You are KUIU’s Pro-Staff

KUIU does not have a Pro-Staff. My vison is to build the best gear in the world, be totally transparent about the process and have our customers become the Pro-Staff.

It has worked beyond my expectations because you represent KUIU’s products with more passion and credibility than any bribed spokes person ever could.

I received a lot of recommendations from the 2012 Marketing blog post to advertise in Eastman’s Bowhunting and Hunting Journals in 2012. Listening to you, I have committed KUIU to a full page advertisement in both magazines this year.

The 2012 Eastmans advertising campaign is called “Do Your Research” inspired from KUIU’s customers doing their research and choosing KUIU and “In The Field”  photo album that shows the results. These ads, beginning next month, will feature photos from In The Field.

The 1st advertisement will feature KUIU customer and professional guide Austin Atkinson from Peroria Arizona and AAA Outdoors and two Dall rams taken in Alaska this past season.

Each month we will feature a new photo from In The Field. If you want to be in our next Eastman’s Advertisement please submit your photos to album@kuiu.com.

Please share your thoughts and ideas on our new campaign.

Jason

Day Pack Design & Development Project

Thank you to those of you who took the time to take the survey.  We had a huge response.

Enclosed a summary of the questions from the survey for your review. With the data enclosed we I will begin to get into the specifics of this pack line with you in the next series of posts.

• Respondents primarily plan to use the pack to hunt Elk and Mule Deer.
• Functionality is valued more than weight; noise is valued more than weight.
• Average Day Pack size preferred is 2,000ci.
• Hunters want zippered access to their Day Pack contents .
• Hunters plan to carry 20 to 29 pounds in their Day Pack.
• Approximately 4 out of 10 require a specific way to carry their rifle or bow with the Day Pack.
• Of those hunters, 60% prefer to carry their rifle or bow on their back with the Day Pack.
• A little less than two-thirds of the hunters carry a spotting and tripod.
• One-half prefer to carry their spotting scope and tripod in a side pocket.

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

There has been a lot of debate, questions and concerns regarding the direction of this project and if it will detract from KUIU.  I have received numerous comments, emails, phone calls and letters concerned KUIU will become something different than a committed Mountain Hunting brand.

KUIU’s products are built for backcountry hunting with a focus on using design and technology to reduce weight and increase performance.  This will not change!  I promise you. KUIU is a Mountain Hunting Brand.

If KUIU products work well for any other type of hunting, fantastic. We have customers raving about KUIU for hunting ducks, quail, pheasants, whitetails, hogs, plains animals in africa and shooting doves in Argentina. It is easy to appreciate our great fabrics, fit and designs.  I welcome anyone and everyone who has a passion for hunting to be part of KUIU.

Thank you for your passion and concerns for KUIU.  It is what is making this brand incredibly special.

Your friend,

Jason

Design the Next KUIU Line

I was laying out a development line list of new products for KUIU and it dawned on me; I was really doing this backwards.  Why should I develop a product line that I think and hope and guess you want and need?

We have the most passionate and opinionated group of mountain hunters in the world on this blog. Why don’t we all work together to develop the new KUIU product line? With your help and input this will be the best mountain hunting line ever created.

I will enjoy taking you through the entire process. From developing a line list to design, sampling, prototyping and testing the new products. This will give you complete insight to how this process works and what goes into creating a product. 

Below I have outlined the development process.

1. To begin, we will develop a line list.
2. Then we will decide what our end goal is for these styles listed.  Weight, warmth, durability, range of motion, noise, function……etc.
3. These requirements will help us to decide fabrics, construction, factory choices, trims, zippers….etc.
4. You will help me decide how we want it designed including pockets, zippers, seams, fit and features.
5. Create a color pallet and camouflage choice.
6. Finalize the design, fabrics & trims.
7. Prototyped the product.
8. Test the products. Several of you will become prototype testers.
9. The reviews and comments from testing will drive changes next round of prototyping.
10. Prototyping
11. Testing (if needed more rounds of prototyping and testing)
12. Trims, fabrics, colors finalized
13. Factory order placed.
14. Product delivery.

