Big box of First Lite-review

[robby denning]

I started using First Lite in 2013: two Uncompahgres, two pair of Kanabs (gen1), one pair of Allegheny med wt and one pair heavy wt, Red Deserts, several merino tops, a pair of gloves, a pair of mittens, and a beanie.

Over five seasons, I wore the zippers out of the puffys, and eventually shredded the Kanabs. One of the tops (Llano QZ) went over 130 days (I kept track, honest!: Durability of Merino Wool: A 100-Day Test - Rokslide )and I just finally wore the seat out of the Allegheny med wt this year, which is impressive considering how much I ride horses and glass.

Everything else is still very usable.

I think the warmth to weight ratio is good to great in most First Lite gear and is what I wear mostly after early October when the cold weather arrives.

Ryan Callaghan just sent me another batch of gear to put through the wringer. Some is newly released, some is familiar, some is improved,

And some is prototype that I can post on later in the month after I’ve used it.

I also have the new Chamberlain down coat (I can’t bring myself to call it a jacket) and as soon as it gets REALLY cold, I’ll try it.

Both the puffy zippers that failed were the previous O- reach, but FL went to Ykk in 2016 so this new puffy has the upgrade. The former zippers were designed for strength, not frequency of use, so he’s pretty sure I won’t go through a puffy every two seasons like I have.

The gen1 Kanabs were light but delicate in heavy brush and didn’t at all agree with barbed wire. I still got 2.5 seasons out of each of mine (with a little help from a needle and thread) and really liked the warmth, breathability, water repel, and again, lightweight . I never did get to try the gen2 Kanabs before they were replaced by the Obsidians, which I now have in this new batch.

I ordered everything using a sewing tape and First Lite’s sizing chart. It took some extra time but out of the box, everything fits

I’ll swing back with more on what I’ll be running. This thread is to answer your questions on what’s working, what’s been improved and what’s new. So subscribe at thread tools, top of this post if you’d like feedback and how I use it on various hunts.

 

[robby denning]

We just had our first snow of the season, and although not much accumulation, it was wet ‘n heavy. I headed out before daylight to hike some brushy ridges to scout for bucks. I wore the

Uncompahgre Puffy (in Conifer), Uncompahgre Puffy Insulated Jacket Ryan says other than the zipper, specs are same as previous ones I’ve owned. The 3 pockets are simple, one upper left chest (think phone/gps, tissue for optics)

and two hand-warming generous sized side pockets

The wrist cuffs are snug for several inches up the arm (vs a thin elastic cuff end) blocking drafts but soft

I’ve always been impressed with a FL Puffy’s ability to stay dry under exertion.

the Fuse LS Crew (Dry Earth) Lightweight 200, which is made with Aerowool (best of merino combined with the 37.5 moisture-wicking fibers)

and the Obsidian Pant (Dry Earth) made with Merino/nylon blend. Hoping this blend solves the durability issues of the old Kanabs

(I always feel stupid posing for pics, but you guys need pics!)

It was very wet walking through a mile of wet brush. I didn’t have on a baselayer (part of what I liked about the Kanabs- no baselayer needed above freezing unless very stationary) and I wore fleece gaiters but the brush was high enough to touch my thighs. I could feel the dampness but the Obsidians did not “soak” through

Had I walked a lot further, they may have soaked but like the old Kanabs, they shed water pretty good. Also, if I wouldn’t have had gaiters, I probably would have really got wet down low.

The Obsidians are just a tad
Larger than the old Kanabs and have a little more drape, but no size adjustment needed. Like the Kanabs, these come with suspenders. If you like to wear them, you’ll like FIrst Lites, one attachment in the rear and two in front. Light and comfy, I just don’t like the hassle is suspenders so I’m glad they’re easily removable.

Once out of the wet brush, they dried out as I hiked fairly fast.

The Fuse LS crew Aerowool Men's Fuse Crew is my first Aerowool garment. Besides an odd smell to start with (not really chemical, but odd) that lessened with fresh air, this stuff is warm and light (9oz according to tag). I didn’t push really hard but was sweating. Same as pant, I was dry before too long once I hit flat ground.

Temps were in the high 20’s to mid thirties and these three garments were just right for it. They’re warm enough you could even sit for a while glass and not get cold.

Ryan also sent me the Uncompahgre puffy pant (I’ve wanted these since Jordan tested them last year here First Lite Uncompahgre Puffy Pant Review - Rokslide

I plan to combine these four garments for my Idaho hunt next week (forecast is snow and cold) I have a feeling that I’ll be ready for about anything this time of year, all for the low weight and low bulk considering the warmth I’ll get. I’ll post more on those other items as I get a chance to wear them.




