Kifaru Parka

[Obi-wanshinobi]

I want to see a comparison with the Sitka Kelvin Down Hoody. Make this in the wolf grey and I'm ordering.

 

[Brightwhite]

I want to see a comparison with the Sitka Kelvin Down Hoody. Make this in the wolf grey and I'm ordering.

I am a big Sitka fan and own a small fortune worth of their gear, but the kifaru seems superior. It's 5 oz lighter for the large, $100-$120 cheaper, seems to be more durable and tear resistant as an outer layer, even though the new Sitka kelvin may have a new outer material, and looks to have better insulation qualities and materials that are used than primiloft. That's what I can tell by looking at the Sitka website. I really thought I wanted the kelvin hoody until this parka came out and I saw the Sitka price....$369 vs $245

 

[mtnclimber]

I am a big Sitka fan and own a small fortune worth of their gear, but the kifaru seems superior. It's 5 oz lighter for the large, $100-$120 cheaper, seems to be more durable and tear resistant as an outer layer, even though the new Sitka kelvin may have a new outer material, and looks to have better insulation qualities and materials that are used than primiloft. That's what I can tell by looking at the Sitka website. I really thought I wanted the kelvin hoody until this parka came out and I saw the Sitka price....$369 vs $245

The sitka kelvin DOWN hoody is 70% down 30% synthetic. The Kifaru LPP is 0% down 100% synthetic (as far as i know). So the comparison in price isn't really fair. A closer comparison would be the original kelvin jacket which has 170g primaloft insulation.

 

[Brightwhite]

The sitka kelvin DOWN hoody is 70% down 30% synthetic. The Kifaru LPP is 0% down 100% synthetic (as far as i know). So the comparison in price isn't really fair. A closer comparison would be the original kelvin jacket which has 170g primaloft insulation.

You're right, I looked closer at the Sitka site and see that it's some new blend of primiloft gold and down. But....isn't the main reason there is an upside to down is weight? The Sitka jacket is heavier though?

 

[mtnclimber]

You're right, I looked closer at the Sitka site and see that it's some new blend of primiloft gold and down. But....isn't the main reason there is an upside to down is weight? The Sitka jacket is heavier though?

Just at a glance it'll be heavier because of the full length zipper, and a couple of zippered pockets. The LPP only has a quarter zip or half zip or something. Id say the Sitka is warmer for sure.

 

[DaveC]

3.2 Apex is 108 grams/meter. Sitka Kelvin is 80 g/meter Primaloft Silver, Kelvin 170. Primaloft tests warmer than Apex in the lab, but degrades quickly in use due to flex. I have no problem believing the Lost Parka will be field-equivalent to 120ish Primaloft after a month of use.

The Kelvin Down is claimed at 8 ounce of fill, which is quite a bit. Roughly equal to 200 g/meter Primaloft, if not more.

Throwing Polarted Alpha and Kuiu's 3DeFX into the mix, and assuming they're roughly equivalent; these lab test as quite a bit less warm than Primaloft. Kuiu claims otherwise, but I'm not sure what lab data they're using. My anecdotal experience with 80 g/meter Alpha (Rab Strata) is that it's not as warm as 60 g/meter Primaloft, even controlling for the much more air-permeable shell fabric.

I've never found down jackets to work well for me outside full-on winter. The extent to which down degrades from internal humidity (hike up the hill, get a bit sweaty, throw on the coat) has always been a deal-breaker. I also want full wind protection, which rules out the Alpha/3DeFX coats, though they're really great moving layers for darn cold hunting. Presuming the Lost Parka's weights are correct, they're offering some impressive warmth for the weight, which should last longer than Primaloft. I had an Apex quilt which took five year of heavy use before it lost enough warmth that I retired it.

 

[Aron Snyder]

Thanks.....that saved me a lot of typing.

 

[DaveC]

Thanks.....that saved me a lot of typing.

The bill will be in the mail shortly.

 

[Phillip Hathaway]

How does everyone feel about the parka for whitetail?

 

[William Hanson (live2hunt)]

How does everyone feel about the parka for whitetail?