I guarantee you will enjoy developing a product you get to take hunting.  List 3 to 5 products you would like KUIU to design?  Please list these below in the comments. Please have your comment posted by Wednesday December 13th.

I will create a spreadsheet of all the product recommendations to review in the next post.

I look forward to working with you all on this product line and thank you in advance for your help.

Jason

****Blog subscribers will be able to pre-order at anytime along the develop process so they get the 1st products when the arrive from the factory.

Wyoming Elk

I just returned from South West Wyoming hunting elk with a good friend of mine Jeff Short.  We did a 9 day hunt using Jeff’s 3 horses to get us into a 9,600ft basin in the Wyoming Range.

Warm weather kept the rut from getting cranked up and the elk quiet except early in the morning and just before dark. We covered a lot of ground, heard and saw a lot of elk but could not get the shot we needed at a bull.

I wanted to share with you a few photos of our hunt.  This is always a sobering time of year as the bowhunting seasons for deer and elk come to a close.

Please send in your photos for our “In The Field” album at album@kuiu.com.  I love sharing these photos and bragging about all of you to my friends, family and industry.

I hope all of you have had a great fall.

Jason

Chugach Archery Goat hunt

My good friend Brendan Burns, who manages KUIU Professional Services, just returned from another epic hunt in Alaska. Hunting Mountain Goats in this section of the Chugach Range is darn near impossible as you will read below.  Putting gear through these types of conditions is what will continue to help raise the bar here at KUIU.  I asked Brendan to put together a photo essay for all of us to read.

Jason

This spring while on Kodiak Island glassing for bears I mentioned to Lance I wanted to hunt Mountain goat with my bow.   ” I got a goat hunt for you, but there is a great chance you dont get one. ” was his reply.

Throughout the summer Lance asked me several times ” Are you sure you want to do that hunt?  There are alot easier places to kill a goat.”

I was sure.  After waiting 23 years to have a goat tag in my pocket, any goat hunt was good enough.

It didn’t take a whole lot of convincing to talk my long time hunting buddy Matt True to join me on the hunt.

Always ready for a good adventure, this would be his first trip to Alaska. Lance only gave us one guarantee -it would be a tough hunt. After doing some research we found out the area we held  tags for had not given up a goat to a bowhunter in over a decade.  Not exactly the stats of a premier spot.   Long odds or not, we were going.

Our guide for the hunt was mountaineer and ice climber turned Freelance Oudoor Adventures goat specialist Bernie Babcock.(Nonresidents are legally required to have a guide to hunt Mountain Goat in Alaska). Not only can he pick a trail up a sheer face like no human Ive ever been around, he makes a pretty mean cup of coffee.

Our guide Bernie. As the beard indicates, 1/2 man 1/2 goat.

Headed for base camp

Camp

We initially concentrated on looking for a goat in a good place to stalk, but after thoroughly surveying the area and putting on a ton of miles in all directions, it was clear that was not going to happen. Goats were few and far between.

With a limited number of goats even remotely accessible, we set our sites on our only real option, a steep brush infested mountain on the opposite side of a glacial river. The only positive was there were at least two nice billies living on the mountain.

If our first plan failed, our next option was a two day hike across a glacier. There was no third option.Opportunities were going to be slim at best.

We put totherther a game plan that would put the odds in our favor. Logistically with 2-3 days travel between animals you are only going to get into goat country three or four times on a ten day hunt. With bad weather it may be less.

After making a decision on where we were going to concentrate our efforts, we set out at light for what was going to be an all day climb.   We crossed the glacial river early and for the next 8 hours we were either clawing our way up steep rock faces or sawing a tunnel through the alders. It quickly became apparent why no one wanted to hunt goats here.

At 4 pm we finally broke out of the alders and climbed a deep cut in the mountain to get above the goats. We had severely underestimated how long it would take us to up the mountain and there was no chance we could follow our path out in the dark.

One thing was clear, we were not making it back to camp. Win or lose on this stalk- we were here for the night.

