Kuiu Superdown vs Sitka Kelvin Light

[Where's Bruce?]

I froze wearing the Kuiu jacket (temps in the 40s...no hood) and sold it after one trip. Now I'm looking at the Sitka Kelvin Lite hoody...it is really as warm as the reviews claim?

 

[Beendare]

Of the puffys I've seen....the UA version is going to be the warmest

FWIW [and I know you have seen me post this before]
Cold and dry is where down excels. Cold and wet for days on end and I will take the syn insulation anyday.

I just did a recent hunt where we had multiple days of rain/wet weather and my syn puffy was fantastic as was my syn bag. One night I literally had my bag sticking to me as I lid in ...it was so damp....but the syn insulation kept me warm. My buddies down bag was a different story- he froze. Now his wasn't this new treated down...i don't have a lot of experience with it though I'm skeptical.

 

[Trial153]

I have the kelvin down ultra light, I think I would hard pressed to find something warm for its weight.

 

[JWP58]

I'm guessing you were only wearing the down jacket? No pants, beanie, gloves, or socks?

 

[castandblast]

If you freeze in Superdown you will do little better with another version of puffy in the ultra light category. You will have to jump to a higher fill weight category to get increased warmth. Look to something with 4-5 oz down fill instead of 2.

 

[JP100]

The Kelvin light is the same class light weight jacket. Get the heavier Kelvin. Get a hood.

Sent from my SM-G930F using Tapatalk

 

[kodiakfly]

I like it enough that as I lost weight out of my XXL, I bought an XL to replace it. The hood adds a quotient of warmth for me, over a jacket with no hood.

 

[bhylton]

hood makes all the difference in the world. i do a chama hoodie + Kenai hoodie down to 0 or so no problem and the kenai is not near as warm as the superdown. a beanie also makes a huge difference. 240 peleton hoodie would layer incredibly well under the superdown. its amazing under the kenai.

 

[castandblast]

Another big fan of a hooded version in outerwear. Makes a huge difference!

 

[Bughalli]

If you freeze in Superdown you will do little better with another version of puffy in the ultra light category. You will have to jump to a higher fill weight category to get increased warmth. Look to something with 4-5 oz down fill instead of 2.

This^^. They don't come in camo, but there are very good puffy jackets for mountaineering that are much much better than what Kuiu or Sitka offer. Super warm. You would never want to hike in them, but they are great for early mornings, avoiding the post hike chill or late season glassing. Hooded jackets make a big difference.

 

[Brightwhite]

The kelvin light hoody was warmer than the FL uncompahgre for me. Its not the warmest, if you're looking for pure warmth, you want the big 850 fill Kelvin down hoody..:that thing truly is like a sleeping bag for your body.

 

[Beendare]

Excellent point on the hood.....a must have. My favorite puffy for backpacking has a hood. Whats the stat?

A large % of your body heat is lost through your head and neck....

 

[ianpadron]

Agree 100% about the hoods. I'll also add the REI stratocloud to the mix. It is a down/synthetic blend and you can get one in olive drab. Mine is warm AF and I bring it on all of my scouting trips. Start hiking with that thing on when it is 35 degrees and you're sweating within minutes. Packs down pretty well into it's own stuff sack as well. Let me know if you guys want some pics, can throw some up no problemo.

 

[SLDMTN]

It's not down but I love my Mountain Hardware Compressor. Warm when wet and dries quickly. Hoods are a must for me as well. Mine is getting pretty hammered and I've been considering trying a Kifaru.

 

[Cgeb]

I have the Sitka Kelvin vest, it's very warm. I'm a Sitka believer. That being said forking out $300 for a down jacket, when you can get a Marmot or Montbell for $75 -$125 on sale with the same or better features. It's a tough call. In all likely hood if you go the cheaper route it's not going to be in camo. I got a Marmot Apex (DWR coating) from Sierra Trading Post for $60 in cinder (dirty gray). I'm just going to wear my OC Jetstream vest over it. It gives me a little windproof layer and provides most of the camo except for my arms. The Kelvin vest is in Forest, I'll wear it under my Stratus when its really cold.

Just saying if you find a quality down jacket for less you can spend the savings on other gear.

 

[Trial153]

My issue with a hood on a puffy is that I have hoods on just about everything else. It's a rare day that I am not wearing either a chama hoddy or one of the core series hoddys then I also have some kind of shell...either a hard shell or a soft shell and all have hoods ...So my puffy is mid layer when I am glassing only... adding a third hood to the mix seems like it's only adding bulk someplace I don't need it

 

[HvyBeams]

I run a Sitka Kelvin light and Arcteryx Atom lt. If it's cold I run them together. If it is just cool I will wear one and keep one in my pack. It's about the same total weight as the Sitka Kelvin, but it gives me more options.

 

[Doyldog]

This^^. They don't come in camo, but there are very good puffy jackets for mountaineering that are much much better than what Kuiu or Sitka offer. Super warm. You would never want to hike in them, but they are great for early mornings, avoiding the post hike chill or late season glassing. Hooded jackets make a big difference.

What puffy jackets do you think are the warmest?