Kuiu Rain Gear Comparison

[Whip]

I'm in need of a new rain jacket and might take advantage of the current Kuiu sale. Looking for opinions comparing the Chugach, Kutana, and Yukon. I know each have their advantages, just looking for input from others that have actually used it. For the most part, it would be incidental use, but never know if there's a chance to get back up to Alaska, so would like something that could handle that as well.
My priorities, in order:
Quietness - I know - no rain gear is truly quiet. Y if one of the models is better than the others, that would be important to me.
Durability - I don't expect a bunch of brush busting, but I'm not gentle on my gear and don't want something that needs to be babied.
Packability - I won't be backpacking, so weight is not so much an issue, but I'd like to be able to stuff it in a day pack.

Given what I've read it seems the Kutana might be most suitable for my priorities. But I don't know about the quietness part, and since that is high on my list, am looking for thoughts from those who may have tried it compared to the others.

 

[sivart]

Kuiu Chugach is my fav. It's light, packable, quiet for rain gear. I'm not going to say it's super durable, but durable enough.

 

[LookinforDirt]

I owned the Chugach and currently own the Kutana. The Chugach was good and it worked for my needs. Pack around for occasional rain or occasional extended time in the rain. I only switched because I wanted to move to solid and neutral (gunmetal and ash) colors and to get more casual use out of my rain gear. My Chugach was in Verde. I decided to buy the Kutana just for what you said, more durable and built to handle more heavy rain and more days in extended rains. If I owned two sets I’d likely own the Chugach and Yukon. I split the difference with the Kutana. I’ve hunted and fished in Alaska a few times and have spent five days straight in light to moderately heavy rains there. In my rain gear nearly the entire time. I think the Kutana would have been just fine for that and any of my trips. I’ve used it stand hunting whitetails in an all day light to moderate rain hunts and it worked great. I like the additional durability of it. I would take it on hunting and fishing trips in Alaska or anywhere I planned on seeing a lot of rain and a lot of wear time. If I lived in Alaska I’d most likely own the Yukon. None are going to be whitetail at 10 yards quiet and there is no meaningful difference between the Chugach and Kutana in that category.

 

[Whip]

Thanks for the input. I ended up going with the Chugach. I found a comment from Kuiu on their site responding to a customer question and they said Chugach was the quietest of their lineup. That and packability put it at the top of the list for me.

 

[BullNuts]

I had the original Kuiu rain gear. Forget the line, but it was paper thing and the pants were always sliding down with the only think holding them was a very thin elastic draw string. Just ordered the Kutana set in solid colors and can’t wait to put them to use both in the woods and everyday life.

 

[roosiebull]

I'm in need of a new rain jacket and might take advantage of the current Kuiu sale. Looking for opinions comparing the Chugach, Kutana, and Yukon. I know each have their advantages, just looking for input from others that have actually used it. For the most part, it would be incidental use, but never know if there's a chance to get back up to Alaska, so would like something that could handle that as well.
My priorities, in order:
Quietness - I know - no rain gear is truly quiet. Y if one of the models is better than the others, that would be important to me.
Durability - I don't expect a bunch of brush busting, but I'm not gentle on my gear and don't want something that needs to be babied.
Packability - I won't be backpacking, so weight is not so much an issue, but I'd like to be able to stuff it in a day pack.

Given what I've read it seems the Kutana might be most suitable for my priorities. But I don't know about the quietness part, and since that is high on my list, am looking for thoughts from those who may have tried it compared to the others.

The kutana is the loudest of the three, but I wouldn’t consider it a problem, if you need rain gear, it’s likely not silent at the time. What I don’t like about the kutana is the wrist cuffs, they don’t keep water out, and they are a slimmer cut than chugach and Yukon

I have used all 3 a lot, and still think the Yukon is the flagship product in their line. The kutana is a good set though, it’s tough. Mine lasted longer than expected, and what finally started leaking was the pants in the knee area, which I assume is from glassing off my knees often it either stretched the membrane which caused it to start leaking or dirt got stuck in there causing it to leak… regardless, the set lasted me a relatively long time, but if they changed the wrist cuffs and put the material they have on the lower inside legs on the knees, it would be my go to, but as of now, I’m a fan of the Yukon

 

[roosiebull]

I had the original Kuiu rain gear. Forget the line, but it was paper thing and the pants were always sliding down with the only think holding them was a very thin elastic draw string. Just ordered the Kutana set in solid colors and can’t wait to put them to use both in the woods and everyday life.

