Eastman's Review of Critical 6 layers

[RCBOWHUNTER]

Anybody read this article by Eastmans?

http://www.eastmans.com/exclusives/t...al-layers.html

Anyone have any experience with these 4 companies? I have used Sitka and Kryptek; and exclusively use Kryptek now. I find it hard to pay the price for Sitka when I can match the quality for a lighter price tag. Plus I just like Kryptek's mission and where the owners have come from. Kudos to Kryptek for winning the "Weight" category too! For all you sheep hunters you need to check out Kryptek!

So what do others think, what have you used, and what is on your wish list?

Ryan

[duckslayer56]

I almost have the whole KUIU system. It's awesome stuff, I am very impressed with it. KUIU also has an interesting mission. And it's all geared towards sheep hunting. The owner of the company even uses sheep hunts as the standard for his gear. I love the camo pattern too.

[Amigo Will]

Nope and don't understand it all.

[LuJon]

I dig the kuiu stuff as well but my gear is a hodgepodge of brands that have been assembled to fit my personal needs and budget. A guy with money to burn could do well just ordering an entire hunting wardrobe from any of the vendors mentioned and just get out and use it!

[shanksmare]

I'm not in Ak. anymore and have"nt sheep hunted for years but did spend a fair amount of time in Ak. fishing, hunting, horsepacking and guideing in the '80's and always relied on a polypro long underware for wicking and a wool outergarment and good raingear outer. I know there are alot of new blends of clothing out there now than there use to be, but I always always seemed to be on a buget , besides I survived. Just call me oldschool, I still use this same system yet and I could now afford the new stuff. Saved my money for something else like Cancun in april. Thanks, Ron.

[weseod]

I have the base and intermetate layer from polor tech, thanks to the military and the fact that you never turnin clothing that is wore next to your skin I have 8 sets of silk and second layers, then i have a set of browning bibs and the parka with the removable liner. I have yet to use the liner get to hot, plus my assortment of hoodys. The supper expensive sets work but you can find a mish mash of the stuff you need for way less that 300 bucks, on the clearance racks. Besides I would wear the expensive stuff if it was free, that how the TV poeple get it, remember they dont buy anything.

[Larry Bartlett]

Kryptek won highest marks in weight and fit, but best of all price point.

All gear has some advantages and some disadvantages, but I look at comfort, fit, function, and price above all else.

I use kryptek now, and I don't need anything else for layering systems. Their new camo pattern rocks! That Highlander pattern will bust a nut on tundra hunts. Can't wait for fall.

larry

[Yellowknife]

I'm not in Ak. anymore and have"nt sheep hunted for years but did spend a fair amount of time in Ak. fishing, hunting, horsepacking and guideing in the '80's and always relied on a polypro long underware for wicking and a wool outergarment and good raingear outer. I know there are alot of new blends of clothing out there now than there use to be, but I always always seemed to be on a buget , besides I survived. Just call me oldschool, I still use this same system yet and I could now afford the new stuff. Saved my money for something else like Cancun in april. Thanks, Ron.

The "new" layering methods aren't really any different than the old poly pro/wool layers. Only now the wool is on the inside and the synthetic on the outside. The theory is essentially the same. Sure, some of the new stuff is expensive, but so was (or is) Filson, Pendelton, Woolrich, etc. The old system never stopped working, so you aren't missing much. In fact for some types of hunts, the wool outer layers still have some significant advantages, but for others (ie. backpack hunting) the lighter more compact nature of the synthetics puts them ahead.

Like a lot of people, I wear a variety of brands, including many "non hunting" ones. In fact I usually avoid camo since my gear has to do year round field duty (although I have to admit that some Sitka stuff bought on the cheap has snuck in of the last few years). The review was interesting and it's nice to see stuff side by side, but since is was based on limited field testing I'm not giving it a huge amount of weight.

Yk

[LuJon]

I will check out the Kryptek stuff at some point. I doubt that anything will knock the Kuiu Chugach jacket off my "number one" slot though. All the benefits of the others but with 4 way stretch! I wore it all day as a wind breaker one day last season and it never bound up on me like other hard shells have in the past.

My biggest issue as a "bigger" guy is fighting bulk when back pack hunting! Poly pro, Fleece, and regular wool just take up tons of space when you get up to XXL and XXXL sizes. My pack 5 years ago looked like a college kid's duffel bag headed home for the weekend so mom could do his laundry!! Merino wool is warmer so I can wear a thinner garment, it doesn't get funky so I can wear one piece longer with no ill effects. Merino wool socks can be warn for multiple days with no athletes foot issues. Primaloft jackets and pants can keep you warm if sever weather comes in and packs tiny and light so you actually take it with you. Poly shell rain gear weighs a tiny fraction of what conventional rain gear does.

The only hang-up is the cost and if you know how to shop the web even that can be curtailed quite a bit. As mentioned the "classic" wool garments now cost a fortune as well! Mil-Surp will get you out there and it works well, it also tends to be heavier but it does work. Especially the newer stuff! I had a blast hunting in my dads old mil gear as a kid and would use it today if it is all I had. That said, I am warmer, dryer, lighter and happier with a newer tech system that I have tailored for my uses. Being in high spirits on a hunt is often the difference from hiking up and checking a side drainage vs not. Being comfortable tends to add a lot toward keeping me in high spirits when I am out kicking around the mountains!

[leatherneck]

Not to get sidetracked, but did anyone notice that Kuiu is all made in Canada and most of it is at the EXACT same price point as its "Made in China" competitors? I thought you can't make a profit anymore with US labor! What a pizz off. Greed is killing this country. Sorry for my little rant.

[LuJon]

Not to get sidetracked, but did anyone notice that Kuiu is all made in Canada and most of it is at the EXACT same price point as its "Made in China" competitors? I thought you can't make a profit anymore with US labor! What a pizz off. Greed is killing this country. Sorry for my little rant.

Ummmm, Canada is not in the US.



I will however buy Canadian over products made in Asia given similar pricing.

[leatherneck]

Ummmm, Canada is not in the US.



I will however buy Canadian over products made in Asia given similar pricing.

No Schitt. US minimum wage is lower and CDN$ has basically been equivalent for the past several years. Are there other factors too, sure, but it just pisses me off that these things can be sold at the same price point....one in Canada, rest in China, and NONE in the USA

[cjustinm]

eastman's should review the fact that most animals taken don't seem to prefer any one brand of synthetic,vapor wicking,digitally enhanced, overpriced POS clothes. I've shot way more stuff with a sweatshirt and orange vest than my sitka junk that sits unused in a rubbermaid bin. I'll admit i was taken in by their ads years ago, does it make me a better hunter? not one bit. I wouldn't spend 400 dollars on a shirt but hey to each his own. remember eastman's is sponsored by clothing companies so i'm a little skeptical that i need to change hunting clothes every year so my odds of success will increase 19,999% okay i'll get off my little soapbox. i like nice gear as much as the next guy but i'm kinda sick about the constatnt revolutions in clothing technology for us hunters give it a rest already.

[cavtrooper94]

I enjoy the Eastmans magazine. After reading it and then seeing patterns and gear, I will soon be fully outfitted in Kryptek.

[northway]

While all this gear has it's place, I've learned over the years that a lot of it is just hype. A good set of rain gear is a must, the rest of the stuff can be stuff you find at reasonable prices that work great. I learned that Sitka gear was a bunch of over priced stuff that didn't make me a magic hunter. Find stuff that works and use it. There is no need to spends HUNDREDS and thousands of $$ on clothing.