Pgohil
WKR
- Joined
- Feb 16, 2018
- Messages
- 500
I am a lifelong West Virginia hunter. Hunted about every game in WV, but mostly whitetails, bear and squirrel. Earlier this year I decided I was going to Idaho for my first archery elk hunt. At the same time, I was in need of new camo. I had forever been a Walmart / Cabela's camo guy, never understand those that spent over $100 for ONE PIECE! It was unfathomable to me.
After a ton of googling and reading reviews all over the web, I decided I liked the SKRE gear better than the big three of kuiu, first light, and sitka. Although the company was only a few years old, I couldn't find any negative reviews to speak of. I emailed Mike Wand at SKRE and told him my position and asked his advice, little did I know he was one of the owners. SUPER NICE GUY!!! He was a great salesman, and called me shortly after getting my email. We spent a good while on the phone, and he explained in detail about the company, their clothing system and the crazy good warranty / return policy. I never once felt pressured to make a purchase right then and he offered to talk any time I wanted.
After a few days of deliberation I called Mike back and got the Kiabab merino top and bottom, Hardscrabble pants and jacket. I also ordered the Ptarmigan puffy vest, and Hardscrabble gaiters(to be shipped mid summer.) All were ordered in the new Summit pattern as I felt it would be advantageous in my WV woods.
I was initially concerned that the merino baselayers were too thin to be effective, heck I could see through them with little effort. And the pants and jacket.... Boy were they light. I thought there is no way then can handle the mountains of WV, let alone the rugged Idaho mountains. So I called Mike and expressed my concerns. He assured me the baselayers would do their job, and the Hardscrabble pants and jacket were up to the job.
Earlier reviews complained that the fit was not true to size and you needed to order a size up. I had asked Mike about this and he said 2018 products run true to size. I can confirm they are perfectly true to size, from base layer to outer layer.
The baselayers are an athletic fit that feel like they were made for my body. Very comfortable, no itch from the wool, and they handled all my sweating like a champ. Even sitting still at 30 degrees after sweating, I didn't get chilled. Good stuff!
And the outer layers are tough too! We have a lot of briar thickets and laurel choked areas with nasty rocks that can rip or destroy lesser made clothes. I've been on about a dozen trips up and down and all around, the system performed perfectly. The DWR coating kept me dry I felt warm and very comfortable. Even sitting in damp/wet leaves, I never felt the dampness.
My favorite part about this clothing is the pocket arraingements on both the pants and jacket. They are in the perfect place. The pants pockets look weird with the placement, but they function flawless. Jacket pockets are great as well, inside and out. A lot of time and effort has gone into developing this gear and the fit and finish show it.
The camo pattern is all I hoped it would be. It blended in very nicely with trees, shrubs and the ground. Managed to kill a nice turkey wearing it to boot!
This is the first set of higher end clothing I've owned. I don't have a lot to compare it to, however I can't see anything else being any better, no matter the cost. I'm not sure what more I could say, if anyone has any questions feel free to PM me.
Thanks
PD Gohil
WV
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G930A using Tapatalk
After a ton of googling and reading reviews all over the web, I decided I liked the SKRE gear better than the big three of kuiu, first light, and sitka. Although the company was only a few years old, I couldn't find any negative reviews to speak of. I emailed Mike Wand at SKRE and told him my position and asked his advice, little did I know he was one of the owners. SUPER NICE GUY!!! He was a great salesman, and called me shortly after getting my email. We spent a good while on the phone, and he explained in detail about the company, their clothing system and the crazy good warranty / return policy. I never once felt pressured to make a purchase right then and he offered to talk any time I wanted.
After a few days of deliberation I called Mike back and got the Kiabab merino top and bottom, Hardscrabble pants and jacket. I also ordered the Ptarmigan puffy vest, and Hardscrabble gaiters(to be shipped mid summer.) All were ordered in the new Summit pattern as I felt it would be advantageous in my WV woods.
I was initially concerned that the merino baselayers were too thin to be effective, heck I could see through them with little effort. And the pants and jacket.... Boy were they light. I thought there is no way then can handle the mountains of WV, let alone the rugged Idaho mountains. So I called Mike and expressed my concerns. He assured me the baselayers would do their job, and the Hardscrabble pants and jacket were up to the job.
Earlier reviews complained that the fit was not true to size and you needed to order a size up. I had asked Mike about this and he said 2018 products run true to size. I can confirm they are perfectly true to size, from base layer to outer layer.
The baselayers are an athletic fit that feel like they were made for my body. Very comfortable, no itch from the wool, and they handled all my sweating like a champ. Even sitting still at 30 degrees after sweating, I didn't get chilled. Good stuff!
And the outer layers are tough too! We have a lot of briar thickets and laurel choked areas with nasty rocks that can rip or destroy lesser made clothes. I've been on about a dozen trips up and down and all around, the system performed perfectly. The DWR coating kept me dry I felt warm and very comfortable. Even sitting in damp/wet leaves, I never felt the dampness.
My favorite part about this clothing is the pocket arraingements on both the pants and jacket. They are in the perfect place. The pants pockets look weird with the placement, but they function flawless. Jacket pockets are great as well, inside and out. A lot of time and effort has gone into developing this gear and the fit and finish show it.
The camo pattern is all I hoped it would be. It blended in very nicely with trees, shrubs and the ground. Managed to kill a nice turkey wearing it to boot!
This is the first set of higher end clothing I've owned. I don't have a lot to compare it to, however I can't see anything else being any better, no matter the cost. I'm not sure what more I could say, if anyone has any questions feel free to PM me.
Thanks
PD Gohil
WV
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G930A using Tapatalk
