Kuiu Talus Hybrid Pant Review, By Jim Carr

[Justin Crossley]

Jim hunts some very nasty terrain in north Idaho and is constantly tearing up his hunting pants. In this review, he puts the Kuiu Talus Hybrids through a tough season of testing in some extreme conditions. How did they hold up to multiple elk hunts?

Find out here; Kuiu Talus Hybrid Pant Review

 

[Benjblt]

Jim,
How tall are you? Did the knee pads seem to hit you in the knees at the right height? I'm 5' 8" so I'm always worried that Kuiu's pants with knee pads will hit me too low.

Also, how would you rate the durability of the Talus versus other pants? Are there any other pants that you would recommend over the Talus for brush and abrasion resistance (barring other factors like weather, warmth vs cold, wet vs dry).

For snow would you recommend just using a gaiter, negating the usefulness of the water proof lower half of the Talus? It seems based on your article that that might be the case. Perhaps the Talus shines when the low brush and ground is dry but not so much in the snow?

 

[Jim Carr]

Jim,
How tall are you? Did the knee pads seem to hit you in the knees at the right height? I'm 5' 8" so I'm always worried that Kuiu's pants with knee pads will hit me too low.

Also, how would you rate the durability of the Talus versus other pants? Are there any other pants that you would recommend over the Talus for brush and abrasion resistance (barring other factors like weather, warmth vs cold, wet vs dry).

For snow would you recommend just using a gaiter, negating the usefulness of the water proof lower half of the Talus? It seems based on your article that that might be the case. Perhaps the Talus shines when the low brush and ground is dry but not so much in the snow?

Hi Ben,
I am 6'1", depending on your waist size the inseam shortens each size down ,I was using size 36 .I don't know if you could see the dirt stain in the knee pad picture My knee hit directly in the center but there is padding about 3 inches either way .From what I am used too the durability is top notch never had any tear's in thick brush, I am usually wearing rags towards the end of a season, someone gave me a pair of Kryptek Alaios pant's a few seasons ago probably because they didn't want to be seen with me in my rag tag pants.The Alaios's quickly became my favorite pair and have held up very well and I would recommend them to anybody but they are not quite in the same class of durability as the Talus's. As far as the the usefulness of the lower half in snow it was excellent ; the best I have used; comparable to rain gear.What I might not have been clear on was I spent quite a bit of time in deep snow and even then I'm a minimalist when it comes to anything that slow's me down like high cut boot's as I cover a lot of country,so I use low cut boots Crispi GTX and even with the best rain gear the pant cuffs would get pushed up far enough to expose my socks to the snow and these are actually a little stiffer than rain pants so they actually perform better in this regard. The couple time's I went out with my higher cut boots I had no need to use gaiter's they performed very well in deep snow.

 

[Benjblt]

Hi Ben,
I am 6'1", depending on your waist size the inseam shortens each size down ,I was using size 36 .I don't know if you could see the dirt stain in the knee pad picture My knee hit directly in the center but there is padding about 3 inches either way .From what I am used too the durability is top notch never had any tear's in thick brush, I am usually wearing rags towards the end of a season, someone gave me a pair of Kryptek Alaios pant's a few seasons ago probably because they didn't want to be seen with me in my rag tag pants.The Alaios's quickly became my favorite pair and have held up very well and I would recommend them to anybody but they are not quite in the same class of durability as the Talus's. As far as the the usefulness of the lower half in snow it was excellent ; the best I have used; comparable to rain gear.What I might not have been clear on was I spent quite a bit of time in deep snow and even then I'm a minimalist when it comes to anything that slow's me down like high cut boot's as I cover a lot of country,so I use low cut boots Crispi GTX and even with the best rain gear the pant cuffs would get pushed up far enough to expose my socks to the snow and these are actually a little stiffer than rain pants so they actually perform better in this regard. The couple time's I went out with my higher cut boots I had no need to use gaiter's they performed very well in deep snow.

Really good feedback. Makes sense. Thank you.

 

[wymtnpounder]

I also used these pants for this last season and the start of this season. I've ran them through the ringer and they seem to be tough. Couple sheep hunts, 1 goat, 3 elk, 1 late deer and have been chasing cats the last couple months. I liked the fit but have chicken legs lol.
Thanks for the review

 

[handwerk]

For the guys that have tried these pants, do you also own the Attacks and if so how is the fit if comparing the two same size?

 

[Desk Jockey]

Thanks for the review. I was curious about these. Seems like a cool idea but I was worried if snow would get in through the cuffs. Seems like you still need a gaiter. I wonder if you could get away with a very minimal gaiter and save a few oz of weight.

