Looking for opinions on this jacket for a top layer (unless its raining hard then I'll wear my Chugach NX over it).
I usually base layer with Firstlite wool top and bottom (sometimes over a synthetic boxer brief), then a pant/shirt. Then I have a Sitka puffy vest and pant to layer if it gets real cold.
What do you say pro/con?
Thx Bill
A soft shell jacket is extra weight that is not needed.
I own the guide jacket and several other soft shells, they all sit in my closet.
Isnt the rain jacket louder than the soft shell?
Bill, I've got 4 90% jackets and the guide jacket. I could part with one if you'd like. Guide jacket isn't camo though, not that it matters. I just feel its useless. If you are hiking, merino will keep your body temp perfect. If your stationary, glassing or just sitting around, the puffy will keep you plenty warm.
For a pack in goat/sheep hunt? I could easily see leaving it behind for just a puffy/hardshell. If you aren't going to be backpacking your gear into the mountains, there is no reason not to have a puffy along IMO.
I only wear my raingear in whipping winds or a pretty steady rain due to noise. If it's a light drizzle a softshell does perfect to keep you dry and better yet quiet.
I'll have Guide jacket, two sets of merino baselayers, two pair attack pants, puffy, and rain gear set this fall for my moose hunt...Why not, won't be carrying that weight anyway. Now for the week long backpacking bear hunt before that? Guide jacket is likely staying in the truck.
Good luck,
DJ
One of the few times I'd disagree with you bud. Soft shells are of no use, in my opinion. If you are moving and hiking, the merino layers are perfect and you still may over heat. When you stop, throw on the puffy. If its raining you throw on the rain shell and open the pit zips to continue hiking.
If weight is of no issue, bring it but overall in my experience a soft shell does nothing for me. If I want to warm up, put on a puffy. If I'm hiking and moving, the soft shell will make me over heat but the Merino will keep my body temp perfect while hiking. Hell, while hiking for sheds in the winter in Idaho I'd wear a Llano top, the lightest top First Lite makes and I'd wear it while hiking all day. Get cold, throw on a puffy while I'm sitting still. Start hiking again, take it off.
Bottom line, it all comes down to personal preference and for me a soft shell is not worth the weight for a hunt that requires back packing.
On Cold weather hunts I actually take an extra "puffy". ONe for under and one for over the Yukon/Chugach.
The jacket has a nice hood. Cuts down wind.
If weight is at a minimal than yea leave it behind. But I usually always take mine.
That said, I leave it when backpacking in. Just a nice luxury when camp isn't being lugged around. I like options. I strip to just pants and base layer top while hiking to a point (be it camp or glassing vantage). I'll then throw on puffy once at the point. Rain jacket on top in strong winds or heavy rain. It's nice to have a softshell for the other times in between.
I'd consider it a luxury more than a necessity, but on fly in stationary camp trips/rafting trips/truck camping/etc...one can afford luxuries.
I'm in love with the Yukon and the first lite puffy is great gear when not moving, taking a break, glassing or in camp. When moving and working you don't need but a merino or fleece layer or 2 and much colder i go with a vest over that. Breathes well, good mobility but plenty warm even in the teens when moving.
The Yukon shines when wet and/or windy. Or as that final layer over the puffy when the temps drop unexpectedly. Likely I will own no more soft shells.
If you're a rifle hunter late fall early winter it's a different game though.
I'll be backpacking the Talkeetnas for black bear for 6 days and will leave the guide jacket behind.
I'll also be floating a river outside Dillingham for 15 days for moose (partner for moose/brown bear being a resident) and will absolutely have the jacket along. It's perfect for quiet warmth when you don't have to worry about the weight penalty.
Different setups for different styles of hunting. If you will be doing much backpacking at all, I too would forego the softshell for a puffy and hardshell as all the guys above have pointed out.
The Guide makes me sweat more than the Yukon when I'm on the move, but the Yukon keeps me warmer than the Guide when it's windy and I'm sitting still, if that makes any sense.
I do believe the Yukon really has made the soft shell pretty much obsolete. With a merino long-sleeve T shirt, down jacket, and Yukon jacket, I'm set for most situations and way lighter weight than 2-3 years ago......
Hope this helps!
Bowhunter, that is a beauty of a bull. I need a Yukon moose to add to my Canadian 53" bull. Where did you get him? Congrats!
I continue to be sold on the KUIU Yukon on back pack hunts where space/weight is at a premium. It simply eliminates one jacket. For me a softshell has NO place on a backpack hunt. A puffy and the YUkon go a long way in about every kind of weather imagineable.
Other hunts, (drive up, horse back etc) I absolutely like to have a softshell along when I can but consider it a "luxury". The KUIU Chinook is slowly finding a permanent spot in the arsenal. The other softshell I am really starting to love is the Sitka Jetstream. For me the KUIU Guide has taken a back seat to these two. With that said, my KUIU Guide jacket is about obsolete for me.
All of this really depends on your intended usage. For AK, I would absolutely take my Yukon and a puffy and be done. I would not haul a softshell AND rain jacket around with me in AK.
For guys who don't hunt in Alaska. And don't encounter the rain/weather that Alaska has. Would the Chugach/guide combo still be good?
Or you recommend the Yukon for everything?
If I'm not doing backpack hunts in every case, I like to have a softshell. When camp is on my back, the softshell stays home.
Are you going with just a light weight packable pant like the Chugach or a heavier but more versitlie pant like the Yukon?
It seems to me that you should be able to use the chugach over your main pant most of the time unless you are on a SE AK hunt where it may rain every day.
If you have all the room and weight is not an issue and $ get the whole line of clothing and bring the kitchen sink on your hunt. Sometimes that's really nice to have all the options
For those with experience with both, whats better/worse about the chinook vs the guide?
TEmbry:
The Chinook is a lighter garment, but has more or less the same basic setup as the Guide. The fabrics differ, and the Chinook has more stretch whereas the Guide has more warmth. The Guide has a hood and the Chinook does not. Chinook has no wrist closures and Guide has good hook/loop tabs to snug down. Both have plenty of pockets. The Chinook costs $10 more than the Guide. For my money choosing between the two would come down to how much warmth and protection I required. If not much I would take the Chinook. If more I would get the Guide with its heavier fabric/lining, hood and wrist closures. I personally see the Chinook as a perfect jacket for moderate to cool weather and generally dry conditions. I own both, but for me the Guide is the better equipped garment for colder/wetter hunts in mid and late fall.
