First Lite Uncomphagree Puffy Coat

This jacket is awesome!! Not noisy at all IMO. It has a little swoosh to it, but nothing substantial. This is by far my favorite piece now!!!!

I can't say enough good things about the Puffy, I absolutely love mine. Its replaced a handful of items for me in my pack. It does have a little noise but for me its very minimal for an insulated jacket.

-first it makes an outstanding outer layer that you can throw in quickly and instantly be warm. In comparison to other down/sythetic jackets I have used it breathes incredibly well so you can hike in it. I wouldn't suggest climbing 1000ft up a mountain but if you are moving along a ridge you'll be fine. I hunted in some pretty nasty weather with it this year and with only a Llano/Chama Hoody and the Puffy was warm in single digit temps.

-second the DWR coating on it does a great job and during September I used it as my rain jacket. It wouldn't hold up to an all day rain but easily handles a few 30 minute showers.

-third I opt to pack a very light sleeping bag, (Mountain Hardwear Phantom 32) and when the temps are going to drop in the 20's I usually pack a liner for the bag. With the Puffy I just wore it to bed and it probably added another 20 degrees to the bag for me. When I wasn't wearing it I flip the hood inside out and using the bungy cord in the hood stuff the jacket into the hood and cinch it up to make the best backcountry pillow I've ever used!

Lastly the hood is probably the best "cut" hood I've ever worn. Most hoods are really annoying but the hood on this is just perfect for me.

Here is video review I did earlier this year on it:

Steve

[video=youtube;TAVbHsbToUc]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TAVbHsbToUc&feature=player_detailpage[/video]

Thanks Steve. Good info! Sounds like a winner. My Mont-Bell about soaks through in a good fog. : ) Warm little jacket, but pretty much has be to worn under a shell. I can see now how this jacket could really change things up in the pack list. Look forward to giving one a whirl.

Mine arrived Friday and I pretty much spent the weekend in this jacket. This is really going to change the layers I bring on my hunts! While the jacket itself is heavier than my old Mont-Bell, its much more versatile. Its not a rain jacket, but does pretty darn well in rain and is a little oven. Not sure what the fill is, but it is good stuff. I am not a fan of down so enjoy seeing quality hunting designed jackets still being made with synthetic insulation. Jacket has an unique strip of material running behind the zipper. This is a tougher fabric than the jacket. No more tears in your puffy from the zipper! Also keeps the wind out. The Uncomphagree is a winner! Go get ya one! : )

The Uncompahgre is a killer hi loft jacket. I have been using mine extensively, and it really has performed well. The warmth/breathability is remarkable.

Leaving in 48 hours with 2 Uncompahgre's. My brother doesn't know he's getting his x-mas present early this year. Jacket appears to be the ticket. I will be looking at it to possibly replace Kuiu super down and a soft shell.

Is this quiet enough to wear on stand here on the east coast? Would you make your final stalk in this bad boy?

what do you guys think of the Uncompahgre vs. the kuiu superdown? I am undecided at this point. I feel like the Uncompahgre definitely has more loft and is a really comfortable jacket, but in my first trial still felt the superdown was warmer. I will try to compare them again soon to see if i still feel the same. I just don't need two jackets so ill end up selling one of them, for now i don't know which.

E-2 said:

Is this quiet enough to wear on stand here on the east coast? Would you make your final stalk in this bad boy?

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it's a bit noisy as most puffy jackets i have worn are...while you might be able to make a final stalk with it on, i wouldn't try it unless i had to. what i do with my kuiu superdown or would do with the uncompahgre is wear it under a softshell jacket for warmth and to quiet it down.

sk1 said:

it's a bit noisy as most puffy jackets i have worn are...while you might be able to make a final stalk with it on, i wouldn't try it unless i had to. what i do with my kuiu superdown or would do with the uncompahgre is wear it under a softshell jacket for warmth and to quiet it down.

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I wear my current puffy under a softshell hunting whitetail. I have to pack a treestand to most of my spots and trying to cut down to one jacket. Wishful thinking.

sk1 said:

what do you guys think of the Uncompahgre vs. the kuiu superdown? I am undecided at this point. I feel like the Uncompahgre definitely has more loft and is a really comfortable jacket, but in my first trial still felt the superdown was warmer. I will try to compare them again soon to see if i still feel the same. I just don't need two jackets so ill end up selling one of them, for now i don't know which.

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I don't own the KUIU Superdown, but compared to any other "puff jacket" I have owned the Uncompahgre is the most versatile. Every other puff jacket required a shell of some sort or the insulation factor sort of dissipated away.

I can't make any claims to durability as all "puff jackets" are not designed to be brush busters.

My new layers for backpack hunts are:
KUIU Limited Edition T (Man are these things a tight fit!)
First Lite Lano Crew
First Lite Spinger Vest or Sitka Traverse Shirt (going back and forth)
First Lite Uncompahgre
Rain Jacket, TBD

I think I can finally ditch the soft shell and the extra puff vest I was bringing before.
As for noise, its on par with other puff jackets, certainly not any louder.

