New Kuiu Chugach Rain Gear

[Blacktail_J]

Got back on Thursday from the moose hunt. Rain jacket did great. Packs down good. We got rained on pretty hard for a few days, stayed dry. Didnt notice any difference in breathability really other than i did not find it to be as windproof as other rain jackets. But that could have been the coldness of the fabric against my skin when the wind was blowing. 40 degrees with rain and wind can be cold so it might be that. It seems to have great stretch, very comfortable. The durability seems to be sufficient for probably 90% of applications. It is definitely a thinner fabric than the old chugach and more stretch. I have the kutana pants, jacket and new chugach jacket. I like having the added thickness and durability on the pants so gonna be keeping the Kutana pants and the chugach jacket, selling the kutana. Oh and by the way, we got a nice bull. Spent 3 days packing this old bad boy out.

Nice congrats on the bull. Glad it worked out for yah, i've just decided to run my NX set which will do just fine. Alot of guys probably thankful to see your review on the new stuff though.

 

[Venom One]

Got back on Thursday from the moose hunt. Rain jacket did great. Packs down good. We got rained on pretty hard for a few days, stayed dry. Didnt notice any difference in breathability really other than i did not find it to be as windproof as other rain jackets. But that could have been the coldness of the fabric against my skin when the wind was blowing. 40 degrees with rain and wind can be cold so it might be that. It seems to have great stretch, very comfortable. The durability seems to be sufficient for probably 90% of applications. It is definitely a thinner fabric than the old chugach and more stretch. I have the kutana pants, jacket and new chugach jacket. I like having the added thickness and durability on the pants so gonna be keeping the Kutana pants and the chugach jacket, selling the kutana. Oh and by the way, we got a nice bull. Spent 3 days packing this old bad boy out.

How's the noise level in general and is it louder in cold weather? How does it compare to the Kutana fabric and weight? I know Kuiu specs show the weights of each, but can you tell the weight difference when wearing each jacket? Is one quieter, more stretchy, more comfortable or not really noticeable?

 

[Theringworm]

How's the noise level in general and is it louder in cold weather? How does it compare to the Kutana fabric and weight? I know Kuiu specs show the weights of each, but can you tell the weight difference when wearing each jacket? Is one quieter, more stretchy, more comfortable or not really noticeable?

^^^^^^^ This? Curious minds wanna know. Thanks

 

[Blacktail_J]

Basically my curiosity was if the new TR is definantly better than the previous NX set without a doubt in everyway, are they more or less the same, or is there pros and cons to either one.

I don't know if we can get an answer on that one for some time.

 

[gdavis]

How's the noise level in general and is it louder in cold weather? How does it compare to the Kutana fabric and weight? I know Kuiu specs show the weights of each, but can you tell the weight difference when wearing each jacket? Is one quieter, more stretchy, more comfortable or not really noticeable?

1) I would say that the Chugach TR is an improvement over the NX. Because of reduced weight, packs smaller, great stretch and with the advertised added durability i think it is great that theres no price increase. But not sure i would sell the NX just to buy it.
2) The Chugach TR packs down so much smaller than the kutana and is noticeably lighter in the hand and while wearing. The kutana is however a much more robust fabric so it could be used as an all day jacket. Im of the opinion that with the kutana there isnt much need for the Yukon because its a lighter almost as durable rain shell. I do not like the double zipper system on the Kutana, sometimes a pain. But in regards to noise, its very hard to tell but i spent like 5 min rubbing the jackets fabric together in my closet for you guys trying to tell which was louder LOL, very close but if i had to say i think the Chugach is slightly louder with more of a "swish", i think the nylon in the kutana is fairly quiet. Both are comfortable, but i like how light the chugach feels wearing it.

I cant speak to breathability because i overheat wearing any rain gear and have not tested things in a like for like manner. But Im going with the new Chugach over my kutana mainly because of 3 things. Lighter, advertised increase in durability and the advertised waterproof rating was higher than all the other jackets I have seen on the market. (Im obviously probably ignorant to some Im sure). Fits and feels great too, for what its worth.

Hope it helps you guys.

 

[Theringworm]

1) I would say that the Chugach TR is an improvement over the NX. Because of reduced weight, packs smaller, great stretch and with the advertised added durability i think it is great that theres no price increase. But not sure i would sell the NX just to buy it.
2) The Chugach TR packs down so much smaller than the kutana and is noticeably lighter in the hand and while wearing. The kutana is however a much more robust fabric so it could be used as an all day jacket. Im of the opinion that with the kutana there isnt much need for the Yukon because its a lighter almost as durable rain shell. I do not like the double zipper system on the Kutana, sometimes a pain. But in regards to noise, its very hard to tell but i spent like 5 min rubbing the jackets fabric together in my closet for you guys trying to tell which was louder LOL, very close but if i had to say i think the Chugach is slightly louder with more of a "swish", i think the nylon in the kutana is fairly quiet. Both are comfortable, but i like how light the chugach feels wearing it.

I cant speak to breathability because i overheat wearing any rain gear and have not tested things in a like for like manner. But Im going with the new Chugach over my kutana mainly because of 3 things. Lighter, advertised increase in durability and the advertised waterproof rating was higher than all the other jackets I have seen on the market. (Im obviously probably ignorant to some Im sure). Fits and feels great too, for what its worth.

