KUIU Chugach TR Rain Jacket and Paints - Review and First Impressions
After many hours of research and one bad purchase before, I decided to pick up both the jacket and pants of the KUIU Chugach TR Rain gear. In my opinion, this system is the best rain gear an archery hunter can buy.
First impressions
The Verde camo pattern is sweet! I feel like highly edited pictures on line with lots of color grading by professional photographers can alter the colors of the image. The camo looks sweet, very modern, and I feel it will do a good job in PA breaking up my outline in the archery woods.
Weight
This gear is not insulated, I have other insulated layers I intend to use this with so having insulation was not important. I wanted something as light as possible to keep me dry. The large jacket weighs in at 14.7 ounces. I have a medium which is slightly less. To have a jacket that weighs less than a pound to throw in a backpack is a huge win. This will help keep my weight down and stay ultra light weight with my rain gear.
Comfort
The inner jacket has a nice soft feel. The outer material feels tougher which should be good holding up against brush. The material has a bit of a stretch to it that moves with you as you move. This will help when hiking, drawing my bow back, and climbing up into my stand. The gear is not baggy and has a more athletic fit. I do not like the feel of baggy clothing especially rain gear when you need to climb, draw, hike, etc...
Waterproof
The main reason I bought this gear was its 30,000mm H2O waterproof rating. I wanted something that would keep me dry in the harshest and heaviest downpours while archery hunting or fly fishing. After buying rain gear that eventually soaked through while hunting, I was ready to call in the heavy artillery. You can see in the images below the water wicks off of the jacket very quickly and after a heavy soaking from my garden house which included regular spraying and the jet feature, I didn't have a single drop of water or moisture on the inside of the jacket.
Breathability
I wore this gear to test it on a 74 degree humid day. I was sweating walking around with jeans and a long-sleeved shirt. After adding my rain gear on top, I didn't hardly notice I was wearing another layer. The zippers underneath the arm pits are a great way to dump heat. You can also use the zipper on the pants to help vent your legs. I was very impressed with the breathability.
Cons
The first major con would be the price. It is expensive and probably doesn't make sense for the fair-weather hunter to buy. But, if you are like me and hunt rain or shine and are tired of other rain gear failing you, this is a good investment.
The gear is not completely silent. There is a bit of a swish sound when moving or drawing a bow back. This is definitely a trade off and I will be trying to move slowly in close quarters while archery hunting.
Overall, I really like KUIU's Chugach TR Rain Jacket and Pants. I Would highly recommend it to anyone looking for a good rain gear system.
My full video review is below...
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