Kuiu vs Sitka: The Final Discipline Check
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Selecting between Kuiu vs Sitka may really feel like selecting an id. Are you going to be a Sitka mountain athlete or be a part of Kuiu’s inside circle? Are you going to look cooler in these hero pictures whereas sporting Kuiu’s Verde sample or Sitka’s Optifade?
However this Ford-or-Chevy-like determination is generally pushed by good advertising. The reality is that the gear from these two firms may be very comparable. Each firms had been, in spite of everything, based by Jason Hairston no more than six years aside.
So as a substitute of fan-boying over one model, the sensible transfer is to pick out the most effective gadgets from every firm to be able to construct the proper equipment to your looking model. Social media influencers may gown head-to-toe in a single camo sample, however most critical hunters don’t. It is because discovering the correct clothes to your particular wants usually requires mixing and matching from a bunch of various manufacturers.
Each Kuiu and Sitka make glorious, and costly, technical looking gear for quite a lot of pursuits and circumstances. Each firms supply their merchandise from Asia. And each have distinct camo patterns whereas additionally providing lots of their clothes in solids. Similarities abound. However there are some delicate and not-so-subtle variations between the manufacturers while you have a look at particular person clothes face to face, which is exactly what we did.
How We Examined Kuiu vs Sitka Gear
That can assist you choose the most effective gadgets, three Out of doors Life editors discipline examined quite a lot of product strains from every firm. We hunted whitetails, turkeys, Western large sport, and geese all throughout the nation. We wore comparable clothes from every firm underneath comparable discipline circumstances. Lastly, we evaluated every merchandise for match, consolation, sturdiness, design, weatherproofness, and worth. Then we picked our favorites to focus on under.
In our evaluations we’re specializing in the efficiency we skilled with every garment within the discipline. We aren’t doing an in-depth technical comparability of clothes head-to-head as a result of, properly, frankly that will be a bit boring.
We discipline examined the next product classes from each firms. Hit the hyperlinks under to leap to the class you’re involved in or simply peruse your complete discipline take a look at.
Mountain Searching Gear & Base Layers
Whitetail Searching Gear
Rain Gear
Waterfowl Searching Gear
Girls’s Searching Gear
Mountain Searching Gear
Kuiu and Sitka constructed their reputations within the mountains. Photograph by John B. Snow
Technical mountain looking gear is the muse upon which each Sitka and Kuiu constructed their reputations and is the world the place they’ve devoted the majority of their R&D.
Mountain looking by definition is about tradeoffs, and mountain looking gear displays that. As an illustration, we wish to hunt with rifles which might be correct and light-weight. These two qualities usually battle with one another, however by way of cautious engineering and high-quality workmanship you may have a rifle that’s each.
Although you’ll pay for the privilege.
The identical goes for technical clothes. We wish it to be gentle, breathable, and rugged, whereas offering ample safety from the chilly, wind, and rain. It’s a hell of an ask.
To sort out this sequence of (usually) conflicting priorities, firms like Kuiu and Sitka have developed techniques of clothes that work along side one another to (hopefully) meet the particular wants of the hunter.
The purpose being there’s no one-and-done resolution to the most effective technical looking gear. That mentioned, each firms make some spectacular items.
One thing to notice on this comparability is that whereas some Kuiu and Sitka gadgets immediately correspond to (and compete in opposition to) one another (i.e. the Kuiu Information Jacket and Sitka Jet Stream) there are different items that overlap however aren’t equivalent. For instance Sitka’s Core Merino 220 Half-Zip slots someplace between Kuiu’s Kenai Hooded Jacket and Superfleece 190 Zip-T.
With that in thoughts, listed here are a few of my favorites within the Kuiu vs. Sitka wars and the way they stack up. —John B. Snow
Kuiu Mountain Searching Gear
Kuiu’s hooded jacket held up admirably throughout this elk hunt. Photograph by John B. Snow
The items I’ve examined from Kuiu embrace jackets, pants, mid-layers, and base layers. A few of these gadgets I’ve worn for a number of seasons, others I simply began with final yr. I’ve used them on mountain hunts in numerous elements of the U.S.—Montana, Wyoming, Utah, Colorado, and Alaska—and across the globe. I’ve additionally worn Kuiu gear for different high-intensity actions like sniper-style taking pictures competitions which have comparable gear necessities to mountain looking.
Kuiu’s stuff excels in these environments. Their Information jacket and Kenai Hooded jacket are perennial favorites — each with many considerate touches — and their Assault pants are a mainstay as properly. I spent quite a lot of hours sporting their StrongFleece 190 Zip-T mid-layer prime this yr and don’t wish to ever hunt with out it.
One factor I recognize about Kuiu is how they’ve tailored their sizing to guys like me who’re broad-shouldered and stocky. Their XL sizing doesn’t swim on my body like merchandise from different firms can, neither is it reduce tight in areas just like the armpits, which is one thing that usually occurs with technical mountain gear.
Kuiu Information DCS Jacket
Key Options
Twin chest and shoulder pockets
Zippered pit vents
Adjustable hood
Is available in seven colours (three camo, 4 solids)
Value: $249
Professionals
Versatile
Sturdy
Wonderful worth
Water and wind resistant
Cons
Not constructed for excessive chilly and moist
I believe that is most likely the most effective primary technical looking jacket available on the market. It does all the things properly, and a few issues it does nice. For the variable circumstances encountered in mid-season looking it might probably’t be beat and it does a good job in deep chilly and within the warmth.
It’s lined with a micro-fleece that gives good heat and handles sweat properly. The pit zips and pockets on the jacket are well positioned and simple to function with one hand. Because the pockets have a mesh inside they can be utilized to advertise air flow when you should bleed off further warmth whereas climbing.
One of many actual highlights of this jacket is its size. It comes down simply sufficient over the butt to offer a bit of additional safety, in distinction to the Sitka Jet Stream which is reduce extra sq..
The Information jacket layers properly with different items. The inside cloth doesn’t get caught up with different textiles when placing it on or taking it off. It may well additionally accommodate considerably sized puffies and different insulating layers to spice up heat. It really works particularly properly with the Kenai Hooded Jacket.
The Information can be extremely sturdy. I’ve beat the hell out of mine and it has held up like a champ. That features stalking by way of thorns and mesquite in Texas and Mexico chasing winter whitetails.
One factor to notice is that I went with the XXL with this piece and that was positively the correct name for me. So that you may contemplate attempting the subsequent dimension up when you really feel your physique is on the borderline between sizes.
Kuiu Kenai Hooded Jacket
Key Options
Inside drop pockets
Water-proof artificial insulation
Uncoated cloth for breathability
Six shade patterns (three camo, three solids)
Value: $259
Professionals
Light-weight
Heat
Quiet
Good sturdiness
Tremendous snug
Layers properly
Surprisingly water-proof
Cons
Costly
Susceptible to snagging in thorns
This mid-layer insulating jacket is one other remarkably versatile piece, and one I flip to time and again when venturing out.
The Kenai is deceptively easy. In some respects it’s simply an insulated jacket with a hood, the commonest and common sort of jacket in existence.
However there’s so much occurring beneath the floor. Whereas this isn’t designed for downpours, the artificial insulation is extraordinarily water repellent and can retain its insulative properties underneath even horrendous circumstances.
This excessive tech insulation, which has a reputation like considered one of Elon Musk’s youngsters (body-mapped DWR 3DeFX+), permits Kuiu to make use of an uncoated exterior cloth that’s breathable and quiet.
It has pockets on the waist, spacious inside drop pockets, and a pocket over the left breast.
I’ve gutted quite a lot of animals whereas sporting this jacket (and have in any other case gotten it soiled with mud and sweat) and it cleans up nice.
Whereas it’s accessible in three camo patterns, I like my olive strong. Partly as a result of this makes it look pretty much as good round city because it does within the backcountry, which takes a little bit of the sting out of its value.
