KUIU has landed, impressions......

[Guru]

Warden, The Spindrift is not designed to be worn as an outer layer. It's purpose is to have a "slippery" outer shell to slip under the Guide jacket and not bind while moving.  Under the guide jacket, worn as it was designed, it's quiet, and very warm!

"Does Jason shoot a stickbow?"...Yes, Jason is one of us, he's a long time, tried and true,  traditional bowhunter!

[limbow]

Thanks Curt. My Guide jacket and attack pants are headed this way via FedEx   . That will round out the line for me.

[Guru]

That's great Kevin.....just give them a little time thru washing a time or 2 and wearing to soften up some and you'll luv'um    

[highcountry]

Good to know Guru, I like to buy from the Tradgang Sponsor list and stick bow shooters.  I think I will try a guide jacket.  The pack looks great but that is one item I like to try on in person. Sure is good to see gear made close to home.

[Ryan Sanpei]

Jason and his Dad hunting together with their Thunderhorn Longbows.

 

[NBK]

I received my order today and the first thing I thought was "C'mon, didn't they send it all in one box?"
Well, they did, the gear just packs down that small.  I'll give a list and review of my initial thoughts for those who may be interested.  The one issue I have is the sizing in that it's really hard to pick a size without being able to try it on, but for the price of cutting out the middleman and Kuiu's customer service that is a small price indeed.  For the record as far as sizing goes:  I'm 6'0" tall, 46" chest, 35" waist, 190 lbs. athletic build.

-Attack pants:  These rock.  I got the 36" waist but I'll be returning them for the 34's.  Material was more substantial than I was expecting (bonus for me), and with the 4way stretch, they're extremely comfortable.  Thought I'd have to get them hemmed, but the way they're cut I won't have to.  I told my brother to try these pants on today as he was leaving the office, and after putting them on his response was "Holy sh^*!  Where did you get these?"
-Guide Jacket:  Got the XL which fits perfect through the shoulders, but is a little baggy from the chest down.  The sleeves are long, but snug enough at the wrist where it wouldn't be an issue.  The microfleece lining is nice and the overall quality of the jacket is outstanding.  My wife has a jacket fetish, I swear, and she couldn't believe that the jacket was "only" 200 bucks until I showed her the invoice.  This jacket is a keeper.
-Guide vest:  Same as the jacket, but I may go to a Large instead of an XL because I don't need to worry about the shoulders and the waist is still a bit baggy.  Besides I like my vests snug for layering.
-Spindrift jacket:  I'm a little biased because my Northface Summit jacket with 800fill down is the best insulating jacket I've ever owned, but this jacket could easily be its twin.  I would have liked to see a draw cord at the waist on this one.
-Merino 185 tops and bottoms:  Very thin, very comfortable.  XL top isn't snug but isn't baggy, just right.  Large bottoms are perfect.  I hate longjohns that ride down your &^ss when you squat down.  These don't, and they're not super tight like my UA which itches like a mother after awhile.
-Guide Beanie:  Alright, I've got to shoot you straight.  This hat sucks.  I have no idea whose head they modeled this hat for, but with zero stretch my 7 1/4 size head couldn't wear it for more than 30 seconds before I felt a headache coming on.  Too narrow at the bottom, and too long in the crown.  I'll be returning this for the 185 merino beanie.  Jason seems a saavy fellow, so I'm guessing this hat is going to get remedied pretty quick.

Overall:  The quality is outstanding.  The sizing/cut is "athletic" but not as slim as some of the sitka stuff.  Putting on all the mentioned items layered as intended I didn't feel encumbered at all.  The materials mesh well together, i.e. slippery spindrift jacket under the guide jacket microfleece allows great freedom of movement.  Oh yeah, the vias camo pattern does look better in person and being primarily a treestand guy this pattern would work great.  Aside from the guide beanie, and exchanging a few sizes, I'm keeping it all, and saving up for the icon pack.

[limbow]

Anyone else care to comment?

[Lost Arra]

Chugach jacket and Attack pants here. (I own plenty of good wool in varying weights and don't need camo for my base layer.)

Attack pants: great material and perfect fit for me. Material seems tough and a good weight for varied temps without being heavy.  I would say the pants are like boots. If they fit you, they are fantastic. If not, then look elsewhere.

