Outwest
WKR
Disclaimer- This whole comparison was the result of boredom, curiosity and coffee. Finals week has me over-caffeinated and wanting to get away from homework. This is only meant to be a fun way to measure the differences between some similar Kuiu and Sitka items that I would purchase, and not an official, in-depth report.
I think we all can agree that buying quality gear is an investment. “Buy Once, Cry Once” is the adage that rings true throughout most of the hunting gear industry, clothing being the only sort-of exception being that it will most likely have to be replaced sometime or another due to the nature of fabric.
The debate between Sitka and Kuiu has been a fierce one, or at least it has been for me. I have owned both, loved and hated pieces from both, and wanted to make an unbiased measurement between both in terms of price and weight.
I understand that the performance of each piece will differ due to material used, craftsmanship, and the most variable, personal preference. So, for this comparison I decided to only include the weight and price of similar kit items from both Sitka and Kuiu. I summarized the results in terms of dollars per oz and dollars per lb. As you can see in the crude excel sheet, Kuiu came up lighter in nearly every category, as well as overall and was significantly cheaper.
I know, it’s a cheesy and inaccurate way to measure value, but it works and it is fun to think about buying a pound of Sitka with a few ounces of Kuiu sprinkled on top.
It came out that you will spend on average; $14.23 per ounce or $227.75 per pound of Sitka gear, and $12.24 per ounce or $195.86 per pound of Kuiu gear. Break out the calculators... (Using this average ratio, you would pay about $45 for a Sitka ball cap
)
So which is better? By the numbers, Kuiu would seem to win by overall lighter weight and lower price. With that being said, if I were to choose a full kit today, I would still be a loyal Kuitka wearer.
(I only had to fudge one weight on the Kuiu merino neck gaiter, I used 1.3 as a completely made up number, if you know the actual weight, post it up.)
I think we all can agree that buying quality gear is an investment. “Buy Once, Cry Once” is the adage that rings true throughout most of the hunting gear industry, clothing being the only sort-of exception being that it will most likely have to be replaced sometime or another due to the nature of fabric.
The debate between Sitka and Kuiu has been a fierce one, or at least it has been for me. I have owned both, loved and hated pieces from both, and wanted to make an unbiased measurement between both in terms of price and weight.
I understand that the performance of each piece will differ due to material used, craftsmanship, and the most variable, personal preference. So, for this comparison I decided to only include the weight and price of similar kit items from both Sitka and Kuiu. I summarized the results in terms of dollars per oz and dollars per lb. As you can see in the crude excel sheet, Kuiu came up lighter in nearly every category, as well as overall and was significantly cheaper.
I know, it’s a cheesy and inaccurate way to measure value, but it works and it is fun to think about buying a pound of Sitka with a few ounces of Kuiu sprinkled on top.
It came out that you will spend on average; $14.23 per ounce or $227.75 per pound of Sitka gear, and $12.24 per ounce or $195.86 per pound of Kuiu gear. Break out the calculators... (Using this average ratio, you would pay about $45 for a Sitka ball cap
)So which is better? By the numbers, Kuiu would seem to win by overall lighter weight and lower price. With that being said, if I were to choose a full kit today, I would still be a loyal Kuitka wearer.
(I only had to fudge one weight on the Kuiu merino neck gaiter, I used 1.3 as a completely made up number, if you know the actual weight, post it up.)
Last edited:
