issues with Kuiu Yukon waterproofness- fixed outstanding customer service!

[Westside88]

Have you tried calling them?

thank you for the contact info. I'm not sure why the previous attempts didn't get through, but they have been extremely responsive and helpful.

[screedler]

I'm curious about the company's reply?

Did they replace the piece or provide guidance on restoring the waterproof quality? 

I've got some of their chugach rain gear is why I ask.

[Westside88]

They asked me to send it in, I'll let you know the outcome

[spin05]

Nothing but great things to say about the lighter version of their rain gear, the Chugach line. Works great. Keep trying and see if u can get someone on the phone.

My son i both have had the Chugach line for years. Also have never had a problem getting wet so far

[Nmarth88]

Have had kuiu gear for the last 7-8 years and have only ever had to contact them about switching from old style bags to the new frame. Needless to say they have sent me multiple sets of adapters for free. I have the chugach set and never had them leak. Hopefully this gets resolved for you

[blusc21]

i went through a long period of research before buying my rain gear. if you want packable, then you will get wet. it's a fact. youre best off buying frogg toggs, accepting they are loud, and saving a load of money. nothing is lighter, cheaper and more packable for how dry they keep you.

i've found the through-hiking forums are the places to learn about rain gear, the folks doing the PCT and Appalachian use their gear more than any hunter and have really found what works. they dont have the luxury of walking back to the truck and cranking the heater!

if you want to stay dry, then you have to give up on packable. nothing work as well as rubberized cloth rain gear. there is a reason it is what alaskan fishermen wear, its tough and it keeps you dry. I personally went with helly hanson's gear because it was 40$ cheaper for the set at the time than grundens. Ive fallen asleep in it lying on the when the fog has come in during rainy afternoon glassing several times and only been wet where the rain in the collar.

[Westside88]

Update- after contacting customer service they asked some questions and had me send some photos in with descriptions of of what I experienced. Within an hour of sending the pictures I received a reply with a prepaid shaping label to return the rain gear to them for exchange. I received a package this week with a new set of their updated gear. I understand that even this gear will not be as impermeable as say some rubber Grundens, but if it's more like what others have described I will be happy. I started out as a disappointed customer and am now very impressed by how they handled things. Thank you to those who encouraged me to try again with reaching them.

[ipkus]

I've got an original pair of KUIU Chugach rain gear (when it was still sewn in BC instead of China) that is still going strong.  They've lived and kept me dry through 4 Alaska hunting trips and several dozen of elk/deer hunts throughout the West.  They've got a couple patches and some drops of seam seal over small holes here and there, but still work as good as ever.

Hunting clothes have come a loooong way in the last 15 years.  With that said, you can't treat it like you treated old hunting clothes and expect miracles.  High tech fabrics require care and upkeep to keep performing.  Every fall before the first hunt they get washed and re-treated.  If it's a busy fall or they get particularly dirty on a trip it gets done again.

I also don't wear them unless it is actually raining or snowing, I don't just hunt in them.  Yes, if the moisture has passed and I'm bucking through thick stuff that is still dripping wet I will put them on, but that's pretty rare.  They live in my pack for 'when' moisture happens, not 'if' it might.

The only time I've ever had a leak is when they have been too far past a DWR re-treatment and eventually wetted through (i.e. I was lazy or short on time)

 I own three sets of KUIU rain gear (the original Chugach that is still my pack rain gear, Yukon, and another set of Chugach that spends it's time in my boat).  They've all got a purpose and they aren't cheap, but my experience has been that if you take care of it you will be dry and they last long enough that the cost isn't so prohibitive since you aren't buying new gear nearly as often.

I can't attest to what some of you guys are doing on the wet side, and agree that something rubber/vinyl coated is probably the answer if you're doing a lot of it.  But I've also been in rain storms in Alaska that were hours long and felt like you might as well have jumped in a lake and I still stayed dry.

This is to say nothing about the original posters experience, like anything there is bound to be a bad piece of gear once in a while.  Glad to hear they took care of you.