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Did I see correctly that a coat and pants set of new rain gear from kuiu is 950$ I love my guide jacket from them but I think that's it and that's all I will ever purchase from kuiu. That's ridiculous to me.
For that money you can hire a pack train to carry a load of dry towels ;-)
And people ask if NR tag prices are getting too high??
I don't think you saw correctly. I purchased a set of Chugach rain gear from them for around half that. The only set that is as high as you list is the Gale Force line. That is probably more jacket and pants anyone will ever need, and it's still $200 cheaper than the like Sitka model.
The price of these items will continue to escalate as long as folks beep buying it.
That's pittance compared to your Stone Sheep hunt price!
Chugach jacket is $224 and pants are $187. Chugach is amazing rain gear. Been wearing it for years, and used it moose hunting. Excellent warranty. No idea where you are shopping, but I'll sell you a set for $500 if you don't like $950?
I’ll sell you my Slightly used Chugach set for $450. Save $50 PLUS a pile more $ over the crazy Canadian shipping charges that APauls will end up charging you.
Agree with APauls. Chugach rain gear isn’t bombproof, but darn close. It’s been worth every penny I paid for it.
Their Yukon line is great.
It sounds expensive. Until you figure out what a hunt costs.
Divide that to come up with cost per day. It does not take many days you stay in the field vs camp because your rain gear keeps you afield to justify the cost.
It’s like 1-2 days at most and the gear paid for itself ……. Unless you want to be in the tent or Cabin fir some reason
I for sure have been wrong a time or two but there was a set of coat and pants of some sort in the latest catalog I received in the mail that was 950$. I didn't look at it too long as I'm not paying that for a set of hunting coat and pants no matter how nice they are.
I didn’t look too long at the sheep hunt prices in latest BSC catalog, but I didn’t throw it in the garbage, either.
So, because Kuiu has a set of rain gear that is $950 (which may or may not be the case) you wouldn't buy a $450 set from them? Help me understand what I am missing.
The Kuiu Yukon set is top shelf.
"So, because Kuiu has a set of rain gear that is $950 (which may or may not be the case) you wouldn't buy a $450 set from them?"
My question is, what does that extra $500 really buy you? 'Cachet'? A few ounces lighter?
Dry is dry, and you is or you ain't. If it's raining that bad you're probably in your tent anyway!
Depends on what type of hunter you are. Some guys on this site never travel past the back forty for a hunt. Some go to Alaska, New Zealand and points beyond.
If you don’t have a lot of money invested in hunts, Cabelas Space Rain might be a better choice. If you’re the type of hunter that spends $5,000 to $50,000 a year on hunts, it makes sense to spend $450 to $950 on good rain gear. It’s your money and time. Up to you.
I agree with Moose, a bit too spendy for me. I'll use that $950.00 (or at least a part of it) on an elk tag, and wear my $200 rain gear. If it's raining that bad, I'm either headed for the tent or already in it.
$950 (even if that price is exaggerated) rain gear is not geared toward “an elk tag”.
"If you’re the type of hunter that spends $5,000 to $50,000 a year on hunts..."
If I had $50,000 to spend on hunts a year I wouldn't be here discussing the price of gear. Most of us don't live in the 'price no object' world. Value matters.
Value is subjective, it is not dictated by price and certainly not by the opinion of dudes who wouldn't buy it for its intended purpose.
These threads complaining about the premium prices of premium hunting gear are always funny though, so carry on.
Lol what's funny to me is how torqued up some people get defending these companies. They are obviously doing fine and don't need my business. If you want to support them it's your money. For me 950$ for coat and pants is too much. Can't believe our ancestors were ever able to survive and kill stuff without this stuff(sarcasim)
Looks like they have 5 different sets of rain gear ranging from $450 to $1,050 total for a jacket and pants. Plenty to choose from, though it does seem most western hunting companies are changing a minimum $400-$500 for a set of rain gear. Thinking kuiu, sitka, stone glacier, FL, etc. The kuiu gale force is the most expensive and seems like its built for someone on an alaska crabbing boat filming a new season of deadliest catch.
It's great to have so many choices on what to spend our discretionary cash on. KUIU is high end and made for guys who hunt a lot, make a living outdoors, or want to have, and can afford, the best.
If a $200 set of rain gear keeps you dry and holds up, no need to spend more. KUIU and Sitka will survive. There’s always someone willing to separate you from your money. How much is up to you.
Hey chief what’s that $200 raingear that does that just curious
Must come with a pair of 8x42 Swaros for that price. Buy twice cry once.
Must come with a pair of 8x42 Swaros for that price. Buy twice cry once.
Bou, I don’t know. I have KUIU Chugach rain gear. The OP was complaining about the cost of KUIU rain gear. If $200 is all he wants to spend, that his decision. Do you need me to draw a cartoon with captions to explain it to you?
