FL Uncompaghre 2.0 vs. SG Cirque vs others

[archer1416]

As the title says, what is the census on the FL uncompaghre 2.0 vs. the SG Cirque? Feel free to mention any others you feel may belong in that category. I’m aware of the kenai and others out there but from my knowledge aren’t as warm as the unc. I have no experience with the Cirque but hear it is the warmest now besides maybe some very high end down jackets like the Grumman and the chamberlain and Kuiu super down pro. My main goal is to find the warmest, quietest, puffy jacket. Packability is a plus as well but all of them should pack decently. Thanks and Happy New Year!


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[MT_Wyatt]

Cirque is warm. Synthetics are generally not packable and every time you do you are degrading the actual insulation. Compared to the uncompahgre, the cirque is much warmer to me. It isn’t mapped, it’s just a lot of insulation everywhere. It’s quiet, but also cut to wear under a pack, and much trimmer than the first lite fit block. Both have excellent hoods, but I find the collar of the cirque more restrictive when not wearing the actual hood. Both of those jackets are designed for hunting, which is a plus.

Warmest/packable = down. Quiet sounds like you’d want to use it on the move, and that is decidedly not down. The fill amount dictated by use case. Chamberlain is in a league of its own there now that Sitka discontinued their heavy puffy - BUT if you look outside “hunting” brands you’ll have a lot more options. Rab has some nice stuff and fabric packages.

Sounds like you’re leaning synthetic and if you want the warmer jacket, I think the cirque is better than uncompahgre in that regard.

 

[archer1416]

Cirque is warm. Synthetics are generally not packable and every time you do you are degrading the actual insulation. Compared to the uncompahgre, the cirque is much warmer to me. It isn’t mapped, it’s just a lot of insulation everywhere. It’s quiet, but also cut to wear under a pack, and much trimmer than the first lite fit block. Both have excellent hoods, but I find the collar of the cirque more restrictive when not wearing the actual hood. Both of those jackets are designed for hunting, which is a plus.

Warmest/packable = down. Quiet sounds like you’d want to use it on the move, and that is decidedly not down. The fill amount dictated by use case. Chamberlain is in a league of its own there now that Sitka discontinued their heavy puffy - BUT if you look outside “hunting” brands you’ll have a lot more options. Rab has some nice stuff and fabric packages.

Sounds like you’re leaning synthetic and if you want the warmer jacket, I think the cirque is better than uncompahgre in that regard.

Great input! I definitely agree that down packs better and is warmer and I have no plans to move around in it. I’m thinking more about being quiet as I’m a bow hunter and will use it statically under a shell if needed to stay warm in a stand or wherever. That’s why the noise is a factor for me. Ideally I want a very warm synthetic that’s packable enough and I’d like a nice down. Do you think the Grumman would work well under a Kuiu axis hybrid ?


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[MT_Wyatt]

Great input! I definitely agree that down packs better and is warmer and I have no plans to move around in it. I’m thinking more about being quiet as I’m a bow hunter and will use it statically under a shell if needed to stay warm in a stand or wherever. That’s why the noise is a factor for me. Ideally I want a very warm synthetic that’s packable enough and I’d like a nice down. Do you think the Grumman would work well under a Kuiu axis hybrid ?


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No, I don’t, because of the way their shells are trimmed. Their guide, and that axis hybrid (I have tried both on, with layers, then returned) do not have the most flexible cut if you want more than a fleece mid layer under them. They do not work well as a “shell” with insulation under them, unless it is a vest. At least to me. A Grumman is pretty lofted and would be compressed, thus negating its insulating value. I have an M7 shell I can use over the Grumman, or the M5 is the same on cut/use if you want to layer over a large puffy. Both are pretty quiet. None of them are for a tree stand, they are made for high output mountain hunting, so I suspect some of the Sitka whitetail stuff would work better for in the tree use.

Sometimes when it is really cold and bow hunting, it is nice to have something like a quiet insulating later, or at least a vest (they are releasing a hooded cirque vest with 133 g/m of insulation). I have used the uncompahgre bow hunting and the trim sleeves/cut work really well for that. The cirque has nice trim arms and is quiet, and warmer, and layers well under a shell, so pretty good option.