There were two mature goats on the mountain. One was bedded on the edge of a snow field with a smaller two year old billy and the other was higher up the mountain bedded by himself. We worked across the slope and closed the distance on the closer billy.

Matt had first shot on this hunt.We snuck in to 134 yards and hunkered down to wait out his next move.

After holding tight for a couple of hours, the biggest billy left his bed crossed the snow field headed our way.  Matt and Bernie made a move down the mountain to cut him off. Matt caught the Goat just as he was leaving the chute and came to full draw as the Billy spotted him. Too late.

The shot was 46 yards straight down.   Matts arrow passed through the ten ring and clattered in the rocks below. Bernie and Matt both scrambled around the edge of the chute to keep an eye on the goat, but there was no need.

In less than 10 seconds the billy was tumbling end over end down the rock slide  before coming to rest against a big boulder. It was one of the toughest and best shots I’ve ever seen anyone make.

There was no time for me to celebrate Matt’s shot. With one more big goat above us and a confirmed night of work ahead, it was time to go for broke.

Matt’s goat went down so fast the higher billy didnt seem to know what he had just witnessed.  He slowly worked his way across the hillside away from us, alert to the danger below, but not spooked.

From glassing the mountain the day before I knew there was a large vertical rock face running a thousand feet a half a mile around the mountain.  I did my best to hustle across the steep slope in hopes he would hang up temporarily.

Running down a mountain goat from behind may not seem like much of a plan, but it was the best plan I had.

One hundred and twenty yards from the rock face I caught a quick glimpse of the billy disappearing into the chute. I ran up to the last place I had seen him and ranged the rock face in front of me.  Forty yards exactly.

Spooked from the bottom, the goat suddenly jumped up on the exact place I had ranged and stood broadside. Good luck for me, bad luck for him. I heard my arrow bounce off the rock wall as it passed through him. He bolted down the slope 50 yards, stopped to look back, and pitched over backwards coming to a stop on a small ledge below.

Just like that our hunt was over! I sat down stunned at what had just happened.

My goat where he died. A sight I wont forget!

I worked my way back around the mountain to Matt and Bernie to let them know the good and bad news. The good news was we would not have to climb up the mountian again.  The bad news was we had two goats down, two hours of light left, and more work ahead of us than we could imagine.

We decided to enjoy the moment and photograph both goats before dark.  The backdrop would be hard to beat.

Both goats turned out bigger than we could have hoped for.  Matt’s billy was 7 years old and measured 9-3/8.  Mine was 6 and measured 9-2/8.   Both have great hair and will score about 45 inches.

When you experience luck like we had, eventually you are going to pay the piper. As the sun went down it started to rain. Knowing we had a long night ahead of us, we skinned an deboned my goat and packed it back to Matt’s kill site. By 2am we had both goats ready for the pack out.

With the rain coming down harder and harder we made the decesion to drop down a couple of hundred feet, dig a flat spot out of the mountain, and attempt to get some sleep. The next morning couldn’t come fast enough.

I will spare you the pack out details, but it should suffice to say it capped off the toughest 30 hours of my life. Heavy packs, steep wet brush, and a rain swollen river didnt make it any easier.

By 6 pm we had both goats back to camp. Truly a mountain hunting adventure none of us will ever forget. I will have a full breakdown of the gear we used on the trip including some of the specialty we needed for climbing.

I would like to thank Freelance Outdoor Adventures for a first class operation. Lance and his team of guides always give 100 percent no matter the hunt or location.  They excel in some of the toughest areas of Alaska through preparation and effort.

Brendan Burns

KUIU
Professional Services

Arctic Red River-NWT

I am on my way home from a fantastic hunt and adventure with Arctic Red River Outfitters.

The Mckenzie Mountains are absolutely spectacular. Breathtaking Scenery, lots of game, challenging terrain and weather to test your gear body and mind.

Tavis runs a 1st class operation and pays attention to the smallest details. My hunt could not have gone better.

Below is a brief highlight photo essay of my hunt.  I will follow up with a gear review and breakdown from the trip later this week. I hope you enjoy the photo & highlights of my hunt.

