Is there any rain gear better than Kuiu Yukon?

[Timnterra]

I’m looking for a rain gear set (jacket and pants) that I will only have to buy once. I will be hunting the Pacific Northwest 2021 with a friend and I don’t like being wet. I also have never owned good rain gear and I’m planning to spend what it takes to get the best. I have been asking around on other forums for almost a year but since I’m new hear I’d like to see if you guys know of something better out there. The consensus I’ve arrived at is that the Kuiu Yukon is the toughest most waterproof rain gear available (other than the PVC suits that the crab-boat guys wear). I have all but decided to go with the Yukon gear, but I’d like to know if there is anything else that has come out in the last few years that is better.
Thanks

 

[hiway_99]

What part of the Pacific northwest? I wear kuiu chugach when I'm hunting the east side of the cascades in Washington for elk. If I was busting brush on the wet side of the state i would use Yukon rain gear. Also depends on what season your hunting.

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[Rommy]

If you’re just going off toughness and waterproofing ability the direct competitors in FL and Sitka are the FL seak and Sitka cloudburst.

The seak should be tougher, it’s 3.5 layers vs 3 layers from the kuiu and Sitka, making it more robust.

As for waterproofing, the kuiu is rated at 20k waterproofing, the seak 35k, and cloudburst not stated but it’s goretex so you know it’s legit. These numbers however, may be exaggerated and the testing not standardized so it’s hard to compare these.

That being said, there were a lot of complaints about the earlier versions of the seak, though they may have been improved upon. I have only heard great things about the kuiu chugach, Kutana, and Yukon as well as any of the Sitka lines.

Hope this helps.


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[cravingame]

IMHO:
#1 Arc'teryx LEAF Alpha LT Jacket Gen 2 $$$LINK
#2 Outdoor Research Infiltrator Jacket $$$LINK
#3 UF PRO Monsoon XT Gen.2 Tactical Rain Jacket $$.5LINK

 

[Beendare]

Kuiu, eVent and PreCip are the 3 best I've found ......by a long shot. The HH coated stuff is great too....but it doesn't breath at all.

I've been let down by Goretex more times than I can count.....I won't make that mistake again! I've spent $$ on cleaning and DWR refresh ...so much wasted time dinking around with that stuff.... Goretex has been a total waste of $$ for me.

FWIW, I have one of the original Jason Hairston Jackets [prior to Kuiu when he started Sitka] and its still waterproof. That Fabric Kuiu is using now has stood the test of time....just a matter of getting the weight fabric you want. I have the ultra light NX- I think...and the Chugash and both have been excellent.

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[Kotaman]

I’m not a fan of KUIU rain gear. The Yukon wetted out bad on me on a BC goat hunt and takes forever to dry. Similar results with Chugach. Of the brands I’ve tested/used, it is my least favorite. I’m convinced any/all the high end hunting rain gear will eventually wet out. When it does I want something that will dry quickly. I’ve used KUIU, First Lite, Sitka and Kryptek on a variety of extreme hunts. The winner for me by far was the Kryptek Altitude Takur. The most “water proof” I’ve used and dries out faster than anything else. It’s expensive but can usually be picked up on sale.

 

[sasquatch]

Good set of Yukon pants for sale in classifieds on rockslide. Can save a lot


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[Ryan Avery]

Totally agree with @Kotaman. I've had a SEAK jacket and Yukon Jacket wet out on me.

My rain gear at the moment is the Kryptek Takur. It's taken some nasty weather with no issue so far.

 

[Ryry]

I live in eastern Oregon and love my Kuiu Chugach and Yukon jackets! You can’t go wrong either way ,but the Yukon is heavier material. Definitely recommended the Yukon gaiters as they are about the best around.

 

[Sundance]

Be aware that the published rating don't always tell the full story. Type of DWR treatment and face fabric play a huge roll in water repellency before the saturation point (wet-out) which ultimately puts pressure on the membrane. I've had a 20K rated pant last 2X longer then a 38K rated pant on a hunt. The main difference was the face fabric on the 20K was a tighter weave and had a superior DWR treatment.

My advice, only buy Kuiu if it's new and from the manufacturer directly- no used raingear. Kuiu only honors the warranty to the original owner and if you are dropping $500 to $700 on a set better pay the extra to have the warranty.

Hard to go wrong with anything Gore-Tex because they have the Gore guarantee. If you have the money look for Gore Pro models (Sitka Stormfront 2019) and the Arc'teryx LEAF system. Whenever you license with Gore you have to pick out fabrics from their sample books and submit final samples for their testing. This ensures that they can vouch for the quality and that the face fabrics and backers are up to their specs.

I have not been impressed with Event fabrics or Cocona 37.5 and would advise to stay away from FL Seak raingear.

