Not another puffy question...

[SMOKYMTN]

Sounds about like what I need. I'll look into that one for sure. With the Grumman, would you wear it if you were completely stationary and still overheat?
I'm rapidly becoming a sissy with the cold so that might be an option for me...

Yes but I run warm as it is. I am a whitetail hunter but in the Mountains of NC which are some of the most rugged east of the Rockies. In essence I am stationary once I get to where I am going but getting there will leave you hot, drenched in sweat and your thighs on fire. The Grumman was just too much, the Brooks wasn't enough. I like the Highlander a lot, is perfect to layer over my base and mid after I get to where I am going.

 

[robertchutch]

That would make me leary about it too. That's why I can't buy anything ultralight. I'm so afraid to break it that I end up breaking it...

I employ the strategy of nice ultra light insulating layers and I wear an over layer of surplus flecktarn or rain gear to keep them safe from thorns and the like.

 

[sndmn11]

Man that's super helpful. So I could essentially do the same thing with synthetics to compare as well, correct?

Walk me through the down sweater and down vest idea... I'm intrigued

I have no idea about the synthetics. I can't say that I have ever seen any standardized measurement for loft of synthetic insulation, but I have never searched too hard.

Men's Brooks Down Sweater | First Lite

The Brooks Down Sweater is designed for the hunter who requires a warm, extremely packable, and ultralightweight hunting jacket that can be used in their layering kit year-round. Made with 100 grams of 800-fill-power down that's water-resistant, you're gonna like the way this jacket performs.

www.firstlite.com

Men's Brooks Down Vest | First Lite

The Brooks Down Vest delivers ultralight, packable, insulation for weight-conscious hunters who require performance. Built with 100 grams of DWR-treated, 800-fill power, 37.5-DownTek, this piece provides advanced, active insulation that fights off moisture to keep you warm, dry, and comfortable...

www.firstlite.com

I would personally prefer a heavier weight jacket/parka, but you mentioned a vest in your post.

 

[nlrudy]

I have no idea about the synthetics. I can't say that I have ever seen any standardized measurement for loft of synthetic insulation, but I have never searched too hard.

Men's Brooks Down Sweater | First Lite

The Brooks Down Sweater is designed for the hunter who requires a warm, extremely packable, and ultralightweight hunting jacket that can be used in their layering kit year-round. Made with 100 grams of 800-fill-power down that's water-resistant, you're gonna like the way this jacket performs.

www.firstlite.com

Men's Brooks Down Vest | First Lite

The Brooks Down Vest delivers ultralight, packable, insulation for weight-conscious hunters who require performance. Built with 100 grams of DWR-treated, 800-fill power, 37.5-DownTek, this piece provides advanced, active insulation that fights off moisture to keep you warm, dry, and comfortable...

www.firstlite.com

I would personally prefer a heavier weight jacket/parka, but you mentioned a vest in your post.

I had the brooks down vest and felt like it did nothing for me. I’m a huge FL fan but I sold thing really quick.

 

[Ralphie]

I hunt where it’s pretty dry but pretty cold. I use two different puffys and sometimes at the same time. Probably get laughed at but my most used puffy is a synthetic from Walmart $26 or whatever and cheaper on clearance. when It’s real cold and I’m stationary I’ll wear a giant down puffy from brooks range clearance sale over it and it has a hood which is a must for me for a serious cold weather puffy. I go big on sizing for puffy. For the down puffy I want serious warmth, like a sleeping bag I wear. I don’t move much in it so I doubt anyone could build one that was too warm for me. Too heavy, sure, but not too warm. Top of a ridge, in November or December, glassing.

I guided the owner of a mid tier(in pricing at least) hunting clothing company once and we were talking about hunting clothing. He said my stuff is made in the same factory as the real expensive stuff. I didn’t say it but I thought yeah and so is my Walmart puffy probably too.

 

[Mykolaivka887]

...... Probably get laughed at but my most used puffy is a synthetic from Walmart $26 or whatever and cheaper on clearance .... I guided the owner of a mid tier(in pricing at least) hunting clothing company once and we were talking about hunting clothing. He said my stuff is made in the same factory as the real expensive stuff.

