Opinions on Core 4 Element?

GMO44

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Oct 29, 2015
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Just trying to see what people think about Core 4 vs other brands like Kuiu or Sitka.
 
I have a lot of C4E from undies to rain gear. I have yet to wear any of it out after 3 years on some. I have a few pcs of Sitka. I don't really see too much difference. I have never had any Kuiu. I will not hesitate to buy more C4E gear.
 
I will go opposite of tttoadman. I wore out my core 4 element pants in one season. I am pretty hard on camo, but it seemed to me that the C4E pants I own had threads pull all over the place. Now my camo looks like it has white stripes all over it.
 
I thought they closed up shop?

They were a sponsor when still owned by Camofire and they sent me some pants (name? name? Matt Wymer, remind me) and while I proceeded to shred the zipper pulls, the pants wore very well and like ttoadman says, were very durable. I wear out pant seats pretty fast with glassing but these stayed together even after ripping small holes in them from sharp rocks.a If I remember the name, I'll chime back in.
 
I will go opposite of tttoadman. I wore out my core 4 element pants in one season. I am pretty hard on camo, but it seemed to me that the C4E pants I own had threads pull all over the place. Now my camo looks like it has white stripes all over it.

What do you prefer over core 4? What brand will you use instead?
 
I've personally only used their merino and I like it, has held up very well for me.

One of my hunting buddies has the rain gear and likes it, has had no issue. Another has a pair of the Switchback pants and likes them. No issues there either.
 
The merino wool underwear has slipped in quality from the first set I bought. Those shrunk and got real wrinkled but wore well. The next batch I bought included a couple of long sleeve T's and they seemed to have less wool and thinner to me. The Pants I liked better than FL merino pants. ( Just me ) I cannot have the cargo pocket on top of my leg. The C4E pants worked well but not cut like KUIU or other brands. Not articulated enough in the knee. Otherwise I liked them. Good stuff for a good price. My best find for the price has been the Browning "Hells Canyon " Stuff. My favorite is KUIU!
 
I thought I read on here where they were purchased by Easton, then Easton decided to discontinue several different lines. A former student of mine worked for camofire, he informed me that they had one big shipment coming in and then that was going to be it???
 
http://www.rokslide.com/forums/show...lement-out-of-business&highlight=Core+Element

If Easton won't warranty it, I wouldn't buy any. I have two pairs of highline pants and between both of them the zippers have broken in 6 out of the 8 pockets. Not a big deal, but for $90+ they should be better. Good fit and material though. I have no Kuiu or sitka to compare to, but the First Lite stuff I have is much better than C4E in my opinion. That would be my recommendation as they have quality gear and are a great company that gives a lot to conservation. I also like the First Lite solid color options better.
 
I have a fair amount of their stuff, because it was cheap on Campfire in the beginning, and I was broke finishing up college. I like their Element Pants a lot for rifle season, their heavier pant. I also have a set of their light weight early season pants- the Switchbacks maybe??- that I like a lot as well. I've had both for several years and they are still going strong. The early season pants are faded a fair amount from the bottoms up to my knee from walking through brush and do have a hole in the side of the knee from a sharp branch while walking through burned deadfall several years ago but it has not grown at all. I'd buy both again if I could get a size that fits right. That said I did try to by another set of the warm weather pants, after they changed sizing around a couple years ago and my size did not fit well.

The 2 pants I have and the merino tops and bottoms all get an A+ for their value for me. I just bought a Kuiu rain jacket to replace the C4E rain jacket. Their lightweight zip up tops are just OK in my opinion. They'd be better if their zippers didn't suck.

Edit: may have been a little harsh in the rain gear... Their rain gear can get the job done. Like Lost said I could see it being good in a tree stand or sitting still, but I found the jacket doesn't breath well and did leak for me after a couple uses. It is quiet though, noticeably more than the Kuiu Chugach I just got.
 
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The Camofire guys are back with their own brand.
I've got a jacket and it appears good quality and similar if not identical to Core4
I've had good luck with Element pants and jacket.
I use their rain gear while treestand hunting because its fairly quiet and I'm only a mile or so from truck. In the mountains I use a different rain jacket (Kuiu).


http://sylogear.com/
 
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