Kuiu Superdown

Craig4791

WKR
Joined
Dec 2, 2012
Messages
2,215
Location
AK
Sitting in the Phoenix airport right now heading back to Ca from my hunting partners and I Az DIY Coues hunt. Used my gun metal hooded super down everyday of the hunt in several different situations.

First off out of the package it seemed as if it was not as "puffy" as it seemed to look on the website. No worries though as I would test it the following week.

Next was the chest pocket stuff sack. Awesome idea and really keeps the profile down which makes for easy packing. Although I found that it barley fits into the pocket and I question how long the zipper is going to last with the amount of force it takes to pack the jacket into the pocket. IMO the pocket should be a few Cu in larger to make for an easier pack. Please note though that I did use this feature 6 times so far and have not had any failures just an item of note for possible improvement.

The fit was almost perfect for me. I bought a large which is the same size I wear in all of the other items. I have a slender build and I am tall so the sleeves did come up about an inch short but I didn't have any issues with that. Actually after wearing it with the guide jacket and my 230 I was very impressed how well it all fit together and I felt confident that I would have no issues with bow string contact even with all the layers together.

Temps did not get as cold as I had anticipated but were in the high 30's at night with one night near freezing.

I wore the super down over my merino 230 and then threw my guide jacket over that for the morning hike to our glassing location the first two mornings but had to stop wearing it with any hiking as I would get extremely hot very fast.

Those first two hikes put me on my glassing rock before light with a soaked 230 layer that I took off right away to dry. I then would shed the guide jacket as well and wear just the super down only to glass which ended up being one of my favorite uses for it.

I also wore it to bed in my sleeping bag a couple nights which seemed to add at least 10 degrees to the bag temp.

Overall I really like the product and will be ordering a set of the pants as well for those cold glassing and sitting sessions.

Oh and my buddy killed this nice P&Y Coues buck on the second day!

ImageUploadedByTapatalk1356490115.619787.jpgImageUploadedByTapatalk1356490143.685033.jpg
 

TXCO

WKR
Joined
Aug 18, 2012
Messages
854
I got my jacket and pants in the mail. Overall, Im still in shock of how light weight it is. Ive worn the jacket for 2 days in 10-20 degree colorado weather with generally just a cotton shirt underneath and my chest hasnt gotten cold. Ive tried to keep my hands and head free for a comparison. I get cold pretty easily and so far my upper body hasnt had any issues. Its also seemed to do a decent job of blocking the wind.

Initially the puffiness wasnt what I thought it would be but it has puffed up more since opening. My only other insulating jacket is the spindrift so I by no means have a lot of knowledge to compare with. I immediately had primaloft seep through my springdrift at pressure points including bino straps and seatbelts and havnt had any of that with the superdown. Im 5' 9" and 170 lbs and ordered the medium in both. The jacket fits snugly and still bunches up when Im sitting. The sleeves are not baggy and its night on the edge of being a little too small to layer much underneath the jacket. I wish the jacket was a tad longer to get below my waist. If I was sitting in a treestand, it should work perfect and also for wearing light hiking layers and just using it as a throw over. The pants are long for my short legs but seem pretty easy to get in and out of. I will say that I dont feel I can rough and tumble or beat brush with it at all. Its just so lightweight and the nylon exterior feels very thin, but Im already mentally thinking the exterior material is better than the spindrift. I wish the elbows, knees, and seat were reinforced as they are ground contact and pressure points when glassing.

Im heading into the mountains to ski this weekend and will pass on what I learn from there.
 

Battle

Lil-Rokslider
Joined
Mar 6, 2012
Messages
119
Location
Wyoming
The superdown jacket and pants are everything I was expecting. The amount of down (puffiness) is consistent with my MontBell hooded jacket that has nearly identical specs. It is a down jacket with 2.5 oz of 850 fill, I don’t know what everyone is complaining about. Other than being a little big around the middle the fit is great (consistent with the rest of the gear since the beginning). The Stunner Stretch is a noticeable advantage over the materials used on my similar jackets. I do agree that the stuff pocket is too small for the jacket but other than that, I wouldn’t change a thing about it.
 

TXCO

WKR
Joined
Aug 18, 2012
Messages
854
Anyone tested the down wet? Like a soak test to check warmth and repellency? (is repellency a word?)
 

Craig4791

WKR
Joined
Dec 2, 2012
Messages
2,215
Location
AK
Just got my superdown pants in yesterday. The fit is perfect and I love that you can put these on without completely taking off your pants and keeping your boots on.
 
Joined
Mar 21, 2012
Messages
3,996
Location
Alaska
I have been wearing my superdown underneath the guide jacket with only a merino base layer the past few weeks and have yet to be cold! It's been in the single digits here and I am able to shoot bow comfortably outside for hours at a time with no issues at all. I am sold!
 
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