Best rain gear-Hunt on Kodiak upcoming

Hi that sounds like an awesome trip.

I would suggest to go to this forum alaska outdoor forum http://forums.outdoorsdirectory.com/

they would be in the best position to let you know as they hunt the area you are going.

I think the first stmt they would say would be to ask your guide.

It looks like they favour Kuiu Yukon

i will be in Alaska in May but will not be hiking through devil club or bush whacking so i am bring a precip jacket. i had been looking at Grundens commercial rain gear just the jacket. but for low mobility to stationary activity.

***If you are flying into kodiak on a bush plane you might have to consider overall weight.

best of luck
Trevor

P.S.

Here is a stmt from one of the Alaska guys

KUIU - no question. I spent 10 days in the wake of Hurricane Nuri on Kodiak island. KUIU Yukon gear kept me and my hunting partner dry. If you need more proof of quality than that... you don't hunt.

http://forums.outdoorsdirectory.com/showthread.php/146102-Kryptek-Gear-Vs-Kuiu-Gear?highlight=kuiu


I forgot who my audience is you may have some pull with Arcteryx give them a call about their leaf line.
 
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Get some waders you can walk in, that can be your bottoms much of the time. You're either going to get wet from the outside or wet from the inside or soaked from below no matter what you do. Think more about what you're wearing under the rain suit. Synthetics or wools that work when damp and can be sort of dried in a hurry will get you through. Enough layering options to fine tune warmth versus exertion versus sweating versus ventilation versus rain.Dry and comfortable might be hopelessly optimistic but "not dead" isn't a bad consolation prize. ;)
 
^ merino wool underneath carhart rain gear or something more expensive works well for this with a pair of hip boots or waders.

If you wear lots of layers under rain gear you will be very uncomfortable; the stuff is hot when you are climbing around salal jungle.
 
X2 for the kuiu. I use the Chugach jacket paired with the heavier duty Yukon Pants. Light weight, cuts the wind yet highly breathable. Rarely do I ever need to open the pit vents. As a base layer underneath the Kuiu I wear either nothing, or merino 150 or 250 depending ond how cold it is. Been in some massive storms and wet bush bashing over the 4 years I've owned Kuiu. Never been wet yet. And I live on the Wet Coast of Canada. Quack Quack.
 
The Kuiu gear is great stuff. I have the Yukon jacket and pants and can say they'll keep you relatively dry. I say relatively because I believe it depends on the type of person you are. I'm not someone that tends to sweat a great deal, but there are a couple guys I hunt with that seem to break a sweat combing their hair (not that they do that when hunting but you know what I mean). I have the HH Impertech as well and although it sheds the rain, I went to the Kuiu because of the clammyness of the HH. Also, the Kuiu has a couple of pockets that come in handy. I've looked at some of the Sitka gear in the stores (the Cloudburst stuff to be exact) but have never used it. (I ended up going with the Kuiu because of the price)
Another consideration is if you'll be living out of your pack, and also the type of footwear you'll be using. If you're going to be using something like the Lacrosse hip boots, then you may be better served by using something like a Wiggy's Cagoule, which is a 3/4 length coat that'll cover your pack and keep water from running into the tops of your hip waders. It doesn't really breath though.
As has been stated, there's a ton of info on some of the Alaska hunting forums, and I'm sure you're an experienced hunter. IMHO, it's a matter of determining the the gear that best fits your particular style of how you use your gear.
 
Dogleg said:
Get some waders you can walk in, that can be your bottoms much of the time. You're either going to get wet from the outside or wet from the inside or soaked from below no matter what you do. Think more about what you're wearing under the rain suit. Synthetics or wools that work when damp and can be sort of dried in a hurry will get you through. Enough layering options to fine tune warmth versus exertion versus sweating versus ventilation versus rain.Dry and comfortable might be hopelessly optimistic but "not dead" isn't a bad consolation prize. ;)
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All I can say is "Yep!", Dogleg said the words but they prove sage, and I paraphrase, "Seems the idea is to dress like the fishermen."

Waders are really, really smart, I didn't wear them guiding last season but will this year. Proper lace up boot waders, $500 ones not cheapies, that is.

If just trying to survive ditch the goretex and wear Helley Hanson Impertec. It's not the most comfortable but it doesn't fail. I wear Costco merino base layers, polartec / old style fleece pants underneath.

