Kuiu chugach size recommendation

[eod.mickelson]

Looking to buy the chugach rain jacket and am looking for a size recommendation. For reference:
6' tall
200 lbs mostly athletic but not super lean
First lite base layers I wear large and it's slightly big, medium is a little tight
Pelton 97 and 240 in large fits perfectly
Axis jacket in xl fits pretty well but can be tight over a insulating layer.

Any recommendations for sizing on rain gear? I'm thinking xl but their website says to size up insulation and soft shells and not for rain gear.
Thanks!

 

[mxgsfmdpx]

Are you using this as real rain gear you expect to keep you totally dry for a 5+ day hunt? Because Kuiu is not the gear for NWT, PNW, or AK rain.

Works fine for other areas with minor/moderate precipitation.

 

[eod.mickelson]

Are you using this as real rain gear you expect to keep you totally dry for a 5+ day hunt? Because Kuiu is not the gear for NWT, PNW, or AK rain.

Works fine for other areas with minor/moderate precipitation.

I'm interested to hear more about this, because I have seen and heard of many people from the PNW and AK rave about kuiu rain gear. I know there's some animosity here against the brand, but I'm also not sold on gore products.

As far as my use case, mostly used in Idaho and Wyoming with planned occasional visits to AK and maybe BC. Im a very active hunter and would like something relatively breathable as well as waterproof. Definitely open to suggestions

 

[accountantsanonymous]

If it were a daily rain jacket that you would just throw over a single layer, I'd tell you to go with large. But to give you a bit more flexibility, I'd go up to the XL. I'm 6'0 and about 180lbs and I wear a L, that gets snug-ish with a few layers underneath.

As @mxgsfmdpx mentioned, Chugach won't be great for the PNW and AK areas, but I'd bet the Yukon rain gear would make the cut in that situation.

 

[MrSunday]

Im 6"1" and 180lbs. A large fits me well. Id go with the xl for your size.

I'm in the PNW and the Chugach set has served me well.

 

[AK Troutbum]

Agree with above comment. I’d recommend XL and I’d also feel very comfortable with the Chugach line. I have several sets of rain gear, including every line of Kuiu stuff and a little bit of Stone Glacier and Sitka Gear, and the Chugach is my most used of them all.


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[mxgsfmdpx]

I'm interested to hear more about this, because I have seen and heard of many people from the PNW and AK rave about kuiu rain gear. I know there's some animosity here against the brand, but I'm also not sold on gore products.

As far as my use case, mostly used in Idaho and Wyoming with planned occasional visits to AK and maybe BC. Im a very active hunter and would like something relatively breathable as well as waterproof. Definitely open to suggestions

One example from first hand experience.

7 days on a boat off Kodiak Island. Rained hard for 7 days. Firstlite, Kuiu, and Grundens were the 3 brands of “rain gear” used. Only one of those didn’t wet through or leak in some fashion. That was Grundens gear.

Only one of those was Gore that you aren’t “sold” on. Also Grundens.

 

[eod.mickelson]

One example from first hand experience.

7 days on a boat off Kodiak Island. Rained hard for 7 days. Firstlite, Kuiu, and Grundens were the 3 brands of “rain gear” used. Only one of those didn’t wet through or leak in some fashion. That was Grundens gear.

Only one of those was Gore that you aren’t “sold” on. Also Grundens.

I appreciate the first hand experience, it definitely goes a long way to hear peoples actual experience vs. hearsay.
Which Grunden model was it, if you happen to know?
I realize what I'm asking for/about is an impossible concept, a waterproof jacket that lets water out, but I'm hoping to find a balance. I would like to hunt Kodiak and Sitka some day, and maybe I'd buy heavier duty rain gear then, but 90% of my hunting will be in the lower 48.

As far as Gore, I'm not an adamant Gore hater, but I've been in the military 14 years and have spent a lot of time in gortex jackets that have failed for one reason or another. Could it be the quality of the jacket, sure, but it doesn't remove the sour taste. I know Arc'teryx uses gortex and people rave about them, so I'm sure it can't all be bad.

 

[AK Troutbum]

Anything breathable will eventually wet out and will never win the waterproof battle when compared to rubber, but if you’re wearing rubber and your active (sweating), chances are your going to get just as wet as you would with wearing breathable rain gear that has failed (wet out). There’s nothing super special about any of the breathable rain gear I have, but for me, the best balance between waterproof, breathable, light weight, and durable is the Kuiu Chugach line. If I think I’ll be doing a lot of bushwhacking, I’ll step up to the Yukon line, but usually the Chugach is sufficient. If you’re not going to be active and you want absolute continuous waterproof gear, I would recommend the Helly Hansen Impertech line. It’s rubber, fairly light weight and won’t break the bank. That said, if you’re not going to be active, chances are you’re not hunting places like Kodiak either.

