I'm kind of up in the air over the first lite and the kuiu. I really don't think I'll use the rain gear much at all. Maybe a few times in the treestand. Out west I will mainly be in Wyoming and Montana. But if I need it I don't want to be wet. I was looking at the cheaper kuiu Teton line of rain gear as well. Never owning rain gear before I guess my biggest thing is, is will the cheaper lines get soaked eventually? If you get rained on for a hour or more will you be wet underneath? That's what I don't want. From my understanding you pay more for the breathability and the weight.
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When it comes to semi-permeable membranes, there are basically three types of membrane. They are all some form of PTFE coating underneath the outer layer of fabric. They have some minor differences, but all operate on roughly the same mechanism. Frogg Toggs are somewhat of a different animal also, but their construction method is a small part of the market in comparison.
Most "breathable" rain gear is either nylon or polyester on the surface to give tensile strength and abrasion resistance to the PTFE membrane. Neither of these materials are waterproof on their own when woven, so a DWR is applied to the textile to encourage water to bead up and roll off. DWR is not permanent, and is eventually reduced through abrasion, dirt, UV, washing, etc. Some DWR coatings are better than others, and many people find the need to reapply DWR (such as Nikwax) during the lifetime of the garment. DWR does not make the garment waterproof, it simply avoids "wetting-out", where the outside textile above the PTFE membrane absorbs water and becomes heavy and cold with water. This does not result in you getting wet inside the garment unless the seam taping is poorly done or the PTFE membrane has failed mechanically.
Polyester does not absorb water like nylon and therefore is not as reliant on DWR to prevent wetting out.
Any quality rain gear will list the hydrostatic head (in mm of water column) and breathability (usually in grams/square meter/24 hours). Most higher end garments will be a minimum of 10,000mm/10,000g. In reality, even 3,000mm (118 inches) of water column is more than a jacket would ever be subjected to, but you don't typically see that low of a rating on a quality garment...probably simply due to marketing. The less waterproof the membrane is, the more breathable it will inherently be without adding a ton of complexity. Personally, I find mechanical ventilation to be far superior to any osmosis through a membrane, so I prefer a garment with functional vents like armpits (my favorite jackets have chest vents across the pecs and a vent behind the armpit) or between the shoulders, and a baggy fit. A waistline cinch that allows you to open the bottom when you're standing upright will vent 1000x more moisture in seconds than a PTFE membrane will do in an entire day.
Another thing to look for on quality rain gear is how the seams are taped. Most garments are sewn together at the seams (some really good gear like the Burton AK series are welded seams), and the stitching is a point of water intrusion. Cheaper garments will only have "critically taped seams", such as the shoulders. Higher end garments will list "fully taped seams" and all the sewn areas will be taped. If you look at the garment from the inside out, you can typically see the taping, and how neatly it was done. Sometimes you'll find that the taping was done with wrinkles and tag ends that are sloppy and won't last or hold water.
It doesn't cost a lot to make a good watertight garment, but it does take some good design. I noticed last year that Costco was selling a packable rain shell made from a polyester/spandex blend with welded seams. Because it needs no taping, and the hydrophillic properties of polyester reduce the need for DWR, you've got just about the lightest weight rain gear you can get without sacrificing durability or zippers. I haven't seen it back in stores this season, so I'm kind of bummed I didn't pick one up to check it out.