They used to have a budget line of clothing, the name eludes me as it hasn’t been made in years, but that is the rain gear you had, it’s the only set that had an elastic draw string. The puffer in that line was great, but everything else was meh

 

[roosiebull]

Thanks for the input. I ended up going with the Chugach. I found a comment from Kuiu on their site responding to a customer question and they said Chugach was the quietest of their lineup. That and packability put it at the top of the list for me.

I didn’t read replies before posting (obviously ) but for what you are wanting, I think you picked the best option. Durability is #1 for me because I live and hunt on the Oregon coast and wear rain gear a lot, and often busting brush obviously, salmonberry is hell on rain gear, but I have had at least 3 sets of chugach, and for being as light as it is, it’s a great set, it just doesn’t hold up to constant blackberry and salmonberry, but would be my choice for what you are doing, and if you go up to AK it will be fine, it just wouldn’t be the best choice if you hunted up there exclusively

 

[Samson7x]

Anyone use the northridge set? I realize this is the economy line but for backpacking trips that may see rare use, would this suffice?

 

[NXTZ]

Jumping into this thread since I’m in need of rain pants, and have similar preferences as the op. I’ll be hunting late November-December in the Oregon cascades for deer (archery). Truck base camp/day hunts, so packability isn’t a top concern, whereas durability for brush and (potential) all day rain/wet environments is.

I’m inclined to get the Yukon pants for this/general foul later season weather; I would also consider rubber/pvc style pants if there were models applicable for this, but I’m not too familiar with these (besides the general suck factor). @roosiebull, you have pretty extensive experience with rain gear in similar/worse conditions, does the Yukon seem like my best bet, or should I look at the pvc type rain gear?

 

[chizelhead]

Jumping into this thread since I’m in need of rain pants, and have similar preferences as the op. I’ll be hunting late November-December in the Oregon cascades for deer (archery). Truck base camp/day hunts, so packability isn’t a top concern, whereas durability for brush and (potential) all day rain/wet environments is.

I’m inclined to get the Yukon pants for this/general foul later season weather; I would also consider rubber/pvc style pants if there were models applicable for this, but I’m not too familiar with these (besides the general suck factor). @roosiebull, you have pretty extensive experience with rain gear in similar/worse conditions, does the Yukon seem like my best bet, or should I look at the pvc type rain gear?

It depends on how active you are. If active, you'll likely get wet from sweating in both, but will sweat more in the pvc type rain gear. Also, the breathable rain gear has a harder time wicking out moisture when the air can be as moist as it is that time of year from all the precip.

 

[SloppyJ]

I've handled the Sitka rain gear and I was not impressed. My buddy owns the dewpoint set and it felt very fragile to me. To me, raingear is one of the most challenging categories. Like everything else, it's a give and take so you need to get comfortable with what your needs really are.

Mine were something that was durable and could maintain it's waterproofing throughout an extended storm. I wish I could have gotten hands on with more raingear but I ended up with the Katana set and it's met all of my expectations. Frankly, I don't really care about how loud it is but it's never stood out to be as being overly noisy at all. I'm concerned about not getting soaked and so far it has handled that task every time I've put it on. The pit zips are super handy as well.

 

[roosiebull]

Jumping into this thread since I’m in need of rain pants, and have similar preferences as the op. I’ll be hunting late November-December in the Oregon cascades for deer (archery). Truck base camp/day hunts, so packability isn’t a top concern, whereas durability for brush and (potential) all day rain/wet environments is.

I’m inclined to get the Yukon pants for this/general foul later season weather; I would also consider rubber/pvc style pants if there were models applicable for this, but I’m not too familiar with these (besides the general suck factor). @roosiebull, you have pretty extensive experience with rain gear in similar/worse conditions, does the Yukon seem like my best bet, or should I look at the pvc type rain gear?

I tried pvc briefly, it was either grundens Neptune or petrus, and they didn’t hold up well, and of course weren’t very nice to cover ground in. I would stick to Yukon or kutana for pants, and either match jacket or the chugach if thorny brush isn’t the norm (pants take more beating imo)

The only wildcard on the market for me is the first lite omen, but I have decided to just stick with what works, rain gear curiosity has cost me a lot of money over the years. I don’t think pvc is a good alternative though, it still pinholes out pretty easily and doesn’t breath at all. I used to steelhead fish in a green Neptune pullover and at the end of the season, it was crazy how much light you could see through it, looked like a very starlit night… it didn’t matter as much in that application because I was never stationary, so I would be very damp at the end of a wet day, but it shed enough water so I never froze, but now I just use my old hunting rain jackets, they are perfect for that, and I can spray them down with the silicone waterproof spray and get a lot more life out of them for canyon hiking for steelhead

 

[NXTZ]

I don’t think pvc is a good alternative though, it still pinholes out pretty easily and doesn’t breath at all.

