KUIU Super Down Ultra Jacket $270, kuiu.com

A down jacket is a must have item for big game hunting in the West, especially when in the fall when the temperatures drop. And few things are better for warmth and comfort. When KUIU introduced its Super Down Ultra Jacket this year we asked why try to fix what wasn’t broken. Full disclosure: I’ve been hunting with KUIU’s original Super Down jacket for the past three seasons and thought no reason to change. That is until I tested their Super Down Ultra Jacket. It’s 40 percent lighter and is, dare I say it, better the original.

KUIU uses a lighter fabric with a Toray finishing process which slightly melts the fabric eliminating the need to coat the outer layer thus making it lighter and giving it added durability. But where the rubber meets the road is the Toray DWR-treated QUIXDOWN used in the jacket. This down has a 850+ down fill power, which means that for every one ounce of down it takes up 850 cubic inches of volume giving it the distinction of be- ing the warmest down jacket avail- able. What’s also nice is the down stays put thanks to a double-baffle construction.

It comes with YKK zippers, stretch binding cuffs, an adjustable hem line, and zippered hand pockets. The left hand pocket doubles a stuff sack, allowing you to pack it compactly in your hunting pack. The jacket itself fits snug, so order one size larger if you’re in between sizes (I normally wear a large, but the XL fits me best).