KUIU

[Kilboars]

I use both, Sitka and Kuiu. Both have their props and cons depending on what kind of hunting your doing and what time of year.

 

[MikeyG]

I gather Kuiu has a somewhat less than stellar reputation with many here at Rokslide. Why is that?

For those that own Kuiu pieces, how is the quality and utility?

Why are there no bibs in their lineup?

Just looking for pieces missing from my hunting clothes lineup and was considering Kuiu.

I really like my kuiu items. Attack pants, Pelton 240 jacket, bino harness. Excellent quality

 

[swampokie]

They are good quality - some of the best technical hunting clothing available. Don’t expect it to be super warm though for stationary hunting. It’s not the stated purpose of their gear.

Only one dig from me. I recall Kuiu gained popularity by marketing that they were made in “North American” in contrast to Sitka, others, early on. Then as their momentum gained they moved everything to China because, paraphrasing here, “it’s too hard to make seam-tape garments in North America and keep costs low.” Since their gear costs nearly as much as Arctyrex these days, I always found that move pretty weak.

This was spot on. Nailed it.
But out of the Chinese made top end “big 3” I’d say they r near the top. It does seem that in the last year or so they r going more to an around town type of clothing and a bunch of cheap looking bad slogan “kuiu strong” hoodies and t shirts. I can’t for the life of me understand why there can’t be a 300$ down jacket or thin piece of 300$ Rain gear made in North America. The attacks and the guide jacket are awesome comfortable pieces but it’s a shame they have to be made in China to stay under 300$ jacket and 200$ pants.

 

[bojangles808]

they definitely make some good gear and unique pieces, but they definitely have their issues and almost a cult like following that rubs me the wrong way. i try not to give them my money if possible. first is when they first came out they touted themselves as transparent and had a kuiu forum where you could talk gear. when people were critical though of certain products they couldn't handle the critique and would censor posts and eventually closed the forum. guess they didn;t like the QC issues they were having and tried to cover it up. Then there was the whole issue where kuiu was trying to tell gear forum reviewers what to write about their gear when the forum was trying to do it's best to stay unbiased and honest, what its known for. kuiu didn't like that and threw a fit. They also pay guys like jay scott to shill and promote their gear where everything Kuiu is "the best" and nothing else can compare which is gross. Jay doesn't even use any other gear so how would he even know? it's all BS. New product comes out, its the best. Sorry jay i had that pack it sucked and both of us know that, that's why they really came out with a new version, not because they are constantly "innovating". I like jay's insight and what he does for the industry but the whole shill deal is super slimey. I also don't like that I tried to review a piece of gear after a couple months of use but wasn't able to review it on the website. I asked them and they said after i think it was 30 days you couldn't post a review on the kuiu site when you got a link with your order . how can you even review something when you haven't been able to put it through the paces? I want a whole season to do that not 30 days. no wonder they all have 5 star reviews on all their products. again not very transparent.
I also don't like that they seem so be so far out of touch from the average hunter. Auction tags, 50k sheep hunts, private ranch hunts, these dudes couldn't be more out of touch from the average sportsman. Throw in the Kuiu connection to SFW and Don Peay who wants to privatize all our public lands, they seem even more out of touch. Plus Kuiu cant even be bothered to donate 2% for conservation like Sitka and First Lite which is pretty sad. It's not like they have domestic profit margins that they are dealing with. I also don't like how the prices have gone up but i get that that happens naturally as demand has gone up. they used to have good sales too but now every sale they have is either for products sizes or colors that nobody wants or something silly like spend 500$ get 10% and 5 % off a hat.
Again they make some products that are super good that nobody else in the industry can come close too, but i dang sure am not sipping the kuiu kool aid or giving them a dollar if I don't have to. Would much rather spend my money somewhere else. This is coming from somebody who wears any brand or any camo as long as it performs

 