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[robby denning]

9500’, 20 degrees, humid after two snow storms,1.5 hr climb, Obsidians over Furnace long john, w/ no-name gaiter. Good combo of warm, dry, breathable. I can stop for about 30 minutes before chill and need to move again.

Upper is FL Stormlight rain shell over “to- be-named soon” over Fuse crew LS Aerowool.

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[robby denning]

Ended up with about 8” snow over three storms.


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[OG DramaLlama]

I ran the fuse/furnace layering system last week as well. I was 1k lower elevation and a little higher temps. Had 3.5 days of storms and used the Seak Stormtight to keep me dry. 5 days of 30-40 in the day and 25-30 at night.

Kept me dry and very comfortable.

The most impressive day was when the fog rolled in all day. Bouts of snow and really chilly wind. I was still hunting tree lines and saddles. Even set up on a couple ambush spots. Was able to sit and move slow without getting uncomfortably cold.




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[robby denning]

I ran the fuse/furnace layering system last week as well. I was 1k lower elevation and a little higher temps. Had 3.5 days of storms and used the Seak Stormtight to keep me dry. 5 days of 30-40 in the day and 25-30 at night.

Kept me dry and very comfortable.

The most impressive day was when the fog rolled in all day. Bouts of snow and really chilly wind. I was still hunting tree lines and saddles. Even set up on a couple ambush spots. Was able to sit and move slow without getting uncomfortably cold.




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Good to hear. Thanks for sharing your experiences.


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[mcseal2]

The Aerowool has become my favorite next to skin layer. I used it last season in Wyoming for muleys, last year in Kansas for whitetail and coyotes, and this year in Alaska for moose. I've worn it from the low 70's to around 0 hunting. I like how it has the best qualities of merino but dries fast. I used the new Aerowool hoody and the new 200wt bottoms most of the trip in AK this year. They worked well through 5 days of rain with lows around 40 and then 6 days of dry with highs around 70. I hunted every day and packed out 2 moose without getting much smell to them.

I ripped a big gash in the Obsidians on a thorn last whitetail season, they just aren't durable enough for me. I love how quiet they are. I hope the Catalyst pant will be a good one for my needs, but until I need something else I'm going to run my Sitka and Kryptek synthetic pants.

The Catalyst jacket I am still undecided on. I like how quiet it is and it's pretty breathable. I wish it had pit zips. Really I'm not sure it offers anything my Kryptek Dalibor 2 doesn't. It's more breathable but lacks the pit zips. It is probably quieter material. The sleeves are a much tighter fit on the Catalyst, to tight to layer a puffy jacket under the jacket easily. I have been wearing it some for work this fall and I start out with the Ucompaghre vest under the Catalyst on mornings in the upper 30's and end up with just the jacket by the time it gets into the mid 40's. That works pretty well, but not really better than my old system of the Kuiu Kenai jacket under the Dalibor 2 jacket. I guess the only time I see this jacket as being really nice is if it can replace a fleece mid layer (like a Kuiu 240 or FL Halstead) and a jacket. Cold enough temps I can hunt with an Aerowool base and Catalyst, then carry a puffy and rain gear to go over the top if needed. It has to be fairly cold to do that when active. Also I've generally taken off my jacket and put my puffy under it so it stays dry instead of putting it over the top of my jacket like I'd have to do with the Catalyst. I could see the tight sleeves being advantageous bow hunting but they really don't do much for me as a rifle hunter.

The FL SEAK jacket kept me dry in Alaska through days of steady rain. I was very happy with the jacket. It's loud but all good raingear is. It is somewhat breathable for being as bomb proof as it is and has big pit zips for dumping heat.

The Ucompaghre vest is the other FL piece I've used a lot. I've run it for 2 years and been happy with it. I seem to mostly use it predator hunting when I need to not overheat on a short hike in but be warm for 20-45 minutes once I sit down. It seems to fit that pretty well until it gets real cold.

 

[robby denning]

Good review, mcseal2.
I keep hearing that about the Obsidians, so far I haven’t torn mine. And they seem tougher than the old Kanabs. Curious to see what happens, cause I sure like them.
Just got the 10th day on them
Helping my elk hunters

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[mcseal2]

I'm glad you like them, maybe I quit on the to quick. I liked my first ones well enough I got another pair, then after ripping out my old ones I ended up selling the newer pair while they still looked pretty new. I never had Kanabs.

