My impressions of Sitka Jetstream, Kuiu Axis Hybrid, Pnuma Waypoint and Condor Summit

[Skybuster]

Jackets were not field-tested, so not a real review, only impression/overview inside the house and outside, as the temperature raised a bit this past few days.
Breathability and wind protection were not tested as the wind also died.


Edit: for some reason the table don’t work on the Tapatalk app so is better to use a Computer.


My original post asking about jackets - https://www.rokslide.com/forums/threads/soft-shell-with-pit-zips-hood-and-solid-color.250452/

I did the best I could.
Hope you guys like it:

	Sitka Jetstream	Kuiu Axis	Pnuma Waypoint	Condor Summit	Pnuma Selkirk
Main zipper	Feels ok	Feel good, have small resistance to it, last 3” catches on the inside zipper protection so is hard to zip, not sure if this is a defect QC issue or all of them are like this.	Feels awesome smooth no resistance	Feels awesome smooth no resistance	As is waterproof it have some resistance to it
Chest pocket zipper	Feel fragile, cheap	Have a lot of resistance due to the waterproof design.	Feel awesome smooth no resistance	Feel ok 2nd best	same as above
Hand zipper	Feel fragile, cheap	Feel ok, a bit better than Sitka	Feel awesome smooth no resistance	Feel good	same as above
Pit zips	Feel fragile, cheap. easy to open close.	Feel ok, a bit better than Sitka. Easy to open, due to slack have to wiggle it to close	Feel awesome smooth no resistance, super easy to open/close. There are holes at the bottom see pics. QC or normal not sure, under the tab.	Feel good, easy to open/close	same as above
Inside zippers	N/A	N/A	Feel good	Feel great	feel good
Hand pocket size	Is great	Is good. Just wish it was a little lower	Is good, the cuff/sleeve catches on the zipper so is hard to get the sleeve inside the pocket. The warmest by far.	Not as depth but tall, I wish it was deeper and that they were located lower.	Is great, the cuff also catches but after adjusting the velcro is much easier to get your hand inside as is less bulk than the Waypoint.
Chest pocket size	Is great, super big	Small pocket	It has a weird shape but is big	The hand pocket feels like chest pocket as they are located high. Are high to clear a backpack belt.	Good size can fit fist
Arm pockets	N/A	N/A	1 Small good size	3 good size for small items	1 small good size
Inside pockets	N/A	N/A	2 big weird shape like the front chest pockets.	2 medium-size	2 good size
Noise room 35.5dBA taken from about 3’7” away	59.5	57.9	47.6	59.5	44.5
Hood	Easy to adjust/release. Lining thickness feels like the Axis	Easy to adjust / not so easy to release. Lining thickness feels like the Sitka	Easy to adjust/ not so easy to release the front sides the back one is easy. Thick fleece lining	Big, two hands to adjust each size, easy to release. No fleece lining	Fit me good, did not had to adjust
Hood Side to side after adjustments	Good, move with you but don’t have a lot of slack so get tighter at the ends.	Good, same as Sitka	Good slacker	Good not much resistance at the ends	is ok.
Forearm fit	Feel great	Feels athletic, wish just a bit more slack	Great	Great	Great
Chin coverage	I wish it was higher. Small pressure when you look down.	Is hard to zip the last part but chin coverage is great. Don’t feel pressure when you look down	I wish it was higher, is low so you don’t feel discomfort when you look down	Is great, like the Axis touch your chin, no pressure when you look down.	I wish it was higher, no discomfort when you look down
Warm	ok	ok	Great	Good	Great
DWR	Without rubbing water droplets were already sticking, after rub much worse absorbed	Water droplets slide easily, I say a bit better than Pnuma. Much better than Sitka	Water droplets slide easy, after a soft rubbing water stick and absorbed	Look good on part or better than KUIU including rubbing water in.	Good, after rubbing the water in it wet out but I doubt it goes in
Final thought	No Velcro cuffs, small zippers don’t belong in a $350 jacket they feel cheap. Overall I would pick over the Axis, because the main zipper doesn't catch on the inside.	Hand pocket higher than what I like, I know is for the belt. The main zipper catches on the inside protection so is hard to close the last 3”. The small zippers don’t feel as cheap as Sitka but don’t feel like they belong at this price point.	I'm not sure if the Pit zip location would be as good as under the arm. The chest area is big, down at the waistband/skirt is better, not sure how a medium would fit there. The outside feels the softest is more of a fleece shell than a softshell. You can feel the fleece backer is much thicker. To me is the clear winner, the style I like is a modern Avenger type. It might look a bit more discreet without the shoulder and elbow Pnuma grid. So truly the only concern is the pit zip location and the front hood release mechanism is not as easy to make the bungee cord retract. Probably would order the M and see how it feels. You could see holes at the end of zippers, QC issue?	I wish it had lower hand pockets and deeper. I don’t like the side Velcro patches. It has a big back pocket not sure for what. This jacket is great for the price. But due to the location of the hand pockets, it doesn’t feel natural to have your arms at 90* while resting them inside the pockets. It would be the clear winner. It might work for you. The zippers are much better than Sitka and KUIU. Pnuma has the best ones overall.	The Upper torso fit is super good. It slim down at the waist so is a tight fit I cant get my fist to fit under. Im afraid the Large would be to bulky in the upper torso. The cuff on this one are less bulky than the waypoint so is easier to slide hand inside pocket after adjusting them. Is pretty silent
Weight Ounces	24.9 size L	23.7 size L	39.6 size L. It does feel bulky/heavy I believe the M size would feel great.	34.6 size M. This is a comfy weight	36.8 size M

