New developments coming this summer

[Ace1204]

1 request on the pants, is to please make them in varying lengths. Not a one size 34" long fits all.

Agreed! Specifically shorter inseams

 

[Brigham @ Outdoor Vitals]

@Brigham @ Outdoor Vitals is your sun hoodie getting any updates?

Technically no. The existing sun hoody isn't being updated. We are developing a new one, but it's a little farther out in the timeline. It'll be a little heavier and more durable (abrasion and pick resistant). Most likely releasing early next year. All tentative at this point though.

 

[Brigham @ Outdoor Vitals]

Good questions here. Regarding torso lengths. The hybrid fleece and puffy will be made in standard and tall torso sizes. The pants are made in 30, 32, and 34 inch inseams. Waist sizes will be in 1 inch increments from 29 to 36. 2 inch increments above 36.

 

[fngTony]

Technically no. The existing sun hoody isn't being updated. We are developing a new one, but it's a little farther out in the timeline. It'll be a little heavier and more durable (abrasion and pick resistant). Most likely releasing early next year. All tentative at this point though.

It just needs thumb holes and a little more coverage on the face, fabric was excellent.

 

[AOberti]

I'm excited to see these items and have been snooping the Experience Project videos closely as I think they fit a bit of a nitch that a lot of us have been looking to expand upon for some time; with what (in my opinion at least) are the current leaders in the market/competition to these products, respectively:

Altura Dynamic Pants vs Kuiu Kutana Pants (or some might suggest the Prana's)

Pursuit Hybrid Fleece vs Sitka Ambient 100/Ambient UL 60/MDWi

Vantage Alpine Jacket vs Stone Glacier Grumman Down Jacket

In the event that these products deliver and at the above listed specs, man are you guys going to disrupt the market!

My questions product specifically would be as follows (I apologize in advance for the novel haha) :

Altura Pants
A. What will the sizing structure/availability look like? (i.e. waist/inseams by 2" increments or standard S/M/L/XL sizing?)
B. What are the color options that will be available? (Assuming for our intended purposes that a grey scale and a brown/ earth tone will be available, if not that is a must in my opinion)
C. Will the pockets be zippered or flapped? (Hoping for large standard open hip pockets that can actually accommodate your hands and zippered ass/thigh pockets)
D. Length on the hip zips and single- or two-way zippers?
E. Pick resistance for the fabric and seam styling?
F. DWR coating? Potential for a future later season model with waterproofing in the knees and seat?

Pursuit Hybrid Fleece
A. Will it be available in standard and long sizing?
B. Again, what color options will be available?
C. Can you elaborate on why a 30D nylon, as opposed to a 20D like the Ambient? (I've never had any durability issues with any Ambient iteration aside from the usual piling, despite having owned and extensively used the hoody, hooded jacket and the vest in the N Idaho brush)
D. Can you detail out the mapping layout of the Evolve insulation vs the grid fleece? (I don't particularly care for the UL60 hood being w/o the Alpha insulation and it could have a little more coverage in my opinion; for example, run further down and around the front/around the arms/ect.)
E. Will the grid fleece be backed to the 30D nylon outer layer or exposed?
F. Is the hood a turret/sculpted style like the Sitka pieces, or does it have a little room to drape? (Not a fan of the super tight hoods on my mid layers)
G. Assuming no pockets on this piece?

Vantage Alpine Jacket
A. Again, with the standard/long sizing question as well as will it be upsized already/designed to fit as an outer layer? (i.e. buy your regular size and it will be roomy enough to accommodate layering/long enough in the back to cover sitting while glassing without riding up, ect.)
B. Again haha, what will our color options be?
C. Can you explain the 7-9oz range of fill? (Seems like a broad range for standard sizing deviation)
D. Can you elaborate on the baffle/chamber (or lack thereof) design and how this prevents bunching/even dispersion of the insulation?
E. Will it have simple elastic styled cuffs/bottom hem or some/any degree of adjustability?
F. What will the hood style be like? (i.e. tight to the head with some elastic banding or looser with freedom of movement, as well as any adjustability)
G. What zippers are being used and what is the hand pocket layout? (standard vs pack accommodating)

LASTLY, of course the over looming question everyone will want to know; what will pricing structure look like?

If you've made it this far, I appreciate your time and look forward to @Mark at EXO getting you guys on the podcast (don't feel obligated to address all these questions here), thanks!

- Kevin

Kevin
I have had the pleasure of being able to run these pieces from OV last season and tested them against all my Kuiu and Stone Glacier gear. First off the pants compared to the Kutana pants or Pranas(both of which I own and use). The OV pants are similar in warmth to both of the pants you mentioned, but unlike both the Prana and Kutana, they don't stretch out and get baggy after wearing them for a 3 day hunt. I also love the way they fit over a boot and don't ride up or get sloopy around your shoes. I don't think the OV pant is as warm as a Guide pant, but easily more comfortable.