I also wonder if they have changed up their fit. My 2019 pro pants are slimmer fitting than my 2017 attacks in the legs by an inch or two.

 

[downthepipe]

I got these pants for Christmas, it haven’t worn them out yet. The fit is definitely tight in the upper legs and butt. I’m interested to see how the knee pads really feel on a long hike, as they are pretty stiff/tough.

 

[justinroraback]

Great review, thank you for sharing.

 

[mj23polaris]

Good review, love mine just emailed kuiu about more in solids..... Won't get anymore till August........

Sent from my XT1650 using Tapatalk

 

[AZ Ron]

For the guys that have tried these pants, do you also own the Attacks and if so how is the fit if comparing the two same size?

The Talus are a slimmer fit in the crotch/upper thighs. I compared the crotch gusset between my newest attacks and the Talus and the Talus is about an inch narrower.

I'm wondering if they did this so that the fabric isn't rubbing against itself as much? I prefer the attack fit, but the Talus still work for me in the same size. Granted, their isn't as much room for base layers under the same size Talus as the Attacks.

I'm about 5'8" and the knee pads work well for me with no issues.

Thanks for the good review Jim!

 

[Jim Carr]

Thanks for the review. I was curious about these. Seems like a cool idea but I was worried if snow would get in through the cuffs. Seems like you still need a gaiter. I wonder if you could get away with a very minimal gaiter and save a few oz of weight.

I also wonder if they have changed up their fit. My 2019 pro pants are slimmer fitting than my 2017 attacks in the legs by an inch or two.

If you wear taller boot's than the near ankle boot's I wear you should be good as they do have narrow fit down at the cuffs.I hunted a couple days in deep snow with my mendals which are 9 inches high. I had no issues with snow at all.It was just my shorter boots which I usally use that had the issue.

 

[Ryan Avery]

I wish they had a hook down on the cuff like gaiters do. These pants are extremely tough. Defiantly not as stretchy as the Attacks or Corrugate guides from First Lite. But I found them to be perfect for hunting in wet brush and snow.

Nice review @Jim Carr

 

[alpinej7]

Thanks for the review, I have several other Kuiu items and have been eyeing these pants as well as the hybrid jacket as well.

 

[Casual Poacher]

Are you finding that the pants are losing some of the stiffness after a few washes? I felt like my Chinook kneepads got more comfortable over time.

IMO Kuiu's pant lineup is really tough to beat. The hybrids look like they could easily find a spot in my gear bag.

 

[whtlhnter]

Awesome review. I think I’ll get a pair on the way.

 

[Benjblt]

I ordered some of these and tried them on. I think short guys have a bit of a disadvantage. I'm 5'8" and the knee pads hit slightly low but still work. Not a major issue. In fact I think they protect my shins more while still covering the knees at the point of contact with the ground when I kneel. Where I think we lose benefit is the waterproof fabric and where it ends at the calf. It's barely above the top of an 8" boot. I think it should come up a few more inches. For tall guys it will come up higher but I have to hem the bottom 2" of my Kuiu pants so that's all waterproofing on the Talus.

 

[lonedave]

I ordered some of these and tried them on. I think short guys have a bit of a disadvantage. I'm 5'8" and the knee pads hit slightly low but still work. Not a major issue. In fact I think they protect my shins more while still covering the knees at the point of contact with the ground when I kneel. Where I think we lose benefit is the waterproof fabric and where it ends at the calf. It's barely above the top of an 8" boot. I think it should come up a few more inches. For tall guys it will come up higher but I have to hem the bottom 2" of my Kuiu pants so that's all waterproofing on the Talus.

Can I ask you what size you ordered? I'm just a hair taller (like about 1/2") and would probably buy a 34" waist to have room for a base layer. I was wondering if you ordered a larger waist size and that may be the reason for the placement of the waterproof fabric. I really like the looks of these pants, but like everything ordered on-line, it's sometimes hit-and-miss on sizing. Thanks!
Dave

 

[Benjblt]

Can I ask you what size you ordered? I'm just a hair taller (like about 1/2") and would probably buy a 34" waist to have room for a base layer. I was wondering if you ordered a larger waist size and that may be the reason for the placement of the waterproof fabric. I really like the looks of these pants, but like everything ordered on-line, it's sometimes hit-and-miss on sizing. Thanks!
Dave

They were 34's.

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[unclericco]

It's cool to be able to come on here and see reviews on stuff I'm looking at purchasing. I have a couple of pairs of Chinooks and the knee pads are probably my favorite feature, like the hip vents a ton too. Thanks for the review