Jason

We flew into base camp on a Twin Otter, a 45 minute flight from Norman Wells on August 16th.

Tavis loaded my gear and I into his Super Cub and flew us into a gravel bar landing strip they call “Canyon Strip” not far from the Yukon border.

We camped the 1st night at Canyon Strip. Kent, my guide who was flown in the day before had already spotted 4 rams across the river from camp.

Later that evening I spotted 4 rams in a draw several miles up stream. We could see horns from a long ways away and there were two potential rams in this group worth a closer look.  These rams were in the opposite direction from the hunt Kent had planned for us on Canyon Mountain and in area that has never been hunted due to logistics.

He asked me what I wanted to do. It was an easy decision, head for these rams.  It would take us a whole day to get there.

After hiking, bouldering and wading rivers all day we close the distance on the rams. Kent relocates them bedded in some high cliffs at the end of a ridge around 7pm.

The ram on the left is a heavy broomed ram that and the ram on the right is “tipped on both sides” with a deep curl. They are too far away to put age on them.

The broomed ram (on the left) is heavy but has a tight curl. The ram on the right is absolutely beautiful. He has a deep curl, holds his weight out in his lamb tips and is really wide. It is too late to make a move on them and we decide to wait until tomorrow to get closer and age this ram.

I try to talk Kent into a stalk that evening and he reminds me it is the 1st day and to have patience.

We woke to a low cloud ceiling that did not lift until after 11am. The rams were gone.

They were on a point above the river last night and we were sure they had disappeared into one of the two drainages above us.  Our plan was to hunt up the drainage to the left and if we could not locate them circle around to the drainage to the right.

We knew they had to be in one of the two.

The rams were not in the 1st drainage so we hiked out and circled around to the second.

We hike into the second drainage around 5 pm.  This drainage is split by a ridge you can see in the center of this photo.

This basin is very steep with cliffs, boulder slides and shale at the head of it. We climbed up this center ridge which in several parts of the climb were so steep they required you to use your hands to keep ascending.

I relocate the rams bedded at the very top just to the right of the ridge. All four rams were bedded on a black shale bench, this was one of the most beautiful scenes I have ever seen hunting. White Sheep on black shale.

They are now at 568 yards and we drop off the top of the ridge to stay out of sight begin a stalk to close the distance.

We closed the distance down to 240 yards. I double check my rifle and sneak over the ridge to set up for a shot. The rams were gone.

We knew they had not spooked and they had to be close so we held tight; It was getting late and we figured they had just gotten up from their beds.

Then we could hear them above us at the head of the basin walking in the shale. A large rock outcropping was blocking our view and we could not get closer. We set up to shoot and waited.

The wind began to swirl and the rams and lined out above us at 328 yards. Kent put the scope on the big ram and counted 10 rings and said shoot.  He reminded me we were shooting straight up, which I mistook as a reminder to hold high.

I put my 350 yard mark in my recital behind his shoulder and squeezed the trigger.  I shot right over the ram’s back. They took off on a run to our left. The rams stopped and looked back at us.

I put my 300 yard mark on him and squeezed the trigger.  I heard the impact and Kent telling me good shot and the ram was down. What a moment.

It was surreal. All the preperation, training and planning came together so quickly. I had just shot the ram of my dreams.

I was simply speechless.

My ram is absolutely beautiful.  Wide with a deep curl, both lamb tips and good mass all the way out. He is 10 years old, 13″ bases 39 x 39″ and grosses over 159″.  I could not have been happier. What a ram.

It took us most of the night to pack ram off the mountain getting back to camp at 3:30am.

We spent day-3 preparing the cape and eating sheep backstrap and arranging a flight from Canyon Strip to a new area to hunt Mountain Caribou.  Day 4 took us most of the day to get to the strip.

Tavis and Ron fly in around 8pm and move us to a new drainage to hunt Mountain Caribou.

We spend day-5 above camp glassing for bulls.  We watched this sow and cubs for most of the day feeding below us.  We decide to head high tomorrow.

It took most of day-6 to climb up and over this high pass.  We spott 65 sheep and a bachelor group of 8 bulls.

