I also hunt PA (units 1A, 1B, and 2F). For most of my hunting years I didn’t really buy any camo over $150 for the whole set, but did spend some money on my base layers. I’ve experimented with all different methods of layering and never really got what I was looking for. I finally started making some decent money and invested in the Fanatic system by Sitka and boy am I glad I did. I’ve been done “growing” for a few years and I think I’m just going to slowly invest into multiple different pieces to build the best system I can for my hunting tendencies. Buy the best you CAN afford, not what people tel you that you SHOULD afford. We don’t all have the same luxuries or opportunities, so we shouldn’t tout ourselves as better than the next guy when it comes to what gear one can afford. Great video. 👍
Sid, that’s a great statement. Very fine points. I’m doing the same thing, like I did with my fishing gear. Slowly upgrade over the years, when it’s a good time for me to do so. Thanks!
watch for specials online after Christmas when these things go on clearance or sale. I have bought a lot of quality gear for up to 50% off. I look all year long and buy a good deal even I don't need it at the time.
I was always skeptical because of the price tags. After some research I finally bit the bullet and bought some First Lite gear. I bought a few base layers and was warmer than I ever have been with big fluffy coveralls and multiple layers of thermal underwear. Best decision I made on hunt clothes was to buy First Lite. Like he said the price is worth it on certain items
I have that and the bibs too but have not needed them yet and with what little I did get from them I was warm at 29° with a windchill of 20°. I am very impressed
jag gers the bibs will be my next purchase. Still deciding between the sanctuary and their other lighter weight bib. But I need insulated boots before that.
As someone who grew up poor and for 26 years of my life have just layered Walmart clothing. I started to invest in Sitka gear about 4 years ago and it is NIGHT and DAY difference, there’s a reason they’re proud of their product, bc it works!! Even if you can add one layer maybe 2 a year bc of price point if you’re an avid hunter it’s worth its weight in gold.
this is what i had to tell myself thanks for commenting i’ll start grabbing pieces here and there most likely jacket first with my boots and pants after , i love their backpacks too be safe and be good my friend
Great stuff man I’ve been looking into upgrading my hunting gear and this video helps narrow things down. Glad to see a fellow hunter from Pennsylvania 🤙
I would mention that wool under layers make layers really much more effective. Layers of cotton are very different and not equal in anyway to wool. Then all you need is wet weather protection built into your jacket.
Great review man, thanks for breaking it down!!! Im tired of freezing my dick off I’m gonna bend over and buy the Sitka and be done with it. I have a great Cabelas cold 🥶 weather setup but the sleeves are way too baggy and i end up using the Xbow because I can’t shoot my bowtech with the puffy jacket.
Interesting, I have a pair of brown Carhartt bibs already but I was thinking about getting a pair of their insulated bibs in a camo pattern for hunting on tree / climbing stands . I hadn't thought about just throwing a leafy suit over them, that's a great idea!
You get what you pay for. For decades My purchase was based on price. More often then not I had to replace the item. I now buy quality items and have had no issues.
A lot of folks don't understand what it's like to be tall/lanky and how easy it is to end up cold, really quickly in the stand. You're so right, it takes a lot to have the heart pump that blood around! LOL great video!
Dude, I really enjoy your videos. I would really enjoy your perspective on bows. I have never met you, but it seems like the camp fire talks would be helpful and entertaining. You do you and I will support
I wear military surplus cold weather gear, especially the jackets. I have a US M35 cold weather jacket with liner that is incredible. I paid $15 at a flea market. Lol...I also have a Polish WZ93 jacket with liner that is great...I paid $50 at a surplus store. These jackets are not set up with pockets specifically for hunting, but they have lots of pockets and they are very nice. These things are more affordable and they work well for me. Still this is a very well presented video with some excellent info. Thanks man, and good luck this season.
I thought this video would be about the pattern, I guess as a new hunter I didn't really understand the hype. Now it makes sense because all I have is layers and layers of cheap crap and I still freeze me arse off. Now I'm starting to see why people dump money in camo.
You need to pay attention to good pricing. Happens a few times throughout the year. I have all kuiu gear and their pack. Top quality gear. Better priced than Sitka, period.
logi I personally use the harvester series and the cottonwood series, both super high quality, quiet, warm cloths. I also use the blood trail pants for early season, 60 and above temps.
Ouch! Your vid concinved me to take a look at the Sitka Gear Fanatic jacket. Sitka Gear website....$449? Ouch! W-A-Y out of reach for a working class family guy. I guess I'll just havta stay cold in my cheap jacket. Thanks for the video anyhow...I always enjoy your stuff.