Where and what time of year?

 

[Phillip Hathaway]

Indiana. Would it be too loud of material?

 

[Aron Snyder]

As an outer layer....yes.

 

[MuleyFever]

Hard to believe it would be quiet enough, based on the videos. I wouldn't trust anything louder than a soft shell. Hunting jumpy white tails in the dead silence of a cold morning doesn't allow for noise from fabric brushing along tree bark. I always wore a brushed type fabric outer layer.

 

[Phillip Hathaway]

Thanks Aron!! I may hold off for a bit to see what I can figure out for my new system this year.

 

[wilkes]

Are these shipping soon? I remember reading they would be shipping roughly two weeks after the order was placed but on the shipping noticeit says June?

 

[Shrek]

I can't speak for Kifaru on this but my experience with Kifaru is that your June date is probably a worst case but not terribly off. This is a new product and the line is getting long fast. When the Bikini came out the guys who ordered on the first day or so got them in March but guys who ordered just a week later were looking at June if I remember correctly. Kifaru is a small company that sews small batches to order. They don't regularly miss promised ship dates and if they do it's usually a few days and often early but rarely way early. If you are in a bind like you're leaving for a hunt in New Zealand a week or two before your ship date you can talk to them and sometimes they can help.

 

[Aron Snyder]

Are these shipping soon? I remember reading they would be shipping roughly two weeks after the order was placed but on the shipping noticeit says June?

That's a standard response. ...they've been shipping pretty quickly.

 

[wilkes]

Thanks Shrek and Aron!

I have purchased quite a few things from Kifaru previously, but items have either been in stock or been a new release with regular updates on shipping date estimates given here. With all the excitement over the new Parka I figured it was worth asking as it all depends on volume. Nice to know they are shipping fairly quickly

 

[mtswampfox]

nice to know any delay will not be caused by a dockworker strike........

 

[Brightwhite]

I was at kifaru yesterday and tried on a parka. Here are my thoughts...

Overall a very nice puffy/jacket/coat. I will be buying one.

Things I loved: It is certainly a no frills, simple design. It doesn't have 15 pockets or anything to get in the way. There is one zipper on the thing that I noticed, thats the 3/4 zipper you see on the front. It looks big and bulky, but it is very lightweight...it looks like a ski coat, but wears like a lightweight puffy. It seems like it will be SUPER warm, I put one on inside the building and it damn near had me sweating within about a minute of having it on. The fit was great on me (I will outline sizing below). The sleeves were cut just right and the length on my torso was perfect. The hood and collar were perfect for me. The collar did not choke me, or come up too high on my face to cover my mouth, it was just right. The hood was out of the way when wearing it and not wearing it..seemed to be sewn in just the right spot and the right amount of fabric and size. The kangaroo pouch was awesome. I love being able to strap your pack through the pocket. I think the design would also help you keep your hands warmer by being able to go skin on skin in the same pocket.

Things I didn't like...(but keep in mind, I AM going to buy one): Hard to describe this...the inside of the sleeve is just one solid tube of material and insulation. So, when I was putting it on, my hand kept getting caught up in the sleeve and bunching the material up so I kept having to maneuver my hand through the hole/tube to keep it from bunching towards the wrist band...does that make sense? It's almost like every other jacket I own sews in pockets of insulation, or diamond like shapes, so you don't have all of the material getting bunched up at one time. It certainly would have been easier if you were wearing a base later and gloves because I assume that material would slide in way better than clammy/moist skin/hands. The only other thing I wasn't in love with was the bulkiness of it. If you are looking for a thin/light puffy to layer, then this is not for you in my opinion. It is bulky and thick (not heavy!), and probably wouldn't layer very well. It is super light weight though, but you can tell in its design it is meant to be worn as an outer layer (as Aron and others have previously described its use...).

To give you an idea on sizing, I am 6' 240, wear a 38" waist in relaxed fit jeans and khaki's, an XXL T shirt and a 17/17.5 x 34/35 dress shirt and the XXL fit me with some good room to spare for layers underneath.