This past season I used the following Kuiu stuff:

Merino Wool base layer bottoms, both weights
Beanie
Neck cover/balaclava
Spindrift Jacket

I used them on some serious backcountry elk hunts and midwestern whitetail hunts. They were all awesome!

The base layers dried super quickly and controlled temps really well. I could use them for about 3 days of intense hunting before they stunk

The jacket I used under a shell. It was super for lightweight warmth. In a cinch bag, it shrunk down to almost nothing, but still kept me warm.

I used Sitka Gear Mountain Pants and gloves and vest, and loved those as well.

 

I used the following this year elkhunting:
Guide Jacket
Attack Pants
Medium Weight Merino Top
Heavy Weight Merino Top
Rain Gear Top & Bottom

I used all of it on my elk hunt, but only used the rain gear for about 1 hour.

Everything was AS ADVERTISED. I'll be buying another pair of attack pants and another set of tops before next year. The jacket and pants were REALLY
good. The pants are the best hunting pants I've ever worn... unbelievable. Tough, stretchy, almost waterproof, very breathable, comfortable as all get out,
and dry amazingly fast. Same goes for the jacket. I almost never needed anything warmer under the coat b/c it was about perfect, seemed to let me keep
cool when I was humping it hard, and kept me warm when it was cold and I was not moving. I felt like both were pretty quiet, more than quiet enough for
elk hunting.

The merino tops were great. Wicked sweat well, dried pretty fast, and in combination with the Guide jacket, did a fantastic job of temp regulation.

The rain gear was good, but I really can't give a great account of it b/c of it's VERY limited use.

The attack pants were crazy good though.


-ZA

 

I understand supply and demand....But, how does a company plan to stay in business when they're SOLD OUT of almost everything all the time. I've been waiting months for a pair of pants....

 

They just sent me an e-mail saying the atack pants were back in stock.

 

Rain gear is the real deal. My old man uses the pants every day in the woods of western WA and he thinks they may last a full year. He loves them. This is an amazing accomplishment for him. Lol.

The pack is not for me. Too easy to break the CF frame and very uncomfortable with heavy loads.

The merino wool had been great. Just as nice as my Superwool and a camo pattern that I really like.

Next order for me will be attack pants, gloves, gators, set of rain gear and Spindrift jacket (maybe).

 

I have not used it, but my partner did and his review was good for the items listed. He has sitka as well doe's not seem that he favors one over the other. I'm still a sitka fan.

Attack Pants
Morino wool top
Jacket I forgot the name of filled with down

 

The attack pants were awesome. This was my first departure from cotton in August-September. The breathed and were extremely comfortable. They were also durable...had a few branches scratch my legs, but no tears on the pants. They also are very water resistant.

I can't really compare to Sitka because the only sitka stuff I have is some traverse gloves.

 

I used a bunch of different KUIU stuff all year. My thoughts:

Merino 185 top - Super comfortable, no itch, Breathes well, dries fast, minimal odor. This is the only merino I have used so I can't compare to other merino. Way more comfortable than Sitka Core synthetic though. I always reach for the KUIU as my base layer now and my Core top sits in the closet. I've washed the top probably 7-8 times and there are a couple of small holes appearing near the collar that appear to be stress tears from backpack straps and possibly washing. Hopefully it continues to hold up overall. This may be typical for Merino, I'm not sure.

Attack Pants - what everyone else says is true. Really comfortable and a pleasure to wear. Unfortunately were a little too warm over the summer month, but they are my go-to pants outside of June-July-August. The fit is head and shoulders above the closest Sitka comparator, the 90% pant. Sitka pants are cut very oddly in my opinion. They bulge out at the knees and are tapered at the ankles. I gather that this was done to allow mobility in the knees while minimizing the amount of material used in the pants. The result is that they look funny and don't cover your boots very well at the cuffs. The KUIU pants fit like a normal pair of pants, and this works just fine for me. The simple cut of the KUIU pants (and the generous length) trumps Sitka's experimental cuts and "aggressive articulation" in my opinion. I only wear my 90% pants now if I really want to be in the optifade pattern.

