http://www.kryptekstore.com/Koldo-Rain-Jacket-Highlander-P313.aspx
Good rain jackets for hunting/backpacking have been discussed on here fairly often. I thought I'd give a review of this brand so you can file it in the rain coat folder in back of your brain the next time you're in the market for a new one.
A relative of mine is a lifelong resident and veteran moose hunter in Alaska. He invited me to accompany him moose hunting outside of Delta Junction a couple seasons ago. Among the list of gear recommendations he made, a really good, quiet, camo rain jacket was at the top of the list. I decide on the Kryptek Koldo in the Highlander pattern.
The good:
The coat is very well constructed, with water proof seams and zippers. It is bomb proof. It held up for hours in pouring rain, mud and snow. I completely trust it. The fabric is durable and long lasting. It has large arm pit zippered openings to circulate air.
The pattern and color seem to blend in well with a variety of terrain and vegetation. The color of the pattern appears mostly brown, but when you wear it around green vegetation or snow, the other colors in the camo pattern seem to become enhanced.
The bad:
It cost over $200
The jacket was not very comfortable to wear. The pit zips were stiff and bulky. I was always aware of them folded up under my arms.
The way the jacket was tailored made it feel narrow at the shoulders even with my completely average build. This was especially evident when wearing layers. With or without layers, the jacket shoulders and pit zips were always noticeable and annoying. It wasn't comfortable to wear.
The tail of the jacket is too short, coming down just below my belt line. The tail of every shirt or light jacket I layered underneath the coat stuck out the bottom, getting wet and muddy
This jacket is designed more for military use so it has an enormous hood to fit over a helmet. It wasn't that big of an issue, but a lot of people wouldn't like it.
The design of the two front pockets proved impractical. They aren't traditional cargo pockets, rather simply large internal pockets accessed by vertical zippers. The pockets were located directly underneath where my day pack waist strap was located. The vertical orientation of the zippers wouldn't allow access unless I unbuckled the waist strap. A true cargo pocket with a horizontal zipper would allow me to reach my Jolly Ranchers or my range finder with much less annoyance. A waist strap for a pack would ride directly over any gear stored in the pockets. A jacket with a longer tail and lower cargo pockets is a much better design for me. Stuff kept wanting to fall out of the vertical zippered pockets.
My hunting buddies told me the slick fabric had a glare to it when in bright sunlight. Even though the pattern blended in well, the glare on the fabric made me stand out. This surprised me.
What finally turned me off for good on this jacket was fabric out of which the jacket is made. It's noisier than all the reviews led me to believe. The colder the weather (I used it as a hard shell down into single digit temps) the louder it became. It almost crackled with every movement I made in sub freezing conditions. Nothing is more aggravating on a cold, dead quiet, alpine mountain elk hunt than having every subtle arm movement announced to the surrounding wildlife by a stiff, noisy, Rice Crispy sounding hard shell. My wife was even commenting on how much noise it made when cold.
The colder the weather, it seemed the jacket itself got colder, especially in high wind. In cold, snowy and windy weather, it felt as if the jacket itself was making me even colder.
The tl/dnr take away:
The Kryptek Koldo is a bomb proof, thoroughly reliable rain jacket if you wear it in a constantly wet, mild climate with your shirt/layers tucked into your pants to keep them dry. That and wear web gear with lots of pouches. The colder it gets, the noisier and stiffer the fabric becomes.
I can't recommend it for hunting.
I'll be back in the market for another hunting rain coat before hunting season!
Good rain jackets for hunting/backpacking have been discussed on here fairly often. I thought I'd give a review of this brand so you can file it in the rain coat folder in back of your brain the next time you're in the market for a new one.
A relative of mine is a lifelong resident and veteran moose hunter in Alaska. He invited me to accompany him moose hunting outside of Delta Junction a couple seasons ago. Among the list of gear recommendations he made, a really good, quiet, camo rain jacket was at the top of the list. I decide on the Kryptek Koldo in the Highlander pattern.
The good:
The coat is very well constructed, with water proof seams and zippers. It is bomb proof. It held up for hours in pouring rain, mud and snow. I completely trust it. The fabric is durable and long lasting. It has large arm pit zippered openings to circulate air.
The pattern and color seem to blend in well with a variety of terrain and vegetation. The color of the pattern appears mostly brown, but when you wear it around green vegetation or snow, the other colors in the camo pattern seem to become enhanced.
The bad:
It cost over $200
The jacket was not very comfortable to wear. The pit zips were stiff and bulky. I was always aware of them folded up under my arms.
The way the jacket was tailored made it feel narrow at the shoulders even with my completely average build. This was especially evident when wearing layers. With or without layers, the jacket shoulders and pit zips were always noticeable and annoying. It wasn't comfortable to wear.
The tail of the jacket is too short, coming down just below my belt line. The tail of every shirt or light jacket I layered underneath the coat stuck out the bottom, getting wet and muddy
This jacket is designed more for military use so it has an enormous hood to fit over a helmet. It wasn't that big of an issue, but a lot of people wouldn't like it.
The design of the two front pockets proved impractical. They aren't traditional cargo pockets, rather simply large internal pockets accessed by vertical zippers. The pockets were located directly underneath where my day pack waist strap was located. The vertical orientation of the zippers wouldn't allow access unless I unbuckled the waist strap. A true cargo pocket with a horizontal zipper would allow me to reach my Jolly Ranchers or my range finder with much less annoyance. A waist strap for a pack would ride directly over any gear stored in the pockets. A jacket with a longer tail and lower cargo pockets is a much better design for me. Stuff kept wanting to fall out of the vertical zippered pockets.
My hunting buddies told me the slick fabric had a glare to it when in bright sunlight. Even though the pattern blended in well, the glare on the fabric made me stand out. This surprised me.
What finally turned me off for good on this jacket was fabric out of which the jacket is made. It's noisier than all the reviews led me to believe. The colder the weather (I used it as a hard shell down into single digit temps) the louder it became. It almost crackled with every movement I made in sub freezing conditions. Nothing is more aggravating on a cold, dead quiet, alpine mountain elk hunt than having every subtle arm movement announced to the surrounding wildlife by a stiff, noisy, Rice Crispy sounding hard shell. My wife was even commenting on how much noise it made when cold.
The colder the weather, it seemed the jacket itself got colder, especially in high wind. In cold, snowy and windy weather, it felt as if the jacket itself was making me even colder.
The tl/dnr take away:
The Kryptek Koldo is a bomb proof, thoroughly reliable rain jacket if you wear it in a constantly wet, mild climate with your shirt/layers tucked into your pants to keep them dry. That and wear web gear with lots of pouches. The colder it gets, the noisier and stiffer the fabric becomes.
I can't recommend it for hunting.
I'll be back in the market for another hunting rain coat before hunting season!