 

[archer1416]

No, I don’t, because of the way their shells are trimmed. Their guide, and that axis hybrid (I have tried both on, with layers, then returned) do not have the most flexible cut if you want more than a fleece mid layer under them. They do not work well as a “shell” with insulation under them, unless it is a vest. At least to me. A Grumman is pretty lofted and would be compressed, thus negating its insulating value. I have an M7 shell I can use over the Grumman, or the M5 is the same on cut/use if you want to layer over a large puffy. Both are pretty quiet. None of them are for a tree stand, they are made for high output mountain hunting, so I suspect some of the Sitka whitetail stuff would work better for in the tree use.

Sometimes when it is really cold and bow hunting, it is nice to have something like a quiet insulating later, or at least a vest (they are releasing a hooded cirque vest with 133 g/m of insulation). I have used the uncompahgre bow hunting and the trim sleeves/cut work really well for that. The cirque has nice trim arms and is quiet, and warmer, and layers well under a shell, so pretty good option.

I think I’m going to go that route and get a cirque (if I can find a 2xl for a decent price) or uncompaghre 2.0 and layer under a shell, and either use the Sitka Kelvin lite down as my big true puffy or buy a Grumman or similar weight down jacket as my “true” down jacket for packing for mountain hunts. I’m beginning to see that it’s best to have both. Great advice man


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[moximouse]

I have a cirque, at first I wasn’t thrilled with the warmth compared to, say, an arcteryx atom LT. Where it excels is with any movement. It regulates temp well, is reasonably water resistant and windproof. The pit zips allow good heat dumping.

I also found that when worn under a shell or a hillpeoplegear wind cheater it gets significantly warmer.

I also like how long the tail is, keeps my butt warm.

 

[archer1416]

I have a cirque, at first I wasn’t thrilled with the warmth compared to, say, an arcteryx atom LT. Where it excels is with any movement. It regulates temp well, is reasonably water resistant and windproof. The pit zips allow good heat dumping.

I also found that when worn under a shell or a hillpeoplegear wind cheater it gets significantly warmer.

I also like how long the tail is, keeps my butt warm.

Have you had a first lite unc 2.0? If you have would you say the cirque is warmer and more wind resistant or no?


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[moximouse]

Sorry I can’t compare those two specifically. I’d say it’s ‘slightly’ warmer than the arcteryx atom LT, with similar wind and water resistance but better temperature regulation, and noticeably warmer than a Patagonia nano-air (which has zero wind or water resistance). The outer material seems comparable performance-wise to an outdoor research ferrosi, if you’re familiar with that.

I wore mine cross country skiing in the low teens over Christmas with 15-20 mile per hour winds and had to have the pit-zips open and front 3/4 unzipped to stay comfortable. Merino baselayer under only.

 

[archer1416]

Sorry I can’t compare those two specifically. I’d say it’s ‘slightly’ warmer than the arcteryx atom LT, with similar wind and water resistance but better temperature regulation, and noticeably warmer than a Patagonia nano-air (which has zero wind or water resistance). The outer material seems comparable performance-wise to an outdoor research ferrosi, if you’re familiar with that.

I wore mine cross country skiing in the low teens over Christmas with 15-20 mile per hour winds and had to have the pit-zips open and front 3/4 unzipped to stay comfortable. Merino baselayer under only.

I’m not familiar with any pieces from the non hunting brands. Would you say it’s warm enough for static insulation in the teens with a hard wind? SG says it’s supposed to be the same warmth as the Grumman which I find hard to believe


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[moximouse]

The Grumman is not super thick (I played with it in the store) so I would believe it is comparable warmth, especially if under a shell or wind cheater.

I think with a merino base, a grid fleece mid layer, the cirque, a good balaclava, and a shell or wind cheater, it would be fine for up to two hours or so of glassing assuming you had good layers on your legs and good boots.

TBH true static- like 3-4 hours while staying comfortable- usually means I need puffy pants and a pretty puffy jacket, or some sort of tarp windbreak.

 

[archer1416]

The Grumman is not super thick (I played with it in the store) so I would believe it is comparable warmth, especially if under a shell or wind cheater.

I think with a merino base, a grid fleece mid layer, the cirque, a good balaclava, and a shell or wind cheater, it would be fine for up to two hours or so of glassing assuming you had good layers on your legs and good boots.

