Sitka help

[Cellis]

I know a lot of Sitka gear over laps from the big game to whitetail to the waterfowl but does someone have a breakdown of what gear match’s what? Mostly looking at the hoody’s and pants. I see many people compare the fanatic hoody to the heavyweight hoody. I know some of the pants are mostly the same with just different features. I wish there was just a list that broke them down that way.

 

[Bubblehide]

I think Sitka has a video of that

 

[Desk Jockey]

Welcome.

that is a big question. What kind of hunting you doing where and when might help narrow things down.

to offer something specific, the fanatic hoody is very similar to a core heavy weight. It has a kangaroo pocket, a built in face mask and hand warmer mits that people either love or hate. It fits a little more loosely as well. I have and wear both. For the $$ I think the core hoodie is the better value And works a little better as a layering piece.

if you call sitka, they are pretty good at answering product questions.

good luck.

 

[Jdutton24]

I think mountain pants/jacket is stratus in the whitetail line.

Correction i think it was the jetstream/stratus. Not that they are completely interchangeable but serve same role in each line

 

[bob1sh]

Not sure how deer see it compared to me but I didn’t go with any whitetail stuff until I wanted something heavy and that’s when I bought Fanatic bibs. Everything I wear from early season, down to the 40s is big game gear because our foliage sticks around a lot longer here in southern MD. And I just think the big game stuff is more versatile. A lot of big game stuff is made with archery in mind as well so they make plenty of quiet big game gear. I can also wear all of the big game stuff for spring turkey as well.

Big game from 90s to 40s:
Core light weight hoody
Apex pants
Apex hoody
Light merino top
Light merino bottom
Kelvin lite hoody - puffy

Then for 40s to the teens:
Heavy merino top
Heavy merino bottom
Apex hoody
Kelvin lite hoody
Fanatic bibs


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[Steve O]

I think mountain pants/jacket is stratus in the whitetail line.

Not a chance. Stratus is all windstopper. Not much overlap imo other than the base layers.

 

[Kotaman]

I think mountain pants/jacket is stratus in the whitetail line.

Yeah...These two sets aren't even similar. In fact about their only likeness is the fact that they are clothes.

As far as the two lines go, the whitetail line is made for sitting in a tree stand, and the Big Game line is designed for climbing mountains. There actually is not a lot of optimal “cross over" pieces except for in the tees/base layers and hoodies.

 

[bob1sh]

Yeah...These two sets aren't even similar. In fact about their only likeness is the fact that they are clothes.

As far as the two lines go, the whitetail line is made for sitting in a tree stand, and the Big Game line is designed for climbing mountains. There actually is not a lot of "cross over" pieces except for in the tees/base layers and hoodies.

I listened to a podcast of John Barklow, the big game manager, say all of the same principals transfer from one line to other and that you can use pieces interchangeably as long as they serve the purpose you’re using them for. He also uses big game gear in a tree stand. Obvious stuff like choosing merino over synthetic because you’re stationary and not active as well as merino cutting odor better are just the basics. The Apex stuff is a perfect example imo.


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[Cellis]

So is the fanatic hoody heavyweight hoody and the grinder hoody all the same just different pattern and some different features?
also are the equinox pants the same as the mountain pants?
what other pieces match up?

 

[Trial153]

You will freeze you balls off in the Apex in tree treestand in almost the whole country in Oct or Nov...in almost every place except very south Tx and the deep south.

 

[Trial153]

So is the fanatic hoody heavyweight hoody and the grinder hoody all the same just different pattern and some different features?
also are the equinox pants the same as the mountain pants?
what other pieces match up?

Pretty much. The only one of the three that has anything really different is the fanatic.

 

[bob1sh]

You will freeze you balls off in the Apex in tree treestand in almost the whole country in Oct or Nov...in almost every place except very south Tx and the deep south.

I’ve run the Apex hoody and pant with light merino baselayers down to the mid-high forties before I put my Kelvin lite hoody on and I was fine. Only in 10-15 mph wind in the mid 40s did I wish I was wearing something else and you should at that point. I live in Maryland.


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[Kotaman]

So is the fanatic hoody heavyweight hoody and the grinder hoody all the same just different pattern and some different features?
also are the equinox pants the same as the mountain pants?
what other pieces match up?

The hoodies are similar with different features, for different uses. The Equinox Pants and the Mountain Pants are similar with the E pants having big cargo pockets and the M pants having removable knee pads. Again, very similar with different features for different uses.