I agree with you there it is definitely not a spur of the moment purchase. For me something like this is an investment piece. Been hunting for way too long and been way too miserable I had to end it. Same here on the working class family man. One income family isn't what it used to be!
Layer with basic layering ,wool and a wind barrier. This works fine if on a stand. Still hunting is another story. For me, I.m a wool guy, look on E-bay and forget the high tech-over priced candy camo.
I grew up in Minnesota and often hunted deer in sub-zero weather. In Virginia now for years I have not changed my system of normal hunting dress. If you learn how to dress for outdoor sports you don't need that expensive stuff. You can use a normal Columbia winter coat and a decent pair of insulated bib overalls and quality waterproof insulated boots. I wear or carry in my pack a good quality Real Tree rain shell bottom and hooded top. In 55 years of hunting I just don't get cold when I dress like this. Being able to layer on treks in and out of the woods ensures I won't sweat. Dry, windproof, dependable and versatile. And very budget friendly.
Hey brother thanks for the information about to get my first compound in a week needed sum education on camo gear...any man I would like to tag along with you on one of those hunts just so I can learn I also it’s my bucket list FYI I also live in Philadelphia
I'm sure you can hunt in a santa outfit. But the point is what's more comfortable, which clothing has the features that makes your hunting time more enjoyable. I go hiking with a buddy quite a bit, hes the one who always buys cheap and I always buy top brands and better quality stuff. My hiking trips always go like a breeze, he on the other hand is constantly getting wet, his gear rips easily, the zips on his bags always fall apart, he has trouble sleeping, blisters and all sorts. I used to buy cheap too but never again, if you do your homework and find brands that care about the activity then they create some really nice gear and take all kinds of things into consideration.
The stuff is severely overpriced. Mostly made of polyester and spandex just like stuff from Walmart. Also likely made in the same sweat shops in China. Look it up. You were sold on the marketing and the "system". Literally still layering just like before. Traditional bow hunting podcast has a video on why buy hunting clothes from Walmart. It has very valid points. After some research you will understand that you are swept up in the marketing and then try to justify way overspending on the same materials you get from Walmart. Example; KUIU 93% polyester 7% spandex hoodie is $80. Gilden brand 93% polyester 7% spandex hoodie $12. Paying for the fancy name.
I fuckin hate layering up. Rather just wear one or two pieces of clothing and being able to stay warm with as little layers as possible. I have a pair of bibs I bought off Amazon in 2015. Idek what brand they are but they've been really good bibs surprisingly. I usually wear a pair of long Jon's or jeans under them and I have a scent blocker jacket that I lost the liner to someplace and that too is actually pretty cozy. I usually only wear a sweatshirt under it. It's hit or miss with cheap vs expensive stuff
I bit the bullet last year and dove into the Sitka pool. Best decision ever on camo!. The functionality and comfort is so much better than people imagine. You're dead on, everything is placed there with a purpose in mind. However, I do love the hoodie, I wear it over a base layer and if it never gets below 35'ish, I'm good. And don't even get me started about the built in face mask in the hoodie!! Whitetail Solutions (pretty sure) did a vid on Sitka as well, and a lot of his stuff he's been wearing 10 years, won't get that on cheaper stuff.
I am getting into hunting, but I've been fly fishing since I was 10 or so. I got cheaper gear for fishing and just layer up with thermals during winter fishing. Why not just do the same with the hunting gear? Cheap on the outside and layered thermals underneath.
Just remember people for anybody that wants to use the Carhartt Brown bibs or parka that's exact same color of a deer's hide or their coat so you got to be careful when you use that stuff out in the woods.
The best thing I ever started doing was to put a stick on body size hand warmer on the sides of my neck at my shoulders... it keeps that blood warm... I spent more money on base layers then I do on camo
@@averagejackarchery I tired those locations .. but i guess because of my weight they didnt seem effective that's why I started putting them on my neck ..
Cabelas has two levels of jackets now. What do you think of the higher "4most" jackets? Hikers like to wax their pants to make them waterproof might be an option to research as it might be quieter too. Thanks in advance.