TBH true static- like 3-4 hours while staying comfortable- usually means I need puffy pants and a pretty puffy jacket, or some sort of tarp windbreak.

Ok that’s good info thanks


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[moximouse]

The cirque has 133g/m of primaloft insulation.
The uncompahgre or however it’s spelled has 100g of “37.5” insulation which I’m not familiar with on the body and 60g on the hood and sleeves.

At face value, the cirque has 33% more insulation. Some of the photos on first-lites site actually show light through the hood. I’d say that’s not a good sign.

Finally, the pit zips on the cirque provide a MASSIVE bonus for when it’s too cold to drop a layer but you’re still exerting. That’s why I spend my money on it and I’m quite pleased.

 

[archer1416]

The cirque has 133g/m of primaloft insulation.
The uncompahgre or however it’s spelled has 100g of “37.5” insulation which I’m not familiar with on the body and 60g on the hood and sleeves.

At face value, the cirque has 33% more insulation. Some of the photos on first-lites site actually show light through the hood. I’d say that’s not a good sign.

Finally, the pit zips on the cirque provide a MASSIVE bonus for when it’s too cold to drop a layer but you’re still exerting. That’s why I spend my money on it and I’m quite pleased.

I’m not going to be waking around in it lol and wouldn’t that mean the first lite has more insulation? It has a total of 160 and the cirque has 133. SG doesn’t say how it is distributed in the cirque but it’s less either way correct? Or am I understanding the numbers wrongly?


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[moximouse]

I believe those insulation weights are grams per meter of fabric. So the cirque has 133g of primaloft insulation per meter. The first lite jacket has 100g of 37.5 in the body, and only 60g/m (so less than half) in the arms and hood. While I’m not familiar with 37.5, I highly highly highly doubt it is warmer per weight than primaloft.

Thus not as warm.

 

[archer1416]

I believe those insulation weights are grams per meter of fabric. So the cirque has 133g of primaloft insulation per meter. The first lite jacket has 100g of 37.5 in the body, and only 60g/m (so less than half) in the arms and hood. While I’m not familiar with 37.5, I highly highly highly doubt it is warmer per weight than primaloft.

Thus not as warm.

Oh ok. I was misunderstanding how that worked then. I thought it was a total amount of insulation and then spread throughout the jacket. For instance, I thought it was 100 grams of insulation spread through the body and the 60 grams spread through the arms and hood. Which to me made sense because the body portion is the largest and would require more of the insulation to fill. I didn’t know it was like you said where the number is the amount per meter.


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[MT_Wyatt]

It’s very comparable in warmth to the Grumman Down, which I would not characterize as very thin. It’s well lofted, high fill power down. Sewn through baffling so not like a box baffled piece.

Sitting on a ridge in the teens - probably lasting in terms of minutes, not hours. Puffy pants would help, as would the sun. But that’s a demanding situation.

Atom LT vs Cirque….it’s more than double the insulation, and owning both I’ll go ahead and say it isn’t even close, the cirque is much, much warmer. I love the atom LT but the cirque picks up where that jacket leaves off in terms of temperature brackets.

 

[Corey Paulsen (teamkabob)]

Sorry I can’t compare those two specifically. I’d say it’s ‘slightly’ warmer than the arcteryx atom LT, with similar wind and water resistance but better temperature regulation, and noticeably warmer than a Patagonia nano-air (which has zero wind or water resistance). The outer material seems comparable performance-wise to an outdoor research ferrosi, if you’re familiar with that.

I wore mine cross country skiing in the low teens over Christmas with 15-20 mile per hour winds and had to have the pit-zips open and front 3/4 unzipped to stay comfortable. Merino baselayer under only.

Arcteryx atom LT in the hoody for me. Borrowed a super down Kuiu jacket and it's nice too. But my atom is always with me. I used it for a stand alone jacket, insulation under my deer hunting jacket, under my ski jacket, under my rain jacket, and when it gets wet it's still warm and I have worn it dry. I use this jacket 90% over any jacket I have, even when hunting.

Men's Arc'teryx Atom LT Hooded Softshell Jacket

The Arc-teryx Atom Light Men’s Winter Jacket provides comfort and warmth. This is a versatile lightweight winter jacket to wear while outdoors this winter. SCHEELS

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