Sitka Gear

[Ground Hunter]

I'm looking into trying this next year.  Can anyone give some reports on it?  The new stuff.  Old stuff is well - old stuff.  H

[Steve O]

GH,

What will you be using it for?  Sitka has moved from being perfect for the mountains and active hunting to including the stand hunter.  They have everything covered from keep you comfortable in all conditions base layers to a set of outer layers so warm they have deemed it "The Incinerator"  :D  

One of the "new" pieces I can't wait to get is the Mountain Pant.  These are made with the stalker in mind, with built in knee pads.

What you want to remember if/when you go to buy the SG is all the pieces have stretch built into them.  You don't want to order it loose and baggy like we have been conditioned.  You want it to fit your form and it will move with you.

If you have certain hunts in mind, I have used most of the pieces in many conditions, and can tell you what I would choose.

[Ulysseys]

Nice gear, seems to be better suited for western/mountain hunts where durability is a plus - I used the Celsius gear whitetail hunting the past year and it worked well.  However, for the standard afternoon couple hour deer hunt it may be overkill price-wise.  I sold the Celsius and purchased the 90% for an elk hunt where it's all I'll probably wear for a week.  For deer hunts I just go for timberfleece or berber.

The stuff looks great but it's very pricey! Never knew polyester was that precious!

[Ragnarok Forge]

I would love to hear how the heat factor works in rainy really wet cold weather.  Polyester is notorious for not retaining heat when wet.  In my neck of the woods, if your hunting your wet most of the time.  

I am looking into new hunting clothes for next season and have been considering this clothing line.

[Ground Hunter]

SteveO,  I'm dealing with warm 70s to maybe mid 30s for the full range of temps.  I'm in far South West Texas on the border.  Mornings can be cool/cold afternoons can get warm.  I ground hunt, spot and stalk or fix a ground blind.  I often pack in deeper (with a Badlands 2800) into the area I hunt to get away from the pilgrims.  Can get hot walking in, then need to cool down for a ground blind.  Its open country and sometimes some wind.  That's the most of it.  Oh yea, we're at 3000 to 4500 feet.  I don't mind spending $$ for a quality product - just need to know more about it.  H

[Bowmania]

Light weight stuff is great and very durable.  Thought the Celsius would follow suit for warmth - forget it.  I wear my SI under it to keep warm.

Bowmania

[mlmealey]

GH, Steve and I both have worn Sitka Gear for a few years now Steve longer than myself it's an excellent product. I would recommend the 90% jacket and pants and layer under with the core or traverse top and bottom, also new for this year available in June or July is the (Stratus jacket and bibs in forest only) everthing else you can get in both open country and forest. Go to their website  www.sitkagear.com  for more info.  

Hope this helps

[Ground Hunter]

When will the newest stuff be out?  Is ordering direct from them the best way?  H

[mlmealey]

Hi, Cabelas will have it in their May catalog Scheels, Bass Pro, Gander Mtn and 150 other independants will have in in June or July. The Forest is an awesome new pattern for the 2010 line, Deer have a tough time focusing on both of the digital patterns.

[John Havard]

We will have the newest stuff too at A&H.  Just give Dan a call at the shop and if we don't have it in stock we can get it pronto.

John

[Ground Hunter]

John, you guys were my first choice!  Funny, just got my ACS 3 piece yesterday - REALLY HAPPY!!  H

[Steve O]

Robert,

To be fully covered for that range, I'd get:

Base top and bottom
Traverse top and bottom
90% Top and Bottom

Additionally, it would be a toss up for me to get either a Celsius vest or a Kelvin vest.  

If you got the Kelvin, you would be covered for just about anything it is WARM!  That vest is my absolute favorite piece.  It compacts to the size of a Nagelene bottle, is warm when wet, and is super light.  People complain about how noisy it is when they rub their fingernails accross it, but what they don't understand is that it is made to SLIDE under an outer layer and it is dead silent under any outer layer like the 90%.


Todd--Get a Kelvin vest or Jacket to put under that Celsius--you'll be glad you are not lugging around that heavy wool  

[Ground Hunter]

Great - thanks guys.  Now I know what to do with some of my summer pay checks - ha!!  I was at first thinking about wool.  But, I like to travel light - I can hunt harder and longer.  This should solve that for me.  H

[Montana679]

I have three sets of sitka gear, I have used it since it came out that said it is good camoflage.For the price I think there is better camo out there I think sitka gear is improving every year but the quality of it is still not equal to the price if you give it a few years hopefully it will be more durable. I think the russel outdoor camo is as good or better for less money

[highpoint forge]

I have Celsius bibs and vest, Kelvin vest, Jetstream Jacket, Traverse beanie, and Core top and bottom. Very lightweight and warm stuff. I had some wear issues on the bibs and Sitka replaced them for free. My only (if I have to say) beef is the jacket and vest combos allow your arms to get cold. Wish I had the Kelvin jacket and not the two vests. Easy to shoot in. Animals will not see you in the stuff. I love it.

[mlmealey]

GH, yes A&H would be the best to deal with excellent customer service

[katie]

Was just at my local Scheels store.  They had Sitka in the back on massive clearance.  Oh man, very nice!  All way to big of me.  I did try.  The softshell jacket was awesome!  If I found my size they would have come home with me.

[screamin]

Maybe I just sweat more than most but I found that the sitka base layers stink and after a couple days I couldn't stand myself. It was so bad I had to wash them in the creek every 2 days. I went to firstlite merino wool base layers from asat and solved that problem.

I haven't tried the 90% lineup, a medium pant is to small and a large to big. I do own 2 pair of the ascent pants and in the heat nothing compares. These babies really breath well and keep you cool. But with that breathability comes a complete lack of wind resistance. So I keep a rain proof shell handy in case the wind kicks up and the temp drops. I will probably try out the new pant with the knee pads. The ascent pant is not real tough and I popped a hole in a 30 day old pair last yr that I had to have repaired. To much sitting around looking thru glasses I guess.

I had the celsius vest and for warmth you can forget it, at least imo. I replaced it with the kelvin jacket, its warm and blocks the wind too. The sleeves fit tight so no worries about the bow string. Packs up just as small as the celsius vest. If it rains/windy/cold/snow gets nasty, throw a shell over that and you'll be snug as a bug in a rug.

I do have some of the apxg2 but pant wise I don't like the fit. Base layers fit well but for warmth the L3 is to light, haven't looked at the L4. They also have sizing issues imo. The L1 fits a little loose but the L2 fits tight, seems like it should be the other way around to me. I'd actually like to get rid of the stuff if I could. Besides, I think a 3 layer system is really the way to go and I get that with merino wool base, ascent/kelvin, waterproof shell.

By the way, goretex bought sitka last yr.