Koldo vs Yukon for Bowhunting

[TEmbry]

I've read through every review/comparison I can find online. I still can't find an answer to my question. Throw in any other suggestions if you please, but I am a bowhunter only. Meaning I have to be within 50ish yards, not 500 ish yards. Noise is very important in clothing to me.

I am planning a mid-late September Alaska Moose hunt for next fall. Still in the final decision making stages of whether I want to take packable rain wear or just ditch my soft shell and wear a hardshell the entire time. I like the thought of this better, but how is the noise? I know in rain/high winds it doesn't matter, but if I ditch the soft shell then I'd be also wearing this material when it is NOT windy/rainy (however brief those moments are lol).

For stalking into bow range of critters on a dry day, are any of the kryptek, kuiu, etc rainwear options quiet enough?

 

[Lawnboi]

Im running the chugach right now and am also looking for quieter raingear. I really like the chugach and have heard the Yukon is a bit quieter but im not sure its quiet enough. The koldo I was playing with in store looked like I could easily do a stalk in. But then again its heavier.

Im to the point where I would rather be wet than not be hunting, in fact on my last elk hunt I ended up being wet most of the time because there was no way to stalk in the chugach gear.

The posiden gear also sounded pretty quiet compared to the chugach.

 

[MattB]

I think the Koldo is marginally quieter than the Yukon.

 

[Kotaman]

I have both...The Yukon is more condusive to Bowhunting IMO.

 

[doverpack12]

Looking at the Koldo in stores there is no way I would attempt to stalk any animal with it on. Its like a straight jacket and way too noisy for me.

 

[MattB]

My Koldo softened appreciably with use, so what you experience in the store likely isn't what you would experience in the field once the garment breaks in. The same thing could be true for the Yukon, and I cannot speak to that. All I know if the Yukon material felt similar to the Kuiu gaiter matieral to me, and the Koldo material was quiter than the gaiter material once broken in. Truth be told, neither is a great choice for dry weather archery and neither will be MT-050 quiet - tradeoffs.

 

[tstowater]

I would wait until next year unless you get a deal on something. I believe this field will to continue to evolve and that might avoid the "O shit, I wish I would have waited" reaction when something else comes out that you would rather have. Also, as this hunting season gets over, more feedback will surface. Just my thoughts.

 

[TD1]

Can't speak to the Koldo but have been on animals spot and stalk in the Yukon several times (let em walk). But then I don't see where a person would be even wearing it unless windy or rainy. For late fall cold I'm hoping a merino base, heavy shirt, vest, and new to the mix first lite puffy will take care of that. System worked with a rivers west law jacket that's headed for retirement, I think this puffy is going to be warmer, but we will see. Icy wind, rain, the Yukon comes out.

WRT the Yukon, it is noticeably quieter than my partner's chugach(sp) Seems tougher and yeah, a bit heavier, but still not bulky/heavy IMO. Worn it in just a base layer in the upper 70s and if you move slow and limit your activity it wasn't bad at all as far as being hot. Vents well, dries fast. But it is raingear. very good raingear actually, but still raingear.

And what Matt said above is very true for most items I would think, the more you wear it, the more it "breaks in" and the quieter it becomes. It's much softer and quieter now than when I first got it.

Honestly I've heard great things about the new first lite rain jacket as well. If you're pounding your head against a wall.... might as well throw in a couple fresh places to pound on.... =D

 

[Ross]

Had a chance to use my Yukon this last week...it is waterproof as advertised. It is very durable, slightly heavy but IMO not that heavy that I will not pack it and in this neck of the woods with dense vegetation I will take added durability over possible tears for a little more weight. It does make some noise but when raining it is marginal and will let you get in close w/out spooking game.

 

[TEmbry]

Thanks for the input fellas. I decided to go a different route and picked up the C4E Torrent set. After reading every review I could find, I changed my mind on running only a hard shell for bowhunting. Too noisy it seems. So going the packable route I was wanting the quietest lightweight option I could afford. I wanted to give the chugach set a go, but to be honest I just couldn't bring myself to spend $600 on a set that I plan to leave in the pack 90% of the time. I got the torrent jacket and pants for $200 off of campfire. I'll see how it goes but it seems they will fit my needs well enough so long as they are durable enough.

 

[Colby Jack]

I live in Southcentral Ak, and I run Rivers West gear. In my opinion, the Mossyoak Breakup is a great fall camo pattern for Alaska. I've used it up north on the Dawlton, as well as in the interior. Most hunters up here will tell you that it's fine and dandy to plan for a dry moose hunt, but the reality is that August on through the winter is cold, wet, and windy. Best to look at serious rain gear i.e. Helly Hansen Impertech. Yes, it's huge. Yes, it's loud. Yes, it's a proven performer up here. People can say they'd rather hunt wet than be loud, but in reality, without a laundromat to dry your gear, or a sweet sweet wood stove, you'll be hating life by day 3. I'm a bowhunter, and I can tell you that when it decides to rain here, it rains for weeks. The rain is louder than most brush vs. clothing sounds. Move slowly, and deliberately. Seems to be the ticket. I realize you already made your decision, but you may do some more reading. Specifically Alaska hunting clothing. Many members here are on Alaska Outdoors Directory. Much like here, it is a great group of people with tons of real Alaska knowledge.
BTW, looking at your avatar TEmbry, your 'bou is a dandy!!! Can't tell where you're from, though.