My original ones were an ASAT pair I got cheap when they discontinued that pattern and maybe were older stock and not as tough. I got a lot of ASAT stuff when it went on the big discontinuation sale, much of my First Lite stuff, so I figured I'd say what I could. My SEAK is ASAT as well as my Ucompaghre vest, Sawtooth, Halstead, and the Obsidian pants. I got a North Branch softshell jacket too but it never became a favorite. I do use it some predator hunting. The ASAT blends very well with our dormant big bluestem grass in the pastures.

I work on a ranch and am outside every day so I get a lot of opportunity to wear hunting clothing under different conditions outside the time I spend hunting. I end up using a lot of it when working beneath outer layers that catch most of the abuse so it can keep me comfortable and stay in good shape for hunting season. It's nice to keep me warm under my Filson jacket on the horse, and then when I get to working on foot I take off the big coat and stay comfortable in the breathable stuff. The good hunting brands sell really well on Ebay and I end up buying items on sale and getting rid of what I don't end up liking real well for about what I paid.

One thing I forgot to review is the Sawtooth jacket. I got one of those in ASAT that is a pretty versatile layer I wear a lot in drier cool to cold weather. It does well as an outer layer when moderately active or a mid layer when less active. It's somewhere between the Chama and Catalyst in warmth, not to far from a Chama/Halstead combo. It has an excellent hood which I like. When not wearing a pack the lack of insulation on the back can leave that as a cold spot though. The insulation on the front works.

 

[robby denning]

You own a lot of FL. Feel free to share anytime, good or bad.


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[robby denning]

So the storm finally broke on the fifth day, but although I could see stars, the winds were in the 20-30 mph range at times on the ridge tops. But the deer had been pretty hunkered down for at least four days, and I figured they’d be out of the timber at least for an hour or two.

I was on the main ridge with the basin where I'd seen the target buck in September to my north. Plan was to work my way through some country I had absolutely not been able to see into with the fog of the storm and end my morning glassing into that basin. The wind-chill factor had to be in the single digits, so I'd only glass a few minutes then pussyfoot to the next ridge.

I spotted about a 160-170 buck bedded at daylight, tucked into the mountain out of the wind. I had a hard time believing he was alone, so I moved extra carefully to get around him (of course after glassing all around him to make sure I wasn't missing any other deer). It took about 30 minutes, but I got off the ridge he was on without spooking him. Now I was in the wide open being blasted by the wind so I moved as quick as I dared to get to the next ridge. Once there, I glassed quickly below me and spotted a wide buck at about 500 yards barely visible below the curve of the hill below me.

I belly crawled and butt-slid about 50 yards to where I could see above the terrain. He looked good. I put up the Swaro' CT 75 and then he looked really good--twin cheaters on his G-3s adding to about a 29" frame.

The wind was blowing so hard that I didn't want to shoot the 450 yards so I ducked down the northeast side of the ridge and crept in where I thought he, and a smaller 4-pt, were heading to bed. An hour later, at 130 yards, they both appeared in a tangle of spruce. It took a few minutes to make sure I was shooting the right buck as I never could see a whole deer. Finally I saw that big main frame and his left cheater....

I photographed his track after I took care of the buck, so for you with keen eyes, it is a couple hours old. Pretty good track. Not a giant track but definitely from a big buck. There's a $1000 tip for you right there

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[robby denning]

I was pretty sure the shot was good, but I gave him about 15 as it was thick where he was and I didn't see him go down.

Got on the tracks and found him about 50 yards later, piled up in a ceanothus .

It was amazing to find just 450 yards down the mountain where I'd spotted him was like a whole new climate, no wind, sunny, and even kinda warm. I took advantage of the weather and immediately quartered him up and readied him for the pack out. I'd bring the horses down later that afternoon and get him. It was dark by the time I had him back to camp. I was really tired from the week of hunting, but it was the kind of tired that brings a deep satisfaction to your heart & soul.

So the Puffy/Obsidian, Furnace and Fuse with the outershell worked well for the active portion of this hunt, but I had along a new release from FL that is still in the testing phase: a light down jacket. This thing made my hunt in these frigid temps and was definitely the warmest garment to weight/bulk I had along. I'll post some more on it this week, along with three sets of gloves that FL might be releasing.

 

[robby denning]

OK, before I get on to the prerelease gloves, jacket, I wanted to share my experience with the Uncompahgre Puffy Pants.

