anyone using/have experience with the new Sitka Flash
- Thread starter mtwarden
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I finally have it in hand and some initial impressions- fit is on the athletic side, so keep that in mind if ordering; the tail (rear) is longer than the front- that's a nice touch!, easy to use adjustable shock cord hem, nice roomy napoleon pocket, hood is adjustable and well fitting
it's not overly breathable- most of my windshirts are in the 20-30-ish cfm range, this is in the 5-10-ish range (guessing)- I don't think this is all bad though- it's going to be more wind resistant than other windshirts and I'm usually moving much slower hunting than I am hiking/skiing/etc
looking into Gore Windstopper, it appears to be very (very) water resistant, possibly even meeting the 10,000 hydrostatic head benchmark needed for waterproof
our (Montana) fall moisture is usually light and if not light, usually short in duration- I think I'll be able to completely ditch my hardshell in lieu of this garment- we're expecting a bit of moisture in the next couple of days so I hope to test this out
it's not overly breathable- most of my windshirts are in the 20-30-ish cfm range, this is in the 5-10-ish range (guessing)- I don't think this is all bad though- it's going to be more wind resistant than other windshirts and I'm usually moving much slower hunting than I am hiking/skiing/etc
looking into Gore Windstopper, it appears to be very (very) water resistant, possibly even meeting the 10,000 hydrostatic head benchmark needed for waterproof
our (Montana) fall moisture is usually light and if not light, usually short in duration- I think I'll be able to completely ditch my hardshell in lieu of this garment- we're expecting a bit of moisture in the next couple of days so I hope to test this out
Please let us know if you have a chance, I'd be really interested to hear your thoughts on how it does it the rain. Speaking of, it rained on me down in Bozeman and it was AMAZING given the past few months here
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- #5
cooperjd
WKR
i got one recently, and i've gotten to use it once....
i wish it were a bit longer, but it's fine. as said its not super breathable..but i was also sitting still and not moving in a treestand.
during a light rain (sitting in it), it kept me completely dry underneath.
it's light so i'll be packing it this weekend. hopefully i wont need it but we'll see. so far i like it.
i wish it were a bit longer, but it's fine. as said its not super breathable..but i was also sitting still and not moving in a treestand.
during a light rain (sitting in it), it kept me completely dry underneath.
it's light so i'll be packing it this weekend. hopefully i wont need it but we'll see. so far i like it.
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- #7
OK- more thoughts; it's a pullover so it's a bit of a pain getting on/off- it has a nice long zipper, but would better with a full zip; the toggle on the hood doesn't stay put- the one on the hem using a small cordlock and it stays, I'm going to put a small cordlock on the hood adjustment to fix that
if you want this to layer over a puffy, I would recommend going a size up- I can get it over a base layer and mid-layer fleece, puffy would be tough
I forgot to mention the cuffs use adjustable velcro- this is nice, some windshirts only use a little elastic, this is much better
water resistance- I had it out for several shorter durations (20-30 minutes) in some decent rain and I stayed perfectly dry, that really isn't long enough to be sure, so this evening I went out in a steady, cold (37 degrees) rain for about an hour and a half and again was perfectly dry. It was wet enough that my fleece gloves needed wringing out several times and any potion of my pants that weren't covered by my sil rain chaps, were also soaked.
I'll go out on a limb and say if this isn't a 10,000 hydrostatic head, it's damn close! Now mind you that good rain jackets are typically double (or more) than that, so if I know it's going to be rainy for a long time or hard- I would pack a hardshell!
