Now that many have had a chance to use their sitka gear, I'm curious as to your impressions. I found mine (especially the pants) to be the most comfortable hunting gear that I've ever worn and I really like the way it stretches. It was great for early to mid season. I didn't really like the mountain shirt though as it took a long time to dry and wasn't very warm. The only other negative is that this stuff is definitely not cold weather gear. The 90% jacket and pants are advertised as being as warm as wool and they are nowhere near as warm as wool. That being said, I like the stuff overall for early-mid season.
I don't own any sitka but it is all softshell technology. It his high performance gear designed just for that purpose. Designed with superior breathability and still has wind/water shedding ability. This stuff will excel if you are constantly moving/climbing and will be fine in early season for sitting. It will not insulate worth beans if you are wearing it at sub zero temps and on stand for any length of time. It's high performance gear at its best.
I wear it at -30 to -40 while chasing timber wolves on snowshoes and it is fantastic stuff (I wear only ulfrott merino under it). As soon as I get out of bush someone meets me with my heavy wool gear so I don't freeze to death!
I'm with you BCD, it is good stuff. I have worn the 90% pants and jacket in temps down to about 28 degrees on stand, with proper layering it works but it was designed for moving. It sheds water well too. The mountain shirt is a big dissapointment to me as it is not real warm and the fabric has started picking on the sleeves. I am going to send the company pictures after the season and see what they will do or if this is normal wear for it. If I was grading the whole system I would give it an 85%, for my use.
Here in Oregon it rains a bit! Chasing Blacktail bucks in the late season this stuff has been great! I wear some merino wool long underwear and it has kept me warm and dry. I wore the DownPour on the top and the 90% pants. I was walking through some older clear cuts that had blackberry vines in it...no snags. The Mountain shirt and pants will work great for the August elk and deer season.
i love it because now i use one system that i can layer up or down according to how cold it is. it works good for me cause i don't hunt where it's real cold.
Randy
My observations from a month of sheep hunting, 2 weeks in MT mule deer hunting, and limited whitetail stand huting:
There is nothing better for the active hunter.
Climbing & spotting and stalking it is PERFECT. I have used a ton of base layers and the SG "undies" are the best. This includes smart/merino wool, Under Armor, Silk, and all the other sythetics. I wore it training all summer climbing the ski hills here in MI in 90+ and was comfortable. During my sheep hunt in CO, I would daily climb 2500-3000' and then sit for hours or all day in temps from 25-80 thru sun, rain, sleet, and snow and was not one time uncomfortable. I also think it will be the perfect thing for baking in an antelope blind next August...
The Mountain Pants are super functional to climb in. The VEST is very warm for it's weight. The mountain shirt does take longer that the other items to dry, but as a test, I wore it on a few of my climbs. I was not hotter wearing the extra layer.
It is not perfect for sitting all day in a tree stand at 20-30 degrees. It did work just fine with a couple of strategically placed disposable handwarmers.
Well, I'm a sucker for new stuff so I had to try it. I started with the mountain pants and shirt and was so impressed that I went back and bought the 90% jacket. And if I could convince myself to wear camo in public I would wear the 90% jacket everyday - it's that comfortable.
I'm having some trouble getting this stuff zipped up all the way as their 3X is a little on the small side BUT, what I can get into I'm pretty impressed with. The pants have a rubberlike strip that keeps your shirt from pulling up and giving you the cold kidney. The liner is soft and cuts the wind well. The pockets are all deep, lined and the cargo pockets are zippered so stuff doesn't slide out when you sit down.
I especially like the light camo patterns as IMO, most camo is too dark. I killed a 100# boar hog and mmmmmmissed a bobcat last week. Neither knew I was anywhere about.
Its best application is mountain-type hunting; I regret I didn't have it in '05 when on Kodiak Is. chasing Sitka deer. I could've used that gear only and lightened my load substantially. I've used it for about 50 straight hunts here in Nebraska that were mostly treestand sits.
I think it's GREAT stuff. As mentioned before, the system alone is not warm enough for COLD (20's and less) weather stand sitting. I get cold easily, but have found a layer of Winona sandwiched in between the inner next-to-skin layers and the vest/90% coat works great. Best thing is the 90% coat (order the larger size if undecided) works great as outer layer. The sleeves are tapered so many have said they don't need an arm guard.
Biggie's right, the little silicone strip around the inside of the pants is a huge feature. Most of the items feature 4-way stretch and that's a nice bonus when trudging along with pockets full through the brush, or when trying to climb your tree.
The 90% gear is darn near completely waterproof. I sat for three hours in a moderate rain and never felt a drop or leak. Also like Biggie, I think the camo pattern is very good. In many ways, I think it (Mountain Mimicry) may be the most VERSATILE camo pattern out there. I've hunted cornfields, cedars, hardwoods, from the ground, in light snow, and never felt like I wasn't hidden. They also make it in ASAT which is another camo many feel is very versatile.
This versatility is important because Sitka Gear isn't cheap. But when the camo is so universal, you don't need so many different pieces. And this stuff is built to last.