Guide Jacket - Nice polyester jacket with simple no-nonsense design. Minimal zippers, pockets, and drawcords. I wear this jacket all the time, hunting or not. It is comparable to other high performance soft shells from mountaineering companies. I think the big difference is that they really tried to keep the weight down (hence the minimal bells and whistles). Does have pit zips which is nice. I would have preferred adjustable cuffs, but this would add some weight. Overall it is just a good solid jacket. Not blown away by it, but no major complaints. Compared to other hunting jackets though, I'd say its a clear winner. Another big plus for this one is the price - you wont find another softshell of this quality for this low a price.

Spindrift Jacket - standard Primaloft jacket - surprisingly warm for its weight. Biggest difference here is the simplicity of design - like the Guide jacket, there are no extra zippers, pockets etc. This is the big difference from the Sitka Kelvin. The Spindrift also uses the higher grade Primaloft One, whereas the Kelvin uses the Primaloft Sport (presumably this affects the warmth to weight ratio). I'd take the Spindrift over the Kelvin, particularly since, once again, the price is unmatched on the KUIU. It really is a fantastic deal for a Primaloft jacket.

Chugach pants and jacket - in keeping with the KUIU design philosophy, these are simple no-nonsense, minimalist designs. No problems at all with the waterproofing. Breatheability is typical (not that great - just like Gore Tex). Pants seem a little more rugged than the jacket which I like. I would prefer beefier cuffs on the jacket, but again this would add to weight. They say the Toray Dermizax this stuff is made from outshines Gore Tex in terms of waterproofing and breatheability. Can't say I've noticed a big difference, but I will say that the Chugach feels much nicer than any Gore Tex jacket I've encountered. Gore Tex tends to be more crinkly and plastic-feeling in my experience. The Chugach is softer and quieter (though not completely silent). Its possible that there are quieter Gore Tex jackets out there, I'm not sure. Again a huge factor here is price. A similar-performing system in Gore-Tex will set you back many hundreds of dollars more than the Chugach. Why pay more?

Guide gloves - Decently water resistant, very tough durable palms. Little bit of insulation. Nice close-fitting gloves with good dexterity, perfect for a misty fall day. I prefer as little glove as possible over my hands, so my go-to glove is my Sitka Shooter (very close fit and super dexterity). When it is a little colder and wetter, the Guide gloves are my next stop. A little more protection and no problems handling bow, rifle, shotgun. A good glove to have in your arsenal for the price.

 

im starting to look more and more at this stuff... even though i think the camo pattern is ugly.

Its quite a bit cheaper than sitka... but still a ways away with my 40% discount.

Any sitka users that can chime in on the switch?

Id get a few pieces of both but i like to match! And seeing how i can get sitka even cheaper im thinking of just going that route as of now.

 

I hunted Mule deer, Elk, Mountain Goat (BC), and Brown bear (AK) with this gear and it performed flawlessly. I'm pretty hard on stuff and if it's not quality made it won't last. Mine looks as good as the day I bought it. I have used the following items;

1. Attack Pants
2. Guide Jacket
3. Chugach Jacket & Pants (Rain Gear)
4. Spindrift Jacket
5. Vest
6. Guide Beanie
7. Merino wool neck gaiter & beanie
8. Gloves
9. Climbing belt

Jason is a great guy and has really set the bar when it comes to hunting clothes. I don't think you'll
be disappointed in KUIU, I'm definitely not.

I also own quite a few clothing items from Sitka but I think KUIU has better overall quality IMO! I also like that you can buy direct from KUIU
which saves the customer $$$!

 

I have used Sitka and Kuiu extensively and I prefer Kuiu every time.

Here's a few things to think about.

If you look at the fabric, price and fit from both companies it won't take long to realize that you're getting a better product from Kuiu for a lot less money.

Don't get me wrong, Sitka makes a great product and I've used it on many hunts, but the price point is very high, and when you have another company offering as good or better products for half the price it's an easy choice.

