As we are aware, the Vanguard Titans of the outdoor industry are in a constant battle to stay on top and defend their thrones while new companies are incessantly trying to break into the hunting space. The Giants have the benefit of years of experience and marketing. The Freshies benefit from learning from the mistakes of others and standing on the designs of those who came before. As a result, the outdoor industry is competing for our dollar. Combine that with constant innovations in materials, and we find ourselves with an unending stream of phenomenal gear. What an unbelievable time to be alive!
Kifaru Apparel
Kifaru is a bit of an anomaly. Obviously, they are a well-established backpack magnate. They are not new to the industry. However, they are new to the clothing and apparel game. It’s going to be entertaining to watch how this plays out.
Of the nine New Hunting Apparel items on their website, I have eight for this review (all comped to me with the understanding I can write what I want about performance.)
Spike Merino SS Crew
Spike Merino Hoodie
At some point, merino is merino, and there is a limit to the lyrics we can use to sing its praises. Both baselayers are light and airy, coming in at 150 weight. The big reveal on the Spike lines is their next-to-skin comfort. Maybe it is the 13% nylon blend? Maybe the comfort is a function of only being 150 weight? Maybe it’s the 17.5 micron, long staple ultrafine Merino? I don’t pretend to understand all that information, but I do know what it is. It is comfortable.
Since I wear the Spike Merino SS Crew as an undershirt on Sunday mornings, by default, it is tied with the Roam Crosslayer as the piece I wear the most. Merino is still great for all the same reasons that the first herdsman chose to shepherd sheep, but Kifaru comfort has finally caught up with its performance.
Roam Crosslayer
In my opinion, this is the crowning jewel of Kifaru’s new line of Hunting apparel. One could argue the crown should go to the Torlander Pant, but the Roam is more suited to everyday life and therefore provides an increased opportunity for use. To be fair, I have a natural tendency to drift toward midlayer, jacket, and hoodie style garments. I wear the Roam Crosslayer as much as possible. It has the athletic fit and feel of a grid fleece hoodie with a couple of key distinctions.
One difference is that the Roam partially performs like a windbreaker. Probably because it feels like a soft, rubberized material. It isn’t impervious to wind and rain, but it is significantly more resistant than a standard midlayer. Kifaru posted a low-temperature recommendation of 40 degrees, but I’m 100% confident that, combined with the merino baselayer, it will be my outer layer well undert 40 degrees, especially since I have an active hunting style.
The other distinction is its stretchability. KIFARU’s website says, “single-layer woven, no laminates,” and it also says, “ultra-breathable fleece interior”. Which is bizarre to me. That makes it sound like the entire garment is fleece? Given the degree to which it is allowed to stretch, I think it MUST have some sort of spandex-type material. It is the difference between slamming on your brakes versus coming to a smooth, controlled stop.
That’s how the Roam feels when it stretches. You know you’re about to reach the limits of the fabric before you ruin the fabric. It has a warning system. That makes it durable, and durability wins with Mee! The sticks and stobs and branches that claw at my clothes while I’m in the woods have ruined more gear than a grown man would care to admit. I don’t see that happening nearly as often with the Roam because it’s going to stretch first.
Grid Fleece
I didn’t receive Kifaru’s grid fleece for this review, and I think that was a good decision. It would be great for someone to compare their grid fleece against other brands, but the Roam doesn’t fit into the “grid fleece” lineup. In my mind, it seems like they have created a new category of midlayer. It doesn’t make sense to try to decide if I should wear a grid fleece or the Roam Crosslayer. They are too different. Their design, function, and performance are not the same.
Pointe Synthetic Jacket
If your primary consideration is pure warmth, then you will love the Pointe Synthetic Jacket. It is indisputably warm! Thank you, PrimaLoft GOLD. A potential detractor for the highly selective connoisseur is that the Pointe is not an athletic fit and feels bulky. The jacket does pack down, but as you can see from the stock photos online, it isn’t a “small” package.
All of that is offset by the best ventilation system on the market. This is exactly the kind of detail that makes the battle for outdoor clothing supremacy so difficult to attain and maintain. The torso-zippered vents have been shifted ever so slightly forward. It is a small, subtle detail, but it means that we are no longer required to have double-jointed elbows to access the zippers (if you know, you know!).
Remember, these are not pit-zips; they are torso-zippered vents. If you need to dump heat, you can DUMP heat. If you are fully layered up for a glassing session in the wind and snow and you suddenly need to cover ground in haste, you can simply unzip the vents and skip the layering down process. I’m willing to put money on the table and bet that we see this change work its way into the design of other brands. It’ll be necessary.
Additionally, there are three interior mesh pockets. The hood has some adjustment if it’s blocking your vision. The waste has your typical pull-to-tighten adjustment. The cuffs are unique in that they simply folded the sleeve back onto itself. All in all, it’s a great jacket.
Torlander Pant
Before I fail at the one thing that I’m supposed to do, I want to say right up front that these are fantastic pants! I’ve struggled with the proper way to describe the feel and performance of the Torlander Pant. I want to say that the material is dense, but that implies weight, and the Torlander is not heavy. Like the Roam Crosslayer, they give the impression of rubberized spandex. The Torlander reminds me of a Bull Terrier. They have a certain density that makes them feel invincible. When you add in the knee pads, it becomes difficult to imagine an environment where you couldn’t thrive in the Torlander.
The Torlander is designed for late season but like the Pointe Jacket, they have hip-to-calf side vents which allows us to dump the heat. My wife and I did a medium, four-mile hike this spring in about 50-degree weather, and when I opened the vents, the heat was essentially a non-issue. Genius!
If I’m looking for a place to improve the Torlander, it would be the knee pockets. Unfortunately, the knee pads are free to wander about. In turn they are also easy to reset, but it gets annoying. Maybe the knee pads could be larger? As far as stand-out performance, I put the Torlander on the same level as the Roam Crosslayer. Pretty darn amazing.
Passbreaker Pant
The Passbreaker is an early-season, all-around, general-use pant. Since they are intended for multi-use, there is no specific defining feature that makes them stand out, and I think that’s the goal. Like the Spike Merino Short Sleeve and Hoodie, they are a notably comfortable, do-all garment. From archery season to kicking around camp or working on the jobsite, they do what they are supposed to do.
The extra utility of being able to wear them in everyday life is a big win since they won’t spend nine months sitting in the closet! The Passbreaker has mesh hip-vents to let the heat out while avoiding bug bites and they are compatible with the suspenders. On the first day of use, I heard the usual popping from the pocket seams, but so far nothing has come undone.
Logo Suspender
Finally, the Logo Suspender is essential for keeping all my clothing in the right place. As we have come to expect, they have the anti-slip silicone on the underside. You can slide the rear “X” to sit on your spine where you want it, and they adjust in the front as suspenders are known to do. Both the Torlander and the Passbreaker pants have designated loops (behind the belt loops) for the G-hooks to attach to.
The key feature is the ease with which you can transfer the Logo Suspenders from one pair of pants to another. That has been a huge source of frustration between me and my suspenders in the past. I don’t want to spend five minutes trying to work my suspenders free from the pants. I want to spend five seconds. The G-hooks slide in and they slide out. Super simple, quick, easy and convenient.
Summary
In their first launch, Kifaru has capitalized on materials and material technology to put together a great line up of hunting apparel. The faults are few and I have no doubt that they will gain traction in our space and will continue to do well as they move forward. Only time will tell, if their clothing will have the same lasting power as their backpacks, but the future looks bright. In the meantime, for those of us who go afield… “What a time to be alive!”
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