This old bull was asleep in his bed, antlers laid over on the lichen.

Kent and I discussed the challenges with the location of these bulls. They are high on the mountain, it was getting late, we were miles from camp, it was raining with a low cloud ceiling and it would be over an hour and 1500 vertical feet to get into shooting distance.

Against better judgement we make a move on these bulls.

We climb up a shale shoot and onto finger ridge you can see in the photo 348 yards across from the 8 bulls.

It was raining and the bulls were right at the cloud ceiling. We could see the bulls through the fog but had to wait it out until it cleared enough to make sure we had the right bull.

At 8pm the fog lifted slightly and the rain stopped and as if on cue the old bull stood up and turned broadside.

This bull is absolutely spectacular, the photos do not do him justice. He grosses over 400 inches, lots of mass and heavy palmation. I am absolutely thrilled, a Mountain Caribou of anyones dreams.

We earned this bull with the pack-out, we began heading for camp with over 100 pound packs full of meat, antlers and cape at 12:22am and after a hard climb and side hill in the dark, rain, fog and through a never ending boulder field we arrived at camp at 6:30am.

I did get to see the Northern Lights during the hike back to camp which I was convinced were hallucinations from exhaustion.

We flew back to camp on Day-8 and spent two days at base camp recovering and taking care of meat, horns and antlers.

Truly a hunt of a lifetime.

The Boswell Project- Part II

The KUIU .300 WSM built by Steve Boswell is finished and shipped.  As I mentioned in my first post, Steve is an absolute craftsman at his trade and meticulous about the smallest details.  I simply could not get over how much time Steve dedicated on this gun.  He simply left no detail out.  As you will see in the photos it is quite obvious.

I am really looking forward to hunting with such a beautiful and well made rifle. It will certainly be a fantastic mountain gun at 5.25 lbs; The perfect balance of weight and incredible accuracy for sheep hunting.

As many of you requested from the 1st post, Steve included a list of componets in a note to me I have shared with you below.  If you are in the market for a custom rifle please do yourself a favor and drop him a line before you make any decisions.

Jason

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Jason, Here’s a list of components as promised. Kuiu 300 WSM Sheep Project by Boswell’s Custom Rifles: X-treme Titanium Custom Action Brown Precision Kevlar/composite stock w/custom paint Hart s/s barrel, muzzle dia. .590 @25″ w/break Lil’ Shorty Muzzle Break (Boswell’s Custom) Talley Mounts Zeiss Conquest  3.5x10x44 scope w/Rapid Z 800 reticle Timney Trigger @2.5# KG titanium metal finish All components, except for the scope, were modified for compatibility and weight reduction.  Additional weight reduction available if desired. P.S.  I shot this rifle again this morning before shipping.  I think you will find the recoil very tolerable.  I also recommend shooting your sheep in the shoulder bone (maximum energy transfer) with this bullet due to its great penetrating abilities.  I shot completely through a 10″ log during testing.  I’m very excited for you and wish I were tagging along.  Looking forward to hearing stories from your trip and seeing tons of pics/video. It’s been a pleasure building this rifle for you. Sincerely, Steve Steven P. Boswell Boswell’s Custom Rifles 12035 Orebank Rd. Clear Spring, MD 21722 301-739-3632 www.boswellscustomrifles.com “Rifles That Shoot As Good As They Look

Schoeller Testing

I posted on the blog a couple months ago about a prototype jacket and pant made with a new 3-layer Swiss made Schoeller fabric development that Lance Kronberger would be  testing.  

Lance has challenged me to develop a jacket and pant the he and his guides could not destroy during a season of 100+ days of guiding. A lofty goal to say the least.  Lance and I designed this gear for his needs; reenforced knees, seat, chest pockets, over sized cuff tabs and velcro, internal sat phone, chest and shoulder pockets.  Durability and features were more important than weight.