[swampokie]

they definitely make some good gear and unique pieces, but they definitely have their issues and almost a cult like following that rubs me the wrong way. i try not to give them my money if possible. first is when they first came out they touted themselves as transparent and had a kuiu forum where you could talk gear. when people were critical though of certain products they couldn't handle the critique and would censor posts and eventually closed the forum. guess they didn;t like the QC issues they were having and tried to cover it up. Then there was the whole issue where kuiu was trying to tell gear forum reviewers what to write about their gear when the forum was trying to do it's best to stay unbiased and honest, what its known for. kuiu didn't like that and threw a fit. They also pay guys like jay scott to shill and promote their gear where everything Kuiu is "the best" and nothing else can compare which is gross. Jay doesn't even use any other gear so how would he even know? it's all BS. New product comes out, its the best. Sorry jay i had that pack it sucked and both of us know that, that's why they really came out with a new version, not because they are constantly "innovating". I like jay's insight and what he does for the industry but the whole shill deal is super slimey. I also don't like that I tried to review a piece of gear after a couple months of use but wasn't able to review it on the website. I asked them and they said after i think it was 30 days you couldn't post a review on the kuiu site when you got a link with your order . how can you even review something when you haven't been able to put it through the paces? I want a whole season to do that not 30 days. no wonder they all have 5 star reviews on all their products. again not very transparent.
I also don't like that they seem so be so far out of touch from the average hunter. Auction tags, 50k sheep hunts, private ranch hunts, these dudes couldn't be more out of touch from the average sportsman. Throw in the Kuiu connection to SFW and Don Peay who wants to privatize all our public lands, they seem even more out of touch. Plus Kuiu cant even be bothered to donate 2% for conservation like Sitka and First Lite which is pretty sad. It's not like they have domestic profit margins that they are dealing with. I also don't like how the prices have gone up but i get that that happens naturally as demand has gone up. they used to have good sales too but now every sale they have is either for products sizes or colors that nobody wants or something silly like spend 500$ get 10% and 5 % off a hat.
Again they make some products that are super good that nobody else in the industry can come close too, but i dang sure am not sipping the kuiu kool aid or giving them a dollar if I don't have to. Would much rather spend my money somewhere else. This is coming from somebody who wears any brand or any camo as long as it performs

This is an excellent assessment. There are members of the “cult” that will want to fight u for saying it but pretty much agree with everything said. Won a Gould’s hunt with Scott and couldn’t even bring myself to go because of some of this kinda bs. Great gear but very exclusionary to some I feel. Very outa touch with the otc public land hunter and more in line with the unit wide landowner tag hunter.

 

[MattyWight]

I love my Kuiu gear.
Attack pants, merino and fleece, all as good and and light as any outdoor gear i've worn, with excellent pricing for the Australian.
Soft shell, really good but loud for a while, slowly getting quieter.

Used a pack a few times, a bit light for me. Carried all my gear for 5 days with backstraps and 1 boned out sambar leg better than expected but I'd go for a different pack if carrying heavy loads.

 

[DMooch]

I've had no complaints with any of my Kuiu purchases

 

[SlickStickSlinger]

they definitely make some good gear and unique pieces, but they definitely have their issues and almost a cult like following that rubs me the wrong way. i try not to give them my money if possible. first is when they first came out they touted themselves as transparent and had a kuiu forum where you could talk gear. when people were critical though of certain products they couldn't handle the critique and would censor posts and eventually closed the forum. guess they didn;t like the QC issues they were having and tried to cover it up. Then there was the whole issue where kuiu was trying to tell gear forum reviewers what to write about their gear when the forum was trying to do it's best to stay unbiased and honest, what its known for. kuiu didn't like that and threw a fit. They also pay guys like jay scott to shill and promote their gear where everything Kuiu is "the best" and nothing else can compare which is gross. Jay doesn't even use any other gear so how would he even know? it's all BS. New product comes out, its the best. Sorry jay i had that pack it sucked and both of us know that, that's why they really came out with a new version, not because they are constantly "innovating". I like jay's insight and what he does for the industry but the whole shill deal is super slimey. I also don't like that I tried to review a piece of gear after a couple months of use but wasn't able to review it on the website. I asked them and they said after i think it was 30 days you couldn't post a review on the kuiu site when you got a link with your order . how can you even review something when you haven't been able to put it through the paces? I want a whole season to do that not 30 days. no wonder they all have 5 star reviews on all their products. again not very transparent.
I also don't like that they seem so be so far out of touch from the average hunter. Auction tags, 50k sheep hunts, private ranch hunts, these dudes couldn't be more out of touch from the average sportsman. Throw in the Kuiu connection to SFW and Don Peay who wants to privatize all our public lands, they seem even more out of touch. Plus Kuiu cant even be bothered to donate 2% for conservation like Sitka and First Lite which is pretty sad. It's not like they have domestic profit margins that they are dealing with. I also don't like how the prices have gone up but i get that that happens naturally as demand has gone up. they used to have good sales too but now every sale they have is either for products sizes or colors that nobody wants or something silly like spend 500$ get 10% and 5 % off a hat.
Again they make some products that are super good that nobody else in the industry can come close too, but i dang sure am not sipping the kuiu kool aid or giving them a dollar if I don't have to. Would much rather spend my money somewhere else. This is coming from somebody who wears any brand or any camo as long as it performs

Do you have any articles to back yourself up?

