I've been anxiously awaiting the Grand Opening for KUIU after following the blog for the last six month or so. I made the two hour trek north to Dixon (from San Jose) with my wife and son. There were plenty of people, good food, and free beer!
I realized on the way home that I should have taken some pictures, but unfortunately my 7 month old was short on patience yesterday as the restraint of the car seat is driving him nuts since he has become mobile.
Anyway as far as the gear, it appears to be everything it is cracked up to be. Function aside (I'll get to that in a minute), the first thing my wife said to me was "I want that to wear everyday", it looks that good in Vias camo or solids.
Starting from the base layer it's clear Jason was after a high grade merino for the base layers. They have a feel that would match that of an overpriced sweater at Nordstrom. It's light, very well built and no doubt performs. I have several high grade merino bike jerseys and they perform far better than any of my high dollar synthetic jerseys; just by observation alone I know these will be no different.
The Attack Pant was probably my personal favorite in the line-up. The four way stretch ability, and overall mobility of these pants is superior to anything I have seen on the market. They have an athletic fit, but because of the 4-way stretch they provide no restriction to movement. It is seriously the best of all worlds. Athletic fit that is less material (weight) and from fitting leaving less to get caught on brush or debris; but yet no restriction in movement if you are scaling a near verticle or on your hands an knees for the final part of your stalk. The pockets are totally functional and not too small and the ankles are reinforced on the inside to stand up to a lifetime of abuse.
The Guide Coat is right on par with the Attack Pant. It uses the same material as the Attack Pant, but in a heavier weight (274g/m2 per their website). Like the Attack Pant, it shines because it is designed on at athletic fit, but because of the unique four-way stretch of the fabric there are no restrictions mobility wise. The first thing I noticed about the coat is it's longer tail. The frist thing I thought of were many experiences sitting on a hillside glassing a valley and having the small of my back and crack exposed to the elements and having to constantly adjust. This design will eliminate that, keep your backside covered so you can spot antlers instead feeling the draft. One of the other highlights for me was the ease of use in the pit zips. I can't stand having to stop while on the move to open my pit zips. Since the jacket fits to form and there is no additional material to bind up, the zips can be opened or closed with one hand, one the move...sweet!
The Chugach waterproof layer could be worn as an everyday hunting layer. It's light, fits well and has a muted noise factor compared to other waterproof layers. I'm not sure how they did it, but to me it is much quieter than Gore-Tex Pac-Lite material. The pants (and coat) are designed for quick deployment. The pants have a 3/4 length zipper enabling you to open the legs up almost entirely as you put them on over your muddy boots without having them cleaned by the inside of the pant leg. When things heat up, you can drop the top of the outer leg zipper to get some venting. A quick synch belt and elastic wasteband will allow you put these over your Attack Pants or base layer and keep getting after that goat if the skies decide to drop on you. Both the coat and pants have ample ability to stretch, not like the Attack and Guide, but plenty to allow you to move without restriction. Holding both the pant and coat together was pretty incredible to see how light they were together.
The Spindrift Jacket, fell right in-line with everything else. It didn't have the wow factor that the Guide, Attack and Chugach lines did at first(as their fabric is unique), but once I saw the price I was wowed. Compared to other products with primaloft I see nothing in this price range. It is very well built just like everything else, and to gain the performance of primaloft for under $150, what's not to like about this.
Finally the ICON backpack. Once again, KUIU delivers. I can't attest to loading up 75lbs and humping around the mountains for a week, but from what I saw yesterday I came away impressed. They had a pack loaded with about 30-40lbs to try on and sample. I'll get to the frame in a minute as that is what makes it unique. I loved everything else though aside from the frame. The cross synching waist-belt allows you to torque the belt with with easy to set the load on your hips. The belt also has a small mesh pocket perfect for a lip-balm, small tools/knife or a couple of bullets. The side mesh pockets on the side of the pack were easily accessible if you were to have them loaded with a water bottle or other items needing easy access while on the trail.
The drop back design allows for easy of access without having disturb all the contents of the pack. Simple drop the back, open the flip top and then the can-opener style zipper to expose your goodies and get what you need without having to fumble through everything and disrupt your packing job.
The material is nearly as sexy as the frame. Light (stop me if I'm being repetitive) and durable. The rip-stop design is going to protect you against brush and downfalls as you make your way to camp.
The frame is simply awesome. The design of the pack allows the small of your back to be open to ventilation so it doesn't become a sweatbox like many packs. The yoke is fully adjustable through two screws on each strap to get it to fit perfectly to your frame. What I was most impressed with (aside from the weight, fabric and functionality) was the unique "flex" (for lack of a better term) the pack and frame gave. At each level of locking the pack down (belt, yolk, chest compression and load straps) it got lighter. Particurlarly when I pulled down the load straps above my shoulders. The carbon fiber offered a resistance to the load and to my frame which made the load feel weightless. I cannot describe it any other way, because I have not seen or felt anything like it. Incredibly impressive to say the least. I'm anxious to see what this pack can do on an extended trip with heavy load, if the preview this weekend was any indication, this pack may be a game changer for hunters and granola munchers.
All in all, really cool stuff from top to bottom. Everything was carefully thought out, Jason and Co. are certainly utilizing their experience and knowledge to design and build best in class gear. Though everything is brand new, I can't wait to see what they do next. While they may be designed for hunting, I can easily see them becoming a leader in lightweight outdoor gear in general. It will certainly be fun to watch them evolve and grow.