Kuiu StrongFleece 190 Zip-T
Key Options
Weight: 11.6 ounces
Materials: Toray Hardfaced Karuishi fleece
Very best Situations: Gentle (45 to 70 levels)
Layer: Mid layer fleece
Snag resistant
Accessible in six colours (three camo, three solids)
Value: $129
Professionals
Nice all-around looking shirt
Sturdy
Water-proof
Comfy
Cons
Not perfect for excessive warmth
This Zip-T was the most important shock of my testing. I hadn’t worn one earlier than this season and was shocked at how connected to it I’ve change into. I felt like Linus discovering his blanket.
The StrongFleece is available in a pair completely different weights, with the 190 Zip-T being the lightest. I’m certain the heavier StrongFleece merchandise are fantastic, however the 190 struck an awesome stability as a mid-season piece. In something in need of actual warmth (say 70 levels and up) it really works like a champ.
It’s gentle and comfy in opposition to naked pores and skin however pairs nice with a real t-shirt, whether or not product of a breathable artificial (just like the Gila SS crew) or one thing like a merino Voormi Quick Sleeve Tech Tee.
The outer face of the Zip-T is tightly woven and has the twin virtues of being water repellent and snag resistant. The only pocket over the correct breast is straightforward and helpful as properly.
Throughout ascents I’d decrease the zipper to vent warmth, after which comfortable it up tight as soon as I began to chill down when glassing. This characteristic, mixed with the shirt’s breathability and wicking qualities made it a problem free a part of my equipment. I hardly ever felt the necessity to strip it off to manage my temperature. However even when that was referred to as for, it balls up tight sufficient that it’s simple to pack round.
It additionally features nice when layering with different items within the chilly. It isn’t cumbersome and it slides properly in opposition to different forms of cloth.
The Zip-T does precisely what you desire a mid-layer piece to do and that’s why it has change into my go-to looking shirt it doesn’t matter what I’m chasing.
Kuiu Gila SS Crew
Key Options
Weight: 5.5 ounces
Materials: Cool-Contact cloth
Safety: UPF 50+ solar safety, anti-odor remedy
Colours: 5 colours (three camo, two solids)
Very best Situations: Scorching (70 levels plus)
Layer: Base layer – free match
Value: $59
Professionals
Light-weight
Breathable
Comfy
Anti-odor
Cons
Doesn’t present a lot heat
This can be a primary useful artificial tee-shirt that’s cool, snug, and breathable. It’s reduce generously so it doesn’t bind or seize and the artificial cloth will get alongside properly with different textiles when it comes time to layer up.
I’ve used mine as a base piece for each mid-season and chilly circumstances, although it really works higher when the temperatures are above freezing. When it’s frigid, I like a merino tee higher for its superior insulating properties.
It’s a good shirt for warm days and offers UPF 50+ degree of solar safety. If you should preserve your arms from getting baked, go together with the Gila LS crew.
Kuiu Assault Pant
Key Options
Weight: 18.5 ounces
Water-proof
Abrasion resistant
Materials: 4-way stretch Primeflex polyester
Very best Situations: Gentle (45 to 70 levels)
Layering: Outer, pant
Value: $149
Professionals
Sturdy
Comfy
Gives good safety in opposition to the chilly and moist
Cons
Can get sweaty in sizzling circumstances
Susceptible to attracting burrs
The Assault pant is a staple in Kuiu’s lineup and is among the most sturdy and comfy looking pants available on the market. I’ve worn mine day after day on backcountry hunts they usually’ve stood as much as an inordinate quantity of abuse whereas preserving my disguise.
The Assault pant is most at residence in cooler to chilly circumstances the place its weight does job holding you at a snug temperature. Throughout ascents I sometimes undid the thigh-length zips on both facet which uncovered a mesh-lined vent. That mesh is a pleasant element because it prevents burrs and leaves from getting down your pant leg and worsening your pores and skin.
The Primeflex polyester has sufficient give within the legs and seat to make for simpler going when climbing.
The pocket format is primary, however sensible, with two zippered rear pockets, two cargo pockets with zippers on prime, and two hip pockets.
The material is ready to cope with quite a lot of abrasion from rocks and thorns and will get excessive marks for sturdiness, however it is going to entice houndstooth and different burrs.
Kuiu’s Assault pant will maintain burrs. Photograph by John B. Snow
On days when the temperature rises, the Assault pant is usually a little uncomfortable however underneath cool and chilly circumstances it does properly. Even in snow and moist circumstances the Assault pant will preserve you within the sport, particularly when you throw on a thermal base layer beneath.
The one noticeable put on on my pair are a pair small burn holes when popping coals in a fireplace tossed embers on me. However they’re solely a minor inconvenience. The material cauterized across the holes they usually haven’t unfold or in any method degraded the pant’s efficiency.
I discovered that after returning to civilization, stains from sweat, blood, and filth washed out readily, holding the pants in good situation.
Sitka Mountain Searching Gear
Blizzard testing the Sitka Jetstream jacket. Photograph by John B. Snow
This firm was based on the precept of constructing high-quality technical looking attire that will enhance your expertise, and odds, when mountain looking.
A lot of Sitka’s mountain gear is light-weight and, usually, doesn’t present the identical degree of insulation as Kuiu. However it’s typically much less cumbersome than Kuiu, too. To me that’s the most important normal distinction between the 2.
That mentioned, there are many items in Sitka’s lineup the place you may prioritize heat over minimalism if that’s what you want.
Sitka Jet Stream Jacket
Key Options
Weight: 26 ounces
Is available in 10 completely different colours (5 camo, 5 solids)
Recycled polyester cloth with polyester micro-grid fleece inside
Windstopper expertise
Sturdy water repellent end
Taped and skived seams for added climate safety with out added bulk
Zippered hand and chest pockets
Pit zips
Value: $349
Professionals
one hundred pc windproof
Sheds gentle precipitation and retains cloth from wetting out
Nice seems
Elegant design
Cons
Costlier than the Kuiu Information Jacket
The Jet Stream is a implausible multi-purpose looking jacket that’s extraordinarily properly thought out and superbly constructed. It’s a bit odd to explain a looking jacket this fashion, but it surely has an opulent in-hand really feel, which isn’t one thing I normally affiliate with hardcore looking gear.
However hardcore it’s. Although you may put on it to a pleasant restaurant, the completely happy place for the Jet Stream is defending you from buffeting winds and horizontal snow whereas stalking a late-season elk within the mountains.
It makes use of Gore-Tex Windstopper cloth to defeat the wind. It is usually handled in order that it sheds gentle rain and snow, permitting you to maintain looking with out including rain gear on prime.
Like different looking softshells, the Jet Stream is designed to work along side layers. The inside “micro-grid” fleece it’s lined with is sort of slick and glides over different materials so the jacket doesn’t get hung up when including or eradicating insulating items of different mid-layers.
The jacket manages sweat very properly too. The zippered pit vents are simple to open and shut whereas on the transfer and do job holding you from overheating on climbs.
I discovered that my XL pattern ran true to dimension, whereas with the Kuiu Information jacket, I bumped as much as an XXL for finest freedom of motion and to accommodate different layers.
By way of the way it stacks up in opposition to the Kuiu Information jacket, it has another clear benefits. The standard of the materials is healthier. The inclusion of any further inside breast pocket is good. It has taped seams. And the in-hand really feel is superior.
One other benefit with the Jet Stream is the hood design. When the hood is snugged tight it matches tight across the head, whereas the Kuiu’s hood puckers slightly on the perimeters creating a spot for precipitation to get in.
That mentioned, is it $100 higher than the Kuiu jacket? For me, virtually however not fairly. However it’s value evaluating them side-by-side to see if the Jet Stream fits you higher.
Sitka Ambient Hoody
Key Options
Weight: 13 ounces
20D ripstop nylon cloth
4-way stretch nylon panels for mobility
100 grams post-consumer recycled PrimaLoft Evolve lively insulation
Sculpted hood
Half-zip pullover design
Value: $168
Professionals
Breathable low-bulk heat
Permits good mobility
Zippered hood matches properly and received’t obscure peripheral imaginative and prescient
Sturdy
Light-weight
Breathable
Cons
XL only a contact comfortable in my armpits
Doesn’t shed water very properly
This can be a good mid-layer insulation piece that may be worn on cool days, or underneath a shell when the temperatures dip.