If you could by a set of binoculars that were equal or better than Zeiss or Swarovski as a fraction of the price, you would jump on that deal without hesitation.

Kuiu also does a much better job at listening to the customers needs and laying everything out in front of you so you know exactly what you're buying.


Here's a link that explains why Jason's material of choice was Toray and why it works so well.

http://kuiu.wordpress.com/2012/01/16/the-toray-advantage/

 

the one reason i really want to try kuiu is it seems they really stand behind thier products. Iv been hearing some bad stuff about sitka. Maybe ill just mix it up.

I keep seeing price come up alot as a reason to go kuiu over sitka. What if price was a moot point, as it is for me with the discount. Would you guys still choose kuiu over sitka?

 

I'd still buy KUIU. Like The Elk Reaper stated they listen to there customers and use no smoke screens. The main reason KUIU was started because Sitka wanted to cut corners and use lower quality standards for their clothing, but still charge the customer maximum price. I can't wait for the 2012 stuff to start appearing. I've already pre-ordered the gaiters their coming out with.

 

I can get Sitka at cost and I would still choose Kuiu.

Like I said, it's not that Sitka makes a bad product, but for me and the way I hunt, Kuiu is a much better option.

If you're looking for whitetail and duck hunting clothing only, than Sitka may be a better choice.

 

i will definetly be buying sitka's whitetail line, most likly ill mix and match kuiu and sitka for everything else

 

Gotcha....

The whitetail market is something the Sitka caters too much more than Kuiu.

 

what sitka pants would you compare the attacks to as far as warmth and weight goes?

 

The Attacks would be closest to the mountain pants.

 

I jumped on the Kuiu bad wagon this spring. I have always went with sitka and king of the mountain wool. We went to Alaska on a spring bear hunt. We took both Kuiu and Sitka gear and my favorite KOM wool shirt. The Kuiu rain gear is the real deal, after spending 8 days on the ocean in a raft and in the rain wearing the kuiu rain gear my little brother was dry as a bone. I wore my older sitka rain gear and didn't stay as dry. Although my older sitka rain gear was quieter than the Kuiu. I was bowhunting so this was a toss up...But being dry is a great thing! lol The attack pants are my favorite pants they are so comfortable you don't even know you are wearing them and they are dirty tough. I am way glad that I tried the Kuiu and will continue to wear it. It doesn't really match KOM wool shirt but oh well, old habits die hard. lol

 

Another question for you guys. Are the Attack pants 35" inseam? I noticed there website said that they are. I have been kicking around buying kuiu camp. I like the camp scheme and being 6'3" pants can become an issue with most camp companies.

 

http://kuiu.com/sizechart/

Bottoms & Pants
Body Size Medium Large X-Large XX-Large
inch cm inch cm inch cm inch cm
Waist 33 84 36 91 39 99 43 109
Hip 40 102 43 109 46 117 50 127
Crotch to Ankle 30.50 77 31.13 79 31.13 79 32.38 82

 

I've had several peices of Sitka since their first year. (I went to Jason's house when he was selling it out of his garage). This past year, I got several items of Kuiu.(merino top, vest, jacket, pants, Spindrift, and Chugach set). Wore the same outer clothes as much as 8 days in a row. If I buy more hunting outerwear for western hunting, it will be Kuiu. As far as the camo pattern, I was standing next to a tree in timber, and saw a cougar walking through the woods coming in my direction. As it closed the gap to within 13 yards, I began to raise my bow for self defense, if needed, as I did'nt have a tag. At my movement, the cougar stopped and stared at me. I remained motionless, and after a few seconds, the cougar walked on by and never glanced in my direction again. I also had elk within 15 yards, while I was in the open, never appear to recognize me.

 

Hows the fit on the attack pants for us "medium" sized guys?

I usually wear a size 30x30 in jeans...