As for the Jacket, I tested this extensively on the very same hunt/weather with my Kuiu SD Pro and SG Grumman. I really like both the Kuiu and SG, but the new Vantage Alpine is MUCH warmer than the Grumman; honestly, it wasn't even close. I thought the Kuiu SD Pro was comparable in warmth, but the Vantage Alpine blocked the wind better.

Lastly the Pursuit Fleece. This piece is flat awesome. I do have some mid layers from SG and Kuiu that I like, but the Pursuit Fleece is easily my favorite. What I found interesting is how well it did in a variety of conditions, and with a synthetic base layer underneath, was an amazingly warm combo. I also like the way the material layered well under my variety of outer layers.


Again, I have nothing against my Kuiu and SG gear, but this new stuff in development from OV is really cool and will be my go to pieces in those respective categories.

 

[BoilerBowHunter]

@Brigham @ Outdoor Vitals

Anyway we can get some pictures as a sneak peek?

 

[Mark at EXO]

Anyway we can get some pictures as a sneak peek?

I don't have any real "product photos" but here are some random field photos with various prototypes. None of these are final products, so colors and some other details will be different for the production products. Our hunt films from this past fall will show more.

 

[Dioni A]

I ran these last fall also.

I think there was a material change made after I’d received my test pants, but I can speak for the cut and design. I really enjoyed these pants. They’re very comfortable and fit well. They definitely reminded me a lot of the feel of the prana Zion. I really appreciated the built in belt.

The puffy coat is perfect. For comparison sake, I would say it falls between a brooks down and Chamberlain down from first light. The face material seems tougher, but this jacket is still incredibly light. It went with me everywhere on every hunt this year. I had it on a very wet hunt in coastal southern Alaska, and it never seemed to lose loft at all.

For whatever reason the fleece seemed much warmer than others I’ve used in the past. It was a nice piece and I liked the design of it. The long zipper should be mandatory on mid layers. I typically run pretty warm and trying this vs others had me warmer than I cared to be. I used it alongside other testers who felt like it was perfect for them. I think this is typical for most garments where it’s not gonna be perfect for everyone and this one wasn’t for me.

 

[Muhda1]

@Brigham @ Outdoor Vitals The puffy looks similar to a karo step baffle construction, will it be more like a box walled as opposed to stitch through?

 

[K_pem]

Kevin
I have had the pleasure of being able to run these pieces from OV last season and tested them against all my Kuiu and Stone Glacier gear. First off the pants compared to the Kutana pants or Pranas(both of which I own and use). The OV pants are similar in warmth to both of the pants you mentioned, but unlike both the Prana and Kutana, they don't stretch out and get baggy after wearing them for a 3 day hunt. I also love the way they fit over a boot and don't ride up or get sloopy around your shoes. I don't think the OV pant is as warm as a Guide pant, but easily more comfortable.

As for the Jacket, I tested this extensively on the very same hunt/weather with my Kuiu SD Pro and SG Grumman. I really like both the Kuiu and SG, but the new Vantage Alpine is MUCH warmer than the Grumman; honestly, it wasn't even close. I thought the Kuiu SD Pro was comparable in warmth, but the Vantage Alpine blocked the wind better.

Lastly the Pursuit Fleece. This piece is flat awesome. I do have some mid layers from SG and Kuiu that I like, but the Pursuit Fleece is easily my favorite. What I found interesting is how well it did in a variety of conditions, and with a synthetic base layer underneath, was an amazingly warm combo. I also like the way the material layered well under my variety of outer layers.


Again, I have nothing against my Kuiu and SG gear, but this new stuff in development from OV is really cool and will be my go to pieces in those respective categories.

Thanks Anthony!

Would you say that these pants have more stretch than the Kutana? I had to size up in my Kutana's from my typical 32 to a 34 in order to accommodate the lack of stretch through the seat and upper thighs. I do like the idea of something a little more taper fit than the Kutana's (at least sized up for me) but much tighter around the calf and ankle idk that i would be a fan of, and I don't exactly have big calves. I'm hoping that these pants are on par with the lightness/breathability of the Kutana rather than more on the side of the Guide pants; personally the Guide pants are much too warm for basically anything that isn't sub freezing and low output (I sweat too bad in the Guide, Axis, Talus; the warmest I go to is the Sitka Timberline or Attack).

I would think given the specs on the Alpine down jacket that it would be substantially warmer than the SD Pro, as it has far more down and not much less of a face fabric. But if it is that much warmer than the Grumman at only 3.3oz heavier, it will be a no brainer in my mind. Interesting that it blocked the wind better considering the face fabric difference but that may lend itself to the baffle designs. Did you think the fit was more oversized similar to the SD Pro or more streamlined like the Grumman? I find that my Grumman is about as small as I would want it given its sized the same as all my other top layers (Large) and I could almost need to size up to accommodate much more underneath.