I like grabbing the Ambient hoody once I’m attempting to maintain the load and bulk of my equipment to a minimal.
This hoody has some considerate touches, like elastic cuffs that assist comprise physique heat however that aren’t overly comfortable as to be annoying. When zipped up, the hood matches comfortably round my head, sealing in warmth as properly. A drawstring across the waste might be tightened too for optimum warmth retention.
The outside cloth is gentle and breathable and has a rip-stop design for sturdiness. I’ve worn my hoodie on quite a few hunts and it doesn’t have any tears or exhibit undue proof of damage.
My XL hoody offers me good freedom of motion, although the sleeves are reduce only a bit tight underneath my armpits. It’s slightly irritating however not a critical subject.
The one actual gripe I’ve with the piece is that it doesn’t shed water properly in any respect. Sitka says the material is handled for water repellency however with any degree of precipitation above a lightweight mist, my hoody begins to retain water. This limits its utility however doesn’t take away from its different virtues.
By way of the way it strains up versus the Kuiu items I examined, it’s much less cumbersome (however much less helpful) than the Kenai hooded jacket, and a bit extra useful as outerwear than the StrongFleece 190 Zip-T.
It pairs very properly with the Jet Stream jacket. When these items are worn with a base layer t-shirt you’ll have the premise of system for cool to heat mid-season mountain looking.
Sitka Core Merino 220 Half-Zip
Key Options
Weight: 11.1 ounces
220-gram, 17.5-micron ArmorSpun merino wool
Snag-preventative stitching alongside sleeves resists abrasion out of your pack
Zippered chest pocket
Built-in thumb holes
Value: $199
Professionals
Heat
Light-weight
Straightforward-care merino wool might be washed and dried along with your common laundry
Low odor retention
Cons
Want it had been only a contact extra snug in opposition to my pores and skin
Costly
The developments in merino wool during the last decade have been exceptional. Simply detailing what’s occurred on this realm would require a prolonged article, however suffice it to say that merino wool can rightfully declare to be considered one of our miracle textiles.
By way of consolation and breathability, merino wool piece can outperform many different materials. So it’s a pure selection for one thing like this half-zip from Sitka.
This piece within the firm’s Core line can both be worn immediately in opposition to the pores and skin or on prime of a base layer t-shirt. I rock it each methods, however gravitate extra towards sporting it along side one other layer (just like the Core Merino 120 LS crew) as a result of I discover it extra snug. For me that is the one disadvantage to an in any other case excellent piece. This additionally makes its $200 value a little bit of a leap tougher to swallow.
The reduce on the half-zip is comfortable in the correct locations however doesn’t bind in any respect. The zippers work properly. And it’s good to have the small zip pocket over the left breast for storage.
It slots neatly into Sitka’s ecosystem of layers, the place you may stick it underneath both the Jet Stream shell, Ambient hoody, or each. It has low-profile slits above the cuffs to your thumbs to safe the sleeves when layering up, which is a pleasant characteristic.
Sitka Core Merino 120 LS Crew
Key Options
Weight: 6.1 ounces
120-gram, 17.5-micron ArmorSpun merino wool
Snag-preventative stitching alongside sleeves resists abrasion out of your pack
Built-in thumb holes
Value: $119
Professionals
Comfy
Light-weight
Breathable
Straightforward-care merino wool might be washed and dried along with your common laundry
Cons
This can be a nice base layer so as to add to your arsenal. The Merino 120 LS Crew virtually disappears in opposition to your pores and skin while you put it on, but offers heat, breathability — and finally a pile of consolation whereas looking.
This long-sleeved crew has labored properly for me wicking sweat away, holding me from overheating or from getting chilled underneath attempting circumstances. I additionally recognize that it’s low odor, that means you may go exhausting in it whereas on the mountain for days in a row with out ending up smelling like a middle-school locker room.
Full confession: Though I at all times pack this piece on hunts, there are occasions I don’t put it on whereas I’m tromping round. As a substitute I put it aside to put on once I tuck into my sleeping bag. It’s so snug that it makes an awesome pajama prime. Whereas that isn’t its main goal, it does point out how a lot I worth the piece, since getting good relaxation whereas looking is essential.
Sitka Mountain Pant
Key Options
Weight: 26.2 ounces
Cloth: 4-way stretch-woven polyester
Sturdy Water Repellent end
Articulated match
Detachable knee pads
Value: $209
Professionals
Resists gentle precipitation and prevents the face cloth from wetting out
Stretchy materials delivers a most vary of movement with minimal bulk
Detachable knee pads
Extra technical pocket format
Cons
Lacks facet vents
Knee pads make strolling within the pant much less snug
It appears there are two forms of mountain hunters on the earth. People who like pants with kneepads and those who despise them. The Sitka Mountain pant is good for the previous group, because it comes with detachable knee pads as a part of the value.
Sitka describes this because the Swiss Military knife of pants, and that’s not removed from the mark. It’s designed to offer the utmost degree of utility for mountain hunters, regardless of the place they hunt, when they’re looking, or what sort of tools they use.
In comparison with Kuiu’s assault pant, the Mountain pant has stretchier cloth. It has a extra superior format of pockets. The hip pockets zip shut for further safety, and it has dual-cargo pockets, which have a flap with a snap enclosure on the prime and a small zippered inset pocket on the thigh. So you may preserve bigger gadgets within the mail cargo pocket (like gloves) whereas utilizing the small pocket to carry diaphragm calls or further rounds of ammo.
A part of what you pay for while you throw down for Sitka’s Mountain pant are a pair of detachable knee pads. Once you first put the pant on, the knee pads are noticeable and, for me anyway, a bit irritating. Nevertheless, when you begin transferring about you rapidly overlook about them and when it comes time to kneel on rocks within the discipline you’ll be glad you may have them.
The kneepads are one motive I like these pants for my rifle taking pictures competitions, the place we’re usually entering into positions that require putting knees on the bottom.
The one draw back of the kneepads is that they do make the pants a bit hotter to put on, however that isn’t a dealbreaker.
One word on the value is that I just lately discovered the strong shade (which I want) deeply discounted from the $209 record value, so I counsel checking to see when you can snag a deal.
Kuiu vs. Sitka Mountain Searching Gear: Verdict
I hunt with items from each firms so much, so there isn’t a definitive reply as to which firm makes the most effective technical mountain looking gear. On the whole, right here’s my take. On a piece-by-piece comparability, Sitka’s gear tends to be a bit extra subtle of their design—whether or not speaking selection of materials, pocket format, hood building, and the like. However, Sitka tends to be fairly a bit dearer than Kuiu.
For me, the Kuiu merchandise—as an built-in clothes system—work higher for the way I hunt and what I want.
Additionally, the match of Kuiu’s gear at all times appears spot on, the place for my XL body the Sitka stuff typically doesn’t trip fairly as properly.
For these causes, I give the benefit to Kuiu.
Whitetail Searching Gear
Robinson sporting Kuiu and Sitka gear on a profitable whitetail hunt. Photograph by Alex Robinson
Each firms have loads of gadgets match for mid-season deer looking. Within the broader looking market there’s a ton of drugs gadgets which might be appropriate for a couple of hours within the treestand when it’s 60- to 40-degrees. Actually virtually any merchandise made by Kuiu or Sitka might be worn throughout a whitetail hunt. However when it begins getting chilly, windy, and snowy, you want extra superior gear to maintain you snug within the stand day after day. So I targeted on the cold-weather gear from each firm’s particular whitetail strains. —Alex Robinson
Kuiu Proximity Whitetail Gear
The Kuiu Proximity pants are tremendous gentle and quiet. Photograph by Alex Robinson
For this discipline take a look at I selected Kuiu’s Proximity line which incorporates an insulated jacket and pant, each with super-soft and plush outer materials. Two phrases that finest describe this method are snug and quiet. Once I first threw on the pants and jacket, I felt a bit like I used to be sporting pajamas — in a great way. The go well with matches correctly with out bunching or driving up whereas within the stand. The knit polyester materials on the skin of the jacket is gentle and quiet. Drawing my bow whereas sporting this go well with created no detrimental noise.