Enclosed is a report from Kodiak by Brendan Burns:

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Due to weather and geographic location of where they hunt, Alaskan/ Canadian Guides have different needs in hunting gear than most of us in the lower 48.  For them weight is not as much of a factor as durability and function.  It boils down to use, they may be wearing one piece of gear for 90 days straight, using it hard, and it needs to last multiple seasons. On any given day professional guides are as likely to be loading a boat motor on to floatplane or falling a tree with a chain saw, as hiking 10 miles in the rain.

Like all the KUIU line, the Schoeller set is well thought out. With weight not being a factor there are some extra creature comforts built in that are not essential, but nice to have. The extra chest and shoulder pocket on the jacket will make a few people smile.   The pants are a cool cross between the Attack pant and the Chugach pant.  By moving the cargo pockets on the pants forward and higher up the leg you are still able to have a full zip for easy on and off.  The reinforced knees and seat are not too big to hinder movement.

Part of the testing process is finding out how a fabric face and membrane react to heavy use in real conditions. We did a head to head test, I wore our Chugach and Lance wore the Schoeller prototypes for 10 days on Kodiak. We experienced a lot of rain and wet damp conditions and your gear never had time to dry out, a true torture test for waterproof/breathable rain gear.

What we found was typical of most waterproof/breathable rain gear on Kodiak. Days of Heavy rain, wet brush and in constantly damp conditions the Schoeller DWR began to fail, the face fabric became wet which affected the breathability and created condensation build up. Once wet the gear remained wet, heavy and miserable to wear.  After a few days Lance ended up switching over to our Chugach gear.

This testing is not a knock on the Schoeller, but more of a nod to how great the Chugach product performed.  Rubber rain gear was essentially created for the type of conditions Kodiak will throw at it because all waterproof/breathable gear eventually fails here. Our Chugach gear remained dry and breathable for the entire trip. Toray’s Kudos DWR was simply amazing even in wet brush it continued to perform and never held any water.

In conclusion our recommendation to Jason was to develop this gear using a Toray 3-Layer fabric versus Schoeller.  A fabric similar to the Chugach product line, add the reinforcements and  pocketing and you would have the perfect product for professional guides.

BB

This Season’s Last Shipment of Chugach

Hi Everyone,

I know a lot of you have been waiting on the Chugach Gear to be back in stock.  Before we make this announcement publicly I wanted to give blog subscribers the 1st opportunity to buy from this shipment as we will not be receiving another shipment until November.  

Toray’s waterproof/breathable technology is simply unmatched; 4-way stretch, 20,000/20,000 waterproof to breathability rating, KUDOS DWR and Primeflex 4-way stretch face fabric. The Chugach Jacket weighs just 17oz and the pant just 13oz, which is light as 2-layer packable shells with all the durability advantages of a true 3-layer hard-shell.  

I have included a report from Brendan Burns who put it to the test this last month on Kodiak that may answer any questions you have with the actual performance level of this product.  It certainly is the best rain gear I have ever tested.  

Jason

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

There were so many gear questions that came in about the Chugach Rain System performance on Kodiak, Jason asked me to do a small write up on my experience using it.

I will gladly give my stamp of approval on the Chugach, as this trip was the first time I can say I was totally dry bell to bell for an entire Alaskan trip.  The entire KUIU system works so well together that it’s hard to say one piece is better than the rest.  All the pieces in the line excel at what they are designed for, including the Chugach.

Over the last 12 years I have spent around 700 days hunting and fishing in Alaska. No matter how prepared I am for a trip to the 49^th state, the amount of rain always catches me by surprise.   Living in the lower 48 we simply forget how unforgiving and wet Alaska can be on gear.

Over the years I have used and owned nearly every piece of rain gear out there.  Very few have been able to keep me dry during extended exposure to rain, and most have totally failed.  Trips where I used the latter generally stick out in my mind as being miserable.  I’ve learned over the years that a hard shell is the only way to go.

I only ask two things of my rain gear:

1. It has to be waterproof.  This is non negotiable.  Absolutely and totally waterproof for extended periods of rain over multiple days. “ Water resistant” is not enough.
2. It has to breath.  If and when I am forced to hunt in the rain my rain gear has to keep me dry on the inside also.  Being active in rain gear is where the great pieces shine.  If your rain gear does not move moisture created by your body, you may as well be wearing rubber. The term “waterproof breathable” is way overused describing rain gear in my opinion.  Many waterproof membranes will keep you dry, but they simply do not breath.

