the pants!!! You have GOT TO BE KIDDING! No Thanks. I'm a bit more realistic with my money than that."
Actually the Kuiu rain gear is alot cheaper then most high quality mountaineering rain jackets. If you look at Aryterx, etc and other mountaineering style rain gear some jackets are 500-600 jackets. So the kuiu is actually relatively cheap for the same type of jacket when comparing to mountaineering companies.
It all comes ddown to perception of value. IMO Kuiu provides good value relative to comparable products.
I agree with Matt. You get what you pay for.
That's good to hear Frank! I am excited to wear mine this fall up there.
I'd love to see Jason pop in here and contrast the Chugach rain gear to Sitka Nimbus...which is what I currently use. It would take an extremely well-built and light (physical) weight outfit to come close to the Nimbus. My only concern is durability, and (after 3 years in Alaska) no issues so far.
Sorry, but I STOPPED looking at them as soon as I saw the price tag!!! $250.00 just for a pair of the pants!!! You have GOT TO BE KIDDING! No Thanks. I'm a bit more realistic with my money than that
I agree it is a bunch of money. Big difference between chasing whitetails where the pick up or cabin is a mile or less away as opposed to getting your tail dumped in to some hell hole for 14 days of hunting in rain, snow and near freezing conditions. Have done that a couple times and your gear can literally save your life. ON my goat hunt, there wasn't a stick to burn for a fire. If your wet, and cold, and unable to get your core warmed up, you end up taking a dirt nap. This stuff is meant for climates that change drastically in a matter of minutes. Hard to believe but it happens.
I am dumping some of my other gear, down sizing and going with the light stuff that keeps you warm and dry. Based on experience, it is worth the price.
I am curious about the breathability. I know it's hard to give a quantitative assessment but I'd like to know what the users think. I believe that Kuiu is using a polyurethane membrane which works in a fundamentally different way than teflon membranes do (GoreTex, e-vent). Traditionally, Teflon membranes (especially e-vent) have been significantly more breathable than the polyurethane materials but perhaps Toray has made some new developments. The polyurethanes have the advantage having more stretch and can made in lighter weight packages so they are appealing for hunting rainwear. There are always trade-offs when developing products and I'd like to know how the breathability of the Chugach gear is working out in the field.
Alpinehunter, I've used it a few times in Hawaii so far. On each occasion, I wore it for a few hours in high humidity, warm weather and moderate rain. Personally, I was impressed with the breathability. In the past, the rain gear that I wore felt as if I was wearing a "sweat suit". The pit zips are a cool feature too. When I started to climb, naturally my body temperature rose in the 80 degree weather. One quick unzip dumped any heat that my body generated due to the steep climb. I also tried to see how dry I'd stay with the pit zips open and I stayed relatively dry while hiking in the rain with both zips fully open. Although I'm impressed with the breathability, it's ability to shed water is outstanding.
For me it is a balance between what something costs, how well it is going to work, how often I am going to use it and how far I am going to be from "comfort".
The Kuiu stuff is more than I am willing to spend. I'm not going to be going to the back country of Alaska any time so that's not really a factor for me. If it was, I'd think differently.
I did, however, listen to a bunch of guys from Alaska and bought a Helly Hansen rainsuit, when my old one started to leak. I'm going to Newfoundland in September and while I'll be out all day, we'll be going back to camp at night. Between Alpaca socks, silk base layers and fleece, with the HH to top things off, I think I'll do just fine.
LBB
Thanks S2. I imagine that HI provodes a beautiful place to test breathability! I'm sure that the pit zips really help.
You're welcome. Yup, Hawaii is beautiful! The clouds lifted and I packed away my Chugach but it was a great morning to field test the breathability.
I was able to try out the rain gear on a fishing trip to Dunkirk NY for smallmouth. It rained all day on 5-27-11. I was surpirsed how dry I was, No clamy feeling, and I could not believe the beads of rain that were forming on the sleeve. This is just what I was hoping for. I took a few pics but the rain was to much to keep the camera out. We did bust a few big smallies though. Pics to follow. Best rain gear I ever bought after the first trial. JJ
