Kryptek Poseidon Rain Gear Review
by Travis Bertrand, Rokslide Moderator
The Poseidon Rain Gear is Kryptek’s lightweight model designed for the backcountry hunter. I had the opportunity to use a set during the fall 2015 hunts. The Poseidon is designed for those high country late afternoon thunder cells or those damp, late season deer hunts when rain, sleet, and snow are common. If you are expecting this rain gear to keep you dry while hiking up a steep grade with 50 lbs. on your back in a downpour, you will be disappointed. The Poseidon just doesn’t breathe as well as the really expensive sets on the market.
The Poseidon has an athletic cut much like most of the Kryptek’s line and should be ordered a size larger than expected to cover your normal outer layer. They are made of 2.5 layer, monolithic lamination and offered in Kryptek Highlander or Mandrake camouflage. At this time, it is not offered in solid colors.
For the jacket, they got rid of the “helmet” hood for the 2015 line making it much more practical for our application. This new style of hood conforms to your head well and is cinched down by two drawstrings on both sides. The chin area and cuffs are lined with a soft material to prevent chafing.
The pants feature full-length, double-direction zippers on each side for access to your pant pockets if need be. The built-in, lightweight belt cinches snuggly around your waist and can easily be operated even with a gloved hand.
They are comprised of welded seams and waterproof zippers. All together the set weighs 24.8 oz., with the jacket at 11.8 oz. and the pants at 13 oz. respectively. I stuff them in a medium Kifaru pullout and keep it easily accessible in a front pocket on my pack.
I wouldn’t wear this set while sneaking up on that buck of a lifetime as they are a little too noisy for that, but they aren’t so noisy that you will scare everything within earshot.
One hefty price you pay to save a few ounces is lack of pockets. I find this awkward and I continue to search for them even though I know they are not there. Eventually, I find myself with my hands tucked in between the bottom raingear and my pants searching for warmth or wrapped in the front of the jacket as if I’m trying to keep an object dry. Ounce counting does come at a cost.
They held up fine all fall with light use. While they aren’t designed to bust through the brush, once my seasons were over, I decided to see how durable they really are. I took some 80-grit sandpaper to them to see how they would hold up. It took around five swipes with light pressure to create a few holes in the outer layer and compromise the fabric. I then took a cup of water and poured it on the hole, then draped the fabric over a bowl to see how long it would take to leak. Long story short, after 3.5 hours you could see water sweating through to the other side but no drops made it to the bottom of the bowl.
I didn’t experience any tears or punctures during use, but wanted to to give an idea how puncture resistant the material is. I took a new #2 Phillips screwdriver and weighted it until it punctured. It took around 20lbs of weight before it succumbed to the screwdrivers’ point.
I am very pleased with the results from the Poseidon Raingear for the type of climate I was in. I hunted out rain and snowstorms in relative comfort. The Poseidon is a great set of rain gear for most guys out there looking for a lightweight, compact set to pull out when the skies turn dark. If you need super quiet or super breathable, then keep shopping and plan to spend plenty more than the Poseidons will set you back. You can find the set for around $280 from Kryptek.com. I also found some on BlackOvis here
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