Day Pack Design Survey

Hi Everyone,

To get started on the development process please take the enclosed survey.

http://KuiuDayPackSurvey.questionpro.com

 

Happy Holidays,

Jason

For those of you recommending other gear for development, your comments are being collected.  Thank you for your continued support and input.  

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

KUIU Product Development-Gaiter

I am designing a new Gaiter for 2012 and want to take you through the development process to give you the insight of how I go from concept to product. As we go through this process together I look forward to receiving your input and comments to help refine this product.

 

Why Develop a KUIU Gaiter?

Lance Kronberger has challenged me to develop a new gaiter for sheep hunting. He currently uses the Outdoor Research Crocodile gaiter and will go through 3 sets a season. We have taken a hard look at the failure points of these gaiters and how to improve up on a great product.

The problems Lance was experiencing with the OR Gaiter.

• Seam Failure at the horizontal seam where the reinforcement scuff guard and the upper Gore-Tex were sewn.  The Gore-Tex fabric being thinner and not reinforced failed after extended use. A big problem when this happens in the middle of a hunt.
• Velcro closure at the bottom front of the gaiter failed and became useless overtime.
• Noisy, especially before they were broken in
• No stretch
• No gasket at the bottom of the gaiter to seal for stream crossings.
• No shaping around the boot or leg. Fit could be better

Fabric choice is the foundation to a successful KUIU product. We tested a Schoeller fabric on Kodiak, the Chugach gear performed better. After Kodiak, I worked with Toray to develop a new Primeflex 3-layer fabric for the new gaiter. I have seen the sample, it is quiet, tough, waterproof, breathable, 4-way stretch, 3-layer, Kudos DWR treated and relatively light weight because of their patented Primflex spiral yarn technology.  I am really excited about this fabric.

How the KUIU Gaiter will address the problems:

• Eliminate the horizontal seam at the reinforced bottom of the gaiter
• Use 3 vertical seams to eliminate the horizontal seam which will continue to be a stress point
• Create a more ergonomic shape of the boot and leg for a better fit.  The 3-vertical seams will allow this gaiter to fit better.
• Bond the reenforced scuff guard to the inside of the gaiter to eliminate the need for a seam.
• Tape the inside scuff guard seam with a stretch tape to assist with stress versus sewing
• Eliminate the velcro closure at the bottom of the gaiter
• Use Toray’s new quieter 4-way stretch fabric.  The quiet face fabric and stretch will significantly reduce noise.
• Add silicone or rubber type gasket at the bottom and top of gaiter to help seal the gaiter for water crossings.

Once these problems are identified I make my marking on the OR gaiters to reflect these design changes.  This also helps flush out any design or construction issues.  Once these are finished I type a supporting notes page and ship these off to be mocked up and CAD drawn by my design and development team.  I will receive a list of questions and we will typically go back and forth in an exchange of emails to make sure we are all on the same page with my comments.

Once this is finalized we move into creating mock ups for sizing, fit. When the mock ups are finalized we ship them and the supporting drawings to the factory development room for prototyping.

We are at this stage in the development process. I am expecting to receive the first prototype from the factory before  I leave on my sheep hunt later this month. I will test, review and make a list of changes for the next revised prototype sample.  I will share the testing of the gaiter with you when I return from my sheep hunt and the changes to be made to the prototype.

There is a waiting list for this new Gaiter.  If you are interested in owning a set please email service@kuiu.com and we will put you on our wait list.  Please put Gaiter Wait List in your email title.  There is no obligation and it will guarantee you to receive yours from the 1st shipment this Spring.

I look forward to hearing your thoughts and comments on this process and the development of the gaiter.

Jason