Coupled with doing a fair amount of August sheep hunting up here (August tends to be our rainiest month), I’ve hunted Kodiak 11 times over the last 15 years and spent well over 100 days down there over the course of that time. As Keith Whitley once said, “I’m no stranger to the rain”.


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[Bobcat]

I’m 6’1” 205 and wear xxl which gives me plenty of room to wear over a puffy.

 

[gdavis]

Big fan of the Chugach gear. Your size go XL for layering.

I share you sentiments on Gore. I have, not 1, not 2, but 3 people i know who have had Sitka rain gear fail on them in steady light rain situations where wet-out should not have been a problem.

 

[Poser]

I’m 6 foot, 200-210 lbs depending and wear a size large. Over a puffy or as a outer layer, fits fine.

 

[roosiebull]

Are you using this as real rain gear you expect to keep you totally dry for a 5+ day hunt? Because Kuiu is not the gear for NWT, PNW, or AK rain.

Works fine for other areas with minor/moderate precipitation.

i have used every brand, and kuiu is the standout... chugach is great, but if you are spending time in the brush, the kutana and yukon is better... kuiu yukon i get about 2 years out of, same with kutana, about a half season or more less with chugach if i wore it every day i need rain gear.... that is really good compared to others, tried the kryptek takur and was soaked after about 10 days, 2 different sets of sitka were similar... they make good rain gear... at twice the price almost.

chugach i think a large would be perfect, same with yukon, but an xl for the kutana, it has a different cut. if you want breathable raingear for under a grand, kuiu is the best option by a pretty good amount, i spend a bunch of days in the woods in the rain, and no matter what, raingear is disposable, but kuiu has been the only one i don't feel like it was a waste of money.

i really don't care for kuiu, but they make great raingear and gaiters... i have tried every other option, and keep coming back to kuiu for rain gear. it may get some damp spots after a long day on the top of your shoulders and knees, but if you do much walking in pvc raingear, you will get more wet.... if it was better, i would use it.

the kutana i think is my favorite, it's super tough, and not quite as heavy as yukon... it's the least breathable (by specs) but pit zips and side zips are the equalizer there... i will take durability over breathability every time, because none of it breaths better than pit zips

 

[roosiebull]

Big fan of the Chugach gear. Your size go XL for layering.

I share you sentiments on Gore. I have, not 1, not 2, but 3 people i know who have had Sitka rain gear fail on them in steady light rain situations where wet-out should not have been a problem.

my experience with sitka was it pinholed out easy and quick, and had no self healing properties like kuiu seems to. the original chugach was about the perfect rain gear to me... had i known they were going to change, i would have bought a few sets.... hindsight

 

[mxgsfmdpx]

Anything breathable will eventually wet out and will never win the waterproof battle when compared to rubber, but if you’re wearing rubber and your active (sweating), chances are your going to get just as wet as you would with wearing breathable rain gear that has failed (wet out). There’s nothing super special about any of the breathable rain gear I have, but for me, the best balance between waterproof, breathable, light weight, and durable is the Kuiu Chugach line. If I think I’ll be doing a lot of bushwhacking, I’ll step up to the Yukon line, but usually the Chugach is sufficient. If you’re not going to be active and you want absolute continuous waterproof gear, I would recommend the Helly Hansen Impertech line. It’s rubber, fairly light weight and won’t break the bank. That said, if you’re not going to be active, chances are you’re not hunting places like Kodiak either.

Coupled with doing a fair amount of August sheep hunting up here (August tends to be our rainiest month), I’ve hunted Kodiak 11 times over the last 15 years and spent well over 100 days down there over the course of that time. As Keith Whitley once said, “I’m no stranger to the rain”.


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You should check out Grundens breathable bibs and jackets and let me know what you think. My personal experience with them on Kodiak was nothing short of impressive.