Appreciate your input; that was kinda my suspicion with that style of rain gear. I’ve come to accept the reality that I’ll either be wet from sweat or rain, so I just try to layer accordingly and endure. At least if I’m sweating I’m warm and can attempt to cook myself dry or slow down, if the stuff wets out or leaks then why even bother with it.

I’ll probably be still hunting or trying to wait and ambush later in the season, and if I need to cover ground/elevation at any kind of speed I’ll shed layers and deal/suffer accordingly.

 

[mtnbound]

I'm in need of a new rain jacket and might take advantage of the current Kuiu sale. Looking for opinions comparing the Chugach, Kutana, and Yukon. I know each have their advantages, just looking for input from others that have actually used it. For the most part, it would be incidental use, but never know if there's a chance to get back up to Alaska, so would like something that could handle that as well.
My priorities, in order:
Quietness - I know - no rain gear is truly quiet. Y if one of the models is better than the others, that would be important to me.
Durability - I don't expect a bunch of brush busting, but I'm not gentle on my gear and don't want something that needs to be babied.
Packability - I won't be backpacking, so weight is not so much an issue, but I'd like to be able to stuff it in a day pack.

Given what I've read it seems the Kutana might be most suitable for my priorities. But I don't know about the quietness part, and since that is high on my list, am looking for thoughts from those who may have tried it compared to the others.

I have the Yukon, and it's been great. It's as quiet as any rain gear, and it's held up really well. I even use it as a shell layer riding my snowmobile/snowbike, and it's tough. I will buy it again when the time comes.

 

[thinhorn_AK]

Yukon raingear is awesome. I’ve had mine for ~ 3 seasons maybe 4 now and it’s held up well. A few patches on the pants but no big deal.

 

[Whip]

Anyone use the northridge set? I realize this is the economy line but for backpacking trips that may see rare use, would this suffice?

I do have a Northridge jacket that I use mostly while camping with our travel trailer. Packs up well, and keeps me dry for short forays around camp. Biggest downside is it lacks pit zips, and if you were actively backpacking I would think those would be important.

 

[Trumpkin The Dwarf]

I tried pvc briefly, it was either grundens Neptune or petrus, and they didn’t hold up well, and of course weren’t very nice to cover ground in. I would stick to Yukon or kutana for pants, and either match jacket or the chugach if thorny brush isn’t the norm (pants take more beating imo)

The only wildcard on the market for me is the first lite omen, but I have decided to just stick with what works, rain gear curiosity has cost me a lot of money over the years. I don’t think pvc is a good alternative though, it still pinholes out pretty easily and doesn’t breath at all. I used to steelhead fish in a green Neptune pullover and at the end of the season, it was crazy how much light you could see through it, looked like a very starlit night… it didn’t matter as much in that application because I was never stationary, so I would be very damp at the end of a wet day, but it shed enough water so I never froze, but now I just use my old hunting rain jackets, they are perfect for that, and I can spray them down with the silicone waterproof spray and get a lot more life out of them for canyon hiking for steelhead

What spray do you use for your raingear @roosiebull? I'm trying to extend a chugach jacket life atm.

 

[roosiebull]

What spray do you use for your raingear @roosiebull? I'm trying to extend a chugach jacket life atm.

I will have to check, I know it’s a silicone spray in a tall white can with some orange lettering, but I will confirm later

For hunting gear I use nikwax, the sport wash, then the wash in dwr

 

[roosiebull]

What spray do you use for your raingear @roosiebull? I'm trying to extend a chugach jacket life atm.

This is the stuff I use on my beat up rain jackets for steelhead fishing, it has a smell but works pretty good, and makes raingear that will get you wet into rain gear that will keep you pretty dry

I would try nikwax first if you haven’t for hunting gear, they sell the sport wash and dwr as a combo pack (I just got some for my Yukon)

Dwr just doesn’t last long if you’re in the brush much, I will probably only have to do it once this year, but if I wore it elk hunting in Sept in the brush a lot, I would have to treat it again at the end of season.. wet brush messes up dwr pretty quick