Vest Recommendations

[Radosilver]

I won my friendly Super Bowl wager with my brother, so he owes me a new item of hunting gear. He isn't a vest guy and doesn't understand why I wear them. Therefore, it's only fitting that he buys me a new vest. I wear vests a lot but actually don't currently have a dedicated hunting vest. I am intending to use it to take the chill off during active hunts in archery elk season when it isn't quite cool enough for a full jacket, for walks to the tree stand in November/December when you need a little something to cut the cold but don't want to get sweated up too bad, and for an extra layer of insulation in really cold late season hunts. However, it won't be a primary insulation piece in cold weather so I don't need it to be super warm. I have puffies for that. I've been looking at the Kuiu Peloton 240, Kuiu Kenai and Sitka Kelvin Lite vests. I want it to be reasonably quiet and not too bulky so that I can still draw my bow wearing a bino harness. The ability to cut the wind a bit would be nice bonus but isn't a primary concern. Does anyone have experience with the three I listed, or recommendations for others I should check out?

 

[Desk Jockey]

Kelvin lite vest is nice but not particularly quiet. I prefer my jetstream vest over it for outwear.

 

[Radosilver]

Kelvin lite vest is nice but not particularly quiet. I prefer my jetstream vest over it for outwear.

Thanks I’ll check it out.

 

[Middleofnowhere]

Duckworth has a pretty cool vest that is insulated with Montana wool. I have a few of their products and just ordered a vest for the wife. https://www.duckworthco.com/collections/mens-jackets-vests/products/mens-woolcloud-vest-1

 

[Chordeiles]

The Skre Hardscrabble vest would be worth looking at.

I don’t have the vest but do have the Hardscrabble jacket. About as quiet as you can get without going full on fleece.

Hardscrabble Vest

The Hardscrabble vest is lightweight and versatile, yet durable enough for treks across rugged mountain terrain. Buy your camo hunting vest today!

www.skregear.com

 

[justinspicher]

I have used the first lite puffy vest quite a bit just like you’re describing and it works well for me. I went down a size so it was as bulky. I also got in black because I can use for more activities. I also have a Patagonia nano puff vest that’s orange for my 2d and 3D rifle seasons. It’s been really nice for moving from spot to spot with a pack on, keeps me warm with out overheating. It’s also a smaller version than I’d normally wear so it isn’t as bulky either.

 

[Recurveaholic]

Go with wool you will not be disappointed it will even keep you warm when wet! I have a Cabelas wool vest and will never be without one again!!

 

[BigWoods]

A bit of an old school suggestion, but check out the Stormy Kromer Button Vest. It's pure wool, does a good job blocking the wind, silent l, and will last for years. Oh, and you can wear it on a date . It's not the lightest option as my medium weighs 19oz.
https://www.stormykromer.com/the-button-vest/
I got mine for Christmas and have worn it almost daily. With a polar fleece and base layer I'm good down to about 15°. When it's 35-50 I'm good to go with just a long sleeve shirt.

They also have a slightly lighter weight wool option with a zipper.

 

[Radosilver]

The Skre Hardscrabble vest would be worth looking at.

I don’t have the vest but do have the Hardscrabble jacket. About as quiet as you can get without going full on fleece.

Hardscrabble Vest

The Hardscrabble vest is lightweight and versatile, yet durable enough for treks across rugged mountain terrain. Buy your camo hunting vest today!

www.skregear.com

Thanks. I’ll check it out.

 

[Radosilver]

Duckworth has a pretty cool vest that is insulated with Montana wool. I have a few of their products and just ordered a vest for the wife. https://www.duckworthco.com/collections/mens-jackets-vests/products/mens-woolcloud-vest-1
View attachment 154911

Is the face fabric quiet?

 

[Radosilver]

Thanks for the wool suggestions. I like wool overall. I’m just a little nervous about the durability factor. I wore a pair of First Lite’s merino pants last year. Loved them. Most comfortable and quiet hunting pants I’ve used. Comfortable in a huge range of temps. But I ripped them up pretty bad in just one year of use. It’s made me a little gun shy on wool for anything that will be used at times as an outer layer.

 

[Rommy]

I love my puffy vests but it sounds like you don’t want one, so I would rule out the kelvin lite since it’s a puffy insulation vest.

I don’t personally own one, but if I were in your shoes I’d look at the Sitka jetstream vest. The full jacket is probably their most popular item and it’s windproof and relatively quiet.


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[Jimss]

I never leave home without a vest and it is one of my most used layers! It's nice having arms free...especially when bow hunting. Take a look at SItka Fanatic vest. I bought one last year and love it. It has a weird zipper but a large pouch plus nice hand warming pouch. The fabric is similar to polarfleece and super quiet and won't rip in brush. I would be leery of some of the other vests above....they are likely pretty noisy and my not last when worn as an outer.

 

[Midwestwaterfowl]

I never leave home without a vest either. I bought a Sitka jet stream vest for a mule deer hunt in Colorado last season. I like it, but I haven’t used it enough to really say if it’s worth it or not. I wear a cheap natural gear wind proof fleece vest more than anything from early season turkey, deer, and duck hunting. Might not be a bad idea to pick up a cheap fleece vest for the tree stand hunts. I also picked up a fanatic vest on camofire a while back, it’s got a wierd zipper that I’m not used to yet, but it’s real nice also.

 

[Radosilver]

I love my puffy vests but it sounds like you don’t want one, so I would rule out the kelvin lite since it’s a puffy insulation vest.

I don’t personally own one, but if I were in your shoes I’d look at the Sitka jetstream vest. The full jacket is probably their most popular item and it’s windproof and relatively quiet.


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Thanks for the input. I’m not opposed to a puffy vest actually. But my main concerns are that it be quiet and not so thick that it makes things too bulky when I add layers over top late in the season. So I guess that probably narrows the options a bit in the puffy style. I’ll definitely check out the jet stream based on the recommendations here. Seems like there are a lot of good options out there.

 

[Radosilver]

I never leave home without a vest and it is one of my most used layers! It's nice having arms free...especially when bow hunting. Take a look at SItka Fanatic vest. I bought one last year and love it. It has a weird zipper but a large pouch plus nice hand warming pouch. The fabric is similar to polarfleece and super quiet and won't rip in brush. I would be leery of some of the other vests above....they are likely pretty noisy and my not last when worn as an outer.

Thanks I’ll check out the fanatic.

 

[Trial153]

Jetstream vest

 

[camping1601]

A simple 200 weight fleece vest from a non hunting company is pretty hard to beat, but your brother would be getting off cheap.
My favorite vest was under $2 from the Goodwill store.

 

[Bruce Culberson]

The Peleton 240 is on sale now. I used one last fall for the situations you describe. I t blocks wind yet breaths really well.

 

[swampsnyper]

I have the peloton 240 vest and jacket. Very quiet. Good wind block for a breeze but not hard winds. I have the Kenai jacket. Pretty quiet but not as quiet as the peloton 240. Much more insulated and wind proof. I also have the kuiu super down ultra vest. Very warm as a mid layer. But noisy as an outer layer and not very tough for brush.