KUIU Attack Pants - Product Review

By Lora Gene Young

I finally decided to invest in some good hunting pants. After talking to hunters and outfitters, especially in New Zealand, I decided to purchase the KUIU Attack Pants and put them to the test. For the past three months I have worn the pants through gorse and matagouri, up and down mountains, and in pursuit of red stag, tahr and chamois. In review, I am impressed with many points of these pants.

           -First, as a hunter in New Zealand, I appreciate the line of color options KUIU offers. Camo is not a fad in New Zealand as it is in the US and people do not wear much camo, definitely not in public. It is great to have color options that can be worn straight from the field into a café or restaurant.

-Comfortable, flexible material makes it easy stretch and reach for complicated shooting positions or climbing and rock scaling while stalking.

           -Even though made for a man, the pants fit very well and keep their shape reasonably well, even after days of hunting.

           -The lightweight material not only aids in ease of movement, but also helps keep you cool on warmer days. If the temperature, or the stalking, heat up there are zip sides for extra breathing.

           -Most impressive, the durability of the pants. After sliding down a mountain side in the dark of night without a light and with a meat filled pack, the pants had no holes and showed little dirt.

Of course, as with everything, there are draw backs to the KUIU Attack Pants. First and foremost, they are designed for men, this means the smallest size is a 30 inch waist. I am not the smallest of females and this is the size I wear, so size is a limiting factor with females wearing these pants. Secondly, also, being designed for men, they are a bit long in length. This can be easily remedied with a few hem stitches, or you can fold them up under your gaiters like I do. Finally, in dense, prickly brush, the material picks quite badly. One time through thick gorse and they aren’t suitable for church anymore, but hey, they are hunting pants.

Overall, I highly recommend KUIU Attack Pants to both male and female hunters in multiple environments and weather conditions. For more information, visit www.kuiu.com. 

Eco Nuts Organic Laundry Soap - Product Review

By Andrea Haas

Throughout the 2015 whitetail season and the 2016 spring turkey season, I washed all of my camo and hunting apparel using Eco Nuts Soap Nuts and Organic Laundry Detergent, both of which provided great results. In my opinion, being as scent free as possible in the field is crucial, especially when hunting mature whitetails. Eco Nuts worked well for me so I'd love to share the results with everyone.

What Are Soap Nuts?

Soap Nuts are a berry shell that naturally contains soap. The Eco Nuts Soap Nuts are wild-grown organically in the Himalayas, and then carefully sorted before being packaged in the US. They are gentle on both your clothes and on your skin, making them a great option for those with allergies and sensitive skin as well. 

How To Use:

-Eco Nuts Soap Nuts

Eco Nuts Soap Nuts

To use these, all you need to do is add 4-5 nuts into one of the bags that's included with purchase (2 bags included). Tie the bag, throw it in the washer with your clothes, and begin the wash cycle. When your wash cycle begins and starts spinning, the soap berry shells will release Saponin, which is a natural soap. These can be re-used up to 10 loads! 

-Eco Nuts Organic Laundry Detergent

This detergent is a liquid form: Organic Soapberry Liquid Extract, with no added fragrances or dyes. To use it you just put 3 pumps in for HE Cycle and 6 pumps for Regular Cycle.

Results

Overall, I was very happy with the results. My clothes always came out feeling soft and just having a natural, clean smell to them. I did find that I preferred to use the Soap Nuts for warm and hot water washes and the liquid Organic Laundry Detergent for cold washes.

In regards to scent control for hunting, I admit that I was skeptical at first on how effective these would be. I didn't make any changes in how I normally hunt. I used the same scent control body and hair products as before and hunted stands only when the wind was right. I didn't notice a difference in the amount of times I got busted by whitetail when using Eco Nuts vs using a scent control detergent made specifically for hunting, so in my opinion Eco Nuts works just as well. These get a big thumbs up from me!

The Eco Nuts Soap Nuts also work as a natural fabric softener, and I have noticed a big difference in the softness and fluffiness of my towels when washed in the Soap Nuts vs regular laundry detergent. Check out the difference! The orange towels were washed using Eco Nuts Soap Nuts, the white ones were washed using Gain liquid detergent.  

Towels washed with Eco Nuts (left) VS with Gain liquid detergent (right)

Cost

Before I used Primos CONTROL FREAK detergent. It came in a 32 oz bottle for about $15. Between my husband and I, we probably would go through at least 1 bottle per deer season, sometimes 2. Four to five Eco Nuts Soap Nuts, as mentioned above, can be re-used up to 10 loads. You have several options when purchasing. You can buy just a 10-load amount for $3.99, 100 loads for $9.99, or 360 loads for $29.99. With the liquid detergent, you can buy a Trial size (1 load) for $1.50, 60 loads for $15.99, or 600 loads for $69.99. 

After using Eco Nuts, I feel it is the better option for me in regards to my hunting needs as far as cost and effectiveness. Eco Nuts has earned a permanent spot as one of my hunting staples! 

For more information or to purchase, go to http://econutssoap.com/