Sitka- cloudburst vs dewpoint

[md126]

any opinions, advice, experience between the two for comparison. both quality rain gear it seems. im primarily using it for an elk hunt in CO in sept at about 10,000ft but would like to be able to use it generally back home too. Thanks

 

[Coloradoboy]

I ran the dew point for a year... stuff was crap. leaked, noisy etc etc. Not much fun on Kodiak Island for 14 days. Came home and switched over Kuiu Chugach rain gear and have been nothing but happy.

Coloradoboy

 

[scheffdawg]

I believe both are made with the GORE-TEX PacLite material. I just got the Cloudburst jacket, but haven't used it yet. I do, however, use black GORE-TEX PacLite jacket and pants for backpacking raingear and love them. Last week I did a 9 hour hike with 2500 feet of elevation gain and 5500 feet of loss. It started sprinkling when we left, I put on the gear about 15 minutes in, and it quickly turned to a downpour and didn't stop until we reached the car. After I took off the raingear at the car, I had slightly damp shoulders under my pack straps, slightly damp armpits (had the pit-zips open), and saturated hands and feet. Though not the Sitka Gear, my experience with the PacLite material has been great.

As far as these two jackets go, the dewpoint is the lighter (weight, by ~1/2 lb) jacket, more geared towards an emergency rain shell. The cloudburst has more pockets, a soft fleece neck liner (don't remember if the dewpoint also has this liner), and the hood zips into the collar. Both have pit zips to vent delicious, hot, pit-air when you're hiking, but the dewpoints are streamlined into the pockets with a single zipper. To me, the dewpoint is a lightweight, basic shell and the cloudburst is slightly heavier, but more comfortable and more pockets. Both are the same (or at least similar) material, and neither are very quiet. These are both jackets to wear when it's raining and your sound can be masked, not during dry weather unless you're staying a few hundred yards away.

 

[Yellowknife]

I believe both are made with the GORE-TEX PacLite material.

There is actually something a little different about the Dewpoint. It LOOKS just like PacLite, but isn't branded as such by either Gore or Sitka. I suspect a slightly different membrane is used. For what it's worth, it's significantly more waterproof than the PacLite I've used and been around. Limited sample size though, so might have been luck of the draw.

In my my experience the Dewpoint drys really fast compared to most rainjackets. I suspect due to the nylon face fabric. The Cloudburst is a more typical polyester face fabric, for what it's worth.

Colorado Boy -

No offense, but two weeks on Kodiak is no place for flyweight W/B gear. Pretty much a mis-application IMO. That's what they invented the rubber stuff for. Have you had that Kuiu stuff back on Kodiak to compare?

Yk

 

[BroodBuster]

My cloudburst has survived three spring steelhead seasons on rainforest rivers so I've found it to be pretty bulletproof. One of the best pieces of equipment I own.

 

[Craig Van Arsdale]

Wrong thread my bad.