 

Kuiu stuffs

1. Attack Pants
2. Guide Jacket
3. Spindrift Jacket
4. 185 & 250 Merino Tops
5. Guide Beanie
6. Merino wool neck gaiter & beanie
7. 6000 ci pack (briefly)
8. Gloves and belt

Sitka stuffs

1. 90% Jacket
2. 90% Pant
3. Ascent Pant
4. Traverse Top
5. Merino Top
6. Traverse gloves, merino gloves and beanie

My impression of the Kuiu gear was positive. Liked the stretch in the pants/jacket was durable enough, though I did manage to rip a couple holes in the pants. One from the mtn bike sprocket (clearly not a gear issue), the other crossing some dead-fall. It does dry quickly. Plan to pick up another pair of pants this year. Did not care for the pants/jacket hunting Blacktail though, largely because of the noise.

Was too warm during elk to really use the Spindrift jacket, but liked it when I did. Was also my pillow. Tried to use it Whitetail hunting, but was too loud.

The merino performed as merino should. Didn't discern any functional difference between Kuiu, Sitka, FirstLite or Icebreaker merino. Was concerned about the comfort of the zippered front at first, but I've since become a fan. Really helps on hot and sweaty hikes. Not sure I'll ever be convinced to wear it for a week straight though... I've had the same issues with all my light merino garments that has been mentioned - small holes from the washing machine. For me it will be probably be hand washing from here on out.

The Kuiu pack went back without making it to the field. Couldn't get it to fit, and had some other concerns. Stuck with the Crew Cab, though will take a stroll on the Timberline bandwagon this year. Hoping I enjoy the ride!...

Neck gaiter was super nice to have in the Whitetail stand this winter, but never touched it otherwise. Used the merino beanie often and would really like Kuiu to offer merino gloves. Used merino gloves often during elk, Blacktail and Whitetail. The Kuiu glove wasn't much use for me - didn't work well with a release on.

I found the Sitka 90% solid moderate weather gear. A bit too warm in hot weather (thought the same of Kuiu). Seemed to be somewhat more water resistant than Kuiu. Was also too loud for my taste for Blacktail hunting.

The Ascent pants fit fine - no complaints. Thought they were cooler in hot weather than the 90% or Kuiu. Will be adding a pair of the Mtn Pants this year.

I'm so/so on the Traverse top. It's an ok weight, but didn't do much for me. Liked that the merino top was zippered.

Overall, I liked both brands. Don't plan on buying too much more this year, so it will be interesting to see what new products they both introduce over the next year or two.

Cheers,
-c2

 

Bought almost every piece of the KUIU line except the rain gear. I sent the pack back because I had too short of a torso and ended up buying a kifaru pack. The kifaru packs are hands down the best I have ever tried. I have a Timberline on order and believe it will be the one I keep for years to come. Everything else I used from KUIU this past season was 100% top notch. My Dad also bought the same thing I bought from KUIU and was very impressed. Great gear!

 

Anyone know if KUIU will be coming out with a bino bivy this spring?

 

Not sure about spring, but this blog post suggests it will be on the way sometime this year:
http://kuiu.wordpress.com/2011/12/16/design-the-next-kuiu-line-2/

 

I used Kuiu on my Idaho elk hunt last year.

Merino 180 top
Merino Beanie
Attack Jacket
Gloves
Belt

This is around noon, when we met up for lunch on the mountain. IT had been raining all morning. I did not have the chugach rain gear, but just the attack jacket. I was dry as a bone. Now I know it wont withstand sitting in a total downpour, but rain on and off on it, and walking through wet brush it kept me dry. The merino top I had on under the jacket was soaked in sweat, every day as I'm not a little guy and I work hard heading up these mountains. It did NOT stink after 6 days. I didn't need to bring the other top, but I have it so why not? The gear is extremely light. Very packable as I can compress the jacket and other items down extremely small. This gear is the way to go. Yeah the camo may look like cookie dough, but it breaks up your outline surprisingly well. I'll be getting the attack pants this year along with the gaiters. The stuff is less expensive than sitka. The owner of Kuiu started sitka, so he knows whats going on. If you're on the fence, go with Kuiu. You will not be disappointed.

 

Dude how come no one looks happy on your elk hunt?