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Nothing wrong with cheap as long as it works.

I call it bargain shopping.

Whew. I'm glad the dads will settle this. I thought we were going to have to get the measuring sticks out.

I was starting to wonder if Kuiu makes pants with extra room in the crotch area so people can fit their giant balls in them...

I think some of you guys missed the whole point. I can see now that its not worth even trying to explain it. I don't think anyone here said that Kuiu makes "chitty gear"?

Love the KUIU I have, love the Westcomb I have, love the Rab I have, and on and on and on.

I've found what works for me and sold the rest. Everything made is best for someone, otherwise there wouldn't be a market for it and it disappears from the marketplace.

Real men hunt in buckskin loin patches!! I have a buddy who buys the lightest most expensive stuff he can find from hippie shacks ya know, I swear if he'd just bought Kuiu, Kryptek, Sitka hell even the Russell APX sutff he'd a saved a fortune and probably only weighed a pound more. But I think he likes to bleed anally after going to the checkout stand!

This is just one of the jackets he's bought over the years!

Backcountry

OUCH!

For that much money, it had better cook me breakfast every morning.

No one did say that, but someone said they have no equal...absolutes tend to get people riled up.

I'm still curious as to what you would put together for costs, price and weight.

We learn a lot more from those that offer advice/solutions as opposed to just opinions. I've found a ton a gear ideas on this forum by those guys that share what they have found.

If people get riled up over clothing, I feel sorry for them. Dont really know the difference between advice and opinions, if there is any. When my buddy said to try the KUIU, was that advice or opinion? Couldnt tell ya. What I can tell you is that the KUIU works great for ME, hunting sheep and goats, in Alaska. Don't know how good it works in the Lower 48, but for sheep and goats up here, the gear works great. That is fact, not opinion/advice/solution etc. etc.

It's not clothing, it's the absolutes like "has no equal", then when asked about it makes a snarky reply instead of engaging in a discussion about the pros and cons of comparable clothing items.

Advice or opinions is a matter of semantics and maybe not the best choice of words on my part. But, what I was getting as was I want to know what Big_W would choose over KUIU because he said by mixing and matching he could put a better system together. I have a curious mind and am always looking for new tips so I want to see what's out there.

FWIW - I have a lot of KUIU gear, because I have compared and tested it against Marmot, Patagonia and Mountain Hardware. Further, I can get Patagonia at 40-60% off regularly and can shop at the employee store at MH so price between the three is moot for me.

I believe Jason, the owner of Kuiu came over from Sitka to "build a better product". Similar to the guy who left King of the Mountain for Sleeping Indian. Competition is a good thing. Certainly these new miracle synthetic based fibers have changed this high tech line of backpack clothing.

Also some of these garments can be purchased in drab, earth tone colors at lower prices. Everything doesn't need to camo to be successful.

Sales and closeouts are your friend.

Sorry, didnt mean to sound snarky. Of all the soft shells I have, the KUIU has the better DWR than the others. With that said, when it is blowing hard and raining on days end, I use a gore tex pro shell over it. I dont know of ANY breathable soft shells that won't eventually saturate when used in these kind of conditions. I know I will never again buy ANY soft-shell meant to be used for heavy rain gear. It does not work as advertised. Theres a reason SIMMS (MAYBE the best wader in the world?) uses only GT Pro, and Toray(KUIU) to stand in freezing water all day long and stay dry. Sorry for the rant, but it really cracks me up when people really think that ANY breathable soft shell is COMPLETELY waterproof. Again, did not mean to be snarky at all. Peace.

Thanks...none of us here spend any time in the REAL outdoors, nor have any experience with quality gear, so it's great that someone like yourself can give us the scoop.

Who knows how long it would have taken us to learn for ourselves some of the outstanding points you've made?

Glad we cracked you up, at least...

Yes sir, no problem. And no one on here cracked me up but you.

I can't wait to read your posts after you 'discover' Wiggys...

No problem man...I run the Kuiu Chugach stuff. I really like it, do I think its the best...probably not, I honestly think my wife's Westcomb gear is better. But at the price point it sure makes sense for me.

Their merino wool pales compared to the First Lite stuff I have.

I like the integral designs primaloft jacket better than the Spindrift I had.

So yeah they make some good stuff and I run some of it, but certainly not the end all be all for hunting. Thats all I'm saying.

Though I don't get out in the woods that much so what do I know.

I can't believe there aren't more people than me, pissed that Mr Belston decided to ship manufacturing to China, and didn't make that decision PUBLIC until after he'd already sold a bunch of orders that were "Made in N America." Once the Chinese made goods hit the scene, he went public with it.... After a few poeple noticed the tags and bitched about it on various internet forums.

That's a pretty shady business practice if you ask me.

That's why I didn't buy a pair of Attack Pants for this years hunting and playing.

Yup, advertise that the gear is made here in Vancouver, BC, use Canadian sheep hunting to "verify" the actual quality of it and then have it made in China......

Well, I agree with Dan on this, that is NOT how I believe business should be conducted and I will never buy a product from ANY company who engages in such behaviour.

As it happens, the quality/lack of, of any gear maker's products can vary from time to time,for several reasons and this is common knowledge in the gear industry. It can mean that a certain maker is going "downhill", just has temporary issues or that costs of production have made some "cuts" to QC a matter of simple company survival.

Right NOW, I do not see anything on the market, at least here in BC, that is quite up to the QC of Westcomb. I would note that a number of the specialist retailers of highend gear have in recent years, made this point in public and my experience over this past wet winter with my APOC Neoshell parka, tends to bear this out.

That said, again, there is a TON of FINE gear out there, "Wildthings" a small US company, is also a favourite of mine, based on VERY high quality and excellent design. So, we all have our favourites and there is lots to choose from.

Man, I wish this neverending deluge would stop and I could do my training in my cutoffs and T-shirts from "Value Village".....

Kute, I did not know of "Wildthings". Have you tried one of these primaloft "sweaters" as they call them?

http://www.wildthingsgear.com/wild-things/shop/heritage-primaloft-sweaters.html

Looks like that may be a decent jacket to layer with or use as an outer during milder weather.

edit: Thanks for mentioning this. Now I have ANOTHER mail order site I can lust over and spend MORE money!

No, because I already had four ID Pl jackets and one MontBell one plus my down duvet.

BUT, I have some of their other gear and LOVE it, some of the best I have ever used.

Another thing. While I'm not a long time Kuiu customer,
One of the attractions to me was that it wasn't made in China. Not USA made but I have no problem supporting our northern neighbors.
When they moved it to China, it somewhat soured me on their products somewhat.
And immediately they started having "issues" particularly with sizing.

AND I don't spend a fraction of the time in the outdoors as some. After hearing all the accolades about the Attack pants, I bought a pair. $150 for a pair or pants is a BIG step for me. When I received them, I was underwhelmed. I've worn them hiking, hunting, in the blind, on a backpack hunt out west, camping trips etc.
I like them a lot. The are comfortable and pretty much perform as expected. Are they worth $150? Personally I think they are overpriced. There is no secret "space-age" secret proprietary design or fabric here. They are pretty much just polyester. The Spindrift jacket likewise. Nothing special that couldn't be had for considerably less IMO. So for what they are, I believe they are overpriced. At least for me. Would I buy more? Dunno, I'm always looking for alternatives. For $150-$250 I want something that is phenomenal!

Before I drop another $150 I'll certainly shop some alternatives, particularly those not made in China.
Like I said, many here spend WAY more time outdoors than myself but I have enough commons sense that there is always something that does indeed "compare".

And FWIW, NOBODY on here said Kuiu was crap.