Puffy over softshell or the other way around

[sneaky]

I use most of my stuff hunting whitetail and predators in the midwest and on western trips. What pieces go depends on the expected weather and hunting plan.

To the original question I generally put a shell over the puffy but not always. If I'm going to be moving a few hundred yards and glassing regularly I'll use the puffy as the outer layer so it's easier to take off and put on.

The Catalyst mentioned earlier has pretty slim fitting sleeves. The only puffy layer that works well under mine is a FL Uncompaghre vest. If I was planning around that I'd size the puffy to go over it. I actually seldom use the Catalyst unless I don't need to layer much under it and I really want to be quiet.

My favorite all around softshell and the one I use the most later season is still the Kryptek Dalibor 2. I like the Sitka Mountain jacket too if I don't need a hood and just need a wind stopper.

I have a FL Seak and Sitka Cloudburst for hard shells. Both work well but are fairly loud. I probably prefer the Seak of the two.

The most wind resistant fleece I've used is the Kuiu Peloton 240 hoody. I almost always have that on when hunting, it's the piece I layer around.

The quietest puffy I've used is the Kenai from Kuiu. It's also the least wind resistant. The Kifaru LPP is the warmest I've tried but I want to try a warmer down puffy. I whitetail hunt in KS in December and want a puffy warm enough for that but that I can also use out west if it's really cold. Something a step warmer than the Kifaru LPP. I'm leaning toward the FL Chamberlain since it has the most down. I got the Kuiu Superdown Pro pants and used them this December whitetail season. They are great to put on once I'm at my hunting spot and really helped keep me warm and blocked wind. I'd like a puffy jacket and pants that compress well enough to pack that I can put on when I'm going to be stationary for several hours, then layer for hiking under them.

Take a look at the Skaha pullover from Nunatak. You can have it custom made for you. With or without a hood, he does multicam, custom sleeve length, back length, overfill, kangaroo pocket, inside pockets. He does it in down or Apex, custom either way.

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[mcseal2]

I'll check him out, thanks.

 

[sneaky]

I'll check him out, thanks.

He's got some cool stuff on his Instagram page he's done custom too

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[mcseal2]

Have to save up for that one, when I get all the features I want it adds up to $520. It has all the features I want as an option though, gotta like that. I would rather buy once cry once on this puffy, I could sell some other pieces to help fund it.

 

[sneaky]

Yeah, it's not cheap, but it's truly custom

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[tracker12]

It is really hard to find pieces that will work out west as well as for whitetails. I have tried everything and when its cold and I'm in a tree stand I have settled on a Wool Bowhunter Jacket from Silent Predator with layers underneath. One of those layers is either a Kuiu Super Down vest or my RAD puffy jacket. The Kuiu is noisy but under the wool is manageable. Nothing is as quiet in the cold woods as wool. When I'm out west I run a Sitka Jetstream or 90% jacket with some sort of light weigh puffy when it gets cold. I have looked at the Kifaru LLp and would like to have one but personally I would not be wearing it in a stand for deer. The Kuiu Kenai is about the quietest I have worn.

 

[prm]

I just use the Cabelas wooltimate for the treestand. Very quiet, very warm. Layer it over the top of some thinner puffy layer(s) if necessary. Makes most of stuff I use out west useful for treestand as well.

 

[Gehringert35]

Not discounting the series (wish I could afford it all) just saying that for my uses the western stuff is more versatile. And that I feel like I get more out of my money going with the mig game stuff. And really if you throw out all the core layers, which are the same thing just different pattern, pretty much all the pieces are specialized. I was telling the OP what I use and why. My example about the kelvin active is that it works very very well in a treestand setting for me as well as for its intended purpose. Whereas I don’t think many of the whitetail stuff can say the same thing if you wanted to use it for a backpack trip. I haven’t put hands on all the whitetail pieces, maybe the Celsius midi would would great in both. I don’t know. I only talked about the pieces I use and have put hands on. Just trying to throw out some possibilities.
As far as the fanatic and heavyweight hoody. I know they are the same hoody but, on sites like this as soon as you generalize something and say they are the same thing you get someone correcting you and pointing out differences. But if you say that they are interchangeable for me, like I did, you get corrected saying they are the same thing. I would never tell some not to use one thing or another but he asked about what stuff works for both and I told him my experience and opinions.


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How do the apex pants fit for size? I tried on my buddies ascent size 34 and they were a hair big. What size would you recommend? Thanks

 

[TravisIN]

For me they fit true to size. I wear a a 34 normally and that’s what I got and they fit good for me.


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[deerkiller]

^^^...what Nubs said (last sentence). A total PITA.

SW typically has a fairly good amoung ot Sitka Gear in stock, I'd bet they'd get a certain piece in for you as well - Sitka is a stellar company for covering returns when you are sincerely trying to fit yourself, dealt with them alot

 

[freshta]

Who is SW?

 

[Gehringert35]

For me they fit true to size. I wear a a 34 normally and that’s what I got and they fit good for me.


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Thanks

 

[1shotgear]

I would look into the Sitka Ground Forest. It's on sale and it has some quitter clothing options and the Optifade works gear for both tree stand hunting and spot and stock hunting.

 

[cityhunter]

Going back to Puffy vs Softshell question on top. This past rifle season in CO I was cold enough that I needed all my layers. If sitting on spot for a while, I had my rain gear over the puffy. But during periods of movement and stopping, I'd just leave the puffy on the outside so that I would not have to keep taking off and rewearing another layer. Also helped that my top layer puffy was more durable, the kifaru lost parka (not as camo'd out but it's rifle season after all). Curious to know what y'all do when it's so cold you need all layers (incl rain gear) on?

 

[mtwarden]

Going back to Puffy vs Softshell question on top. This past rifle season in CO I was cold enough that I needed all my layers. If sitting on spot for a while, I had my rain gear over the puffy. But during periods of movement and stopping, I'd just leave the puffy on the outside so that I would not have to keep taking off and rewearing another layer. Also helped that my top layer puffy was more durable, the kifaru lost parka (not as camo'd out but it's rifle season after all). Curious to know what y'all do when it's so cold you need all layers (incl rain gear) on?

My puffy typically was my outer layer when stopped- break/lunch/glassing/sitting around camp- going over my base layer and my windshirt and/or an active mid-layer. My puffy layer does sport a highly wind and precipitation resistant fabric (Robic), but if it happened to be really high winds or heavier precipitation- I'd have my rain layer over the top of everything.

I purposely spec'd a fabricator my puffy that was both wind and precip resistant, so I could just layer it over the top quickly (and just as quickly, get back to hiking)