The go well with is water-proof, however I wouldn’t wish to put on it in a gradual rain or blizzard. It’s additionally not particularly heat. I stayed toasty whereas looking in 40- to 25-degree temps but when I knew I used to be going to persistently deer hunt in 20-degree temperatures or under, I’d go together with one of many heavier Sitka fits (see under). This definitely isn’t Kuiu’s most sturdy piece of drugs, but it surely’s not meant for sporting whereas trekking deep into the backcountry. This go well with is good for slipping into your setup after which sitting there silently and comfortably.
Kuiu Proximity Hooded Insulated Jacket
Key Options
Accessible in three camo patterns and strong ash
Detachable hood
4 outer pockets and two inner pockets
Port for security harness
Pit zips
Value: $299
Professionals
Comfy
Very quiet
Not cumbersome
Extra inexpensive than Sitka gadgets
Cons
Not waterproof
Not perfect for sub-zero temps
Brush sticks to outer materials
Kuiu Proximity Insulated Pant
Key Options
Accessible in three camo patterns and strong ash
Full-length zippers
Six pockets
Raised again to maintain out components
Value: $259
Professionals
Comfy and quiet just like the jacket
Adjustable and detachable suspenders guarantee good match
A number of pocket house
Extra inexpensive than Sitka gadgets
Cons
Brush sticks to outer materials
Not waterproof
Sitka Incinerator and Fanatic Whitetail Gear
Sitka makes a greater variety of whitetail particular gear. So for this discipline take a look at I used each their Incinerator Aerolite line and their Fanatic line.
Incinerator Aerolite
By way of weight and bulk, Sitka’s Incinerator Aerolite jacket and bib system are a direct competitor to Kuiu’s Proximity system. I discovered Sitka’s system to be hotter however noisier than Kuiu’s system. Sitka’s system additionally deflects water and brush higher, but it surely’s much more costly ($780 extra for the entire go well with, in comparison with Kuiu’s Proximity). Each Incinerator gadgets have a Gore-Tex outer layer and Primaloft insulation. The jacket has a superb fleece-lined hood. The bibs have a intelligent design the place they slim on the shins so you may simply slip them into or over a rubber boot. If you realize you’re going to be doing quite a lot of looking within the snow or freezing rain, that is the go well with for you. I hunted with this go well with in temps hovering within the teenagers and by no means felt a lot as a shiver.
Sitka Incinerator Aerolite Jacket
Key Options
Accessible in Optifade Elevated II camo
Ample Primaloft and high-loft insulation
5 outer pockets, two inside pockets
Fleece-lined hood
Value: $669
Professionals
Heat and waterproof
Good pocket design for bowhunters
Cons
Noisier than Kuiu go well with
Cumbersome
Costly
Sitka Incinerator Aerolite Bib
Key Options
Accessible in Optifade Elevated II camo
Ample Primaloft and high-loft insulation
10 pockets
Full size zips, with zippers on the prime and backside
Value: $669
Professionals
Heat and waterproof
Pockets galore
Wonderful general design
Cons
Noisier than Kuiu go well with
Cumbersome
Costly
Sitka Fanatic Jacket and Bib
By way of design and efficiency, the Fanatic jacket and bib are a extra sincere competitor to the Kuiu go well with. Sitka makes use of a berber fleece with a DWR end to make this go well with quiet and windproof. It isn’t waterproof. It additionally doesn’t have a hood. However my complaints cease there. Total, that is the final word go well with for cold-weather bowhunting. The fleece actually is extremely quiet as marketed. The jacket has a diagonal zipper design which permits for a hand muff within the entrance. I put a pair hand heaters within the muff after which wait with toasty fingers till a shooter buck comes.
There’s additionally slightly mesh pocket contained in the muff the place I preserve my rangefinder for fast entry. I resolve the no-hood subject by sporting a mid-layer that does have a hood (just like the Fanatic hoodie, for instance). I’ve worn this go well with for hours on stand in temperatures properly under zero levels and stayed snug.
Sitka Fanatic Jacket
Key Options
Accessible in Optifade Elevated II camo
Ample Primaloft insulation
Berber fleece outer layer
Hand muff and entrance pocket
Value: $469
Professionals
Diaganol zipper doesn’t intervene whereas drawing a bow
Extraordinarily heat and quiet
Intelligent design that’s perfect for bowhunters
Cons
Too cumbersome for mid-season hunts
Brush sticks to fleece
Not waterproof
Sitka Fanatic Bib
Key Options
Accessible in Optifade Elevated II camo
Ample Primaloft insulation
Berber fleece outer layer
Full zips
8 pockets
Value: $469
Professionals
Extraordinarily heat and quiet
Much less berber on shins to stop brush from sticking
Cons
Too cumbersome for mid-season hunts
Not waterproof
Kuiu vs Sitka Whitetail Gear: Verdict
Each the Sitka fits are bulkier, however higher designed for frigid temperatures (20 levels and under). In case you want a water-proof system, go together with the Incinerator Aerolite. In case you’re a diehard cold-weather bowhunter, go together with the Fanatic sequence. The Kuiu Proximity go well with is considerably inexpensive than both of the Sitka fits and it’s a strong selection for looking in temps from 25 to 40 levels. It’s quiet and comfy and can preserve you heat with good layering. However As a result of Sitka has extra choices and general hotter gear, and extra rigorously designed gear on this class, I’m giving them the whitetail class win.
Rain Gear
Testing Kuiu rain gear in Alaska. Photograph by Natalie Krebs
On the subject of rain gear, Kuiu wins the variability sport with 4 units of purpose-built waterproof rain jackets and matching rain pants, starting from an extremely light-weight set for emergencies to heavy rain gear designed for chilly, soaked circumstances. Sitka presents an easier selection between two rain gear units for males, and only one set for ladies. (I’m not counting both model’s waterfowl jackets and pants, that are additionally waterproof.) For this take a look at I selected Kuiu’s Kutana line, which is the Goldilocks of the model’s rain gear: light-weight sufficient for many hunts, however sturdy, too. I’d have favored to check Sitka’s Thunderhead set because it’s the heavier (and quieter) of Sitka’s rain gear choices, but it surely wasn’t accessible on the time of testing. —Natalie Krebs
Kuiu Kutana
I first discipline examined the Kuiu Katana rain gear whereas sea duck and caribou looking on Adak Island, which lies on the Alaskan archipelago. Then, I wore it every day to guard in opposition to sloshing salt water, dinghy rides, rain, and snow. I sat on soaked rock seashores and waded by way of ft of snow. It didn’t fail. The set was snug, with the adjustability and options I’d anticipate from non-waterproof gear. The lads’s dimension medium was roomy sufficient for plenty of layers beneath throughout principally immobile hours of sea duck looking, then the pit zips got here in helpful whereas hauling gear again to the truck and lengthy stalks on caribou.
This technique just isn’t silent, but it surely’s not crinkly like different rain gear both. It’s snug sufficient—each in match and breathability to proceed sporting as regular outerwear even when the sleet stops. My solely quibble is that it’s heavier than different rain gear, but it surely’s a high quality value to pay provided that it has confirmed waterproof by way of all the things I’ve thrown at it, together with a 9-hour standing water take a look at.
