Well it finally happened, yours truly was sent some merchandise (for free!) to try and review on Northern Jacks! I have officially changed my LinkedIn profile to say “Influencer” JK
A couple of months back I had someone from KUHL clothing reach out to me about trying some of their gear and doing a review on Northern Jacks! Why the delay, well I didn’t answer for a few weeks as I figured it was a hoax, I mean the site had been up for years and no one had ever asked me to review anything, even though I desperately wanted to. I finally reached back out and I was asked to pick any two items of the their site to review, score!
KUHL is an outdoor clothing and gear brand; based out of Finland. I visited the site and ended up choosing the Shift Amphibia Short, 10 inch inseam. I liked that the shorts could be worn day to day but also good for the cottage and fishing trips as they are quick dry.
Next up was the Engineered Krew, short sleeve. Similar to the shorts I liked that it was quick dry, light, breathable and had UV protection. On fishing trip, regular weekends in the summer or messing around at the cottage I spend as much time in the sun as possible, and let’s face it, get fairly sweaty
A week after ordering the package showed up, just in time for a late summer weekend at the cottage to fish and hang out, perfect timing for a test
Typically I break down the review in a few components including price, but since this was given to me I will avoid comment and merely say that IMO compared to like brands I think KUHL is fairly priced, probably in line with Columbia but cheaper than Lululemon or Patagonia. So here are my overall impressions
Shorts:
The Amphibia shorts are great, light, look nice, fit well and are prefect for someone like me. Our weekend at the cottage was abnormally hot for September, pushing 30 degrees in the middle of the day and I was comfortable. We actually went for a swim after lunch and the set up of the Amphibia (bathing suit like liner and drawstring) was perfect. I will say that while the shorts dried fairly quickly they didn’t dry as fast as a typical swimsuit would. After a few wears and washes I see no colour change, shrinkage or marks/nicks so I would consider them durable.
Would I buy again?
Yes, to me these are perfect outdoor weekend shorts, nice enough to wear into town and have a beer in a patio but comfortable and rugged enough for a full days fishing
Shirt
The Engineered Krew also fit well, was light, breathable and comfortable. I would say that this is more of an active shirt, perfect for the outdoors but it does look more like an active/work out shirt than something I would wear out for lunch. On the two hot days we fished, it was cool, seemed to alleviate major sweating and comfortable. Similar to the shorts so far after multiple wears and washes it silt I’ll looks great and I would call it durable.
I also think it will be a great base layer for ATVing in the fall and ice fishing in the winter due to the comfort and wicking. Heading out for a fall atv ride and will definitely use.
Would I buy it again?
Yes but with the caveat that it’s still in decent shape after months of use. The shirts IMO are a tad pricier than the shorts when comparing to other brands like Columbia or some other mid end brands. Being the cheap Scot I am I would want to make sure the durability is there.
Overall Brand Impression
Solid. For the outdoors, spending time at the cottage or fishing trips I think KUHLs brand is a solid fit. Well made, nice looking, multi function and to date durable.
Please check them out and help my new career as an influencer 😂
Cheers
Andrew
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