The Sitka website has a nice "compare" box where you can compare up to 4 items for similarities but the "lines" truly do tell you what each piece was designed for. ie. Waterfowl = waterfowl, Big Game = Mountain Hunting and Whitetail = Tree stand. You'll freeze in pretty much all of the Big Game line in a tree stand later season and you sweat to death trying to hike in a Fanatic Set. Any Cold Weather Big Game stuff (Blizzard, Kelvin etc) is just too noisy to wear in the treestand. Where the "fine line"/crossover comes in is the warmer weather stuff.

 

[Steve O]

I listened to a podcast of John Barklow, the big game manager, say all of the same principals transfer from one line to other and that you can use pieces interchangeably as long as they serve the purpose you’re using them for. He also uses big game gear in a tree stand. Obvious stuff like choosing merino over synthetic because you’re stationary and not active as well as merino cutting odor better are just the basics. The Apex stuff is a perfect example imo.


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You may have taken that out of context. This is not a universal truth/blanket statement. Sitka pieces are SPECIALLY designed to work within their system. They are VERY specialized. Yes you can have crossover but the VAST majority of the time, things are going to work better and you are going to be more comfortable not cross pollinating big game items with whitetail. Waterfowl and whitetail are much more similar in design and performance except nobody cares if waterfowl clothes are QUIET.

I’ve got a ton of Sitka. I’m always more comfortable when I don’t mix and match. The Kelvin series, Coldfront, Stormfront, and and Jetstream off the top of my head are all the same save color and again your base layers but all the other pants and jackets you want to stay in your lane...

 

[bob1sh]

You may have taken that out of context. This is not a universal truth/blanket statement. Sitka pieces are SPECIALLY designed to work within their system. They are VERY specialized. Yes you can have crossover but the VAST majority of the time, things are going to work better and you are going to be more comfortable not cross pollinating big game items with whitetail. Waterfowl and whitetail are much more similar in design and performance except nobody cares if waterfowl clothes are QUIET.

I’ve got a ton of Sitka. I’m always more comfortable when I don’t mix and match. The Kelvin series, Coldfront, Stormfront, and and Jetstream off the top of my head are all the same save color and again your base layers but all the other pants and jackets you want to stay in your lane...

Hey man, I’m not the big game clothing designer. I just listened to the words come out of his mouth and applied it myself.. and it works for me. You can listen to the podcast yourself, it’s Harvest Holliday episode 24.. he specifically says you can mix and match depending on your needs and what you’re looking for specifically from any piece of Sitka gear. He’s even got pics on his IG in a tree stand in big game gear and I’m sure he’s got access to anything the company offers.

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[bob1sh]

And I’m not saying all of the systems are not designed specifically for their uses.. I’m just saying you can use some pieces within other systems they’re not designed for.


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[Arwhite90]

Not really exactly on topic for this thread, but has anyone tried using some of the EV2 pattern in a western/spot and stalk type scenario and does it work close to as well as the subalpine? I know out west there is still quite a bit of gray and dark shades, and both feature the same digital pattern that looks confusing/breaks up form to the eye. Curious about using some of my whitetail pieces like fanatic hoody and equinox pants out west rather than buying mountain pants and a heavyweight hoody in subalpine.

 

[Cellis]

Not really exactly on topic for this thread, but has anyone tried using some of the EV2 pattern in a western/spot and stalk type scenario and does it work close to as well as the subalpine? I know out west there is still quite a bit of gray and dark shades, and both feature the same digital pattern that looks confusing/breaks up form to the eye. Curious about using some of my whitetail pieces like fanatic hoody and equinox pants out west rather than buying mountain pants and a heavyweight hoody in subalpine.

It’s not too far off topic because this was the reason I was asking. I really don’t care about the pattern but I want stuff that works for whitetail and western hunting but don’t have to buy both to find out it’s what I already have

 

[Kotaman]

The Apex stuff is pretty versatile and can be used for early season whitetail and out West.

Arwhite..Your Fanatic and equinox will work fine out West as those are two pieces that are very close to similar pieces in the Big Game line.

There is an “optimal” use for all of the Sitka stuff. You can use anything for any activity, don’t overthink this. You’ll be happiest using the clothing what it is designed for, but there’s nothing wrong with crossing over lines if it’s what you have. Keep in mind we used to hunt in jeans and flannel shirts no matter what we were hunting and did fine.

 

[H80Hunter]

There's a guy on youtube, Field Series Review that highlights alot of this. For example, the Equinox midi pants are basically the Gradient pants.