However many (actually most) of my trips the precip is light and/or short- I'm confident this would work well in those conditions
I'll also mention with this jacket you want to dress down if you're going to be highly active- I was in a Lightweight Core hoody base layer and I had to open the jacket up, this is in 37 degree weather, granted I was moving fairly quickly and going uphill, but it doesn't breathe like most of my other windshirts- then again I would have been soaked in any of my other windshirts
it's not perfect, but it's pretty good
if you want this to layer over a puffy, I would recommend going a size up- I can get it over a base layer and mid-layer fleece, puffy would be tough
I forgot to mention the cuffs use adjustable velcro- this is nice, some windshirts only use a little elastic, this is much better
water resistance- I had it out for several shorter durations (20-30 minutes) in some decent rain and I stayed perfectly dry, that really isn't long enough to be sure, so this evening I went out in a steady, cold (37 degrees) rain for about an hour and a half and again was perfectly dry. It was wet enough that my fleece gloves needed wringing out several times and any potion of my pants that weren't covered by my sil rain chaps, were also soaked.
I'll go out on a limb and say if this isn't a 10,000 hydrostatic head, it's damn close! Now mind you that good rain jackets are typically double (or more) than that, so if I know it's going to be rainy for a long time or hard- I would pack a hardshell!
However many (actually most) of my trips the precip is light and/or short- I'm confident this would work well in those conditions
I'll also mention with this jacket you want to dress down if you're going to be highly active- I was in a Lightweight Core hoody base layer and I had to open the jacket up, this is in 37 degree weather, granted I was moving fairly quickly and going uphill, but it doesn't breathe like most of my other windshirts- then again I would have been soaked in any of my other windshirts
it's not perfect, but it's pretty good
KurtR
WKR
I did the same thing in the rain here out for about a half hour in the rain and dry. It was 50 here with my light base layer I was plenty warm.
TwoTikkas
WKR
Thanks for the sizing heads up! I am in fact looking for one to wear over my Kelvin puffy. Very nearly ordered one last evening size for size. Glad I didn't do that! Thanks again.
KurtR
WKR
I wear a large in every thing and mine fits over my Kelvin active just right
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- #11
KurtR
WKR
It is my buddy has the Kelvin and it is puffier than the active so sizing up to go over that is probably the way to go.
cooperjd
WKR
i agree with mtwarden in that the toggle on the hood does not stay all that well.
i would also like a full length zipper instead of a pullover, but the zipper is long enough to get my binos out from underneath it and use them, so that's helpful.
it rained/sleeted/snowed on us for about 6 hours saturday morning on my buddy's elk hunt. it's not all that breathable, but it is windproof, and i stayed totally dry (except for sweating going 4 miles uphill) and could easily use less layers under it since we were moving.
once he killed the elk and the 2 hours of work ensued boning him out, i had on one thin merino wool base, and a sitka traverse shirt, and then the flash. that's all i needed being relatively still in cold, wind blowing like hell, snow. i stayed dry and warm.
after saturday, i'm glad i made the purchase. it packs small, is pretty light, and did really well in that terrible weather.
i would also like a full length zipper instead of a pullover, but the zipper is long enough to get my binos out from underneath it and use them, so that's helpful.
it rained/sleeted/snowed on us for about 6 hours saturday morning on my buddy's elk hunt. it's not all that breathable, but it is windproof, and i stayed totally dry (except for sweating going 4 miles uphill) and could easily use less layers under it since we were moving.
once he killed the elk and the 2 hours of work ensued boning him out, i had on one thin merino wool base, and a sitka traverse shirt, and then the flash. that's all i needed being relatively still in cold, wind blowing like hell, snow. i stayed dry and warm.
after saturday, i'm glad i made the purchase. it packs small, is pretty light, and did really well in that terrible weather.
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- #15
I had mine out the other day- steady rain/wet snow (for about two hours) equal amounts of both, low to mid 30's and pretty stiff winds. I only had a mid weight base layer under it and was pleasantly warm and dry. I just noticed that the seams are taped (missed that in Sitka's description), that obviously adds to the water resistance.
