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The original was posted on /r/Ultralight by /u/moonSandals on 2025-01-02 22:59:02+00:00.
I just got an order from ULSUS for some Alpha Direct gear. I just wanted to write first impressions somewhere so people can find it when they search. I haven't seen much show up in the search here.
I've been looking for some AD pants for each my wife and I, and an AD zip up (either half or full) hoody for my wife. I didn't want to risk waiting for a Senchi drop before our next trip, and I spent a tonne of time looking at fit and sizing and weight per garment across different companies including:
- Senchi
- Magnet designs
- Farpointe
- ULSUS
- Yama Tomichi
- Sambob
I've also been looking at Octa Fleece options, as I have an Airmesh myself.
ULSUS seems pretty competitive to Senchi with respect to weight per garment. I had a spec for AD60 pants for ULSUS (which are no longer sold) and those were within around 10 gms of the Senchi listing at the time.
Also the sizing seemed consistent with the shape and sizes of my wife and I (I am usually an SM or M, she usually wears a SM). So they seemed like a good fit for us.
They also had items either in stock or on preorder a few weeks away - vs having to jump on ordering something when a new drop comes live. They were available when I wanted to order them. So that worked.
Order:
- 1x AD90 Bear Pants in Medium
- 1x AD90 Bear Pants in Small
- 1x AD90 "Hoody Zipper" (hoody with half zip) in Small
- 1x AD90 Two-way zipper Jacket (hoody with a full zip two way zipper) in Medium, in case the half zip didn't fit my wife for some reason or if we wanted to go hiking together and share a hoody. I already have an MH Airmesh so this was just thrown in the order "just in case"
First impressions:
- The items are packaged professionally. Each item is packaged individually in a clear plastic bag with the opening folded over and closed with an adhesive strip. They don't come with the garment bag like Senchi provides, but I don't think I need it anyways.
- The construction quality is excellent. I didn't see any defects. The seams all appear to be professional quality and tidy.
- We look like a couple of muppets, but they are cozy. My wife's hoody is "cookie monster blue" - I love it.
- Each item got at least one sticker in the bag. Some got two. Very nice quality stickers. My 4 year old instantly decided he needed to stick one to his arm, then regretted it (they are VERY sticky)
- They fit us as expected based on the measurements
- I like the crotch gussets in the pants
- I am on the fence with the lack of elastic cuffs in the pant ankles. Without cuffs, I can probably get them on without taking my shoes off (bonus). For sleep or when hiking cold I can tuck the pant in my socks (I wear tall socks and shorts normally). So it's not a big deal but I feel they might feel more comfortable with a soft elastic cuff.
- The waist elastic is very comfortable on the pants
- The cuffs in the hoodies are very nice and comfortable. The hood fits around my face well. Nice design.
- The zippers on the hoodies are good quality and run smoothly. Fabric didn't get caught in the zipper when using it.
- The labels are sewn on and of high quality, but seem unnecessarily large. I think a more minimalist label would be more consistent with an ultralight garment. In reality, it doesn't add much, but is one of those details.
Weight:
I weighed them at home immediately:
- 1x AD90 Bear Pants in Medium - 102 gm
- 1x AD90 Bear Pants in Small - 94 gm
- 1x AD90 "Hoody Zipper" (hoody with half zip) in Small - 110 gm
- 1x AD90 Two-way zipper Jacket (hoody with a full zip two way zipper) in Medium - 128 gm
I am happy with these weights. If I recall correctly, they are consistent if not a bit lower than the advertised ones on the website.
I initially was hoping for AD60 pants as I think those might be enough and would be a bit lighter, but settled on AD90 through ULSUS just to ensure we got something. We also hike with our son, who's 4 years old, so we got a bit slower and can't just push the pace to hike faster and warm ourselves up. So AD90 will be beneficial for us. For the fabric weight I think this is a reasonable garment weight but I wish there were more options for AD60 garments, specifically pants. Many other companies that I found online either only offer AD90 or offer AD60 but at a similar garment weight to AD90 (in which case, you might as well go with AD90 from someone else for that weight).
I might get Senchi AD60 pants if I can snag some, but now the pressure is off a bit.
Shipping
I live in Canada. Canada Post has been on strike and were just very recently ordered back to work. This has caused havoc on our shipping here - anything shipped through Canada Post wasn't delivered for more than a month. Anything shipped through other couriers was inconsistent (I've had some items just get held in a warehouse and not delivered) or a complete rip off.
Thankfully these items shipped RIGHT as Canada Post started working again. The items shipped through Taiwanese mail, which had some brief delays due to a COVID breakout at the airline. This was brief (days). Then handed over to Canada Post and in my hands within a week or so of shipping from Taiwan.
Tracking was a pain.
Everything needs to be translated through Google Translate, and the tracking details were lacking. I couldn't get the tracking to work on Canada Post website using the original Taiwanese tracking number either. But everything arrived quickly, in good condition, and in my hands without having any duties.
Overall
Anyways - happy with the purchase. I'll try to post once I use them on trail enough to get a proper review in.
Let me know if you want me to look at anything specific on the items, or take photos. Happy to share a bit more of how they look.