"Lol what's funny to me is how torqued up some people get defending these companies."
Almost as funny as the guys who get so torqued up about something they'd never buy anyway that they have to get online and whine about it, it's like virtue signaling for hunters...LOL
Chief yes. Please draw a cartoon with captions to explain it to me. I appreciate your offer and will gladly take you up on it. A picture is worth a 1000 words.
Since this post was intended to create conversation on the merits of Kuiu raingear I'm glad to chime in. I purchased a set of the Chugach rain gear in 2013. I use these items a lot. I hunt a lot and I scout a lot, not to mention fishing, hiking etc. I recall that I paid less than $400 for the set in 2013, which seemed like a lot at the time.
In 2020, my jacket began leaking around the shoulders so I called Pat at Kuiu to ask whether he thought I should stay with the Chugach or upgrade to the Kutana. After all, 7 or 8 years of hard use is pretty good.
To my surprise, I found that my 7 year old set of rain gear was still under warranty and I got a new set, no charge.
Good, reliable gear is expensive and you have to take into consideration what you need it for. I've since acquired a set of the Kutana rain gear and it is absolutely worth the price.
You get what you pay for.
Yep I really like my Chugach coat except for one thing: the cuffs are to small. I have average to small hands but it’s always a bit of a struggle getting them through the cuffs. Does anyone else have this issue? Sz. Medium btw
Maybe that's why I can't see 950$ for a set. I hunt, fish what I consider quite a bit and I hardly ever use my rain gear. Alaska, British Columbia, yukon, out west a bunch, Ontario. Never seem to use the stuff. It does sound like they stand behind their products though which isn't all that common these days. Maybe if I used mine more 950$ would be tolerable.
I’ve been on some 8-10 day Alaska river floats and sure wish I had better rain gear than my $400 set I had with. And that was the price 15 years ago.
Kuiu makes some of the best breathable rain gear. Years ago I watched for web deals and got a fantastic deal on Sitka raingear. I've been using and abusing them for years and they've worked amazing! You can likely find an older model Sitka for relatively decent price.
1 other option if you are on a tight budget is Marmot precip. I have 2 sets of MP that cost me $50 each for tops and bottoms. They work almost as good as Sitka but aren't camo. I bought in green or brown color. That's a bargain if you ask me! If I had the choice between $50 MP and $950 kuiu I'd definitely save my $ and go Marmot!
One other scenario you may watch for is Kuiu on Ebay or classified sections such as Rokslide. You can probably find them for about 1/2 price if you have time and watch.
The $950 stuff is for extreme cold, wet, and windy conditions. Most hunters will never have a need for it.
They just need to work little subtle dollar signs into the camo patterns....$
You keep talking about $950 rain gear when the Kutana set is $658. That's still a lot of money but a long way from $950.
Good, quality rain gear is important but you don't need insulated or heavy rain gear. It's all about the layers.
^^^^Lol exactly. You keep seeing $950 quotes here meanwhile the stuff is now where near $950. It was probably some other clothing that was also waterproof
They're talking about the Gale Force rain gear. The set is not $950, its $1048
A fool and his money are soon to part!
I don't even bother to pack rain gear unless I'm sure its going to rain. Usually I just buy one of those $1.98 ponchos from Wally World for just in case senaireos.
If I feel like there is a good chance of rain, I do have a set of decent rain gear. But I have never paid over $50 - $60 bucks for one.
For those that spend a lot of time scouting and hunting super wet areas it certainly is nice to stay warm and dry! Does this require a $600 to $1,000 investment....it's tough to say. If you search around you can usually find a great set for about 1/2 price....which I believe is worth every penny because I spend quite a bit of time in the rain and snow.
For someone that lives where it's not that wet and things tend to dry quickly it probably isn't worth $1,000 set. The Marmot Precip raingear I mentioned above is an amazing set for only around $100! It's actually cheaper and does a lot better than some of Cabela's brands, etc.
I own some Kuiu Yukon gear and thought the dry suit cuffs in the sleeves were overkill until one day particularly raining and windy day in Northern British Columbia when we were miles from our tent and their wasn’t a tree or anything else to get behind or under within a mile. The storm only lasted for an hour or two but man it rained and blew hard.
Their Yukon line is great.
It sounds expensive. Until you figure out what a hunt costs.
Divide that to come up with cost per day. It does not take many days you stay in the field vs camp because your rain gear keeps you afield to justify the cost.
It’s like 1-2 days at most and the gear paid for itself ……. Unless you want to be in the tent or Cabin fir some reason
I just think a lot of guys think about rain gear as in withstanding a “rain.” Like an hour or two. Seems like that’s an average mountain rain for elk hunters or even less. Not three solid days of seeping wet rain moose hunting. You want legit gear that can dry out even in damp conditions.