 

[grappling_hook]

As far as my use case, mostly used in Idaho and Wyoming with planned occasional visits to AK and maybe BC. Im a very active hunter and would like something relatively breathable as well as waterproof. Definitely open to suggestions

Chugach is going to be perfect for what you're talking about, including for very active hunts in BC and Southeast Alaska. If you wanted heavier-duty dedicated rain gear for still hunting in the rut, staying in the brush the whole time, and/or moose hunting, river hunting etc some people might want something different (e.g. Helly Hansen PVC stuff that you'd use fishing, Grundens, KUIU Yukon, or Sitka Stormfront), although I usually use Chugach even going through heavy brush rut hunting. But for the "active" hunts (alpine Blacktail, mountain goat, sheep) the Chugach is just right as lightweight, breathable raingear that doesn't sacrifice too much in the durability department; and is fairly quiet, packs small and, due to stretch and features, is pretty darned comfortable. Or if you're kind of rough on clothes, maybe Kutana to be safe.

Also be careful when reading reviews/experiences that a lot of people use the words "wet out" incorrectly. All "wetting out" means is that the face fabric has become saturated, causing it to lose some (but not all) of its breathability. IME most Gore-tex and KUIU stuff continues to be waterproof after wetting out. And they dry faster and more fully than non-breathable items.

 

[roosiebull]

Chugach is going to be perfect for what you're talking about, including for very active hunts in BC and Southeast Alaska. If you wanted heavier-duty dedicated rain gear for still hunting in the rut, staying in the brush the whole time, and/or moose hunting, river hunting etc some people might want something different (e.g. Helly Hansen PVC stuff that you'd use fishing, Grundens, KUIU Yukon, or Sitka Stormfront), although I usually use Chugach even going through heavy brush rut hunting. But for the "active" hunts (alpine Blacktail, mountain goat, sheep) the Chugach is just right as lightweight, breathable raingear that doesn't sacrifice too much in the durability department; and is fairly quiet, packs small and, due to stretch and features, is pretty darned comfortable. Or if you're kind of rough on clothes, maybe Kutana to be safe.

Also be careful when reading reviews/experiences that a lot of people use the words "wet out" incorrectly. All "wetting out" means is that the face fabric has become saturated, causing it to lose some (but not all) of its breathability. IME most Gore-tex and KUIU stuff continues to be waterproof after wetting out. And they dry faster and more fully than non-breathable items.

on point, very accurate reply

 

[ccarter]

I made the mistake of going by Kuiu's suggested sizing on my Chugach rain gear, and regret it. It was an outlet sale, and they wouldn't let me exchange it, either. If you plan to wear it over a substantial puffy, I'd strongly consider the XL or even XXL. If your puffy is relatively low profile, the XL would probably work.

I like for my rain gear to be able to go over everything I might be wearing, and the Chugach jacket in a large was too tight over my Montbell Alpine Down Parka- which is pretty puffy as far as down jackets go.

Size Large pants fit how I think they should. Relaxed, but not loose and baggy. Easily fit over a base layer and the Attack pant.

For reference, I'm 5'8" 172 with slightly bigger shoulders and upper arms, but by no means am I "big". the Size large jacket felt snug on my arms with just a thin fleece underneath.
hopefully this is helpful.

 

[Poser]

I made the mistake of going by Kuiu's suggested sizing on my Chugach rain gear, and regret it. It was an outlet sale, and they wouldn't let me exchange it, either. If you plan to wear it over a substantial puffy, I'd strongly consider the XL or even XXL. If your puffy is relatively low profile, the XL would probably work.

I like for my rain gear to be able to go over everything I might be wearing, and the Chugach jacket in a large was too tight over my Montbell Alpine Down Parka- which is pretty puffy as far as down jackets go.

Size Large pants fit how I think they should. Relaxed, but not loose and baggy. Easily fit over a base layer and the Attack pant.

For reference, I'm 5'8" 172 with slightly bigger shoulders and upper arms, but by no means am I "big". the Size large jacket felt snug on my arms with just a thin fleece underneath.
hopefully this is helpful.

This stuff just never makes sense to me. I literally have 4 inches and 30 lbs on you. Broad shoulders, thick back. Wear size 32 pants. I can wear a Large Kuiu jacket over a Feathered Friends Helios puffy.

How does that makes sense? You have a bowling ball in your gut?

 

[ccarter]

Nope. Actually also a 32 waist. But wearing a tight jacket that compresses that Helios defeats the purpose of all the loft in a down jacket. I could also wear a L Kuiu jacket over my glassing jacket, but it would limit the insulating abilities of the insulation piece. Perhaps you're younger than me too, and are more used to form-fitting clothes than I am. Personally, if it feels snug or binds when I try to put on the jacket, I'm out. Just sharing my personal experience for the guy who asked.