Sitka gear?? Confusion

[mjw176]

Trying to get into the mounting hunting of the West and increase the quality of my hunting clothes in general. I hear so much about Sitka and the great quality that they produce for hunting. I don't understand the prices for these pieces of clothing but I would like to try a well rounded set for starters. Unfortunately though I don't Understand about their stuff There seems to be so many names But I can never tell the difference between all these warm clothing, lightweight, or middle weights. I I'm not seeing a catalog that specifies each one of these garments that they manufacture. What is the recommendation for the most well rounded light/ mid weight jacket and pant combo? I read about the 90% jacket but Seems to be an old version.

 

[EYJONAS!]

I run lots of layers, lots of light weight to mid weight gear. If your looking for some sort of a layout for gear check out kuiu's catalog. I'm not a kuiu guy but they do an exceptional job I feel with a gear layout in their catalog. Early season mid season and late. Sitka also has kind of the same thing on their website with doing a all mountain system as well as a couple othe others. It's all a pretty peny which ever way you go but in the end it's totally worth having great gear. It makes a lot of differencein the end I feel. Good luck and choose wisely.

 

[CATAHOULA12]

Have a look at First Lite.

 

[EYJONAS!]

Have a look at First Lite.

Brother in law and lots of buddies run this as well..... solid gear no doubt.

 

[Big Fin]

What conditions you looking to hunt in? I have probably tried and experimented with a Sitka layering combination for whatever the conditions are. Happy to help if I can.

 

[Backcountry Hunter 2]

I've run almost everything Kuiu and Sitka in the past 5 years. Sitka is more expensive, but in my opinion much more durable.

Here is what I run. Everything is Sitka expect the Kifaru Piece.
Baselayer - Core crew or merino. Personal preference
Midlayer - Jetstream Vest or Apex Hoody. Lots of people love the Core Heavyweight Hoody
Insulation - Kelvin Lite Jacket or Kifaru Lost Park Parka
Hard Shell - Jetstream Jacket
Pants - Apex or Timberline, I pick on depending on how warm it is

Let me know if you have any questions.

 

[406LIFE]

If you let us know where when and what you are hunting, we can help you get into what you need. I have two main systems:

Early/hot/lightweight: Apex hoody/pants, lightweight shirts, mountain vest, possible heavyweight hoody.

later/cold/winter: timberline pants, jetstream jacket, puffy vest/jacket.

I layer under this with merino of varying weights and a fleece occasionally.

 

[Addicting]

Sitka has a military/Leo program that can help with the purchase price if you qualify. I switched last year and love it. I was amazed how warm I would stay while hunting without all of the extra weight I was previously wearing.

I tend to still hunt/walk a lot which is where this stuff shines. If you are ones who sits in the same spot all day, you don’t really need it, and can probably get away with less expensive options.

 

[icebreaker12]

I'm excited to try there stuff. But, I do agree with the latest website revision and their naming scheme it can be very difficult to figure out if what I want is what I am getting.

 

[MNElkNut]

Pretty hard to go wrong with a Jetstream jacket. Great all around hunting coat.

Note that their Kelvin series has Primaloft in it and thus is best as an insulating layer (but can work for an outer layer as well). I am a big fan of the Kelvin jacket for Minnesota whitetail hunting in November. Lotsa warmth without the weight of other materials.

 

[marshman]

I'll second that statement, I have a Kelvin Hoody that is a perfect mid layer for still hunting.

 

[cgarner]

I don't have any Sitka gear, but for layering, I'm 100% sold on merino wool. It is the most comfortable and warm layering garments that I have. My base layers are from First lite, coats and pants are a mix of Kuiu (puffy jacket), pants and rain jacket are Browning Hells Canyon. All seem to be quality garments.

 

[rideold]

I stumbled on a deal for the 90% pant and jacket last year and hunted with that setup from September to late November. I added a hooded kelvin puffy I picked up on discount as well. I can't swing the Sitka stuff if it isn't on a steep discount. Anyway, between core heavyweight bottoms/tops paired with a merino t-shirt and the 90% setup I was good to go. Threw on the puffy at the beginning and end of the day. Only day I didn't wear the 90% pants was the one storm that rolled in and dropped snow and sub 0 temps for half a day. That day I dug out an older pair of core 4 element pants that are thicker than the 90%. As others have said, the jetstream is a good all around and if I ever find one on sale enough I'll snag it. I also picked up a gore-tex jacket on Camofire a few months ago. That paired with the 90% jacket will stand me pretty solid for most anything.

I agree that Sitka doesn't do a great job of grouping their gear by weights but if you read the descriptions you can tease that out. In the end it all depends on how you like to dress. I prefer to have three layers on the top and two on the bottom. I never change out my layering on the bottom during the day. Pretty much make a call in the morning and stick with it. I always wear a merino t-shirt with some kind of long sleeve 1/4 zip with an outer soft shell. I carry a warm layer (hooded kelvin puffy) and a rain layer and have an old down jacket stowed in an ultralight dry sack in the bottom of my pack. The down jacket is for emergencies.

 

[rideold]

One other piece of advice. Go to the Sitka site, pick what style of hunting (e.g. spot and stalk) and then filter to just bottoms or jackets etc. Once you pare it down to one type of clothing it is easier to see what is what.

 

[Deleted member 16014]

The name Sitka has 0% to do with comfort and success. How you use your gear, Sitka or otherwise, is indeed a factor.

 

[Jape]

I love Sitka's timberline pants and highly recommend them, even for earlier season hunts.

 

[Coach Chris]

The basics
http://blog.alpineinstitute.com/2016/03/layering-staying-comfortable-in.html

http://www.themeateater.com/2017/building-a-complete-hunting-clothing-system/

 

[mjw176]

Thank you all for your responses. In regards to what I will be hunting and when Is still a question. I only have hunted whitetails in the East but I am going to make a career change since I work in health care to travel. I would like to experience the West and other States other then Pennsylvania and Maryland. I have never been out in the west so I don't know what to expect for hunting thus the reason I feel that I couldn't go wrong with a light/mid weight system. Inspired by Randy Newberg I realize there's so much opportunity to experience on my own in public lands. I have plenty of cold weather clothing that I use in whitetail hunting. I would like to get the most out of these Performance clothing systems by Getting something that I will get lots of use of being versatile.