I found similar sentiment elsewhere in this forum but outside of forums and people voicing opinion I havent found much on the accusations brought upon KUIU.

I even found,

The Real KUIU

Well it's no mystery the constant debate when people inquire on here or other forums about which clothing company to go with. Usually that companies platform gets added into the mix. Kuiu has had a very bittersweet following on many forums, sweet for how much people love their products and...

www.rokslide.com

When Jason was asked directly and he answered. But it didnt satisfy some. I didnt start hunting until last year and of course I dove into KUIU being cheaper than the other two and just as good of quality for the mountain hunting I do.

I would like to know what I am supporting before I continue to support it. Good example of this is I am going to the Expo on Saturday. Hell i am even running the 5K with Cam Hanes. I have five young kids who want to see the trophy animals and just have fun. I know what i am supporting and i know this will be the only year because of SFW.

Another example is WalMart. I sincerely try to NOT shop at WalMart. Everytime I do I support communism.

Point is I like knowing what i am supporting and make my own decision to continue or not.

Any help with KUIU clarification would be great.

 

[cuerro viejo]

they definitely make some good gear and unique pieces, but they definitely have their issues and almost a cult like following that rubs me the wrong way. i try not to give them my money if possible. first is when they first came out they touted themselves as transparent and had a kuiu forum where you could talk gear. when people were critical though of certain products they couldn't handle the critique and would censor posts and eventually closed the forum. guess they didn;t like the QC issues they were having and tried to cover it up. Then there was the whole issue where kuiu was trying to tell gear forum reviewers what to write about their gear when the forum was trying to do it's best to stay unbiased and honest, what its known for. kuiu didn't like that and threw a fit. They also pay guys like jay scott to shill and promote their gear where everything Kuiu is "the best" and nothing else can compare which is gross. Jay doesn't even use any other gear so how would he even know? it's all BS. New product comes out, its the best. Sorry jay i had that pack it sucked and both of us know that, that's why they really came out with a new version, not because they are constantly "innovating". I like jay's insight and what he does for the industry but the whole shill deal is super slimey. I also don't like that I tried to review a piece of gear after a couple months of use but wasn't able to review it on the website. I asked them and they said after i think it was 30 days you couldn't post a review on the kuiu site when you got a link with your order . how can you even review something when you haven't been able to put it through the paces? I want a whole season to do that not 30 days. no wonder they all have 5 star reviews on all their products. again not very transparent.
I also don't like that they seem so be so far out of touch from the average hunter. Auction tags, 50k sheep hunts, private ranch hunts, these dudes couldn't be more out of touch from the average sportsman. Throw in the Kuiu connection to SFW and Don Peay who wants to privatize all our public lands, they seem even more out of touch. Plus Kuiu cant even be bothered to donate 2% for conservation like Sitka and First Lite which is pretty sad. It's not like they have domestic profit margins that they are dealing with. I also don't like how the prices have gone up but i get that that happens naturally as demand has gone up. they used to have good sales too but now every sale they have is either for products sizes or colors that nobody wants or something silly like spend 500$ get 10% and 5 % off a hat.
Again they make some products that are super good that nobody else in the industry can come close too, but i dang sure am not sipping the kuiu kool aid or giving them a dollar if I don't have to. Would much rather spend my money somewhere else. This is coming from somebody who wears any brand or any camo as long as it performs

Conservative? What other clothing company has purchased and paid for the relocation of 55 sheep and gave them to the public?

“KUIU conservation program moved 55 sheep from Montana to re-establish populations in Utah, North Dakota.”

Rocky Mountain Bighorn Sheep Transplant Effort Historic - Game & Fish

KUIU conservation program moved 55 sheep from Montana to re-establish populations in Utah, North Dakota.

www.gameandfishmag.com

 

[jorgensen.travis]

I realize that stand hunting clothes and driving clothes are two different animals. I have the stand clothes almost covered. Driving clothes that are tough enough to bust brush, keep you dry, are relatively quiet, can be layered and "breath" somewhat is the hard part. This is further complicated by sometimes you are posting on the next drive and you are sweated up from the previous drive. If it is windy and cold, well you get the scenario.

