Hard shell help

[Jesse Jaymes]

I am a more novice backpack hunter. But trying to take that "next step" of sorts. Always tweaking gear and kit. Sure most do the same.
I have a nice set of KUIU. Not sure which softshell....Guide maybe? But I've been caught in both high winds, and heavy rains. And I don't pack rain gear. I need to change that. I am not really a bowhunter. At least not a Spot and Stalk bowhunter. I am a rifle slut. Glassing often leaves me wishing I'd packed a Hard Shell of sorts. To cut wind an throw on after a hike to a glassing location. I'm sure others do the same.

I DO like camo stuff. I missed a rain gear review somewhere recently. Maybe in Eastman's??

Can someone steer me towards a quality hard shell? I am looking for a light weight, 100% waterproof, reliable shell. A shell to be added nearly 80% of the time after burning calories and getting to a glassing point.

Am I way off on trying to fit a Hard Shell into my System?

 

[pyroducksx3]

http://www.rokslide.com/2012-01-09-...let-it-rain-light-weight-rain-jacket-shootout

I use the chugach set for my primary rain gear. If Im not expecting rain I'll throw in a krypyek poseidon top and may or maynot take the chugach pants. No complaints here about either piece of gear.

 

[Jesse Jaymes]

Spent most of a snowy Sunday wading through the High Country jacket test. Good info. I'll need to zoom in somehow to read all the finer points.

 

[tipsntails7]

Most guys are now running a puffy and a hardshell and leaving the softshell at home. Not as warm as a puffy and not as waterproof as rain gear. And probably heavier then both. As far as hard shells go if you want camo it limits it some but there are great offerings out there. If solids is your choice then the choices are dang near endless. I've had the original chugach, stormfront lite, and the stormfront. I take the chugach 90% of the time. For solids I've got an older arc'teryx true hardshell, (Gore pro) that I have absolutely put through the wringer. I've had that arc for a long time an it has done nothing but impress me.

 

[Lawnboi]

I can live with the puffy and hard shell if iv got a rifle. But with a bow I don't know how you guys do it.

My rain gear is loud enough, that it'll stay in the pack and I'll end up getting soaked just to be quiet.

Kuiu chugach is just too load for bow hunting in IMO. Still want to get my hands on a first lite and see if it's bow hunter quiet. I will keep the chugach stuff though cause man it's good rain gear.

 

[Beastmode]

I can live with the puffy and hard shell if iv got a rifle. But with a bow I don't know how you guys do it.

My rain gear is loud enough, that it'll stay in the pack and I'll end up getting soaked just to be quiet.

Kuiu chugach is just too load for bow hunting in IMO. Still want to get my hands on a first lite and see if it's bow hunter quiet. I will keep the chugach stuff though cause man it's good rain gear.

I use a softshell during archery because a puffy can just be too warm. With the temps we have during archery season a softshell is just enough and still quiet. If im wearing raingear it is because its raining. That is usually enough cover noise for me to still wear rain gear on a stalk.

I do not disagree that most raingear is noisy but unless you bring a whole extra set of clothes with you its worth it to stay dry imo.

 

[tipsntails7]

I can live with the puffy and hard shell if iv got a rifle. But with a bow I don't know how you guys do it.

My rain gear is loud enough, that it'll stay in the pack and I'll end up getting soaked just to be quiet.

Kuiu chugach is just too load for bow hunting in IMO. Still want to get my hands on a first lite and see if it's bow hunter quiet. I will keep the chugach stuff though cause man it's good rain gear.

I strictly bow hunt. For me if it's raining hard enough that I need to get my rain gear out I'm not worried about the sound it makes, the rain will cover it up.

 

[Lawnboi]

I strictly bow hunt. For me if it's raining hard enough that I need to get my rain gear out I'm not worried about the sound it makes, the rain will cover it up.

Even a light drizzle or soaked brush leaves me just as wet as a good rain. Wet is wet, weather it comes from an hour storm, or a whole day of light rain.

Only time quieter than a cold, still morning in the woods is a cold, still, and lightly rainy morning.

Last year in CO and SD hunting I was soaked from the waist down most of the time. Just couldn't stalk with the chugach pants on. I could deal with the jacket though. Luckily early September is warm in CO though, and luckily I had a red hot stove to come back to in SD.

Not to mention the best time to hunt is during the rain!

So I'm still in search for that perfect hard shell. Contemplating getting the Sitka downpour jacket at least to stay quiet up top, but then I'm giving away my breath ability, and if that means I stay a little drier, so be it.