I have owned many different hunting gear from high priced to low price. When it comes right down to it, almost all hunting patterns are effective. Scent control seems to be the deciding factor on whether your clothes will work. A $10 bottle of scent killer takes care of that. So what is the difference between expensive and cheap. Most of the time it come down to image, meaning, what is the fad. Some brands have a specialty like Kuiu and Sitka for being light weight. When it comes down to it, that is all BS. Drop 5 pounds and you more than made up for that light weight gear and save money. Don’t get me wrong. I love Kuiu and Sitka and hunt in both. But people have been successfully hunting in their normal daily attire for hundreds of years. So, hunt in what ever you enjoy. I personally like badlands for archery because it fits me the best. But I also like Kuiu because it looks good. I also really like Scentlok because it is comfortable.
I like KUIU quite a bit but they are geared specifically for Western hunting that entails a lot of hiking and moving around. They are starting to put out a lot of solid colors too which is nice because you can wear then camping and hiking etc.
Agree and disagree. For rifle season yes. But, for archery where you hunt very close, some camp patterns break up your pattern betterment and works better. The two best patterns for archery are Sitka and Badlands.
You had me sold on the jacket till I saw the $450 price tag… that is just blatant price gouging for made in china apparel. These companies need to knock it off with this ridiculous greed.
I live in northern British Columbia. If you think it gets cold in Pennsylvania, try my neck of the woods. Bow hunting in late Nov. can see temperature get down to -25 C. (That's about 13 below Fahrenheit for you Yanks.) Actually, it can get colder but I'm a wuss for colder temps. Years ago I got a one piece, thick lined fleece camo suit from Cabelas. It cost about $125. It's awesome. With thin underwear, it's okay for milder temps and for serious cold, you wear a base layer and perhaps a sweater, along with gloves and a knit cap. Wind proof, waterproof and silent... all you need for cold weather bow hunting, where it really gets cold.
Great Explanation Review Iam not a hunter I love hunting jackets I regret buying the Walmart brand I am sick of being cold . I need to buy myself Sitka
sorry, but NO lightweight jacket or pants are worth $500. that's just ridiculous. shit is priced for the people who feel better because they overspent.
i use scent blocker and nomad and i love it never cold and always killing the big ones cause i can sit in the stand and hunt all day or 5-6 hours at a time
Stephen Selph after season sales.. Shop around.. I just bought some scent blocker clothes at farm n fleet already on sale.. I just bought bigger sizes so I can layer underneath..
haha. I have ways I can stay warm, but I end up feeling like the Michelin man and drawing my bow becomes a challenge lol. Something that's made with bow hunters in mind would be fantastic.
Layers is the key to keep warm. I don't spend allot on,camo. Get oversized jacket. And then wear layers under neath. But don't use cotton it soaks up moisture and that wickes the heat away from your body thinsulate is a good warm jacket. Most of your heat is lost from your head. Or nogin we say. Cover your ears and mouth and neack. And some real good warm boots that have thinsulate ill spend more on boots than any thing my feet get cold. Easy. Ok. So every body got an opinion. That's mine. I'm nearly 60 years old. ,,,
When it was nasty cold in NNY I used to wear a cheap plastic rainsuit over my base then a set of $35 (at the time) coveralls. I wore cheap walmart pacboots with bread bags over my socks. My mom made me a good scarf, and I had some fur lined mittens with a trigger finger hole. I keep spending more every year for new hgear but I have never been that warm. I sat in -20--30 degree weather for over 16 hrs at a time. I even napped out there.
I went to Alberta to work on the pipe line in 2009. I spent 2500 on Walmart base layers and thermal gear thinking I could just layer it all. Even if I wore it all at the same time I would freeze. Wasted all that money on garbage. Had o have known I would have bought 2 really good brand base layers and an expensive jacket and pants. I fckd up. Love and learn
I wear a 3x "Gortex" rain coat over a 3x W*M parka like yours with a 2x W*M polar fleece jacket as a liner and a Duofold long sleeve undergarment. Wanna' stay warm ? Try a pair of W*M polar fleece lounging pajamas under a one size larger pair of Jean's or hunting pants. You could add Duofold long John bottoms and/or the "Gortex" rain pants as a wind barrier. The above has kept me considerably warmer that an expensive heavy insulated hunting outfit. You could substitute polypropylene or Bergaline under garment. I wear either heavy moisture wicking synthetic Sox or heavy pure wool Sox under (400 gram?) "Thinsulate" insulated Corxura/"Gortex" Herman Survivors ($59.95) from W*M. Expensive name brand Camo patterns ? Deer don't care ! Do you really think that after 30 years of "Realtre"& "Mossy0ak" improving each year, that this years "New & Improved"... ; is REALLY any better than last years hot patterns ? I liked 0riginal "Mossy 0ak" , "Bottomland" the best. It seems to be making a came back. We killed deer in Red & Black checked "Woolrich" coats and head to toe Fluorescent 0range coveralls. Printed sticks & leaves wont fool deer, but certain specific patterns do seem to attract hunters 0h yeah, ... and must give me an old fashioned knitted skull cap ! I rarely wear gloves . A "waterproofed" pop-up blind will keep you warmer, drier, out of sight and limit scent transfer on the wind. You can even utilize a small heater if necessary. Hunt safe and save your money.
