Sitka's Cloudburst or Stormfront rain gear?

1shotgear

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There are many questions that man has talked about since the early days that have puzzled hunters of every age on every continent such as “Do I use fixed broad heads or mechanical?”, “What is the best cartridge for my kids first hunting rifle?”, and “What rain gear should I get Sitka’s Cloudburst setup or their Stormfront?”. Now there is no right or wrong answer to these questions but to answer these age old questions and yeld the best results you need two things knowledge and experience. I have very little of both but I will do my best for you guys and try and point you in the right direction for weather to get Sitka’s Cloudburst setup or their Stormfront. So with that being said would love to hear what you guys think about this and witch raingear you use in the field.



Sitka’s Cloudburst Setup

Overview: In the redesigning of the 2019 Sitka Gear Cloudburst Jacket, Sitka spared no detail. This is the perfect piece to reach for when the wind is blowing and rain is coming at you sideways. The jacket has been refined in its build to reduce overall weight, and streamlined for all your backcountry pursuits. Micro-taped seams and GORE-TEX® 3-layer laminate construction help make the 2019 Sitka Gear Cloudburst Jacket 100% waterproof, and breathable. YKK® zippered internal chest pocket provides internal gear storage, and exterior Gore™ Optifade™ Concealment YKK® zippers are placed on the dual hand pockets, and in the pits to allow you to help regulate heat while on the move. The integrated drop-away hood, adjustable hem, and adjustable cuff helps keep you in the hunt when the action heats up. Then there is the new updated 2019 Sitka Gear Cloudburst Pant. It has been maximized for the comfort of ease for all dedicated big game hunters. The new proprietary textiles help minimize weight, while enhancing weather protection and breathability. The streamlined design helps the pants during stalking and ambushing prey. The micro-taped seams and GORE-TEX 3-layer laminate creates an 100% waterproof and breathable layer while dealing with all the wet weather mother nature can throw at you.

Top Three Features: The first is the price coming in at about half the price of Sitka’s Stormfront Setup makes it much nicer on your wallet and saves you money to spend somewear else on your trip. Next is the weight of the pants(1 lb 2.9 oz) and jacket( 1 lb 3.4 oz) witch saves about 1Ib in your pack. Thread is the how much more breathable. It is when your trucking throw the rain or that most rain gear turn you into a portable sauna but the cloud burst will keep you more comfortable as you push on.

My thoughts: This system is great for the guys and girls that go out for about 30 days a year and see about 5 to 10 days of bad weather on their season. My wife does about 25 to 30 days a year in the field big game hunting and the cloudburst setup has never failed her when the weather tried to kick us off the mountain. This is a great set up for those one to two hard hunts a year in the Midwest after elk and mule deer.

Sitka’s Stormfront System

Overview: This newly redesigned 2019 Sitka Gear Stormfront Jacket fits an old adage “It’s easier to stay dry than to get dry.” The designers at Sitka Gear used the most durable and abrasion-resistant GORE-TEX 3-layer Pro Shell laminate to create the ideal rain gear for extended hunts in a wide range of conditions. The strategically located pockets designed to place your hands above your elbows, causing water to flow off your elbows instead of into your pockets, helps to keep you and your gear cache dry. The pit zips allow for easy heat dump, so you don’t feel like you are in a sauna when hiking with a pack. When the action heats up, the 4-panel Hideaway hood stows neatly in the zippered collar pocket, so your ears are clear and your vision keen. Then the pants were Redesigned in 2019 with proprietary textiles, the Sitka Gear Stormfront Pant is the next level in rain gear. These pants are a beautifully crafted piece of equipment that is ideal for wet-weather hunts. The designers at Sitka Gear used the most durable and abrasion-resistant GORE-TEX 3-layer Pro Shell laminate, with enhanced durability and abrasion-resistant overlays on the knees to create this new workhorse for the Stormfront line.

Top Three Features: The first thing is Durability this set up was built to be used and abused pushing throw thick draws and climbing up and down sharp rocks. Next is the pockets all 100% water tight and everywhere keeping your gear ready to us and not stored in the pack or in under lays making them harder to get at. Last is Hideaway hood, it doesn’t seem like much but the hood being zipped away in-between downpours increases your hearing exponentially. When that dead silence sets in after the rain stops every sound you hear could be a bull moving to a better spot before the next storm.