Yep, I'm big on Walmart and Army/Navy and other off-brand type clothing for hardcore wilderness hunting. Good stuff, large selection and the pricing can't be beat.

 

[montei]

I was very happy with my decathlon puffer for $80. Was think about getting anything one in the next size up and just wear them both.

 

[Mcharb007]

I am apparently a gear whore.

Now that we have that out of the way,

What really matters in a puffy?

I have been doing a ton of digging to understand fill, insulation types and shell materials.

I have an Amazon brand puffy. I really like it for the 22$ I got it on sale for. The fit is OK, it's a big huge in the body. It's surprisingly warm (but not having any experience with a higher end puffy it might not be as warm as something else) it's even kinda wind resistant.
It's decently quiet unless its super cold (I have shot 5 or 6 deer in it, and it generally doesn't do anything great or poorly.

However, I have this strong desire to upgrade for no other reason than I really want to.

I am looking at a few options.

Sitka Celsius Midi-
Eddie Bauer cirrus lite hooded
Sitka aerolite hooded
Sitka kelvin lite down

I can't quite figure out what really matters in a puffy. Here is what I want the puffy to be able to do-

I want a packable puffy that I can take elk hunting so I can glass, wear it to bed at night to stay warm and wear first thing in the morning because I'm turning into a freeze baby.

I want a puffy that I can take deer and turkey hunting that isn't so loud that it will spook deer on a calm cold morning. I can wear it under a quiet fleece or shell too, so I guess this isn't my #1 priority.

Camo is unimportant to me in a puffy. If it's camo, amazing. If it's earth tone, amazing. If it's blue or bright yellow, I'm out. Lol

Dwr might be nice to have to slick light precip off.

Price is relatively unimportant to me in this case. I'd love to buy it on sale if possible but if it's something that I will love, I will pay for quality and dependability.

I want something durable enough to not need to be super careful. I'm not gonna wear it busting brush, but I use my gear. This cheap one has held up so far.

Having never owned anything down except my sleeping bag... is down the way to go or is synthetic better for my use?

Is there one puffy that will meet my needs, or am I stuck with a two puffy (or 3 let's be serious I'll end up buying a vest too I'm sure) system for early/ mid season and one for cold cold?

Are expensive puffy jackets really that much warmer? Am I missing out by not having a better puffy?

I have read through a bunch of forums here and Google it to the point where now all the ads on my phone are for puffy jackets...

Help me figure out what I really need

So I am also a huge gear whore, I’m finding this out this off season lol. Especially for puffy jackets.

So I’ve got the following “puffys”:
Kuiu superdown ultra
Kuiu superdown pro
Kuiu kenai
Sitka aerolite
Sitka kelvin WS
Kifaru LPP full zip
First lite uncompahgre

The kuiu stuff I have had for a couple years, everything else I have picked up on saps this summer so other than trying it on I haven’t really been able to use it.

I wore the kuiu kenai in Breckinridge Colorado while I was there in late November. This was a family trip and not a hunting trip. I mostly wore kuiu peloton 97, peloton 200, kenai and axis jacket on top. Weather was around 15-20 degrees at night. With the pit zips on the kenai and axis, it was a good combo for moving around. Being stationary, I was ok for a while but felt like if I spent any long duration of time outside I would get cold. The combo was very quiet with the kenai. Unfortunately I didn’t have any of my down gear with me to test.

Since I have gotten my kuiu down gear, we’ve had some cold nights in south Texas. Now let me say this first, cold down here feels different than Colorado cold I’ve been in. When I was in Breckinridge, 15-20 degrees felt like my south Texas 30-40. I’m sure it has to do with wind and humidity down here. Anyway I tried out the down jackets on a couple of 28-35 degree nights. With our wind the superdown pro was nowhere near enough for stationary, even with the axis on top of it. The superdown pro worked way better but I wasn’t overly warm. I kind of feel like I was on the edge for a long sit. Normal wind down here is minimum 15-20mph so I’m sure that played a big role.

