I purchased the Active Hoody prior to the season and got to wear it several times prior to season and more recently deer/elk hunting.
The Good: Polartec Alpha is the king of the mountain in active insulation- it provides good warmth for weight, breathes extremely well and dries quickly. I've owned no less than a half dozen Polartec Alpha garments and the key to these garments is what fabric they add (or don't add) to the Alpha. The other key is how much Alpha is used- it comes in varying weights. What I've found is several garments used fabric that is not breathable in conjunction with the Alpha- making it decently warm, but doesn't breathe or dry quickly, rendering unacceptable as active insulation garment. Sitka nailed it with the weight of the insulation, but more importantly with the fabric. On the interior it's "naked" Alpha this is exactly what it should be- too many manufacturers try to line the Alpha, usually resulting in garment that doesn't breathe well. In fact Sitka's Active jacket is lined, not a smart move imo. To the crucial outer fabric- again Sitka nailed it with this. It provides protection to the Alpha (it's a little too delicate to have a hunting garment with straight Alpha), but it allows the entire garment to breathe.
I've found it very comfortable on the move in the 30's and 40's with just a light base layer. If it's extremely arduous (climbing steep uphill), into the 20's. Again this garment breathes very well, which means if it's very windy- you'll need a windshirt or the like over it.
The hood is perfect. Fits closely and is adjustable. I love using the hood to regulate my temps- too chilly, throw the hood up, too warm, pull it off. It has a decent length zipper to help augment temp regulation as well.
The overall fit is athletic, layers over a light base base layer perfectly, but trim enough to layer over the top of it too.
The Bad: the sleeves are half length. I think this was in deference to archery hunters who don't want any bulk on their forearms. I'm not a archery hunter, so not sure how critical this is. It's a thin garment, so full sleeves shouldn't be much of an issue.
I looked at the jacket, but it doesn't have a hood- that's non starter for me. Also as mentioned above- it has a fabric liner; I really think one of the reasons that Active Hoody performs so well is the "naked" Alpha on the interior.
So Sitka- ditch the jacket. Make the Hoody in half sleeve for archers and full sleeve for rifle hunters- done and done!
The Good: Polartec Alpha is the king of the mountain in active insulation- it provides good warmth for weight, breathes extremely well and dries quickly. I've owned no less than a half dozen Polartec Alpha garments and the key to these garments is what fabric they add (or don't add) to the Alpha. The other key is how much Alpha is used- it comes in varying weights. What I've found is several garments used fabric that is not breathable in conjunction with the Alpha- making it decently warm, but doesn't breathe or dry quickly, rendering unacceptable as active insulation garment. Sitka nailed it with the weight of the insulation, but more importantly with the fabric. On the interior it's "naked" Alpha this is exactly what it should be- too many manufacturers try to line the Alpha, usually resulting in garment that doesn't breathe well. In fact Sitka's Active jacket is lined, not a smart move imo. To the crucial outer fabric- again Sitka nailed it with this. It provides protection to the Alpha (it's a little too delicate to have a hunting garment with straight Alpha), but it allows the entire garment to breathe.
I've found it very comfortable on the move in the 30's and 40's with just a light base layer. If it's extremely arduous (climbing steep uphill), into the 20's. Again this garment breathes very well, which means if it's very windy- you'll need a windshirt or the like over it.
The hood is perfect. Fits closely and is adjustable. I love using the hood to regulate my temps- too chilly, throw the hood up, too warm, pull it off. It has a decent length zipper to help augment temp regulation as well.
The overall fit is athletic, layers over a light base base layer perfectly, but trim enough to layer over the top of it too.
The Bad: the sleeves are half length. I think this was in deference to archery hunters who don't want any bulk on their forearms. I'm not a archery hunter, so not sure how critical this is. It's a thin garment, so full sleeves shouldn't be much of an issue.
I looked at the jacket, but it doesn't have a hood- that's non starter for me. Also as mentioned above- it has a fabric liner; I really think one of the reasons that Active Hoody performs so well is the "naked" Alpha on the interior.
So Sitka- ditch the jacket. Make the Hoody in half sleeve for archers and full sleeve for rifle hunters- done and done!