I have worn the uncompahgre a lot. It's the toughest puffy I've owned! I hunt, cut wood and work in this jacket. It's warmer than the SD pullover by a large margin. It breaths very well and can take quite a bit of rain. Like I stated before it breaks the wind as well as most hard shells. Its pretty much the shit

Ryan Avery said:

I have worn the uncompahgre a lot. It's the toughest puffy I've owned! I hunt, cut wood and work in this jacket. It's warmer than the SD pullover by a large margin. It breaths very well and can take quite a bit of rain. Like I stated before it breaks the wind as well as most hard shells. Its pretty much the shit

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i have the superdown zip jacket with a little more down than the pullover....at first i thought my SD was as warm or warmer, now tonight im thinking it may be the other way around. hard to tell, either way i really like it other than im not a fan of hoods. IMO their best new product

Ryan Avery said:

I have worn the uncompahgre a lot. It's the toughest puffy I've owned! I hunt, cut wood and work in this jacket. It's warmer than the SD pullover by a large margin. It breaths very well and can take quite a bit of rain. Like I stated before it breaks the wind as well as most hard shells. Its pretty much the shit

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Ditto to all of this. Best new piece of clothing I've bought in many moons.

BigWave said:

Ditto to all of this. Best new piece of clothing I've bought in many moons.

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X3 my favorite piece of clothing! Kept me warm this morning glassing in 35* weather with just my llano crew underneath!

Mike

Ryan Avery said:

I have worn the uncompahgre a lot. It's the toughest puffy I've owned! I hunt, cut wood and work in this jacket. It's warmer than the SD pullover by a large margin. It breaths very well and can take quite a bit of rain. Like I stated before it breaks the wind as well as most hard shells. Its pretty much the shit

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Couldn't agree more!

Even for me the sizing is generous, i am 6'5".

I have a complaint about this jacket.. I was playing around at the local 3D range this weekend in ~40* weather and had to take it off.. I got to hot! : )

Just got back from our 3rd season Elk Hunt in SW CO. My brother and I both had new Uncompahgre jackets. My brother had a Cabelas MT050, and I had the 2011 Kuiu Guide & Super down zip hooded jacket for back ups at camp. The Uncompahgre is a winner. We both carried and wore the jackets daily for 10 days solid. Temps ran from 3F to 40F (before the wind). Our opinions:

* We were leery of the durability of the Uncompahgre. Jacket is bomber (no its not my carhart chore coat hedge tree & barbwire tough) but it is tougher than it looks and feels.
* Jacket is very packable, Lofts High, and is super warm
* Impressive breath-ability while remaining wind resistant (not windproof but its close and better than the Guide Jacket in that regard).
* I sweated profusely in the jacket one day on long hike, as I purposely left it on. When we stopped, I found that the material between my back & pack was definitely wet. To my surprise I never felt the dampness on me though. I let it air out while eating lunch and it dried quickly.
* The zippers are great and seal up submarine tight, however, I consistently snagged material when operating the hand pockets. I did not care for this. The material never suffered though, again another testament to the material durability.
*DWR is great
* The hood fit great after adjusting to my liking and didn't restrict peripheral vision.
* Material is overall quieter than the Super Down. The super down hood is great too, but is extremely loud in my ears compared to the Uncompahgre.
* It is not a stand alone jacket for the coldest of temperatures for me, but if you work it into your system you can alleviate some weight you would carry otherwise.
* When layered up for the colder weather, the Uncompahgre allowed for a better fit due to the cut and sizing then compared to my Guide Jacket
* Sizing is generous, but not sloppy. I'm 5'11 @ 200#, and the XL is great (I could make a L work just tight in the shoulders). My brother is 6' @ 170, and he said the Large was perfect for him.

On the coldest day a snow storm moved in on us putting 6" - 8" on the ground. Temps were low single digits with lots of wind and snow at 12K. It was cold!
My Setup:
Kuiu 185
Firstlight Llano
Merino Gator & Beanie
Kuiu Super Down Hooded zip
Uncompahgre

(Lower Half)
Firstlite Boxer
Icebreaker 150 Bottoms
Firstlite Allegheny Bottoms
Firstlite Kanab Pant
Kuiu Super Down pant
Kuiu Chugach bottom to cut the wind

Again the above is what I had on for my coldest sit on an ambush set up. It took 3 hours for me to finally cold soak during my minimal movement. I found this to be a good combination and kept the weight down. If you are on the fence about the Uncompahgre vs Kuiu Super Down or other, I suggest the Uncompahgre hands down. I'm not sure that I will dump my Kuiu Guide Jacket, but for my late season hunts the Uncomphgre will be in my pack not the Guide Jacket. Its trade offs in versatility, ability, good material strength, out weigh the weight savings of the super down in my opinion.

I think I have 50 plus days in the field with this jacket. Besides it being very warm it's tough as any outer shell out there!