Sitka Gear

[Onions]

Just a note to say I am impressed with the people of Sitka gear. I purchased a 90% jacket this summer with "high hopes" of warmth, and water repellency, good layering under some other clothing. Well...I froze in the jacket, even in mid 40 temps! Seemed like the material was cold on the outside and the cold crept right into me!
Wore it in a drizzly day and was soaked to the bone!
The coat was very comfortable and I wished it would have performed better.
I called the customer service dept. at Sitka and they said send the jacket back for a full refund!
They have a warranty policy that states if you are not fully happy with there product please return. They stood behind there word!!
As I said to the customer sevice lady, "The 90% jacket let me down, but Sitka Company did not"!

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[peter c iacavazzi]

I'm very sorry to hear that the 90% jacket did not perform as well as expected.

Sitka is continually working to provide the hunting/outdoor industry with the most advanced technical clothing available.

Thank you for the kind words about our service. I hope as we continue to develop our product line, you will allow Sitka the chance to satisfy your demand for a high performance product.

Best of luck to you and again Thank you for the positive remarks about our guarentee and service.

Sincerely,

Peter Iacavazzi
Pro Staff Director Sitka Gear

[Red Boar]

Kudos to Sitka Gear for standing behind their product and staying true to their warranty.    

[goosespirit]

Sitka is great stuff, I have basically the whole line, but I will say that it is not as warm as advertised.  The Celcius bibs and jacket are awesome but you really need to layer underneath it.  All in all, I love it once you know its limitations

[hunt it]

No one outfit will work for all season unless you live in the south. My Sitka gear performs very well for what was designed for. No complaints here, good stuff.

[Herdbull]

Warmth and temperature ratings can be misleading because everyone has a different body mass and tolerance. Sitka gear is designed to be used as a system, and I think that the vest is a very important part. For me I sat in a tree stand all day this past weekend. Temps started out at 13 degrees and warmed to 25 throughout the day, but the winds picked up. I wore the base layer, mountain shirt, vest, Celsius jacket, with the 90% jacket overtop. On the bottom I wore the base layer pants, Celsius bibs, with a pair of 90% pants over that. I think what you wear on your head is very important. I wore the Celsius hat with my favorite wool stocking cap and a balaclava face masked pulled down over that. The Celsius hat stops the wind, but it also does not let me hear as well as I like. Overall I think it went well for me with wind chills in the single digits. It did not seem to bulky, but I will most likely need to add more under garment of light wool when temps get much colder like they do in late December when I seem to have most of my success from stand in recent years. I don't know if this will work for everyone at these conditions, but this worked for me.  Mike

[Onions]

Mike,
I think you are right in saying that one has to use the whole system for best results.
Unfortuantley I don't have the resources to replace my entire hunting "wardrobe" at this time.(my wife and I just had our second daughter on friday!!!).
I do think I will take some of the return money and purchase some of Sitka's base layers.

<><

[snag]

When it gets down in the 30's I put on my merino wool longjohns and then the 90 degree on top...very warm yet breathable. Then when the rain comes throw on the Downpour jacket and you're set! Living in the western part of Oregon I have put this stuff to the test. It works if you use each piece for it's intended for and if you layer properly for your specific body temp.

[peter c iacavazzi]

Onions,

Please contact me at piacavazzi@sitkagear.com

I have something that I would like to give you, that I think will help.

Peter Iacavazzi

[JohnV]

I have been wearing my Sitka gear the past several weeks hunting in Iowa.  Temps have been lows in the upper 20's with highs in the 40's.  I'm wearing the base shirt with two other polypropylene long sleeved under shirts, the vest, and then the 90% jacket.  With KOM wool pants and good hat I have been staying warm.

[Longbow rookie]

Good on you Peter...Sitka will continue to improve as a company with people like you involved.  Speak to you soon and thanks again..

Christian

[rastaman]

i only use mine in Alabama, South Carolina, and Georgia.  i have most of the pieces with the exception of this years cold weather bibs and jacket.  i love mine...i'm cold natured, but it works great layered down to the mid 20's here and works great in the rain...

[Onions]

Peter
I sent you a e-mail to your personal account.
I have trouble with my e-mail sometimes b/c I have to go through my company's server.
Let me know if it did not go through.

chris <><

[Steve O]

The last couple weeks I have been able to test out the Celsius gear.  I am very happy with it; there is nothing out there that can keep you as warm with that little bulk.

One thing I have noticed is if you want one extra layer, the 90% as the OUTERMOST layer works better than on the inside for cutting the wind.  

I am looking forward to a Sitka Balaclava/Facemask...

[JC]

I'll add yet another amen: This stuff flat works when used as a system. I am cold natured so I typically had to wear so many clothes to stay warm it became difficult to shoot accurately later in the season. Core zip-t, Traverse shirt, Clesius vest and 90% jacket have done an excellent job at keeping me warm with far less bulk than I have had before. Since my Celsius Bib and Jacket are not in yet, I substituted a fleece bib and coat (without the 90%) on Saturday...dawn temps were around 16deg with 70% humidity. That's about as cold as it gets here in N.GA on a regular basis..I can only imagine the Celsius gear will do just as well as the final outer layer.

Used as a system, with the appropriate layers, I'm still amazed at how well it insulates AND gives me excellent freedom of movement. Replacement for wool? Probably not for most, but I sure am happy with it under the conditions I've used it. I think you'd be hard pressed to find anything that has a higher breathability and insulation to weight ratio.

Pete, you mean I can get rid of my underarmour facemask now?   :rolleyes:

[peter c iacavazzi]

Chris,

I didn't recieve your e-mail? Try sending me a PM here instead. Thanks.

JC...yes...get rid of your under armour mask...if you'd like. Or keep it as a back up. But as handsome as you are...you don't need a mask...

[beachbowhunter]

Pete, I have used the Sitka (in ASAT) for the last two years, mainly elk hunting in NM. It works great in the heat in terms of wicking away sweat but I was wondering what your experience has been in terms of drying it out. I find that after the first hot and sweaty day the base layer (and outer layers once they sweat through), never really dry. In contrast, I picked up one of the FirstLite merino wool base layers and it seemed to dry completely overnight and performed about the same in terms of wicking...

I love the flexibility of the pants and the warmth of the beanie hat...

[Onions]

Pete,
I don't know what PM means or how to go about doing it??

chris <><

[Robhood23]

I agree with alot of what is being said. I had the 90% outfit and it was great when I was moving but I got really cold while sitting. Great product and definatly has it's place in the hunting world!

[JC]

Peter, flattery will get you no where  

Onions, the PM icon looks like two people shaking hands...to the right of each person's screen name. Select this icon and it allows you to send a private message to the person. You can access private messages sent to you (and those you sent to others) by selecting "my profile" near the top of each page.