Zipper depth measurements

	Sitka	Kuiu	Pnuma	Condor	Selkirk
Hand pocket	about 8''	under 7''	7''	under 6''	did not measure
Chest pocket	8.5''	4.5''	7.5''	N/A
Inside pockets	N/A	N/A	7.5''	4''
Arm Pockets	N/A	N/A	4.5''	5.5'' upper by velcro patch, 3'' lower by the cuff
Back pocket	N/A	N/A	N/A	Over 12'' super big

Sitka, Kuiu, Pnuma, Condor

Sitka, Kuiu

Pnuma, Condor

Inside hand pockets
Sitka - both sides thin fleece

Kuiu - have mesh towards the belly might not be as warm

Pnuma - have thick fleece warmest pockets

Condor - have some small dividers, have a mesh lining towards the front of the jacket, I say second warmest pockets

 

[Skybuster]

Hoods
Sitka - feel on part with Kuiu

Kuiu - feel on part with Sitka

Pnuma - thick fleece

Condor - feels thin


Pnuma pit zipper

Both pit zips

 

[jtivat]

Nice initial report. Going off first impressions which would you keep?

 

[ttltown]

Never had the pnuma or condor but I own the jet and axis as well as first lite catalyst. Generally prefer catalyst because it feels better and breathes better and for mobile western hunting works better for me


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[Skybuster]

Nice initial report. Going off first impressions which would you keep?

More than likely would be the Pnuma.
It might be overkill for most of my winter, but at least I won’t suffer on the next soccer game if is windy.
I already contacted them about how the Medium would fit around the waist.
As the Large is super loose/baggy around the chest and shoulders but fit good around the waist.

The Sitka and Axis seem to be good but NOT at those prices. Definitely overpriced when compared to the Condor.
The Condor have more of the big teeth YKK zippers and they feel better than the tiny ones on Sitka and KUIU.

So if someone is looking for a Solid color jacket should give the Condor a try.
As hand pocket placement is a personal thing, for me they are to high.

My next purchase would be the KUIU Peloton 240 hoodie for warmer days.
Not sure if there something out there similar wind resistant for less $$


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[Skybuster]

Never had the pnuma or condor but I own the jet and axis as well as first lite catalyst. Generally prefer catalyst because it feels better and breathes better and for mobile western hunting works better for me


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They definitely are thicker than the Sitka and KUIU so they might not work for you unless is really cold.

Specially the Pnuma have a thick fleece backer/lining.

Between the Sitka and KUIU I would choose the Sitka the big pockets are nice, plus I like more where it have the pocket locations, I just wish it had Velcro at the cuff.


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[jd1006]

That’s quite the weight difference for the pnuma. I don’t know how many people pack their soft shell, but that plays into my decisions.

 

[Superdoo]

The Condor is the same jacket as the Rothco! Well poop. I guess I over paid!
If anyone wants to give a Large a try do a search for “Poor Man’s Jetstream” in the classifieds.

I really like the Jetstream overall, but I love both of my Pnuma pants so I wouldn’t hesitate to give their jackets a try.