The Chugach system is totally waterproof.   On Kodiak we got pounded with rain for 2 days straight, and were hit with intermittent rain daily for the rest of the trip. Not once did I have a drop of water get through.  Every night I was able to snap dry the jacket and pants. No need to hang them up and dry them out- they absorbed nothing during extended exposure to rain.   My system beaded water as well on the last day as the first.

Aside from being totally waterproof there are several important features that set the Chugach apart from every other piece of rain gear I have hunted in the past: Comfort, Breathability, and Weight.

The simple clean design, when combined with the stretch of the Toray Fabric/membrane makes this the most comfortable rain gear I have ever worn.  It moves without the restrictive feel of most rain gear and is most noticeable in the pants (no plastic bag feel).

The Chugach Jacket is everything you need in a rain jacket and nothing more.  Good pocket placement, easy to use pit zips and the best fitting hood I’ve used.

Dual full zip side zips on the Chugach rain pants allow you to get in and out of them quickly without taking your boots off.  This is critical.   If your rain pants don’t have full zips to the hip- they are not rain pants. End of story. You should not have to take your boots off to get them on or off.   The Dual zippers also allow me to dump heat out the top of the pants during steep climbs or while wearing them during warmer periods when it is not raining.

The Chugach actually breathes.   Having worn many other pieces there is a noticeable performance advantage in the Chugach.  I don’t build up internal moisture/ humidity while hiking. No more clammy sticky feeling normally associated with rain gear. I cant give you the stats on how much better it breathes than other rain gear( im sure Jason can), but it is noticeable.

I love the fact that the Chugach System weighs the same as 2-layer packable rain gear that I consider “emergency” rain gear because is simply will not stand up over time while being more durable than any others I’ve used (it is).  It makes it a no brainer to throw the set in my pack all them time. For the first time I never have to think about whether or not I have my rain gear, it’s always there.

If you are going hunting where rain could potentially dictate the success of your hunt I would highly suggest getting a set.  Being able to hunt comfortably in all conditions will certainly give you more of a chance to get the most out of your experience.

Brendan Burns
KUIU Guides & Outfitters Program
Professional Guide

Icon Size Range

What is the Icon size range? Specifically what torso length range will it fit.  After getting these questions from customers and going back through our site, I realized I did not do a very good job with size information for the Icon. My apologies, below is sizing information quoted directly from the design team who laid out the sizing, dimensions and ergonomics of the Icon.  This should make it much more clear and easier to understand.

ICON Carbon Fiber Frame Size Range

Short answer: Should fit an optimal range of 17.5 – 22.5 inch torso.  But it could be stretched fit a 17.0 inch and up to a 23.0 inch torso.

Longer answer:  Shoulder pads can accommodate about a 3 inch range for every position bolt by tightening the shoulder pad webbing (this is how a single size back-panel frame would adjust with out the back channels).  The Icon’s channel nuts allow the bolt position to slide 3 inches (the portion that is normally fixed on a single size frame).  If you looked to maximize those two adjustment factors together, you get the 6 inches of range.

Most frames on the market can offer 3 to 4.5 inches of adjustment.  And there are some sloppy ones that adjust for big 8 or 9 inches ranges – but seldom perform well.    The beauty of ours is the cleanliness and canted angle on adjustment.

Context: Industry standards for medium size is about 18-20.5 inches, and large size about 19.5 – 22.0 (depends on manufacture, but Osprey and Arc’teryx would be good examples to compare to).  We aimed to hit both the medium and large size with the hunting demographic being most male and a bit larger than a more waif outdoor types.  The current icon will not fit super small nor super huge folks… but should perform well for the overwhelming majority of potential customers.

Torso Measurement:  This is the vertical measurement from the iliac crest (top of the hip bones) to C7 (largest vertebrae bump on lower neck).

Hope this helps…….Icon Design Team