Kuiu Kutana Storm Shell Jacket
Key Options
Sizes: M to 3XL
Weight: 18.6 ounces (dimension medium, tester measured)
Accessible in 5 colours
Designed for chilly climate (32-45°F)
Supplies: Stretch nylon 6/6, Entrantt waterproof membrane
Windproof
Waterproof: 20,000mm H20
Breathability (A1 take a look at): 10,000g/m²/24hrs
Breathability (B1 take a look at): 13,000g/m²/24hrs
Taped seams
Underarm air flow zippers
Adjustable hood
Made in China
Value: $359
Professionals
Sturdy, snug waterproofing
Loads of pockets, double-zipper pit zips, adjustability
Quieter than some rain gear
Cons
Kuiu Kutana Storm Shell Pant
Key Options
Sizes: S to 3XL; Inseams: Common, Quick, Tall
Weight: 14.5 ounces (dimension medium, tester measured)
Accessible in 5 colours
Designed for chilly climate (32-45°F)
Supplies: Stretch nylon 6/6, Entrantt waterproof membrane
Waterproof: 20,000mm H20
Breathability (A1 take a look at): 10,000g/m²/24hrs
Breathability (B1 take a look at): 13,000g/m²/24hrs
Taped seams
Constructed-in belt
Windproof
Made in Vietnam
$299
Professionals
Cloth is sturdy in opposition to brush, rock
Not stifling like different rain jackets
Consists of pockets, facet zips, built-in belt
Strengthened inside ankles for boot safety
Cons
Sitka Dewpoint
The Sitka Dewpoint is the kind of rain gear you stash in your turkey vest or looking pack and get away while you want it, and take off while you don’t. This set is light-weight with a crinkly, virtually tissue-paper like sound and really feel, and waterproof by way of all the things I’ve examined to this point: a couple of chilly showers within the treestand, in addition to a nine-hour standing water take a look at. The jacket has the adjustability I need from any looking jacket, and the pockets are additionally sealed in opposition to the weather. (I’m usually stuffing my fingers in my rain jacket pockets to maintain my gloved fingers dry; in rain jackets with net-lined pockets that interprets to chilly rain dripping from my sleeves onto my mid-layers, defeating a lot of the purpose of a rain jacket. Not so with the Dewpoint.)
The pants are extra bare-bones (no pockets, no reinforcement) and as swishy because the jacket. One good contact about this set is the liner. Many rain jackets are chilly and stiff while you first put them on; not so with the Dewpoint. Gore describes the Dewpoint’s Gore C-Knit lining as a solution to knit three layers of Gore-Tex collectively for a dense, skinny, and breathable laminate. I’ll be curious how the liner stands as much as water over time, however for now, it’s a snug enchancment over conventional linings. I do want Sitka would offer customers with a comparable waterproof and breathability take a look at as Kuiu offers.
Sitka Dewpoint Jacket
Key Options
Sizes: M to 3XL, plus LT and XLT
Weight: 10.9 ounces (dimension medium, tester measured)
Accessible in 5 colours
Supplies: Gore-Tex three-layer, 20-denier cloth with ripstop nylon face
Gore C-Knit backer expertise
Taped seams
Underarm air flow zippers
Windproof
Made in Vietnam
$349
Professionals
Lining is definitely snug
Pockets lined for waterproofness, too
Light-weight packability
Cons
Sitka Dewpoint Pant
Key Options
Sizes: M to 3XL, plus LT and XLT
Weight: 10.6 ounces (dimension medium, tester measured)
Accessible in 4 colours
Supplies: Gore-Tex 3-layer, 20-denier cloth with ripstop nylon face
Gore C-Knit Backer expertise
Taped seams
⅞ sidelength zippers
Constructed-in belt
Windproof
Made in Vietnam
$329
Professionals
Light-weight packability
Aspect zippers for simple put on and elimination
In-built belt with rain fly
Cons
Kuiu vs Sitka Rain Gear: Verdict
The Kuiu Katana set is hotter and quieter, rendering it nearer to a softshell than rain gear, and I want to put on it for all-day looking. So Kuiu takes the win right here. Nonetheless, each the Kuiu Katana Storm and Sitka Dewpoint handed variable discipline circumstances within the rain and chilly, in addition to a nine-hour standing water take a look at. Each have sturdy coatings which have held as much as brush and rocks, although the thinner materials of the Dewpoint appears extra weak. The Sitka Dewpoint is extra packable, which implies you’ll possible use it extra since you really introduced it with you. Neither are quiet; in order for you quieter rain gear, try each manufacturers’ full lineups of rain gear.
Learn Subsequent: Greatest Searching Rain Gear
Waterfowl Searching Gear
The Sitka Delta Professional waders are the most effective available on the market. Photograph by Kyle Hildreth
Kuiu is a brand new participant within the waterfowl world, launching their HD Flex wader and jacket final yr. Sitka has been making waterfowling gear for a number of years and even has a particular Optifade wetlands sample that blends completely in a cattail marsh. Sitka has much more merchandise in its waterfowl class however for this evaluate I targeted on the flagships: The Delta Professional Wader and Wading Jacket. —Alex Robinson
Kuiu Waterfowl Searching Gear
Kuiu HD Flex Wader
Key Options
Sizes from 8 to 14 (boot); S to 3XL (physique);
Toray materials
Constructed by Simms
Mud-releasing boot outsole design
One inner pocket and two outer pockets
Simms restore and guarantee
Accessible in Valo camo sample
Value: $899
Professionals
Comfy, breathable materials
Type-fitting boots
Comparatively gentle (about 6 kilos)
Cons
No padding round knees or shins
I received this brand-new wader introduction towards the top of waterfowl season so I didn’t have the chance to spend a lot time looking in them. Nevertheless, my first have a look at the HD Flex is promising. These waders are constructed by Simms, which has an excellent observe report in making fishing waders. The buckles are the identical as my Simms waders and the pocket configuration may be very comparable as properly.
Apparently, Kuiu’s waders use Toray, which is a layered, breathable, waterproof materials that’s basically Kuiu’s reply to Gore-Tex. Will probably be fascinating to see how this materials holds as much as put on and tear over time.
The factor I like finest about these waders is the boots. They match snuggly and firmly round my ft and ankles. There’s little or no slop within the boot, even in comparison with the Sitka waders. That is vital for duck hunters who usually discover themselves slogging by way of boot-sucking muck. In case your boots don’t match tightly, they’ll actually pull free whilst you’re combating by way of the gentle backside of a marsh. That received’t occur with the Kuiu waders.
On the draw back these waders lack significant reinforcements across the knees and shins. And at $900, they’re practically as costly because the Sitka waders.
Kuiu HD Flex Storm Shell Jacket
Key Options
Sizes from S to 3XL
Toray materials
Six outer pockets
One inner pocket
Waterproof zippers
Accessible in Valo camo and strong “ash”
Value: $449
Professionals
Sturdy and heavy-duty
A number of pockets
Wonderful cuffs and collar
Cons
Restricted availability for now
By way of its waterfowl line, I’m most impressed with Kuiu’s new HD Flex Storm Shell jacket. Much like the Sitka Delta Professional jacket, that is an uninsulated shell. Nevertheless Kuiu’s model is constructed of a lot heavier materials and has an all-around extra sturdy design. “Flex” is a little bit of a misnomer because the jacket is definitely fairly stiff. This doesn’t make it probably the most snug whereas sitting in a blind, however that’s a tradeoff I’ll fortunately take for the weather-proofness that this jacket presents. No quantity of wind, rain, or snow bothered me whereas sporting the Storm Shell.
The entrance breast pockets have a luxurious lining for holding your fingers heat. The cargo pockets are held closed by magnets. The opposite two, entrance pockets are roomy and zip shut with water-proof zippers. There’s additionally an inner pocket for holding valuable gadgets dry.
The collar rides further excessive when zipped to the highest, which is good while you’re hiding from the wind whereas ripping down a frigid river in a ship, but it surely’s additionally helpful for hiding your face from circling mallards.
The jacket cuffs will preserve out the weather with velcro straps and neoprene lining. The hood is form-fitting and adjustable with draw cords.
