Kuiu Super Down Pro vs Stone Glacier Grumman

drenner43

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Nov 16, 2009
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Going to buy a good down jacket and torn between the 2. Anyone have experience with both to compare?
 
Haven't seen a difference in durability. SG is on the shinier side but it hasn't bothered me at all. I'd say it's not as bad as it looks on the website.
 
can i ask why you chose the silver instead? doesn't stick out like a sore thumb in the field?
 
Only colors available at the time. None of the animals I've killed the last couple of years minded 😂. All joking aside, I don't think it sticks out any worse than the coyote or any of the Kuiu solid colors. I don't personally buy into the whole camo thing. I have some but 95% of what I buy now is solids and I haven't been any less successful in the field.
 
As for the two you chose, as far as I can tell given their website info they are not baffle box style construction, and out of the two, the Kuiu $400 one is where I'd go simply because they note 95/5 construction vs Stone Glaciers 90/10.

First lites Chamberlin is where I'd go over either of those, because of this, " Using non-sewn-thru baffle construction through the core, collar and hood."

Best, go with feathered friends or western mountaineering, again, the baffled construction lines.

For me, I'll either still "cheap out" next time and go with the First lite when on sale, or, I'm hoping I'll smarten up and start at this one below and consider the higher cost models depending upon how I want to layer it. I personally wouldn't be considering sewn through unless I'm financially drowning, at that point, may as well just layer cheap Amazon knockoffs.

Feathered friends Volant $450: "A perpetual favorite in the Feathered Friends line, the Volant marks the transition from sewn-through construction to a fully baffled garment. These baffles, combined with high lofting 900+ fill power down, Pertex® Shield® XT waterproof/ breathable fabric, and reinforced sleeves and shoulders creates an incredibly warm, durable, and reliable jacket. Used extensively by the climbing rangers on Rainier, the Volant Jacket is the Feathered Friends recommendation for Northwest summit attempts, chilly ascents in South America, smaller peaks in Alaska, and the lower Himalaya.


Just an opinion, may not matter if a guy isn't looking for that best cold weather protection, but if the money is being spent, worth looking into the better construction methods of some of these.
 
As for the two you chose, as far as I can tell given their website info they are not baffle box style construction, and out of the two, the Kuiu $400 one is where I'd go simply because they note 95/5 construction vs Stone Glaciers 90/10.

First lites Chamberlin is where I'd go over either of those, because of this, " Using non-sewn-thru baffle construction through the core, collar and hood."

Best, go with feathered friends or western mountaineering, again, the baffled construction lines.

For me, I'll either still "cheap out" next time and go with the First lite when on sale, or, I'm hoping I'll smarten up and start at this one below and consider the higher cost models depending upon how I want to layer it. I personally wouldn't be considering sewn through unless I'm financially drowning, at that point, may as well just layer cheap Amazon knockoffs.

Feathered friends Volant $450: "A perpetual favorite in the Feathered Friends line, the Volant marks the transition from sewn-through construction to a fully baffled garment. These baffles, combined with high lofting 900+ fill power down, Pertex® Shield® XT waterproof/ breathable fabric, and reinforced sleeves and shoulders creates an incredibly warm, durable, and reliable jacket. Used extensively by the climbing rangers on Rainier, the Volant Jacket is the Feathered Friends recommendation for Northwest summit attempts, chilly ascents in South America, smaller peaks in Alaska, and the lower Himalaya.


Just an opinion, may not matter if a guy isn't looking for that best cold weather protection, but if the money is being spent, worth looking into the better construction methods of some of these.

Thanks for the reply. i'll take a look at these other options as well. As mentioned this will be my first down piece so i had to look up the different constructions also for a full understanding.
 
Another one i came across is the Kings XKG Down transition jacket. It is 800 fill vs 850 but is 95/5 with 5.11 oz of fill.
 
I have both levels of the kuiu down. I really prefer the lighter weight most of the time. Ive worn my super down at -12 with a 20-25 mile hour wind ripping across the ridge and didnt feel under gunned. If you are looking for a piece you will be wearing more while moving then go with either something tougher or make sure you have a shell of some sort. For an all in one id probably go sitka incinerator
 
Going to buy a good down jacket and torn between the 2. Anyone have experience with both to compare?
If you don't mind a non camo jacket my son purchased a heavier weight down thermal jacket for mountaineering that was waterproof for less. I like it a lot better. And still is compact.
 
I have the Kuiu and the warmth to weight ratio is impressive. Having said that, the shell material is extremely noisy when moving around and it wont take very much abuse when traveling through the rough stuff. also if buying the Kuiu, size up one notch from what you usually wear as they run small almost across the board on their clothing.
I've just about switched entirely to Firstlite since they are a good bit cheaper and more durable. You give up a little in the weight category but that's not extremely important for my particular style of hunting.
 
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