First lite puffy

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Jul 30, 2013
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So I've got the first lite puffy in dry earth and love it, probably the best piece of kit I've bought in quite awhile. I was wondering for the guys that have the camo puffy is the material different? on the dry earth there is the fabric that makes up the body (shiny) and the part that covers the forearms and shoulders (matte). Is the camo puffys made up entirely of the matte fabric, or does it just not shine as much as the dry earth.
 
The bottom, sleeves, and hood are all the shiny material on my ASAT. It's also a lot noisier than the torso section.......I would have preferred the whole thing be like the torso section. I wonder why it's different.
 
5 miles I completely agree. It's really the ONLY complaint I have about the jacket, it was probably to cut down on weight I'm assuming.
 
I wish the whole jacket was in the shiny material. It's a lot tougher than the cloth fabric.
 
I got mine over the weekend and I wasnt as impressed with it as I was hoping. I thought it was heavy and baggy and it didnt seem much warmer to me. It definitely appears a bit tougher and quieter than the super down, but it doesnt seem to be what I was looking for in this jacket. Im going to keep testing it but will probably be returning it at this point.
 
I put 30+ field days on mine last fall from -9 to 60 degrees and am very happy with it. Still looks new other than some dirty spots in the white liner.
 
I wish the whole jacket was in the shiny material. It's a lot tougher than the cloth fabric.

I think the shiny material is nylon........something I try to avoid for the most part, because of the noise. At a minimum I would prefer the sleeves to be quiet material, since that's what's rubbing against branches and stuff while I'm hunting. Also forces me to wear an armguard since the string slapping nylon is like a gun going off. I guess I could always wear a fleece over it.
 
It's very similar to rhino skin from Kifaru. I would also use something over it if I was bow hunting or spot and stalk hunting. I really like the puffy and where it almost every day, very comfortable.
 
I got mine over the weekend and I wasnt as impressed with it as I was hoping. I thought it was heavy and baggy and it didnt seem much warmer to me. It definitely appears a bit tougher and quieter than the super down, but it doesnt seem to be what I was looking for in this jacket. Im going to keep testing it but will probably be returning it at this point.

I would urge you to really give it a chance, I honestly have not been so pleased with a piece of clothing as I have with this in a long long time. It completely replaces any soft shell that I used to pack, and if I'm not expecting incliment weather other then lite showers or drizzle it also replaces my rain jacket. It's not a conventional puffy but it is a great piece of gear.
 
I wish the whole jacket was in the shiny material. It's a lot tougher than the cloth fabric.

Ryan is this because of wear on your cloth sections? Also do you feel maybe It could be because those areas, like the shoulders and arms are high wear areas where the stomach and hood portion see less? I've used mine quite a bit and am really happy how the jacket as a whole has held up. I'm also really astounded at how water resistant it is.
 
Ryan is this because of wear on your cloth sections? Also do you feel maybe It could be because those areas, like the shoulders and arms are high wear areas where the stomach and hood portion see less? I've used mine quite a bit and am really happy how the jacket as a whole has held up. I'm also really astounded at how water resistant it is.

No I have wore this puffy to death. Around 70+ days in the field and another 70+ around the house and it flat out takes a beating with no signs of wear, other than some burn holes thanks to Aron. I have a Kifaru Slik bag and I swear it's the same material as the shiny stuff on the FL puffy. The Rhino skin on the Kifaru sleeping gear is tougher than almost any fabric I've been around. I watched in horror as my son bunny hopped acrossed sharp rocks and broken glass in a camp ground with a slik sleeping bag. He went about 50 yards I figured there would be cuts in the bag, it didn't even make a scratch! My wife through a slik bag into my toolbox up camping, it rode all the way home stuck between an ax blade and some metal wire with zero scratches.

First Lite might not use it in the torso area because it doesn't breath. I will ask Kenton to chime in.
 
I have not worn it nearly as much as you, probably 30 days In The field and a dozen or so days out and about and I honestly cannot think of one thing to improve it except have the fleece liner on the entire inside of the hood, just for no other reason then to Cover up the white. But the hood folds down pretty well when not in use. A little quiter would be nice but I mean it is a puffy, a fairly quite one at that.
 
I have one in the Dry Earth color, and I’ve used the jacket in a variety of field conditions since last fall. Fit is on the generous side, but not overly baggy. The jacket has a unique backing system to the zipper that pretty much ensures you will never snag the zipper on the jacket! It also has a DWR treatment on it that sheds water exceptionally well for a jacket of this class. Additionally the Cocona technology makes this a highly breathable jacket that insulates even when wet. The fabric is more durable than my old Thermawrap and shows little wear even after months of testing. This jacket is warmer than it looks and just continues to impress the more I wear it.

I’d like to see First Lite offer an additional version of this jacket without a hood and add a new vest based on the same specs. It’s a bit heavier than the Thermawrap so the extra durability and DWR coating come at the cost of a few ounces. Be nice if the vest was a slightly slimmer fit to make layering easy...
 
I really like this jacket. Last week I wore it in the barn feeding horses and caught it on a nail head and ripped a hole about two inches long in the shiny material. Any ideas on how to repair it?
 
Like Ryan I have really got a chance to wear mine alot since December 2012. I have two, one for hunting and another for around town :) Both have been outstanding. While hunting I typically only wear mine while I am staitionary glassing or sitting in a location that game may come through for awhile. When I wear it while hiking I get real warm. I have worn mine while trapping on a snow mobile at 20 below 0 multiple times and was warm as can be (obviously I had a few other layers on). Caught it on brush and branches, no issues so far. Wore it in damp conditions in SE Alaska, water did not compromise it. Wore it on the North Slope in AK in 40-50 mile winds with only two base layers under it, kept me warm. It's a great jacket for sure.

My KUIU Spindrift and Superdown have both lost considerable warmth since owning them, they are now "camp" jackets and likely will never see a hunting situation again due to that.

The only thing that I would change is the white on the inside of the jacket to a more neutral color. That way when you throw it on while on a mountain side or where ever you may be you don't get a flash of white possibly giving away your location.
 
I really like this jacket. Last week I wore it in the barn feeding horses and caught it on a nail head and ripped a hole about two inches long in the shiny material. Any ideas on how to repair it?

If you aren't too picky about it looking perfect, Tenancious tape (clear) or Seamgrip will both work fine. I've used both to repair holes in some of my lightweight puffy's.
 
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