The one ding I’ve on this jacket is that it runs a bit large for sizing, no less than for my construct. I’m 6 ft, 2 inches and weigh 180 kilos and the big dimension was a bit dishevelled on me. It should match higher for huskier duck hunters. Aside from that, Kuiu has made what I contemplate to be a great duck looking jacket.
Sitka Waterfowl Searching Gear
Sitka Delta Zip Wader
Key Options
Broad number of sizes (boot and size) for correct match
Gore-Tex materials
YKK Aquaseal Zipper
Strengthened knee and shin pads
Insulated boots
one hundred pc serviceable assure
4 chest pockets
Accessible in Optifade Marsh, Optifade Timber, and Strong “Earth”
Value: $999
Professionals
Very snug
Sturdy
Comparatively gentle for lengthy hikes
Heat, sturdy boots
Nice guarantee
Cons
Costly
Not the warmest on frigid hunts
That is, fingers down, the most effective and most costly duck looking wader that I’ve ever worn — and I’ve worn greater than a dozen completely different waders from quite a lot of manufacturers over time. Sitka has managed to seek out the candy spot between consolation and sturdiness with their Delta Zip. The waders are constructed from breathable Gore-Tex materials and have a heavy-duty entrance zipper for simply throwing on and off. Total, the waders are snug all day lengthy. However you can say the identical factor for any pair of higher-end fly fishing waders. The Delta Zip wader begins to essentially shine while you dig into the added options designed particularly for duck hunters.
At first the shins and knees have hefty padding for busting by way of ice and brush. This definitely provides to the sturdiness of the waders, however the padding additionally prevents you from cracking your shins on a submerged limb whilst you’re hustling again to the blind to beat a flock of incoming geese. The insulated boots are hefty and heat. There are 4 chest pockets, two on the facet (that are felt lined for heat) and two within the entrance which zip shut.
The shoulder straps are tremendous slim so that they don’t intervene along with your gun mount. The attachment for the shoulder straps is a straightforward hook system, which I didn’t suppose I’d like, however really discovered to like. The wader belt stays snuggly in place and by no means falls out of the loops, even when unbuckled. These are small niceties, however they make a giant distinction while you’re attempting to place waders on at an icy boat ramp at 4 within the morning.
Now for the draw back: These dangerous boys value a grand, earlier than tax and delivery. That’s about as costly as duck looking waders get. However that value will get you two vital advantages: sturdiness and a one hundred pc serviceable assure. I wore these waders on walk-in hunts in Wisconsin and on large river hunts within the Dakotas. I’ll usually stroll a mile or extra throughout my duck hunts to be able to get again into spots that different dudes received’t contact, and I don’t child my gear, particularly my waders. After they leak, or fail, out they go and I’ll name in a unique pair from a unique producer for torture testing. I’m completely happy to report that the Delta Professionals present comparatively little injury after about half a season of great looking.
The Sitka waders held up properly throughout big-river hunts. Photograph by Kyle Hildreth
Even higher, when these waders do begin to wear down, Sitka will service them. You may learn the particulars of the guarantee right here, however briefly, the corporate will repair any points with the waders at an affordable value they usually provide year-end servicing for $125. Ship them your waders, they repair up the wear-and-tear and ship them again to you. Sitka covers the delivery value each methods. In case you’re a critical duck hunter and also you’re spending large on the Delta Professional, I’d suggest having them serviced on the finish of every season or no less than each different season. You’ll basically get again a brand new set of waders to begin the season.
The one critique I’ve for these waders is that they aren’t particularly heat. In case you’re going to be standing within the water whereas looking throughout frigid temperatures, you’ll wish to put on extra-warm base layers and probably even puffy pants.
Sitka Delta Professional Jacket
Key Options
Sizes from S to 3XL
Gore-Tex materials
Water sealing cuffs
Adjustable hood
Handwarmer pockets
Giant inside pocket with detachable waterproof case
Two massive cargo pockets on entrance
Accessible in Optifade Marsh, Optifade Timber, and Strong “Earth”
Value: $499
Professionals
Versatile
Waterproof and dries rapidly
Type becoming, not dishevelled
Shorter general design is good for sporting with waders
Cons
Costly for the efficiency and options
That is an uninsulated Gore-Tex shell that has some good options for duck hunters. I like the inside, detachable waterproof cellphone pocket. The pocket clips into the jacket so that you don’t drop your cellphone within the drink. Felt lined pockets positioned excessive on the entrance of the jacket are perfect for stashing handwarmers, for these of us who don’t prefer to put on gloves whereas looking. Entrance cargo pockets shut with velcro and magnets and are good for storing shells.
The hood is adjustable and tight becoming which is particularly vital for waterfowlers who’re attempting to control overhead birds whereas staying completely nonetheless. The important thing to this jacket is that you should layer up beneath it. It’s uninsulated, which in some methods makes it extra versatile — you may put on it from mid-season to late season. However however it’s principally a camouflage, overbuilt rain jacket. I contemplate it a helpful merchandise, however not vital (the Delta Professional waders are vital).
Kuiu waterfowl gear featured on the left vs Sitka waterfowl gear featured on the correct. Photograph by Alex Robinson
Kuiu vs Sitka Waterfowl Searching Gear: Verdict
This one is fairly easy: Go along with the Sitka waders and the Kuiu HD Flex Storm Shell jacket and also you’ll have the final word waterfowl looking outer layer. From there, select your base layers nevertheless you want and also you’ll be set for looking from the early season into the icy depths of the late season. Sitka barely squeaks by with the win right here as a result of they’ve a greater variety of waterfowling gear. Nevertheless I look ahead to seeing extra from Kuiu within the duck looking class.
Learn Subsequent: Greatest Duck Searching Jackets
Girls’s Searching Gear
Each Sitka and Kuiu make high quality looking gear for ladies. Photograph by Natalie Krebs
One factor I recognize about Sitka and Kuiu is how they provide most of the identical items as their males’s line in a real girls’s match. (Although this wasn’t at all times the case for Kuiu, who’s preliminary foray into girls’s gear fell flat.) The ladies’s strains are admittedly restricted — you may’t purchase a pair of ladies’s Sitka or Kuiu waders, for example — however comprehensible given the smaller buyer base. As a substitute of promoting gear “designed by girls for ladies” (a favourite catch phrase of many out of doors manufacturers) the businesses simply create the most effective looking gear they’ll dream up, then provide those self same precise options within the correct match. —Natalie Krebs
Girls’s Base Layers
Kuiu Extremely Merino 145
Kuiu’s Extremely Merino is a extremely versatile base layer set because of its sensible options and comfy cloth. Total, the Nuyarn Merino cloth is gentle and comfy, and it each wicks and warms with out including pointless weight. The low-profile match is welcome on early- and mid-season hunts, and even throughout the late season when a number of layers can begin to really feel restrictive.
I usually put on a medium in girls’s shirts however I sized up for this prime and I’m glad I did: It matches like a base layer ought to, which implies it lies near the pores and skin but it surely’s not uncomfortably tight. In case you’re a thumbhole hater for some unfathomable motive, you may simply skip these; the thumbholes are principally invisible on the cuff and don’t go away gaping holes for chilly air in your sleeve. In case you love thumbholes, like I do, then you definately’ll discover these sit within the excellent spot and don’t pressure your thumb webbing.
This base layer prime additionally simply seems like a traditional shirt while you shed your layers on the mountain or again at camp. You’re feeling neither underdressed nor such as you’re attending a pajama social gathering. (The Extremely Merino prime is obtainable in a racerback tank, too, which I additionally suggest.)
The Extremely Merino 145 zip offs are the one base layer pants I need for lengthy days of mountain looking and variable temperatures throughout turkey season. I are likely to overdress for the chilly within the morning (I hate rolling away from bed as a lot as the subsequent individual) then remorse overdoing it when that mid-morning sunshine rolls round. The velcro tabs on the prime of the Extremely Merino pants, plus the full-length zipper, allow you to take away your base layer with out taking your boots off, which is massively handy. (Simply make sure to re-secure the velcro tabs evenly, or else the fabric will chafe, as occurred to me on a late-season pheasant hunt.)