I'd guess top quality clothing comprised a great deal higher percentage of our "ancestors" total labor/income than most any of the high end gear does now. Your life depended on it. A good many likely died from lack of good gear. There was a reason average life expectancy was like 8 years or some such.....
APauls, that makes sense. But if I was doing a once-in-a-lifetime trip to Alaska or some other super-wet area, I might buy the stuff, use it and then sell it when I was back home. If I got 50% of the price back, it only cost me half the price when I really needed it!
Lol. Arguing about rain gear…
You want to look fancy and still get wet? Then buy the “breathable” rain gear these high end companies sell.
If you’d like to stay dry, learn how to layer properly and buy true rain gear like Grundens or Helly Hansen.
All this camo talk and “lightweight” rain gear talk is an absolute joke. Neither is required to kill animals with a bow.
Best of luck on your quest to find a reason to spend $1000 on a rain gear set. :)
I started wearing the Kuiu Chugach rain gear years ago. I would not go on a hunt where I take rain gear, without it, period. No, it is not required to kill animals with a bow for sure, but it has performed great for me. It packs down super small, is light, and is easy to pack in a backpack. I also wear it as a top layer for wind protection sometimes, while sitting on top of a cold windy mountain looking for sheep or goats. It breaths and keeps me warm and dry. I also layer other quality clothing underneath it. It is very tough and durable. Helly Hanson and Grundee are both super quality rubber rain gear and definitely keep you dry from the outside elements. But since rubber doesn't breath at all, I have found that if I am hiking and covering a lot of ground on a hunt, the sweat gets me wet from the inside. Frank
I agree with Frank Noska. Been using the Chugach rain gear since 2011 and don't backpack hunt without it. Finally started to wear through the pants cuffs on the original set and bought another set. Really like the pit zips and the way the hood fits on the jacket. And on the Chugach the jacket cuffs are Velcro adjustable up to full sleeve diameter. (Another poster brought up that his hands don't fit through the cuffs on his jacket).
That said I like Helly Hansen rain gear (Impertech) and use it on the ATV and especially for skinning/cutting up bears to pack out (thanks Ambush!). Good stuff for 1/3 or 1/2 the cost of Kuiu Chugach....but doesn't offer the fit and breathability for me for most uses.
Do they no longer make the Chugach?
Chugach if you can get it will be perfect. Lived in it in AK for 10 or 11 days. It also provided some buoyancy (or at least delayed the total saturation of my under layers) when I took an unexpected swim on that trip. Win Win.
Midwest, I wondered why you asked that and then I looked at the KUIU website. I don't see the Chugach jacket on there anymore. I guess they discontinued it. I would and have recommended upgrading to the Kutana so no biggy for me.
I am looking at a Kuiu 2021 Offerings catalog and the Chugach NX Rain jacket and pant are on page 8.
I just got information that the Chugach NX Rain gear will be back on the website very soon. Hopefully in the next two weeks. Frank
I slept in snow in a cheaper 20 degree bag once, and would have paid $1,000 right there and then for a true 0 bag. When I woke up in the AM, my body heat had melted through ~4" of snow and I was sleeping on the ground. There is the perceived value gear has when you are web surfing in your living room and then there is what you would pay for it when the shit hits the fan in the backcountry.
Matt, I’m certain I’ve done the same, maybe a couple times or more. So are you saying that KUIU gear would have alleviated the situation?
Nick, I am going to go out on a limb here and say that what Matt meant was, sometimes you get what you pay for. Matt would have gladly paid $1000 to have been warmer and dryer, in a more quality sleeping bag. Whether is be Kuiu, Stone Glacier, Kryptek, etc, they use all use extreme, high quality materials, innovations, and technologies to create the highest performance gear and equipment possible. Do you HAVE to have it to kill animals with a bow, absolutely not. When you hunt as much as you and I, is it nice to sleep in a tent that doesn't leak, wear clothes that keep you warm, and use rain gear that breaths and keeps you dry? You know my answer. See you in Reno. (-: Frank
What is the difference between Chugach and Yukon? I have the Yukon jacket.
Helly Hanson impertech, i paid $200 CAD! Out performs my very noisy sitka downpour(my original sitka was replaced on warranty)
Chugatch is much lighter and not as rugged as Yukon I have both. Very different use states in my experience. I would and have wear Yukon even if not raining. Would generally not find that as best Option with chugatch
Yukon quieter and warmer
Understand and agree. My original “Canadian made” Chugach rain gear from 2012ish was really nice, can’t really say anything bad about it.
Nicks original KUIU Chugach was made in the Arctrx factory in Vancouver. Good stuff. My 2011 set was made there too. My second set was made overseas and is just as good.