With the fleece were you rocking just a simple sun-hoody or like a Sitka CORE LW underneath? I started this last year layering with the Brynje merino stuff Steve has talked about (tank/SS/LS based on conditions) first and layered over with the CORE LW and I was super happy with that base combo. After that I've been doing either the Ambient UL60, 100 Vest, or 100 Hooded jacket and its about perfect but I do find its hard to decide between the UL60 vs Vest in Sept/early Oct; and the Vest vs Jacket in Nov. I'm hoping this fleece will be the obvious answer to pretty much whenever being a 75gr, provided it is mapped well and breathes accordingly; and then I can pepper in the Vest over it as needed.

Appreciate your time and response man!

 

[K_pem]

I ran these last fall also.

I think there was a material change made after I’d received my test pants, but I can speak for the cut and design. I really enjoyed these pants. They’re very comfortable and fit well. They definitely reminded me a lot of the feel of the prana Zion. I really appreciated the built in belt.

The puffy coat is perfect. For comparison sake, I would say it falls between a brooks down and Chamberlain down from first light. The face material seems tougher, but this jacket is still incredibly light. It went with me everywhere on every hunt this year. I had it on a very wet hunt in coastal southern Alaska, and it never seemed to lose loft at all.

For whatever reason the fleece seemed much warmer than others I’ve used in the past. It was a nice piece and I liked the design of it. The long zipper should be mandatory on mid layers. I typically run pretty warm and trying this vs others had me warmer than I cared to be. I used it alongside other testers who felt like it was perfect for them. I think this is typical for most garments where it’s not gonna be perfect for everyone and this one wasn’t for me.

I know you're a bigger dude like me also; did you feel like the pants had enough stretch/room in the ass and thighs in your normal size?

The fleece being a 75g weight worries me that it will be a little warm for me in Sept but probably the perfect answer for everything past that; I too run a little warm, especially during exertion, even just hiking out ridges. Glad to hear the long zip is there at least. How was the body mapping of the Alpha vs the grid fleece? Also what kind of layers were you rocking under it for testing??

TIA Dioni.

 

[K_pem]

I don't have any real "product photos" but here are some random field photos with various prototypes. None of these are final products, so colors and some other details will be different for the production products. Our hunt films from this past fall will show more.

The black puffy is sharp! Might just be my eye but I'm not a fan of that blue-ish grey color, hopefully they opt for something a little darker/muted in the finished product (but yes I know it doesn't really matter haha).

The fleece appears to have that same blue/grey color tone to me, idk if that's how it actually is in person though? A darker grey (like the one in the creek pic) and a brown color would be rad, that green looks fine I guess. I tend to offset the colors of my pack/bino harness and top so it ends up breaking up the outline a little bit more (again, not that it really matters).

Pant color looks fine, I don't think they really matter as much anyways.

Are you wearing a large tall or standard large in the tops? Wearing your regular pants size?

Thanks Mark!

 

[Mark at EXO]

The black puffy is sharp! Might just be my eye but I'm not a fan of that blue-ish grey color, hopefully they opt for something a little darker/muted in the finished product

None of the colors or finishes in my photos were final. You’ll be happy with what you see coming.

 

[K_pem]

None of the colors or finishes in my photos were final. You’ll be happy with what you see coming.

I figured as much, test fabrics are always goofier I feel like.

 

[shax2lex]

I'm excited to see this!

 

[kravguy]

Good questions here. Regarding torso lengths. The hybrid fleece and puffy will be made in standard and tall torso sizes. The pants are made in 30, 32, and 34 inch inseams. Waist sizes will be in 1 inch increments from 29 to 36. 2 inch increments above 36.

SWEET

 

[Okie_Poke]

Looked this thread up after listening to Exo's Monday Minute this morning. I bought a 0 degree sleeping bag from OV about 7 years ago as my first down purchase and still use it, though I won't pretend to have put it through any hard use. I'm looking forward to more specs about these, the puffy in particular since I'm currently in the market for one and want one with more than the seemingly common 5ish ounces of fill. Assuming specs and pricing land well, I'll order one. The other two pieces are interesting as well but I'm not actively shopping for them.

 

[pods8 (Rugged Stitching)]

Dunno what the market demand looks like versus your minimum order quantities but give a consideration of whether the puffy could be available in blaze. Its a bit more of a niche selection but for states that require a bunch of solid blaze orange having a blaze puffy you can just toss on when you sit down to glass over everything you're already wearing rather than shuffling your blaze vest (which might be under a bino harness, etc.) is a nice 1st world problems solution for those hunts to keep following the letter of the law.

It wouldn't be the first and only puffy someone would probably want but I sought one out as an addition to my layer options. I ended up grabbing a neon orange 800 fill from lands end (looks like they don't offer that color right now) but options were slim and I would have certainly considered a well designed one in the price realm of your current offerings, not sure where this new one will fall.

 

[TheTone]

Looking forward to seeing this, especially after the Monday minute podcast. Hearing a tease on pricing being significantly less than comparable products was exciting

 

[DisplacedHusky]

I’m just going off the photos, but it appears that you used the grid fleece in the sleeves and Evolve in the body and hood. If this is in fact the case, I’m just curious why you made that decision versus just using Evolve throughout the whole jacket?