There is no jacket that will be a one and done deal for 30-60 degree temperature swings. Heck, in 50 degrees I’m in a t shirt while 30 degrees would completely depend on wether I was moving or sitting still.
For sitting around, I’ve yet to find anything as good as a kifaru lost park pullover. The kuiu guide jackets are ok for relatively low activity stuff but you aren’t going to hike much with one and like most other soft shells, the kuiu guide jacket isn’t very packable. It rarely makes the cut for me in terms of back pack hunts.
For me I like to have base layers, some sort of t shirt, a heavier fleece type layer and a shell, the puffy jacket is packed away for when I’m not moving. I’ve even started to really appreciate simple wind shirts just to cut wind while I’m hiking and don’t need insulation.