If I remember correctly deer only really focus on movement and not patterns that much so I honestly don’t think it really matters if you have a camo pattern on your clothes which is honestly just another reason to up the price of “hunting” clothes. cause I mean before real tree and mossy oak were around our ancestors killed deer just fine in regular clothes they already had. So I mean just get stuff that keeps you warm is what I would recommend. I would keep it to earth tones nothing blue cause I do remember seeing a video explaining that deer see more of the violet blue spectrums of light not sure how true that is I haven’t really dug into that research. Now I’m not saying by any means that you shouldn’t buy camo patterned clothes or that they don’t help at all but just something to keep in mind for the hunter who is just starting out and may not want to drop 700 dollars on a jacket for a sport/hobby they may lose interest in a few months down the road.
ya by now it should be a pretty obvious consensus that the expensive brands are worth the money but aren't necessary. You can get by with almost anything if you do it right but to be the most optimal and comfortable in any climate, it's well worth getting the expensive stuff. Back in the day, people didn't have sitka or first lite and tough material like jeans, warm layers and rain jacket could get you through a hunt. Hell, even camo isn't necessary if you hunt the popular ungulate big games deer, elk, and moose.
I agree 100%.... I bought it then fell in love with it... and bought the pants ....then bought the lighter layers - they are unreal - cant beat the wind stopping ability - yup they are expensive (mortgage payment LOL) but it makes my hunting vacations in Northern Ontario much more of a joy!!! I'm not sponsored by them but sure do wish i was ...... they are the real deal.
Just a little food for thought, up for people on the fence about clothes. Up until this year I haven’t bought hunting specific clothes, but instead just used layer on top of layer on top of layer. I remember on bottoms I would use two underarmor 4.0 then pants. On top I would do the same, then two thermals, then a hoody or two,. Then a jacket and still freeze. Now that I bought first lite cold specific gear I don’t have to do that. Now I just wear a single 4.0, FL hoody, FL vest and FL Jacket and I’m toasty. Same thing on the bottom. FL thermal and FL pants. If I get cold glassing using spot and stalk method on Mulies I put on my Down FL jacket. And I’m talking well into the negatives with wind chill. -Teens. And I’m still warm. In Montana and N.Dakota the rifle season and late archery into December can be bitter cold and I trust FL to keep me Warm.
I leave in south East Tennessee. Doesn’t get Minnesota cold but cold enough. Went duck hunting out of a boat for the first time last season. Very thankful a buddy had an extra wind blocked waterfowl parka or I would’ve froze
Inferno Bibs are super quiet! Spend the money People! I live in minnesota and I use to get cold. I hunt late season and never get cold and I don't have to put on many layers.
I live In PA and I’m definitely in the woods and fields more than most from wing shooting to archery and small game and rifle and trapping and I could personally never justify spending that much money on something that won’t last as long as a redhead and get absolutely shredded on the first day I wear it
The strengths of these products is the textiles they are constructed from and the built in features they possess. The camouflage pattern is irrelevant and is purely a marketing scheme employed by the companies to lure consumers with. In fact, I would say the proprietary pattern is better at deceiving the consumer than the prey we chasers the field.
The fanatic hoody is meant as an under garment not an outer layer...Have to say it is my favorite piece and if I am moving I am comfortable in it down in the 30s. I also live in pa
I'M A HUG FAN OF FIRST LITE AND SITKA. I WAS A HUGE FAN OF KUIU, PROMOTED THAT CO. TO ALOT OF FRIENDS WHO NEVER HEARD OF THEM. I'LL WAIT UNTIL I GET MY REFUND FROM VEST BUY, BEFORE I TELL YOU,,,,THE REST OF THE STORY.
I have a lot of sitka and yeah I like it but do it again I would just buy stratus jacket and use that as your shell and use what ever you like for insulation
I like the sitka stuff but like you said no more material than needs to be there well fitted and that's the best part but I think you just need to pic and choose throw the midi on under that I love the celicius midi