 

[Mcharb007]

So I am also a huge gear whore, I’m finding this out this off season lol. Especially for puffy jackets.

So I’ve got the following “puffys”:
Kuiu superdown ultra
Kuiu superdown pro
Kuiu kenai
Sitka aerolite
Sitka kelvin WS
Kifaru LPP full zip
First lite uncompahgre

The kuiu stuff I have had for a couple years, everything else I have picked up on saps this summer so other than trying it on I haven’t really been able to use it.

I wore the kuiu kenai in Breckinridge Colorado while I was there in late November. This was a family trip and not a hunting trip. I mostly wore kuiu peloton 97, peloton 200, kenai and axis jacket on top. Weather was around 15-20 degrees at night. With the pit zips on the kenai and axis, it was a good combo for moving around. Being stationary, I was ok for a while but felt like if I spent any long duration of time outside I would get cold. The combo was very quiet with the kenai. Unfortunately I didn’t have any of my down gear with me to test.

Since I have gotten my kuiu down gear, we’ve had some cold nights in south Texas. Now let me say this first, cold down here feels different than Colorado cold I’ve been in. When I was in Breckinridge, 15-20 degrees felt like my south Texas 30-40. I’m sure it has to do with wind and humidity down here. Anyway I tried out the down jackets on a couple of 28-35 degree nights. With our wind the superdown pro was nowhere near enough for stationary, even with the axis on top of it. The superdown pro worked way better but I wasn’t overly warm. I kind of feel like I was on the edge for a long sit. Normal wind down here is minimum 15-20mph so I’m sure that played a big role.

That was supposed to say super down ultra wasn’t enough.

 

[Ross]

I have 3 top end down jackets:

kuiu super down pro have used for several yrs and has done the job very well, lite, packs down small,no issues on down loss and is very warm, not an oven but for the weight and a jacket used back in it checks the boxes

Montbell alpine is an oven a $100 bucks cheaper and longer, does not have have treated down you almost feel like your in a sleeping bag..

just cause I just acquired the Grumman black label and would say it is very similar to the kuiu unit..

just like a wall tent with wood heat late season down is very nice when cold Adding down pants I waddle around and feel like the kid from Christmas story but warm

 

[Erussell01]

That was supposed to say super down ultra wasn’t enough.

Super helpful breakdown! Thank you for your insight. If you had to pick 1 as your do it all... what would it be?

 

[Erussell01]

I have 3 top end down jackets:

kuiu super down pro have used for several yrs and has done the job very well, lite, packs down small,no issues on down loss and is very warm, not an oven but for the weight and a jacket used back in it checks the boxes

Montbell alpine is an oven a $100 bucks cheaper and longer, does not have have treated down you almost feel like your in a sleeping bag..

just cause I just acquired the Grumman black label and would say it is very similar to the kuiu unit..

just like a wall tent with wood heat late season down is very nice when cold Adding down pants I waddle around and feel like the kid from Christmas story but warm

First of all....Holy sheet that's a great buck man. Congrats! What's the story If you don't mind sharing



If you could only pick one of your 3 what would it be? I kinda love the Kuiu stuff I have. I really enjoy their gear. I also like that I can get it in solids, just because I can daily wear it and not even think about if it will clash with my outfit (joking)

But I'm rapidly becoming a sitka whore too. I have favorite pieces from each of them. Don't have any SG yet, and don't have any experience with Monbell but I'll for darn sure be looking

 

[Ross]

Due to packability, weight, enough warmth and fan of my kuiu gear I’m taking the kuiu superdown pro….if it was in the single digits and I was going to sit for long periods of time the Montbell gets the nod but that is not my plan and it is a long way up this mountain…not a lot of nice bucks up this direction but enough to keep me going back each yr…caught him chasing a doe just after day break and the long climb same as this one two yrs prior

 

[three5x5s]

I made the mistake of buying my down and insulation layers to fit my normal size. Now I'm trying to reload with bigger size's so I dont have to take something off to add insulation. Think about what layers you will have on before you add your down so you dont make the same mistake I did.