And hey... Next coastal brown / grizzly bear trip look me up for a sharp nutz to nutz deal. That sounds bad.
 
jimbo said:
The Kuiu gear is great stuff. I have the Yukon jacket and pants and can say they'll keep you relatively dry. I say relatively because I believe it depends on the type of person you are. I'm not someone that tends to sweat a great deal, but there are a couple guys I hunt with that seem to break a sweat combing their hair (not that they do that when hunting but you know what I mean). I have the HH Impertech as well and although it sheds the rain, I went to the Kuiu because of the clammyness of the HH. Also, the Kuiu has a couple of pockets that come in handy. I've looked at some of the Sitka gear in the stores (the Cloudburst stuff to be exact) but have never used it. (I ended up going with the Kuiu because of the price)
Another consideration is if you'll be living out of your pack, and also the type of footwear you'll be using. If you're going to be using something like the Lacrosse hip boots, then you may be better served by using something like a Wiggy's Cagoule, which is a 3/4 length coat that'll cover your pack and keep water from running into the tops of your hip waders. It doesn't really breath though.
As has been stated, there's a ton of info on some of the Alaska hunting forums, and I'm sure you're an experienced hunter. IMHO, it's a matter of determining the the gear that best fits your particular style of how you use your gear.
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I guide goats in Kuiu on the north coast BC just south of the Alaska border, largely because of the deal they pushed my way to wear it for PR. It's pretty darn good, but has limits, in pure downpours as he'll get on Kodiak it could be hazardous, and will soak through. For mixed mountain weather it is pretty fantastic stuff, but pure coastal deluge falls a distant second to rubber.

 
Last time I was on Kodiak Isl we paddled two large Haida dougout war canoes from Masset to Juno and stop in for a shore lunch on Kodiak and check out sum bear traps

I grow up on the coast on a clear day I can see Alaska from Masset do your salf a faver and get the green H/H it will out last all the other crap your looking at
 
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Heavy steady rain and wet bush and vegetation is pretty much the same where ever you are. In my experience Goretex type clothing and boots fails miserably in those conditions. I have yet to wear a piece a Goretex that hasn't leaked when exposed to steady rain and wet vegetation.
A good quality rubber rain suit and rubber boots will do the best job in those conditions. The chest wader suggestion is good if you can find ones that properly fit and do not restrict your movement to badly.
Underneath I wear Blue Johns underwear to wick the moisture with light fleece or merino wool over that to accept the moisture and hold it. Depending on exertion you still get damp but you will stay warm. Works for me anyways.
 
carverk said:
Last time I was on Kodiak Isl we paddled two large Haida dougout war canoes from Masset to Juno and stop in for a shore lunch on Kodiak and check out sum bear traps

I grow up on the coast on a clear day I can see Alaska from Masset do your salf a faver and get the green H/H it will out last all the other crap your looking at
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Photo credit, Dogleg, my North Coast tuxedo. The one modification I've made is good hip waders.

 
I was in the Amazon several times in the course of other employment, and was warned about the rain, and insects. The rain was nothing compared to the North Coast, and the insects nothing compared to North of 60- except they carry diseases. If you could ignore that it was a remarkably confortable place to be.

Biggest thing about the North Coast is how hard it comes down, without breaks, and how unbelievably thick the cold jungle is. Elsewhere when you picture rain downpours you'd take your camera out to film because they're so heavy and rain's shooting out of the eaves troughs, those can go for days straight on the North Coast. Add in the winds you can get, in the fjords where I work they can exceed 100kms/h, and you best be prepared to be wet. I feel saying rain and wet bush is the same anywhere, is as saying snow and winter are the same anywhere. ;)

Now who wants to come enjoy a comfortable, sunny hunting vacation? :redface: I used most of last season's sunshine quota up with dogleg, at one point it stopped raining for at least an hour and a half, and was sunny both the inbound and outbound days.
 
I learnt a long time ago what the rain was like up the north coast. Back in 1979 I worked for CN Rail in Prince Rupert, I was on the bridge crew. Our area was from Rupert to Terrace along the Skeena River. The rain up there was brutal.
 
Ardent said:
Photo credit, Dogleg, my North Coast tuxedo. The one modification I've made is good hip waders.

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Yep get the best it's money well spent all the rest just don't work regardless what hunting magazens and catalogs tell you ther is only the green H/H that works
I spent lots of time sleeping under a tree with nothing but my green H/H stuck on the beach !
 
Got the Sitka full Gore Tex set plus the rubber HH pants and jacket to keep in the pack in case of failure as well as several sets of merino base layers and lots of socks and gloves as well as two sets of high quality knee high rubber boots. Outfitter indicates this area will not require hip boots...Thanks for all the great advice!!
 
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