 

[bates]

if staying Kuiu i would get the katana over the yukon

it will dry much faster, saw it first hand this year on Kodiak. it also doesn't breath as well as the other kuiu stuff but to me thats a good thing, i think its the best option from kuiu

long term durability might not be as good but once it wets out and all rain gear does it will dry faster

and as far as the breath ability that is what leg and pit zips are for.


if you are looking at a long term forecast with lots of rain get a grudens set, it wont wet out

arcteryx also makes great stuff, i am very happy with my beta ar jacket, it has of what i have seen better initial water bead off dwr coating but i am sure over time it wont last

also look at the leaf lineup, i have heard positive remarks of wild things gear from those in the sf community

i dont see the benefit of hanging on to rain gear long term anymore, buy it use it, sell it and then re stock during a special or sale


but thats me and where i am at with it.

 

[ramses342]

I have the Sitka Cloudbursts and they are ok for mild showers but the SE Alaska downpours we get really are not match for it for hours, and hours. My buddy has the FL SEAK system and says the exact same things, he has not been impressed. Gortex works great for mild showers and moving around when the leaves are wet but PVC is the only way to go in the pacific northwest in true rain. I know you said you do not want to go PVC but I would encourage you to check out the Helly Hanson Impertech or something similar. Its not the crab boat PVC you are probably things of its way lighter weight and if I am going to be in downpours all day its really the way to go in SE. A lot of times I will just wear the bib and my sitka jacket so I can sitdown anywhere I want in the muskag and not have to worry about my butt getting wet. PVC is supposed to be baggy also keep in mind because it does not breath at all so you want to space for ventilation.

 

[Benjblt]

If you’re just going off toughness and waterproofing ability the direct competitors in FL and Sitka are the FL seak and Sitka cloudburst.

The seak should be tougher, it’s 3.5 layers vs 3 layers from the kuiu and Sitka, making it more robust.

As for waterproofing, the kuiu is rated at 20k waterproofing, the seak 35k, and cloudburst not stated but it’s goretex so you know it’s legit. These numbers however, may be exaggerated and the testing not standardized so it’s hard to compare these.

That being said, there were a lot of complaints about the earlier versions of the seak, though they may have been improved upon. I have only heard great things about the kuiu chugach, Kutana, and Yukon as well as any of the Sitka lines.

Hope this helps.


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The .5 layer on the SEAK doesn't count for anything. What matters is how tough the face fabric is with regards to durability. What complaints have you heard about the SEAK?

 

[JMDavies]

I've used the Yukon for the last 4 years and have zero complaints. Incredibly tough.

 

[KING CLATTER]

The rain gear I use is neese black rain gear it’s very tough, pretty lightweight and surprisingly quiet in the rain. It also dries pretty quickly. I’ve only used a couple goretex pants and didn’t care for them they both wet out in about 6 hours of heavy rain walking thru brush. Imo the expensive stuff wasn’t worth it when it’s extremely wet, that being said you don’t want to wear it when it’s a little wet most of the time because it’s too loud without heavy rain in the woods. If it’s light rain I just were synthetic solid color pants and synthetic top and it gets worse I put on the rain gear. Also this rain gear is multipurpose and cheap 120 for set at madsens.

 

[mxgsfmdpx]

OP. Check out Kryptek, Swazi, and Outdoor Research. Leaps and bounds above anything FL, KUIU, or Sitka for legit rain gear.

 

[thedutchtouch]

Bumping this thread because the Yukon line has dropped to the outlet section, I saw somewhere else (too many similar threads) that they had an update in the works for this summer apparently, and it seems like selling off the current version this way would confirm that. I missed getting a sale during founders day sale because I was out at a remote cabin with no internet and large was sold out by the time I was back, so interested to see if the rumors are true and what the replacement will be?

 

[fngTony]

Bumping this thread because the Yukon line has dropped to the outlet section, I saw somewhere else (too many similar threads) that they had an update in the works for this summer apparently, and it seems like selling off the current version this way would confirm that. I missed getting a sale during founders day sale because I was out at a remote cabin with no internet and large was sold out by the time I was back, so interested to see if the rumors are true and what the replacement will be?

That was my guess when they released the updated Yukon gaiters earlier this year. https://www.kuiu.com/products/yukon-hd-gaiter-valo-camouflage

 

[Pacific_Fork]

OP. Check out Kryptek, Swazi, and Outdoor Research. Leaps and bounds above anything FL, KUIU, or Sitka for legit rain gear.

Can I ask what exactly makes the non hunting brands better than the new Kuiu rain gear?

I’m all about buying non hunting brands in certain categories. I’m currently needed a new rain jacket that doesn’t wet out in an hour like my Sitka does. I’m considering kuiu Kutana or Chugach.

 

[ForlohFamily]

I’m looking for a rain gear set (jacket and pants) that I will only have to buy once. I will be hunting the Pacific Northwest 2021 with a friend and I don’t like being wet. I also have never owned good rain gear and I’m planning to spend what it takes to get the best. I have been asking around on other forums for almost a year but since I’m new hear I’d like to see if you guys know of something better out there. The consensus I’ve arrived at is that the Kuiu Yukon is the toughest most waterproof rain gear available (other than the PVC suits that the crab-boat guys wear). I have all but decided to go with the Yukon gear, but I’d like to know if there is anything else that has come out in the last few years that is better.
Thanks

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