KUIU Kenai more durable than expected.

[Gatorgrizz27]

Just an FYI for anyone interested, I’ve heard a lot of concerns about the Kenai jacket being fragile and not suited as an outer layer. Handling it that would seem to be the case, but after wearing mine yesterday I ended up having to push through quite a bit of head high brush (1/4”-1” diameter) for an hour each way in and out of my hunting area. I also encountered a patch of thorns where I stopped moving as I heard them scratching/digging into the jacket and removed them.

I had zero visible wear, pilling, abrasions, rips, etc. I think a lot of it has to do with how slick the outer fabric is, so brush tends to slip across it rather than grabbing and pulling. It wasn’t particularly wet out so I don’t know if it would soak through eventually but I was happy with it’s performance.

 

[fngTony]

Is yours the new ultra version?

 

[Gatorgrizz27]

Is yours the new ultra version?

No, it’s the original but I don’t believe they’ve changed the outer fabric.

 

[fngTony]

I had good results with mine and the teton & active versions. Probably my favorite kuiu pieces.

 

[mcseal2]

Mine are the original version and 3 years old now. They are holding up well to a lot of use. They aren't the warmest insulating layers but are extremely breathable. I recently listened to a tribute post on Jay Scott's podcast where Jason Hairston of Kuiu said he used them when he had to have an insulating layer on while moving. He carried the Superdown Ultra in his pack to layer over them if needed. He considered the Superdown part emergency gear and part hunting gear, dual purpose for the weight.

I use mine under a shell for most hunts and they seem to work well. I've worked in them a lot too and there is nothing more breathable for the warmth. They don't resist water or wind really well but layered right they are a great piece.