Again for high aerobic activities- trail running, skiing, snowshoeing, etc I think you would be better served with a more breathable windshirt, but for less aerobic stuff, especially with damp conditions- this jacket does a lot for 7 oz
Again for high aerobic activities- trail running, skiing, snowshoeing, etc I think you would be better served with a more breathable windshirt, but for less aerobic stuff, especially with damp conditions- this jacket does a lot for 7 oz
chindits
WKR
So much interest on the precipitation side of the house, but not for me. It's a pretty hefty price and my only concerns are how does it do in the wind and how noisy is it. Can you move through brush without that synthetic material scraping sound. Do you think you can draw a bow on a bull or muley in the 20 yard range without that rain jacket rustling sound so easily heard in the woods when the wind dies down.
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- #17
it does phenomenal in the wind, but less so on the breathability end
it's not loud, but I wouldn't put it in the quiet category either
a fleece w/ a windstopper lining would be a better choice for what you describe imo
it's not loud, but I wouldn't put it in the quiet category either
a fleece w/ a windstopper lining would be a better choice for what you describe imo
danarnold
WKR
love mine...just wish I'd sized up . great item and love the weightless design
JollyRoger
WKR
I just spent 11 days straight in the mountains with the Sitka Flash. I figured it would be perfect to replace the ECWCS L5 jacket I was using since it was lighter and had taped seams. And I was right.
This jacket is perfect for most Septembers where I'm at. But what was really cool is that this wasn't a normal September for me! Out of the 15 days I have been hunting so far this month, it has been raining, snowing, sleeting, windy about 9 of them. I used the crap out of the Flash jacket as it was my only weatherproof layer I had. It worked really, really well at blocking the wind and keeping me dry. One thing I do wish is that it was full zip.... as when it was raining/snowing but I wanted to take off a mid layer it wasnt as easy to take off as a full zip would be. That said, the half zip didnt really hinder my progress too much. I think this thing is going to be a staple for me for years to come as an early season jacket. But, I'm planning to buy a real hardshell jacket (SEAK or Cloudburst maybe) for when it's really crappy out.
Sizing: I bought a large just as I do in almost every other top. I'm 5'10" and 185lbs. The Flash fit well over my just my FL base layers, but also fit just fine over my Llano, Chama, Halstead fleece and Arcteryx Atom LT when it was really cold out. I wore it with just about every combination you can imagine and was thoroughly impressed.
Bottom line, I'd buy this again in a heartbeat!
This jacket is perfect for most Septembers where I'm at. But what was really cool is that this wasn't a normal September for me! Out of the 15 days I have been hunting so far this month, it has been raining, snowing, sleeting, windy about 9 of them. I used the crap out of the Flash jacket as it was my only weatherproof layer I had. It worked really, really well at blocking the wind and keeping me dry. One thing I do wish is that it was full zip.... as when it was raining/snowing but I wanted to take off a mid layer it wasnt as easy to take off as a full zip would be. That said, the half zip didnt really hinder my progress too much. I think this thing is going to be a staple for me for years to come as an early season jacket. But, I'm planning to buy a real hardshell jacket (SEAK or Cloudburst maybe) for when it's really crappy out.
Sizing: I bought a large just as I do in almost every other top. I'm 5'10" and 185lbs. The Flash fit well over my just my FL base layers, but also fit just fine over my Llano, Chama, Halstead fleece and Arcteryx Atom LT when it was really cold out. I wore it with just about every combination you can imagine and was thoroughly impressed.
Bottom line, I'd buy this again in a heartbeat!
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- #20
Just another data point- I had the Flash out this morning in low 30 temps with a steady wind (10-15 mph); under just a lightweight base layer (Sitka Core), combined with lightweight beanie and gloves- I was very comfortable the entire morning moving with this combo. I would add/subtract gloves/beanie and open/close up the Sitka as needed. Just once, up a very steep pitch, did I sweat much- the base layer dried quickly once I made it to the top of the ridge (and with the wind, it was a quick transition back to beanie/gloves and a fully zipped Flash)
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