What I'm looking for (and hoping the clothing companies are reading this) is a softer option, that retains breath ability. But I do really like my chugach, I'll keep it for rifle, fishing and scouting.

Bringing another set of cloths is a waste, but that is what stoves in the tent are for, and synthetic bags . We won't go there in this thread though

 

[dreamingbig]

The Yukon is quieter than the chugach. A cheap fleece outerwear layer over top of hard shell makes several brands quiet

 

[bbrown]

Contemplating getting the Sitka downpour jacket at least to stay quiet up top, but then I'm giving away my breath ability, and if that means I stay a little drier, so be it.

Unfortunately you will just be wet from the moisture on the inside... I tried it (and the Cabelas MT050) and the soft face does quiet it down a bunch but then it holds water, doesn't breathe and takes FOREVER to dry out.

 

[Matt W.]

Spent most of a snowy Sunday wading through the High Country jacket test. Good info. I'll need to zoom in somehow to read all the finer points.

Feel free to hit me with questions..

 

[Jesse Jaymes]

Ok, easy one....pick your favorite.

 

[Matt W.]

Not as easy as you think. It really depends on your use. I am going on a bear hunt this spring and will probably run much heavier rain gear than I will on my sheep hunt this August. Weight / Performance are my key factors for the sheep hunt. In that case I'm really leaning toward the Sitka Dewpoint. There are things about the other jackets / pants I like better, but as an ounce counter the Dewpoint is hard to ignore. I might go with the Dewpoint jacket and the First Lite Stormtight pants as the pants are my favorite design, but even as light as the FL pants are, the Dewpoints are lighter yet.. Tough call..

For the bear hunt I would not run the Dewpoint because I like the features of the other jackets better and weight is not as critical for me. My spring trips will wrap up Part 2 of my review where I focus on the Krytpek Koldo, KUIU Yukon, and the Sitka Stormfront.

BUT, with all that said if I had to run only ONE set of rain gear for all things my debate would be between the First Lite Stormtight and the KUIU Yukon. They are a good blend of performance, weight, and cost. One plus for the First Lite is they come in solid colors.

Finally, to counter all of that if you live and hunt where you are wet all the time, its a entirely different conversation as weight no longer matters. Staying dry is what matters. I think I'll have a real good idea of what my choice will be in this scenario when I wrap up part 2.

Hope that helps. : )

 

[Brodie]

I have the Yukon and guide gear. Guide jacket isn't used very much, the Yukon will do everything the guide can and is waterproof and cuts the wind better. It's also extremely breathable, I have worn it hunting from -25 Celsius as a windbreaker to +17 in the rain and am shocked how well it breathes

 

[Jlbmlb4]

I wear the MT 50 jacket from Cabelas. I have used it on 6 hunts with no problems. Relatively quiet, kept me dry, and you can find it on sale. Use a cable as coupon with a sale price and you can get a bargain. The main reason I went with the MT50 is that it comes in tall sizes. The sleeves in most jackets are too short for me.

 

[Brodie]

Mt50 is good stuff, I'm wearing the full set in my pic.
It's really heavy and takes up lots of room in the pack. Really durable though, I sold mine to upgrade and it was still in mint condition after years of use

 

[jherald]

Not as easy as you think. It really depends on your use. I am going on a bear hunt this spring and will probably run much heavier rain gear than I will on my sheep hunt this August. Weight / Performance are my key factors for the sheep hunt. In that case I'm really leaning toward the Sitka Dewpoint. There are things about the other jackets / pants I like better, but as an ounce counter the Dewpoint is hard to ignore. I might go with the Dewpoint jacket and the First Lite Stormtight pants as the pants are my favorite design, but even as light as the FL pants are, the Dewpoints are lighter yet.. Tough call..



For the bear hunt I would not run the Dewpoint because I like the features of the other jackets better and weight is not as critical for me. My spring trips will wrap up Part 2 of my review where I focus on the Krytpek Koldo, KUIU Yukon, and the Sitka Stormfront.

BUT, with all that said if I had to run only ONE set of rain gear for all things my debate would be between the First Lite Stormtight and the KUIU Yukon. They are a good blend of performance, weight, and cost. One plus for the First Lite is they come in solid colors.

Finally, to counter all of that if you live and hunt where you are wet all the time, its a entirely different conversation as weight no longer matters. Staying dry is what matters. I think I'll have a real good idea of what my choice will be in this scenario when I wrap up part 2.

Hope that helps. : )

Looks forward to your next review.