I was more interested in the Chugach rain jacket since I'm constantly looking for the holy grail of rain gear. This jacket seems to have more good characteristics than any jacket in my collection. I would describe it as a close relative of an Impertech jacket in that it keeps you perfectly dry BUT with a more athletic fit (no armguard needed), better ventilation (pit zips), a MUCH better hood,  a breathable material (my personal opinion is that this is over rated in all gear. Ventilation is more important to me), lighter weight and  much better packability.  Good colors/camo.

The quietness of the material is probably as good as anything available while having all of the above qualities which I think are more important. If you are one of those guys or gals who is perfectly happy sitting out a rainstorm in a wool jacket because it's quiet then forget this jacket and save your money.

It's pricey but if this had been available and I bought it before all the other rain gear in my closet I would be happy and saved some dough.

The jury is still out on the longevity but I"m optimistic. Some of these breathable materials lose their waterproofness too quickly (Precip).


The need for this type of rain gear will vary depending on your hunting style. If you are sitting in a local treestand during a shower then light weight and good ventilation may not be as important as just keeping dry since you can just walk back to the truck if things get too dicey.  But if you are miles back into a mountain backpack hunt, this rain gear could be a life saver.

[screamin]

Lost Arra, hows the fit on the Chugach Jacket? Do you think a guy should order a size up if he's wearing a couple layers underneath or is it designed to be the same size and still fit over the same size base layers?

Thanks

[Guru]

Thanx for the input fellas...good reviews    

Screamin', I wear a size large Guide jacket, and my Chugach  size large fits over it with some room to spare for layers. Not baggie, just a little bigger.

[Lost Arra]

screamin: I'm 5'10"  175# with longish arms. I bought my usual size, Large, and it fits perfectly. There is room for some layering but my layering/insulating gear is not bulky.  I like the fit in the chest-torso since a lot of material is not bulged out when sitting.

[EL Mejor]

GOOD INFO,,,

[limbow]

I have found the cut of the guide jacket a bit snugger under the arm pits than the same sized Chugach jacket I have. Anyone else notice this? I have the next size already coming in the Guide jacket, I hope it fits as good as the Chugach!

[beachbowhunter]

I really need to see it in person, the camo looks really bright and a little goofy in the online pictures...

[Guru]

Explain "goofy" please...if you mean it works very well, and does a great job of breaking up a hunters outline...then I'll agree            

Considering you're a fan of ASAT, and the base colors are very similar, I'm surprized you'd say it's "bright".

I guess "bright" maybe compared to some of the "one-big-dark-blob type camo's. But they don't work very well unless you're up against...well... a big dark blob...

Kevin, The cut of the Guide jacket is def. "slimmer" all around. Myself, I'll probably get another in XL for later season/colder weather hunting to allow for more layers.

[Lost Arra]

I'm not a big camo fan in general but I would consider this to be a cousin of ASAT.

Think ASAT after a Grateful Dead weekend.

[Kevin Dill]

I was just having a conversation the other evening about the qualities of ASAT camo, VIAS camo and other high-contrast patterns. I have personally found them to work best in open country and in bright or dappled light. As soon as you take them into an overall even shade zone...say a spruce forest or other dark(ish) situation, the light background of these camos can be an eye-catcher. Overall, I have always tended to prefer larger patterns in camo to help break up the human outline. I've always thought camo is more about the outline I present, vs the actual color or pattern. That's exactly why the leafy suits work so incredibly well up close.

There is no perfect do-all camo pattern and colors. VIAS is no different in this respect, but it is a great alternative to the other stuff out there. I'll go so far as to say (not limited to any manufacturer) part of successful camo clothing is appealing to the eye of the buyer. What good is a camo clothing line if nobody will buy it because it's just too Plain Jane looking? If some study proved that jungle camo was just as effective, would we flock to it and spend our money just as readily...or want something new and untried, but nice to look at?

I hope the KUIU line is a huge success. I also hope it never involves the W.L.Gore Company.

[Dirtybird]

Has anyone heard from Jason about the beanie?  Are they going to redo those?

[beachbowhunter]

I have the ASAT in the original Sitka and you can see in my avatar that it really shines. My ASAT by Day One and Firstlite are much "duller", I think because they are wool. As Kevin said above, once you get out of the sun it can stick out. Like I said, I'd have to see the stuff first hand.

[Dave Earley]

make me a Guide jacket with a removable hood and I'll buy it; just too few times I actually want a hood.