checkerfred wrote:How does this compare to a Sitka Kelvin Jacket or a Kifaru Lost Park Parka? I’ve been looking at puffies but I get cold quick so I need something warm. I’d also be interested in some bibs or pants
Good question. The main difference that you will find between the Kelvin, Lost Parka and Tailwind Puffy are the types of insulation that are used. All synthetic insulations are rated on what is called a CLO scale. Basically, the higher the CLO value, the warmer the insulation/garment will be with less loft. We use the best synthetic insulation available to the apparel, Primaloft Gold.
Sitka Kelvin uses Primaloft Sport: CLO .79
Kifaru Lost Park uses Climasheild APEX: CLO .82
THLETE Tailwind Puffy uses Primaloft Gold: CLO .92
To compare the above synthetic insulations to down, a 550 fill goose down has a CLO rating of .7 and a quality 650 fill down is about 1.0. Primaloft Gold, which we use, is as close as you can get to down in a synthetic insulation. There are a large variety of synthetic insulations on the market. PrimaLoft Gold has the highest CLO value (warmth value) of any synthetic insulation available. The warmth of PrimaLoft One or Gold when dry, is equivalent to 500-550 fill-power down.
We also use a very strong rip-stop polyester as the shell of the jacket. I have not worn the Kifaru Lost Parka, but I have worn the Sitka Kelvin. Our face fabric is very similar to Sitka's. We use a 42g Toray Rip-Stop that is very light and incredibly tough. As far as weight, the Tailwind is 21 oz which is 3 oz lighter than the Kelvin and very close to the Kifaru Lost Parka.
The Kelvin uses a heavier weight (170g) insulation than we do that also has a lower CLO. The Tailwind will be lighter weight with less bulk.
Hope this helps.
-Mike