As said earlier, Jordan Budd reviewed these last year here, but this is my first try with them. Be sure and read her review before buying these as she spent way more time in them than I did and has some more tips on targeted usage.

I used them in two ways on this hunt:

1) To glass as long as possible

As I arrived two days early, I knew I’d have some longer glassing sessions at least on those scouting days.

Once it gets into the 40’s, it’s tough to sit even a few hours without moving, especially if there is any wind. I donned the puffy pants, made sure I was careful on the sharp rocks (used a sitting pad)

and found that they really added time to glassing sessions. My temps were in the high 20’s and it was very windy (15+ sustained on that ridge) but I made it two hours before I needed to move.

I used them hiking short distances, under a mile, and they were too warm for much more than that unless you were still hunting slowly (almost quiet enough for that). I didn’t tear them in the few days I wore them but if you found you were hiking a lot in them, I’d recommend a gaiter to protect the lowers. They are super easy to remove with the leg-long zippers and pack down well enough to carry in a decent sized day pack. This means some users could drop a baselayer and just use the puffy's to regulate temps like on a spotting/hiking day where activity is really up and down.

2) To add temp rating to my bag

I still don't have a great sleeping bag that is both light and warm. For this hunt, I took my old no-name Chinese bag with Polyester fill rated to 18 degrees (for me, that means about 28 degrees.). I knew I'd potentially hit the low teens on this hunt, but rather than bring along my 6lb military down bag (looks like a 30 gallon garbage can), I decided to just run these puffy pants on the coldest nights.

Happy to say they worked for this and worked very well. They kept me very warm on those nights, are slick enough that you can turn over in your bag, and easy to remove in the morning, which I didn't do very quickly until the woodburner heated up the tent.

For the weight and bulk they add to your pack, they make up for some or all of that in the ability to take a lighter bag. Don't totally go off my word on this, but do some testing of your own to make sure.


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[robby denning]

Next up in this review, is the jacket I tested and the line of gloves (and a mitten) that FL is considering releasing. You can see that jacket and down mitten in the first photo in the post above...
I'll be back soon.

 

[bbrown]

Great stuff and helluva buck. Congrats!

 

[robby denning]

Thanks bbrown!


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[Redside]

Great buck Robby! I was hoping for one of those day by day's this year like you did with jalapeno. Those were fun to follow along. Next year?

 

[robby denning]

Thanks Redside! I kinda got away from those as there are so many out there now, they are a ton of work, and you need cell service.

I’ve continued to film parts of all my hunts, so I have the content, just not sure if it’s with all the effort.

Back when I was doing that, people followed blogs that allowed video representation of the hunt, but now it’s podcasts and strictly audio. That’s why I’ve been on so many podcasts as it seems the best use of my time to talk to people about buck hunting.

What’s your thoughts?


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[aron]

Thanks Redside! I kinda got away from those as there are so many out there now, they are a ton of work, and you need cell service.

I’ve continued to film parts of all my hunts, so I have the content, just not sure if it’s with all the effort.

Back when I was doing that, people followed blogs that allowed video representation of the hunt, but now it’s podcasts and strictly audio. That’s why I’ve been on so many podcasts as it seems the best use of my time to talk to people about buck hunting.

What’s your thoughts?


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I really enjoyed the short video updates of your hunts as you did with jalapeno. I prefer that type of content versus podcasts and audio. And great buck buck by the way!

 

[Redside]

Thanks Redside! I kinda got away from those as there are so many out there now, they are a ton of work, and you need cell service.

I’ve continued to film parts of all my hunts, so I have the content, just not sure if it’s with all the effort.

Back when I was doing that, people followed blogs that allowed video representation of the hunt, but now it’s podcasts and strictly audio. That’s why I’ve been on so many podcasts as it seems the best use of my time to talk to people about buck hunting.

What’s your thoughts?


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I kinda figured it was about how much time you have. I've really been liking the day to day stuff that Randy Newberg, Born and Raised ect are putting out on Youtube. If you have that kind of content and the time, I think a day by day hunt put up on the Rokslide youtube would be beneficial. But keep each episode under 30min. The 10-15 min range is best I think. That was my only complaint about Born and Raised is how long each one is, I really only have about an hour per night I would spend watching tv ect, but I really liked that elk series and followed it daily.

Podcasts are ok, I'm listening to them more often, but only listen to maybe a couple a week. Hard to keep up on those as there are so many good ones.