I was looking at Kuiu for doing drives. Specifically pants that are durable and keep you dry and could be layered. Kuiu's Kutana pant is nylon so it should hold up in the durable criteria. It is unlined so it could be layered and combined with zip on/off long johns could cover the posting part. I am not sure about the keep you dry part though and that is key.

What are your thoughts on First Lite's Solitude bibs for a driving scenario? Too warm?Durable?

After 50 years of being wet and sweaty and cold using BDU's and Carharts, I was trying to find solutions with the new fabrics.

I don’t do any drives. But I do sit the morning, walk all day, then sit the evening. Even mobile tree stand hunting around my house, I’m often walking in a long ways with my stand on my back, maybe hunting on foot, then setting up my stand. I rarely go hunting without my sitting clothes in a pack. I use a puffy suit and a rain suit like a western hunter. I have the Kuiu down jacket and pants, and the Chugach rain suit. Durability doesn’t matter when you’re just putting it on to sit. As for not being quiet, I think this is mostly a marketing thing that is way over played. I’m talking for sitting in ambush, not spot and stalk. But for spot and stalk, you don’t need your sitting clothes while stalking.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[hflier]

I think its hard to know some things about KUIU going forward since the death of Jason. He had a way of rubbing folks the wrong way, but there was probably more to the story based on how things ended up. With all of the big three Sitka, First Lite and KUIU, I think it is personal preference and whether you like the company philosophy, service etc. or not. Many folks lay out a lot of money for something and they always want reinforcement that they have THE BEST as Aron Synder always says. Clothes are tools and if they work for you, that is great and all that matters. I think the attitude on whether you will buy or not based on the 2% is a little confusing. You are paying the 2%. It isn't like the company isn't passing that on to you. If a company doesn't choose to do that you can always take that money and donate it yourself. I also just read that KUIU just helped finance the reintroduction of Sheep somewhere. That's not a bad project. Just to be clear I have owned all three and I can't say one is better than the other, some pieces are better from one vs. the other.

Ron

 

[TheKid]

I gather Kuiu has a somewhat less than stellar reputation with many here at Rokslide. Why is that?

For those that own Kuiu pieces, how is the quality and utility?

Why are there no bibs in their lineup?

Just looking for pieces missing from my hunting clothes lineup and was considering Kuiu.

I love all my Kuiu gear and it’s awesome quality. Very well designed and their lifetime warranty stands by it.

 

[LJ Buck]

If you didn’t have the experience from the beginning as well as watch how the original owner handled things then it is hard to understand.


I owned Kuiu gear that was made in Canada which is where all the original stuff was made, so this was at the beginning.
After watching how they handled the lack of transparency and meeting the owner and seeing how they treated some people in the early days pushed me to selling every Kuiu piece I owned.


One way to explain it was if you attended sheep show at Kuiu’s peak all you would hear was all the amazing things about them and once people got to know the ownership you watched opinions and support for Kuiu swing drastically over the years on that stage.

I believe the current face of the company B. Burns is good for them. I was glad to see them contribute to the sheep.

 

[poconnor6314]

Kuiu clothing is super nice. I have not had any problems with my clothing I have purchased with them. The only thing is most of the stuff fits me a little tight. For base layers I run a size large and for outer layers I run a size XL. I am 5.10-180 if that helps at all.

 

[mcl]

I have went round and round on how to outfit my up coming elk hunt. I ended up choosing Kuiu. I hope I am not disappointed.

 

[Mudd Foot]

As I’ve said previously, as long as you size properly (which can take a return or two) there quality is top notch. Have had fantastic experience with all of my pieces.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[Fireman03]

The performance is usually pretty good, and if you frequent baby gap to shop, you'll like it

 

[Roksliding]

Super happy with Kuiu. I’m a converted Northwoods tree stand hunter from the days of blaze orange coveralls..... when I put on a pair of kuiu attack pants my mind blew

 

[Brian Fahs]

I really like my kuiu yukon gaiters.

 

[lyle_destroys]

The fit is one thing I like about my kuiu stuff. They work well for my tall lanky body type. It sounds funny but I have had so many issues over the years with jackets especially, arms on them will be too short and the body will be too big around.