 

[Skybuster]

On this one I used a Patagonia R1 as a mid layer

	Sitka Jetstream	Kuiu Axis	Pnuma Waypoint	Condor Summit
Neck Pressure	Feel some pressure when looking down	No pressure when you look down	No pressure when looking down	Small amount of pressure when looking down
Elbow Pressure 90*	Small pressure	small pressure	Least amount	small pressure
Overall Fit	good	good	Fit great super roomy	good

During this test when I moved my forearm up to create a 90* I felt air rushing out on the Sitka so that tells me is super air tight.
The others I did not felt that.

just I reminder the main zipper on the KUIU is super annoying, it always get caught on those tabs/protections


Another unscientific test I did, was air resistance.
It was hard to blow air through the Sitka, KUIU, and Condor.
But it was much easier to blow air through the Pnuma.
Pnuma stated on the page is windproof up to 50mph, Im not sure on that.

Again im not sure if that translates to the Pnuma not being windproof but im surprised how easy it was in comparison to the other 3.

That’s quite the weight difference for the pnuma. I don’t know how many people pack their soft shell, but that plays into my decisions.

Yea, I dont think is for everyone, The Condor might weigh the same but for this, I only had a Medium on hand, so the Medium Pnuma might be close but still over 30oz.

The Condor is the same jacket as the Rothco! Well poop. I guess I over paid!
If anyone wants to give a Large a try do a search for “Poor Man’s Jetstream” in the classifieds.

I really like the Jetstream overall, but I love both of my Pnuma pants so I wouldn’t hesitate to give their jackets a try.

Now I'm not 100% sure I would keep the Pnuma, is fairly easy to blow air through it compared to the other 3 so I dont know if that has any significant value regarding the jacket being windproof.

I would definitely pick the Jetstream over the Axis, and the Condor.

What pants from their line do you have?

 

[Superdoo]

I have the Waypoint and Tenacity.

 

[Skybuster]

Update,
After some more head banging on the wall I won’t even keep the Pnuma, it just don’t feel like it would be wind resistant.

It failed this test.

Wind Resistant vs. Wind Proof: A Simple Trick to Test Any Fabric | Appalachian Mountain Club (AMC)

Our gear guru dives into the difference between wind proof and wind resistant gear.

www.outdoors.org

(hold the fabric against your mouth and blow against it as hard as you can. An average adult can generate a maximum pressure of approximately 2 pounds per square inch this way, which is roughly the equivalent of a 20 mph wind…)

The other 3 pass that test with flying colors.

So my saga continues for a mid-heavy jacket windproof and with pit zips.

Other choice I started considering is to try this one https://beyondclothing.com/products/k5-aptus-jacket?variant=31782858293310

But would have to get it altered for the pit zips.
I’m trying to avoid that extra step.

As the Kenai is out of stock in solid colors, that another one on the list.


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[jtivat]

What about the Pnuma Selkirk? It is wind proof but might be a little warm for your needs I love mine.

 

[Skybuster]

What about the Pnuma Selkirk? It is wind proof but might be a little warm for your needs I love mine.

I just wish they had it in solid colors.

It should work good I guess I run on the cold side.

Not sure if there anything else out there similar with pit zips.


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[jtivat]

I just wish they had it in solid colors.

It should work good I guess I run on the cold side.

Not sure if there anything else out there similar with pit zips.


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Well camofire has them for a great deal today FYI.

 

[Skybuster]

Well camofire has them for a great deal today FYI.

O wow that a great price to try the Selkirk.

Even that I was not looking for a camouflage color.
It just weird with Pnuma their color selection on their page don’t offer that color, and my Waypoint is also a different color.

If the Selkirk is built like the waypoint and is truly windproof is a winner.

Would order a Medium and see how it feels.

Thanks.


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[jtivat]

O wow that a great price to try the Selkirk.

Even that I was not looking for a camouflage color.
It just weird with Pnuma their color selection on their page don’t offer that color, and my Waypoint is also a different color.

If the Selkirk is built like the waypoint and is truly windproof is a winner.

Would order a Medium and see how it feels.

Thanks.


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I think they discontinued that color and that's why the deal.

 

[jtivat]

Also, they are wind proof and the zippers zip much tighter than your waypoints.

 

[Skybuster]

If you see this before I order do they run big?

The waypoint run plenty big, I have the Large.
Was going to switch for a Medium but not anymore, as I would order the Selkirk.


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[jtivat]

If you see this before I order do they run big?

The waypoint run plenty big, I have the Large.
Was going to switch for a Medium but not anymore, as I would order the Selkirk.


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Not sure where I heard this, but someone mentioned they are cut the same. I would say mine runs a little big.

 

[Skybuster]

Thanks,

Just ordered would post back once I get it.

Something that not 100% clear is that some places say the Selkirk is warmer others the Waypoint don’t remember where I read that or if it was a YouTube video.
But either way it should still be warmer than the Jetstream and similar soft shells as it have the Pnuma grid fleece lining.


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