I do want there was a heavier weight model of those pants for later season hunts, however when it will get that chilly, you don’t actually need the zipper-style anyway and one other model of base layer with a heavier weight would make a high quality selection. Curiously, the medium pants match properly and I didn’t must go up a dimension as I did with the matching base layer prime.
Kuiu Extremely Merino 145 Lengthy Sleeve Crew
Key Options
Sizes: XS to XL
Weight: 5.5 ounces (dimension massive, tester measured)
Supplies: 90 % Merino wool, 10 % nylon
Naturally moisture wicking and odor resistant
Accessible in 5 colours (camo and solids)
UPF 50+
Flat seams
Layered thumbholes
Made in Vietnam
$79
Professionals
Wonderful match, even for long-armed hunters
Excellent sleeve size and thumbhole placement
Not remotely itchy
Cons
Runs small
On the skinny facet for late-season hunts
Kuiu Extremely Merino 145 Zip-Off Backside
Key Options
Sizes: XS to XL
Weight: 5.8 ounces (dimension Medium, tester measured)
Supplies: 90 % Merino wool, 10 % nylon
Naturally moisture wicking and odor resistant
Above the boot inseam: 26 inches / 66 centimeters
Velcro tab adjusters
Totally zippered sides
Accessible in charcoal solely
Made in Vietnam
$109
Professionals
Zippers allow you to shed the bottom layer with out eradicating your boots
Comfy, close-to-skin match
True to dimension
Cons
On the skinny facet for late-season hunts
Sitka Girls’s Core Merino 120
These are the bottom layers I’ve been ready for from Sitka, they usually’ve lastly delivered. Whereas Sitka’s light-, mid-, and heavyweight Core base layer fleece units for ladies are indisputably cozy, I’ve at all times discovered the match awkward within the sleeves (too quick) and armpits (further cloth). These points are fortunately resolved with the early-season Core Merino 120 layers, that are as light-weight and silky as old-school silk lengthy johns, with the sturdiness and luxury of high quality Merino wool (although you may really throw these within the washer and the dryer).
The Core Merino 120s are easy base layers designed to manage your temperature throughout sizzling to delicate early-season circumstances, with a couple of sensible touches like built-in thumbholes plus a flat waistband and seams for simple layering and chafe-free packing. Given my expertise with Sitka’s Core fleece base layers working small, I sized up each the shirt and the pant (from my true medium dimension to a big) and am glad I did. Nonetheless, even when they shrink slightly within the dryer (jury’s nonetheless out on how they’ll maintain up over time with common washing), I’ll have wiggle room to spare.
Sitka Core Merino 120 LS Crew Prime
Key Options
Sizes: S to XL
Weight: 4.85 ounces (dimension medium, tester measured)
Supplies: ArmorSpun merino wool
Low-profile built-in thumbholes
Accessible in 4 colours: three camo, black)
Made in China
$119
Professionals
Tender, silky match
Washable like common laundry
Practical, snug thumbholes
Cons
Not as heat or versatile all through the season
Advocate sizing up
Sitka Girls’s Core Merino 120 Backside
Key Options
Sizes: S to XL
Weight: 3.8 ounces (dimension Medium, tester measured)
Supplies: ArmorSpun Merino wool
Solely accessible in black
Made in China
$119
Professionals
Tender, silky match
Washable like common laundry
Waistband prevents bunching underneath pants or pack
Cons
Not as heat or versatile all through the season
Advocate sizing up
Kuiu and Sitka provide a vareity of ladies’s base layers. Photograph by Natalie Krebs
Kuiu vs Sitka Girls’s Base Layers: Verdict
Whereas Kuiu has the sting on the subject of girls’s base layers because of the zip-off bottoms trick, Sitka has stepped up its base layer sport with its Core Merino set. It’s exhausting to go unsuitable with both set, so simply select which you favor based mostly on the load of the Merino: Sitka’s are finest for early season, whereas Kuiu’s might be worn by way of mid-season. In case you’re a mountain hunter or vulnerable to shedding layers, positively go together with Kuiu’s Extremely Merino 145 zip-off bottoms.
Girls’s Searching Pants
Kuiu Girls’s Assault Pant
Key Options
Designed for delicate climate (45-70°F)
Sizes: 2 to 14
Weight: 17 ounces (dimension 8, tester measured)
Supplies: Polyester
Colours: 5 choices (camo and strong)
Makspec odor management
Ok-DWR water repellency
4-Manner Stretch Primeflex Polyester
Mesh zippered hip vents
Articulated knees
Hems designed to be set free an additional 1.5 inches
Made in Vietnam
Match runs small for a lot of girls
$149
Professionals
Light-weight with sturdy cloth for mid-season hunts
Athletic match that received’t stretch out per week into your backcountry hunt
Inexpensive than different high-end girls’s looking pants
Cons
Zipper hoods make accessing pockets tough
Crotch match is uncomfortable for some
Sizing appears inconsistent with remainder of Kuiu line
The Kuiu Assault pant is constructed from a sturdy cloth that repels water, controls odor, and is comparatively quiet. The design is light-weight for simpler put on and packing into the mountains, and that ends in a extra modern, tailor-made match. Although they’ve a particular four-way stretch within the polyester, I actually don’t discover any give. That comes with tradeoffs: The shortage of spandex-level flexibility means these pants received’t simply stretch out, so you may put on them day-after-day of a week-long backcountry hunt with out mountain climbing up your sagging pants. I discovered the dearth of spandex virtually a deal breaker, nevertheless, because it made the match uncomfortable for my proportions.
Curiously, the Assault pant’s rise (as measured from the crotch to prime of the waist) is a half-inch longer than the Sitka Timberline Pant (9.5 vs. 9 inches, respectively), however the stiffness of the material and a poorly-placed seam makes the Assault pant really feel shorter within the crotch—too quick. The ladies’s Assault pant was tight sufficient in a dimension 8 that I’d must dimension as much as a ten, which might make the thigh and hip match too free. (I usually put on a dimension 6 or 8 common, and most of Kuiu’s girls’s line matches me true to dimension. Considered one of my looking buddies who is generally a dimension 10 used Kuiu’s find-your-fit-guide to order a 12 within the Assault pant, which ended up being too large.)
Sizing objections apart — making a single pair of pants that matches most girls is a tall order — the Assault pant is a great, sturdy selection for spot-and-stalk and Western hunters who’ve normal- to short-length torsos and by no means put on talls or longs in denims. All sizes of the ladies’s Assault pant are available in a 32-inch inseam, though they do include further cloth sewn on the hems so you may let these out to a complete inseam of 33.5 inches (32 is customary), although a tailor is an added expense and received’t repair the too-short crotch drawback for some. In case you’re tall, contemplate sizing up or going with a unique pair of pants.
Sitka Timberline Pant
Key Options
Sizes: 25R to 34R
Weight: 22.2 ounces (dimension 28R, tester measured)
Supplies: Polyester, nylon, spandex
Accessible in two colours (Optifade subalpine; darkish inexperienced)
Detachable kneepads
Strengthened knees and seat
Articulated Match: tapered legs, low-profile waistband
Suits true to dimension
Made in China
$249
Professionals
Wonderful match, true to dimension
Versatile for altering seasons and species
Sturdy seat and knees resists abrasion, tears
Cons
Expensive
Fly doesn’t keep zipped
Stretches over time
If I may solely put on one pair of looking pants for the remainder of my life, it will be Sitka’s Timberline pant. They received me over years in the past as the primary pair of ladies’s looking pants that match properly and labored exhausting. They’re gentle sufficient to put on on all however the hottest days, sturdy within the face of barbed wire and cactus, and stretchy sufficient to suit each a base layer and a mid-layer beneath. (That is higher achieved over time although — a model new pair of Timberlines could solely comfortably match one base layer.) The detachable kneepads are unobtrusive but helpful when it’s important to crawl into place on a pronghorn or sneak to the bottom of a tree on a turkey hunt. The material is fairly quiet and really snug.