 

[Mykolaivka887]

I made the mistake of buying my down and insulation layers to fit my normal size. Now I'm trying to reload with bigger size's so I dont have to take something off to add insulation. Think about what layers you will have on before you add your down so you dont make the same mistake I did.

Precisely. Over the years I've noticed that a large number of my first-time clients have done that very same thing -- buying a large if they wear a large -- and then when they get into the field, can't layer that over all their other clothes. In terms of outer wear, buy an XXL if you wear a size large, just to be on the safe side, because you really never know just how many layers you'll have to pile on at any given time.

 

[stephen_seeks]

I made the mistake of buying my down and insulation layers to fit my normal size. Now I'm trying to reload with bigger size's so I dont have to take something off to add insulation. Think about what layers you will have on before you add your down so you dont make the same mistake I did.

Careful: a lot of gear companies have caught on and are cutting their puffys larger. The FL Chamberlain in L fits easily over all my layers. The Sitka WS in L was massive, borderline too big.

 

[Erussell01]

Due to packability, weight, enough warmth and fan of my kuiu gear I’m taking the kuiu superdown pro….if it was in the single digits and I was going to sit for long periods of time the Montbell gets the nod but that is not my plan and it is a long way up this mountain…not a lot of nice bucks up this direction but enough to keep me going back each yr…caught him chasing a doe just after day break and the long climb same as this one two yrs prior

Worth the climb it looks like!

 

[carsonkeys]

I get pretty nerdy about this stuff...here's a spreadsheet below that's really helped me quantify warmth and therefore value. There's a few notable jackets missing because they don't list the fill weight and therefore are out of contention for me and my numbers brain (looking at you, Firstlite Chamberlin). Hope this helps.

Company	Fill Power	Fill Weight (oz)	Total Weight (oz)	Coating	Warmth Scale
Stone Glacier	850	5.3	11.8	Pertex Quantum Shell	4505
Feathered Friends Helios	900	7.8	18	Pertex Endurance LT	7020
Rab Positron Pro	800	10.6	27	Pertex Quantum Pro	8480
Montbell Permafrost Parka	800	9.5	25.7	30D Gore Windstopper	7600
Mammut Meron IN	900	4.9	14.8		4410
Black Ovis Anchor Point Jacket	800	4.2	12		3360
Stellar Equipment M Ultralight Down Hood 2.0	850	5 (in XL)	12	HyperDRY	4250
Kuiu Super Down Pro	850	5	13.4	Quixdown	4250

 

[Erussell01]

I get pretty nerdy about this stuff...here's a spreadsheet below that's really helped me quantify warmth and therefore value. There's a few notable jackets missing because they don't list the fill weight and therefore are out of contention for me and my numbers brain (looking at you, Firstlite Chamberlin). Hope this helps.

Company	Fill Power	Fill Weight (oz)	Total Weight (oz)	Coating	Warmth Scale
Stone Glacier	850	5.3	11.8	Pertex Quantum Shell	4505
Feathered Friends Helios	900	7.8	18	Pertex Endurance LT	7020
Rab Positron Pro	800	10.6	27	Pertex Quantum Pro	8480
Montbell Permafrost Parka	800	9.5	25.7	30D Gore Windstopper	7600
Mammut Meron IN	900	4.9	14.8		4410
Black Ovis Anchor Point Jacket	800	4.2	12		3360
Stellar Equipment M Ultralight Down Hood 2.0	850	5 (in XL)	12	HyperDRY	4250
Kuiu Super Down Pro	850	5	13.4	Quixdown	4250

That's fantastic data! Thanks for sharing that with us

 

[Erussell01]

Does puffy color matter?
I've narrowed down to 3 I think.
90$ eddie bauer cirrus lite hooded off Amazon
119$ aerolite in blue from europotic
139$ kelvin lite down in blue from eurptic.

I am really struggling with buying a blue puffy....

Help!?