Hope it helps you guys.

Great review, I greatly appreciate it. Last question, did you buy the same size as your prior jackets. I have read some reviews saying the new Chugach TR jacket was running a little bigger than everything else.

 

[gdavis]

Great review, I greatly appreciate it. Last question, did you buy the same size as your prior jackets. I have read some reviews saying the new Chugach TR jacket was running a little bigger than everything else.

I’m 5’10 180lbs and the large is exactly how I would like it. It fits good and I can still layer my moose system under it:
Merino 125 SS T
P97 Hoody
Kutana Hybrid
SD Pro

I wear large in most their stuff, every once in awhile XL. Hope it helps.

Edit: I had the Kutana Stormshell in XL, the Chugach fits very close to it, but that has more to do with the Kutana was a much more slim fit than my old Chugach. My old Chugach I had a medium but couldn’t barely layer anything under it.

 

[Venom One]

With Kuiu's sale going on, I'm going to get a set of Chugach, but need some help with pants size from those that have these pants. I'm a 31-32" waist for normal pants with a 30" inseam. I'll be wearing hunting pants w/ belt under the rain pants. The Medium pants would be an easy choice for waist, but the Mediums also have a 32.5" inseam. The Small has a 31" inseam which is better for me, but is the waist size too small (30-33" according to website).

 

[Theringworm]

I am a 32” waist and a 30” inseam. I have the older Chugach and just bought her new TR as well. I actually wear a large pant. By the time you layer over thermals, pants and a belt, the extra room is nice. Of course if the new ones aren’t cut the same, which they should be, then I’ll send them back for a difffernt size.

 

[grappling_hook]

With Kuiu's sale going on, I'm going to get a set of Chugach, but need some help with pants size from those that have these pants. I'm a 31-32" waist for normal pants with a 30" inseam. I'll be wearing hunting pants w/ belt under the rain pants. The Medium pants would be an easy choice for waist, but the Mediums also have a 32.5" inseam. The Small has a 31" inseam which is better for me, but is the waist size too small (30-33" according to website).

I usually wear a 32-30 in pants, and for example, the 32 S in KUIU Attach Pants is my every day wear. I was in your position when preparing to order Chugach NX pants, so I ordered both an M and an S, thinking the M would be better, but wanting to try the S just in case the M was too long. The M fit, but to my surprise, the S fit even better, so I sent back the M and kept the S. It's a great fit if I'm wearing a base layer and Attack pants under, plus the stretch is a game-changer that allows closer fitting (which is nice for soft rain gear because then it doesn't catch on branches as much). If I were to wear a base layer and thick puffy pants, I might get some compression, but not too bad.

Can't go wrong ordering both and sending one back, imo, provided you have the short-term cash available until the refund clears.

 

[Venom One]

I usually wear a 32-30 in pants, and for example, the 32 S in KUIU Attach Pants is my every day wear. I was in your position when preparing to order Chugach NX pants, so I ordered both an M and an S, thinking the M would be better, but wanting to try the S just in case the M was too long. The M fit, but to my surprise, the S fit even better, so I sent back the M and kept the S. It's a great fit if I'm wearing a base layer and Attack pants under, plus the stretch is a game-changer that allows closer fitting (which is nice for soft rain gear because then it doesn't catch on branches as much). If I were to wear a base layer and thick puffy pants, I might get some compression, but not too bad.

Can't go wrong ordering both and sending one back, imo, provided you have the short-term cash available until the refund clears.

This is what I love about this site. Mere minutes after I ask a question, a guy my size with my exact problem has an answer and a great explanation! Thanks for the quick reply, Grappling! Based on your experience, I'm going to just get the S and exchange it if necessary.

 

[Venom One]

I am a 32” waist and a 30” inseam. I have the older Chugach and just bought her new TR as well. I actually wear a large pant. By the time you layer over thermals, pants and a belt, the extra room is nice. Of course if the new ones aren’t cut the same, which they should be, then I’ll send them back for a difffernt size.

I missed your post because I clicked on the last notification (which was Grappling Hook). Now I'm more confused than before. Typically this rain gear will be for early season rain squalls when I'm wearing pants/belt only. I have dedicated rain gear for late season, but even if I choose to wear the Chugach for late season, I've found that cold gear compression pants under rain gear is warm enough for where I hunt (30-50 deg) so I'm not heavily layered.

 

[Theringworm]

I missed your post because I clicked on the last notification (which was Grappling Hook). Now I'm more confused than before. Typically this rain gear will be for early season rain squalls when I'm wearing pants/belt only. I have dedicated rain gear for late season, but even if I choose to wear the Chugach for late season, I've found that cold gear compression pants under rain gear is warm enough for where I hunt (30-50 deg) so I'm not heavily layered.

Then I would order the medium then. I wear mine for all seasons, more in the late season than early. So I am heavily layered.

 

[Venom One]

They were out-of-stock on S so my decision was made for me. Ordered a M in Verde, and had to get a L jacket because they were out of M. I'm between sizes on jackets too so L might be ok.

Thanks for all the replies!

 

[Turkeygetpwnd38]

Thought I’d chime in after just getting back from an elk hunt. My dad has the NX, I have the TR. the TR is absolutely quieter, noticeably less swish while walking.