Truth be told, I was the last person in my small group of hunting buddies who finally retired their decades old camo garments. You’d think that because of my job — none of them work in the outdoor industry — I would be first not last, which I guess simply means I’m more reluctant to change.

While my friends own a few of today’s top-notch hunting clothing brands, most of their new gear is KUIU, which means I could try on their garments to ensure I ordered the correct size KUIU jacket and pant for myself. And this is an important point: Modern hunting clothing has more of an athletic cut than the garments of 20 years ago. In simplest terms, athletic cut means the garments fit closer to the body (less bulky), with the fabrics flexing/stretching a bit to allow movement. My sons (19 and 21) love clothing that fits this way; I do not. To me, it feels too tight. I mention this right off the bat because it may help you order the correct size, regardless of whether you purchase KUIU, First Lite, Sitka Gear, etc.

My first experience with KUIU clothing was during fall 2022 when I field tested the company’s Proximity Hooded Insulated Jacket and Proximity Insulated Pant. Click here to read my detailed review. The Proximity series is an ultra-quiet system designed for cold weather, making it a great choice for my November and December deer hunting in South Dakota and Wisconsin.

A Clothing Solution for October

For 2023, I wanted a jacket and pant that weren't quite so warm, something I could wear during October, when the temperature was more mild, say 40 to 65 degrees. I chose the new KUIU Encounter series (jacket, $239; pant, $199). The company describes it as “purpose-built for stand hunting in early and mid-season conditions.

These un-insulated softshell outer layers and fleece mid layers for whitetail hunting are equipped with an ultra-quiet, low-sheen outer layer, with a bonded jacquard fleece interior for increased warmth while maintaining optimal breathability and temperature regulation.” Jacquard means the fabric has a design woven into the construction of the weave; in this case, it’s a hexagon pattern (photo below).

Before I dive into my review of the garments, let me again touch on sizing. On the KUIU website, it says the jacket is “close fitting.” Remember what I mentioned previously about an athletic cut? Two ways of saying the same thing. Even though KUIU offers free size exchanges, it’s much less of a hassle to get it right the first time.

According to the KUIU size guide for men’s jackets, vests and shirts, I should wear a size M Encounter Jacket (my chest measurement is 38 inches; I’m 5 feet 10 inches and weigh 175 pounds). Did I order a size M? No way. Did I order a size L? Nope. Believe it or not, I ordered a size XL, and I love the fit. A size L jacket would have been perfect if I didn’t want to layer much under it, but the size XL gives me room to wear enough layers under it to be comfortable for several hours in a treestand when the air temperature is 40-45 degrees. Colder than that, and I’ll switch to the KUIU Proximity Jacket. For the pant, I wear size 34/32 jeans, so I chose the size 36 Encounter Pant. The 36 fits well when worn with no layers and still provides a bit of room to layer when it’s cooler. (FYI: With the warmer KUIU Proximity Series, I own a size XL jacket and size 38 pant.)

As for color/camo choices: The KUIU Encounter series is available in the company’s three popular camo choices — Valo, Verde and Vias — as well as the solid color Ash. Because I’d wear these garments during October, when the trees in the Upper Midwest still have leaves, I chose the pattern featuring the most green — Verde (below).

Key Takeaways

You can visit the KUIU website to see all the specific features in the Encounter jacket and pant. Here, I’ll bullet point a handful of my favorites: 

• You never know until you feel and touch a hunting garment to know whether its fabric is really quiet enough for close-range bowhunting. The Encounter series is totally silent. I’m nitpicky when it comes to hunting clothing noise, and I could not be more impressed by the Encounter’s fabric.
• One downside of quiet fabrics is they often are magnets for burrs, but that is NOT the case with the KUIU Encounter series. I don’t know how the clothing designers at KUIU pulled it off, but with this series, they created a totally silent outer fabric that doesn’t collect burrs. It’s truly amazing.
• The pant comes with fully adjustable suspenders, and I love them. Younger hunters might want to ditch the removable suspenders in favor of a belt, but I found them to be comfortable, and far less restrictive than a belt.
• On both the Encounter jacket and pant, all pocket zippers have quiet string pulls. I don’t understand why every hunting clothing company doesn’t do the same; it’s the perfect system. I can even run the zippers while wearing gloves; nice!
• The jacket has tapered stretch wrist cuff openings instead of a hook and loop (think Velcro) closure system, which means the cuffs fit perfectly with zero noise.

• The jacket’s dual chest pockets (below) are the correct size to hold a cell phone vertically, without falling over sideways, and the pockets aren’t so deep that you have trouble grabbing it. Let’s face it — there are times you want to text a buddy who is also hunting, or check your weather app to see if a storm is approaching — so it’s nice to have easy access to your phone. Because the Jacket has dual chest pockets, you can choose which one works best for you to store a phone.

• Magnetic closures on the Jacket’s two hand pockets work beautifully. The pockets are silent and eliminate the annoying rubbing of an open zipper as you put your hands in and out.
• The jacket’s raised collar is fleece lined and super comfortable. The collar also features a small piece of fabric that folds over the end of the zipper, meaning you don’t feel the zipper when it’s fully raised (photo below). It’s a small detail, I know, but on many jackets I’m annoyed by feeling the zipper rubbing on my neck or chin every time I turn my head to look for approaching whitetails.

• The jacket has a layered port for attaching a safety harness (below). When temps are mild, I usually wear my harness over my jacket, meaning I didn’t use the port. But I’m guessing many hunters will utilize it.

Final Thoughts

I couldn’t have been more impressed with the KUIU Encounter jacket and pant. Because I have the KUIU Proximity series for cold weather, and now the Encounter series for milder conditions, I’m set for October through December. What about September, you ask? Well, my buddies all swear by the KUIU Attack Pant, and they wear various KUIU crews, zip-Ts, and hot-weather hoodies. Sounds like a good reason for another field test!

 For more information, visit www.kuiu.com.