The bolstered knees and seat are powerful sufficient to deflect thorny cowl, however snug sufficient for brief sprints and lengthy hikes. As a substitute of sporting heavy brush pants for upland looking, I put on my Timberlines and a pair of knee-high gaiters. I put on the impartial Timberline (previously grey, now supplied in a flexible darkish inexperienced) to the vary. There’s simply sufficient water repellency within the seat to maintain you snug when the bottom is damp, but it surely does are likely to put on over time. So when you’re planning to hunt in moist circumstances, you’ll need rain pants.
I’ve simply two gripes about my Timberlines. The match loosens after a couple of wears (which is to be anticipated for any lady’s pants with 8 % spandex), so anticipate to run these by way of the dryer to return the waist to a tailor-made match. The second gripe is extra egregious: The fly is not going to keep zipped. I’ve discovered to loop the zipper pull over the waistband button to maintain the barn doorways closed, but it surely’s simple to overlook when getting dressed at the hours of darkness and annoying to undo within the discipline. (Fortuitously, Sitka appears to have addressed this subject with the Cadence pant, one other glorious pair of ladies’s looking pants, albeit barely much less sturdy and versatile for exhausting looking.)
The match on the Timberline Pant runs true to dimension. At 5-foot-8 and 145 kilos, I usually put on a dimension 6 or 8 in my denims (a few of that are talls) and the 28R matches finest. Through the colder months I put on my 29Rs — which have stretched with time and are subsequently even looser — with thicker base layers and a mid-layer.
Kuiu vs Sitka Girls’s Searching Pants: Verdict
The Sitka Timberline has extra helpful pockets and presents knee-cushioning while you want it whereas the Assault Pants are extra streamlined. Each pants make about the identical quantity of noise (they’re not swishy, however they’re not silent, both), embrace some water repellent properties (the Assault pants are higher at this) and sturdy cloth. Robust looking pants are the only most-used piece of looking gear in my closet, and I put on them year-round (for whitetails, turkeys, upland, mountain looking, and past). I like to recommend overlooking the value and shopping for the pair that matches your physique and your looking model finest. For me, that’s the Sitka Timberlines.
Girls’s Down Puffy Jackets
Kuiu Girls’s Tremendous Down LT Hooded Jacket
Key Options
Designed for chilly circumstances (32-45°F)
Sizes: XS to XL
Weight: 7.5 ounces (dimension medium, tester measured)
Accessible in six colours (three camo, three strong)
Outer Materials: Nylon ripstop
Insulation: Water resistant Quixdown, constructed from Polish goose down
Fill Energy: 850+
Fill Weight: 2.2 ounces
Lining Materials: Nylon
Windproof
Water-proof
Made in Vietnam
$319
Professionals
Extremely light-weight and packable
Water-proof cloth and down
Self stows within the right-hand pocket
Roomy sufficient for added base and mid layers
Cons
No chest zipper
No underarm air flow
Once I’m planning a backcountry hunt, my girls’s Kuiu Tremendous Down LT Hooded Jacket is on the prime of my packing record. It barely weighs half a pound, it packs into its personal pocket, and is designed to repel moisture. The heat-to-weight ratio is killer, and this down jacket is quieter with a extra matte end than the corporate’s older, shinier down jackets.
This jacket is designed to maintain you heat whereas chopping weight, and that reveals with the omission of air flow zips within the armpits (simply take the jacket off) and a zippered chest pocket. This jacket just isn’t fairly as fluffy or as heat as Sitka’s Kelvin Lite, however at half the load, that’s not surprising. Kuiu does make this jacket in a heavier-down Professional model, but it surely’s solely accessible for males. On the intense facet, the matching Tremendous Down LT pants can be found in girls’s sizes, they usually’re killer; I wore them as my backside mid-layer each hunt throughout late deer season.
Sitka Girls’s Kelvin Lite Down Jacket
Key Options
Sizes: XS to XXL
Weight: 14.9 ounces (dimension medium, tester measured)
Outer materials: Two-way stretch nylon
Insulation: PrimaLoft Gold down mix
Fill Energy: 900
Fill Weight: 3.8 ounces
Arm and Decrease Again Insulation: 60 grams of PrimaLoft Gold Lively Artificial
Liner Materials: Polyester
Zippered under-arm air flow
Zippered inside chest pocket
Drawstring cinch hem
Accessible in 4 colours (Gore Optifade Subalpine camo, three solids)
Made in Vietnam
$379
Professionals
Puffier than many down jackets, glorious mid-layer heat for the load
Ventilated armpit zippers, zippered chest pockets are a pleasant contact
Doesn’t rip on barbed wire, thorns as simply as some down jackets
Cons
Important zipper is tiny, usually will get caught
No water resistance or a lot windproofing
Not as gentle or packable as some down jackets
Sitka’s Kelvin Lite Down jacket is a well-made down jacket that I ended up grabbing as my go-to late deer season mid-layer. It had loads of loft to lure heat throughout these colder, all-day sits, and it by no means ripped once I snagged the hood on thorns throughout my walks out and in, or once I ducked underneath barbed wire throughout the coldest days of pheasant season and early turkey season this spring. Considerate touches like deep pockets, an inside chest pocket, and zippered underarm insulation make this jacket snug for upland looking and different Western hunts.
The Kelvin Lite is neither water-proof nor windproof, although that’s not essentially a knock in opposition to it since I don’t anticipate these options from a midlayer. My major gripe with this in any other case stellar puffy is its tiny major zipper, which is vulnerable to catching on the adjoining cloth. Earlier than I discovered to string the zipper rigorously, I received it good and caught half a dozen occasions, as soon as getting fully trapped contained in the jacket for a number of minutes earlier than I may coax the zipper free. There’s additionally no drawstring cinch on the hood, however that’s a minor quibble.
Total, the Kelvin Lite Down grew to become my go-to down looking jacket this fall for its heat and comfy, roomy match. I’m such a fan, I want Sitka would make matching Kelvin Lite down pants for ladies.
Krebs sporting the Sitka Kelvin Lite jacket on a cold spring turkey hunt. Photograph by Natalie Krebs
Kuiu vs Sitka Girls’s Down Puffy Jackets: Verdict
If light-weight packability and climate resistance is your precedence in a down jacket, go together with the ladies’s Kuiu Tremendous Down LT. It’s half the load of Sitka’s Kelvin Lite Down and has water resistance and wind safety. If weight isn’t a priority and also you’re extra involved in an excellent heat down jacket that’s a real midlayer (no waterproofing and little windproofing) go together with the Sitka Kelvin Lite Down. It’s neither shiny nor too noisy, and nonetheless gentle sufficient for packing. On condition that I spend most of my yr looking within the Midwest the place weight is much less of a priority, I’d go together with the Sitka Kelvin Lite. Since I’ve received horrible circulation in even delicate climate, I pair these with Kuiu’s Tremendous Down LT pants — matching camo patterns be damned.
Learn Subsequent: Greatest Girls’s Searching Jackets
Kuiu vs Sitka: Last Ideas
In case you haven’t been holding rating, Kuiu has the sting in mountain looking gear and rain gear. Sitka has the sting in whitetail gear and waterfowling gear. The manufacturers cut up the ladies’s gear class evenly. Each manufacturers are nice, it simply is dependent upon the small print of what you’re looking and what you’re on the lookout for in your gear.
The opposite key takeaway is that Sitka gear is often slightly dearer than Kuiu gear in the identical class. (Within the whitetail class Sitka is considerably dearer). That is possible partly due to Kuiu’s direct-to-consumer enterprise mannequin. Typically the pricier Sitka gadgets are clearly value it, typically Kuiu wins in efficiency and worth.
Regardless, we’re going to maintain looking in gear from each manufacturers and we’ll replace this story as new merchandise roll out and we’re in a position to discipline take a look at them.
The post Kuiu vs Sitka: The Final Discipline Check appeared first on Havens travel and tour blog .