Another thing, on the 90% coat/pants and the Mountain Pants...burrs either don't adhere or if they do, they are easily removed. Where I hunt, the sticktites, beggar's lice, sandburrs, foxtail, etc. are really bothersome. Wearing this stuff lets me hunt the thick stuff without ruining my clothing. (That said, the Mountain Shirt DOES pick up burrs, but I usually have the 90% coat on anyway so that's not an issue).
where was these opinions when I bought mine. Everybody said this stuff would be fine for 20-30 degree temps in a deer stand. This stuff is not for stand hunting. It is great when moving and very comfortable and fits for bow shooting. I am not disapointed that I bought it because is will be great for 30-50 degree hunts and turkey hunting and for hunting out west but if your main hunting is sitting in a deer stand do not buy it, you will freeze your tail off and the 90% jacket is not very effective shearing the wind. On a 20 degree morning I can feel the wind cut through the vent zippers.
Adam-kinda what I had read initially as well and they do advertise the 90% jacket and pants as being as warm as wool, which obviously they are not even close to. Good stuff for milder temps though.
The stuff works...they need to make it a fuller cut for us USA bowhunters!!!the sizes run too small . Other than that the jacket is waterproof the pockets are in the right places for when you wear ur backpack ...articulation( moves 4 different ways) in the elbows and knees where ya need it ...atbs sliver , antimicrobial, its got great future if they tweek it!!! :)
For the folks that have the full system. Are the undergarments much pumpkin as far as warming the system up any. I think santa might be bringin all of the undrgarments this year and was curious if I should call the north pole and cancel the order. Not bashing the gear. Part of what is advertised about if being a complete layering system for mobile hunting is exactley what it is. You won't burn up heading to your stand and the fit for shooting a bow is as good as wearing a t-shirt alone. And the silver stuff that they talk about they may be something to it. I have had several mature slickheads dead down wind from me within 50 yards and have not been winded, but they may have just felt sorry for me cause I am looked like I was freezing my tail off.
This coyote looked right through me.
(http://i240.photobucket.com/albums/ff289/MittenM/hero/11-26-2007-18.jpg)
Mike
Have the mountain shirt.not impressed with the quality.seams on the sleeves started to unravel after just one hunt.also not very warm.hunted in 30 degree weather with wind and rain.
I don't know if anyone is looking for suspenders for their 90% pants but I just got some from Schnees, they are OR (outdoor research) brand and are just the ticket.
Properly layered, it is very good stuff. While I've not hunted this year in temps below 20*, I have found that on windy days the stuff does need windstopper liner worn underneath it. It is very comfortable, great camo (ASAT), well designed and increadibly lightweight. However, if/when we get really cold temps I'll go to wool for stand hunting.
I love the stuff. I don't hunt in cold weather much so it is just the ticket out west. The beanie is phenominal, pants are very comfortable and the ASAT is great for our area.
I sell it at my store...Its been hot seller, but I cant get anymore for this year, they say its not avaviable.And if you are big guy like some of my linebacker buds, ur out of luck . The sitka gear runs small and in some cases , Ive seen guys going up one or 2 sizes to get all layers under the jacket!...if they fix that , they will have a winner...
Looked at the rain gear the other night..It looked really good, but I cant see paying over 500 dollars for rain gear that is made in China :)
Im too,uhhh big boned.I tried a 2x vest and it fit like a large usually does.Love that camo though and if it fit better Ida bought it as it looked very warm.
I've found the sizing to be pretty accurate. I am 5'10" 195lb w/ a 36" waist. The large in pants fit good and the XL in the jacket was right on the mark.
I am 5'9.5" 195# w/ a 34" waist and the lrg pants need a belt & suspenders and I take a 2xl jacket. Wore the 90% in 14 degree (7 windchill) last weekend. I stayed pretty warm in them. They work well in most conditions with the right layering.
swp-did you wear the 90% gear at that temp while walking or sitting as my experience has been that the stuff is not at all warm below 30 degrees when sitting.
Sitting- wore silk long underwear with wool long underwear on top of it, a filson wool shirt and down vest under the the 90% jacket & pants. Had a silk bavalaca with a dayone wool ski cap on my head. Only stayed there a couple of hours but was warm enough that I think I could have went another hour or two easy. I am pretty cold natured by the way.
For those who wish to try Sitka Gear, I see they are clearing out most of the 2007 stocks at reduced prices in retail stores (including 3-rivers) to make room for the 2008 line. As the company grows, they are trying to respond to more of our hunting needs. I see a cold weather line will be added as well. Mike
I know have the vest and jacket. I find sizes off a bit and xl jacket fit fine but I found the xl vest a little to small and went to a xxl.
I wore this stuff last week snoeshowing at -25 for hours on end and it was great for sheding water/snow and was warm enough as long as I kept moving. The liner inside vest holds water/sweat and soon as I came out of bush the vest froze solid. The jacket did not have same type of liner so it did not freeze up as solid as vest.
As I stated earlier this is high performance gear, designed for high performance not sitting in treestands in below zero temps. It fits tight and is not really designed for 3xxl 4xxxl guys as high performance usually is not the case here. The stuff I have seems to be well made except for the zippers they need to be heavier as I found them hard to use/do up in cold weather. Now understanding this, that my weather conditiond are probably at the extreme end of the spectrum for this stuff. So far I am pleased with it.
I was kinda disapointed in the water repellency (sp) and the fact it is another china made product as is about everything now a days. It is made to layer and probably be fine for that. i liked the cut of the 90% jacket and the 90%pants were comfortable and all, BUT I sold them and bought quality american wool instead.