Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Ask The Gunwriters KUIU vs Sitka Gear-Which is Better

I'll second this - been using the parka and pants for 12-ish years.

Is there a "back door" on that one?

I wish.

I decided I would start from scratch and had the chance to go to the KUIU store in Dixon. CA. I'm not huge, but not athletically cut. I was able to completely outfit myself for any temperature and varying climates.

I've been very pleased and have now worn it for multiple trips. The light weight nature of the materials has really made a difference for me over my winter gear that I used previously (Cabelas heavy jacket/bibs in open country).

I think both are made well, although the fabric is different. I'm not at all disappointed with the KUIU family.

Next NFL player Jason Hairston co-founded Sitka in the late 1990 after the 2008 economy crash he sold it then started KUIU in 2010. Friends that hunt Colorado in cold weather love there KUIU gear, I know they have 3XL jackets but have not tried their pants & shirts.

I've tried most of the brand names over the past 5-6 years. You have a wide range of conditions to try and meet - doubt $1500 cover it all perfectly.

For cold treestrand sitting - gonna be hard to beat First Lite Sanctuary bib/coats. Sitka Incinerator is likely in the same neighborhood. Both are very warm and not all that waterproof. At 25 or less, should be snow but still may get moist if its snowing alot. First lite seems to fit the 'average' guy pretty well. Dad owns the Sitka, I own the FL.

For active hunts with a mix of stand/sit, its hard to beat Kuiu Guide jacket/pants, or Sitka Jetstream jkt/Mountain or timberline pants. Neither one of these are waterproof. As stated before, Kuiu is cut more athletic/trim in my experience.

If waterproof is a must, Rivers West newer line is pretty good. The Artemus jkt/pants covers 30-50 degrees, is quiet, and waterproof. The Ambush jkt/Ambush bibs/Trail pants works down to 20 degrees or so if sitting. I find its way too hot for still hunting unless its zero.

If you were patient, you could likely have all lines I mentioned above for your $1500 but you'd buy odd/unpopular camo patterns.

I personally settled on Kuiu Guide jkt/pants for my elk hunting needs in late October. For treestand hunting, I use the RW Artemus down to about 45, RW Ambush down to ~ 20, and FL Sanctuary when its gets colder.

I've also tried most of the name brand base layers and have settled on Icebreaker. I have a full selection from the 200 to the 310 and simply add/subtract depending on conditions. I wear the 260 most often. I also bought the First Lite Labrador sweater (400). When I'm elk hunting in about any weather, I wear the Kuiu Guide pants, Icebreaker 260, and FL Labrador when hiking/still hunting. Shot both elk last year in that exact set-up.

Think through what and how you hunt and buy the outer layers first, then fill in the base layers. Fleabay can be a great place to find base layer close-outs, minimally worn items, etc.

If you're going to stand hunt, the Sitka Kelvin Down Hoody jacket is pretty damn good. I bought one over a year ago. It is great to slip on and stay warm up here in NH. For base layers, I use Filson Heavyweight or Smartwool 260 gr depending on the cold.

First Lite Stormtight shell.

Arcteryx Atom down puffy.

Nomad Veil camo polyester shirt long sleeve shirt.

Kuiu Attack pants.

First lite Chama top (EXP weight in a stand)

First Lite bottoms.

Smart Wool PHD hunter socks.

Kryptek Borealis Top(optional)

Don't ask why I know.

I was fortunate to attend the KUIU traveling showroom when it came to Albuquerque a month or so ago. You are correct that they have expanded the line to offer larger sizes.

I already had one of the rain jackets, which is basically a very light, entirely waterproof shell made of that proprietary Toray Industries fabric, only available from KUIU. I have an XL, which fits over several other layers, so I can mix and match to suit conditions. Choose wisely, since most of the products are fairly expensive, though worth it.

They do have sales, so get on the mailing list! I do keep adding items step by step/

I can't afford either one. Prices are ridiculous.

out of curiosity which one is made only for Kuiu?

http://www.toray.com/products/prod_001.html

or maybe here:
http://sportstextiles.toray/en/

There's cold weather in Colorado?..........

Don’t need that in Texas, need short sleeves most of the time!!

For Maine I would look into some of the Merino wool suppliers. Gray Wolf, First light, Big Horn, Filson, Patagonia, LL Bean and many others. High tech base, Wool shirt and pants, down and bibs then hooded mackinaw. Wind rain proof light weight to go over all and you would be covered for most situations. Wool has a wide comfort range and can be treated with Tec Wash to shed light rain & snow then the breathable outer wear for a real rain. Only if I were snow shoeing or skiing into the stand would I consider the back pack type gear and even then wool mackinaw pants felt pretty good in minus 30 weather in the White Mountains cross country skiing. Check out Sierra trading post as at times they have some of the high end gear at discounted prices. I have also done well at garage and estate sales to help stretch the budget.

Army surplus is another option and I got a German Flectairn Gore Tex outfit at a steal of a deal and it has held up well. Same for wool pants although most of them are sized for 20 something year olds.

The above cover it well. I own kuiu, sitka, LL Bean, and cabelas. I use the kuiu attack pants and guide pants and jacket for early archey in VA and PA stand hunting. I like the fit for archery and love the side zips on pants and pit zips on jackets. Below 47 degrees it is worthless unless you wear a midlayer down jacket and heavy base layer bottoms when sitting. If mountain hunting where you are constantly on the move, they are good. I find the sitka stratus jacket to be much more versatile for my needs than the kuiu guide and i like the quality better. These all could be good for GA. The first lite north branch pants are excellent and the best I have found in this class.

For cold weather hunts (Jan PA flintlock) in single digits, i tried the sanctuary outfit. The fit is awkward and i didnt like the outer fabric as it didnt seem durable. I picked up a used set of sitka incinerator bibs and jacket and love them, super light and compressable to pack in and out, very nice side zips to dump heat, and durable....and incredibly warm. You cannot go wrong with these for maine. They can be found on AT at pretty reasonable prices used.

I like cabelas wool but otherwise find their quality severly lacking and forget about dry-plus, its a joke. LL Bean also has great qaulity, their packs are a real sleeper for great value and utility, and their soft shells and pro gore-tex is excellent.

Both are great. And they both have stuff that work perfectly well for sitting in stands whitetail hunting. I've used Kuiu attach pants and Sitka pullovers sitting in Alabama tree stands and Stika Incinerator bibs with Kuiu jackets and shells for Nebraska late season archery. Both are lighter than almost anything else out there, last a long time, are well constructed, and layer fine.

Obviously for spot and stalk mountain hunting, I haven't found anythign better.