My Thoughts: This is my go to for big game rain gear spending over 100 days a year and 30 of them in bad weather has been worth every oz of weight and dollar spent in those hard two day long thunderstorm hunts. If you are actively hunting during hard rain and have to capitalize on every opportunity that the animal will give you and need instant access to your gear there is no substation for this setup.

Final Thoughts

So in my recordation if you find your rain gear slowly getting to the bottom of your pack and only see a hand full of storms a year then I would go cloudburst all day and save your money. But if your guiding 50 pulse days a year or wearing normal rain gear out every year ,or even finding yourself hunting once in a life time spots were you will be in the rain like Alaska or New Zealand then I would tell you to make the jump to Stormfront.



Hope that helps and would love to hear if you guys agree or what you guys run instead.​
 
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Great write up. When I tried the Cloudburst jacket several years ago, I did not like the polyester face fabric. It wetted out really quickly. I went back to using the Dewpoint with its Nylon face fabric, which was able to maintain its DWR for longer periods. However while the Dewpoint is light, it can develop pinholes when going through brush. Any info on wether the face fabric has changed on the Cloudburst?
 
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1shotgear

1shotgear

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Great write up. When I tried the Cloudburst jacket several years ago, I did not like the polyester face fabric. It wetted out really quickly. I went back to using the Dewpoint with its Nylon face fabric, which was able to maintain its DWR for longer periods. However while the Dewpoint is light, it can develop pinholes when going through brush. Any info on wether the face fabric has changed on the Cloudburst?
They did up date it I think twice in the last 7 years(polyester face fabric). The latest update being 2 years ago. They did address the wetting out problem. It still does wet out but at least in my experience it takes a lot to do so like two days in thonder storms bear hunting back east with none stop rain. It did wet out but I never got wet. I would recommend up grade to the cloudburst if your Dewpoint keeps getting pin holes just because of how crazy durable it is.
 
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Is the new Cloudburst going to be a good brush busting jacket? I live in western WA and rain and thickets are a real thing around here.


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Sundance

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I've been looking at both these sets. Realistically I see myself buying the cloudburst set this year, then getting the Stormfront pants next year and the jacket later. I have the FL SEAK pants, they are a huge disappointment. Cloudburst would be my early season raingear and eventually the Stormfront would be my late season and fall gear. From what I can gather the Stormfront pants are going to be super burly for brush beating, the added overlay on the knee area looks to be clutch. Also the fact that the upgraded to Gore Pro for the 2019 Stormfront is really nice. The only other gear I've been looking at is the arcteryx leaf.
 

jasonhul

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Has anyone used or considered the Gravelly Shell? I like the solid color but not sure of the durability. Also don't see pit zips. Thoughts?


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1shotgear

1shotgear

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Is the new Cloudburst going to be a good brush busting jacket? I live in western WA and rain and thickets are a real thing around here.

It's a pretty durable jacket, but I can't say it's necessarily thicket proof. You won't find anything else from Sitka with a more durable exterior fabric though.

Has anyone used or considered the Gravelly Shell? I like the solid color but not sure of the durability. Also don't see pit zips. Thoughts?

The exterior fabric of the Gravelly Shell is like the Cloudburst and shouldn't have any durability issues. Unfortunately no pit zips here.
 
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Thanks Scott. With the old Stormfront, I felt like it was a clown suit. Ridiculously baggy and as wide as a barn with bat wings. It was disproportionately wider than it was long. Have they made any changes to the fit?


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heatstroke18

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If you had to get a jacket for a western hunt in Wyoming in November would you get the jetstream or cloudburst. Could see either rain or snow. The jetstream appears to be very water resistant with a dwr coating, and a little warmer versus the cloudburst. I would imagine I would wear the jetstream to stay warm more than the cloudburst. Thus the dual purpose.
 

Diesel

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Thanks Scott. With the old Stormfront, I felt like it was a clown suit. Ridiculously baggy and as wide as a barn with bat wings. It was disproportionately wider than it was long. Have they made any changes to the fit?


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I just received the cloudburst in the ground forest pattern. I had to try the 3xl to get my puffy underneath. Like you say the jacket is wider than long and extremely loud. The fit on Sitka jackets is short ( as I have read repeatedly) and in a rain jacket a no go for me.

Sitka most likely wants to sell the bibs or pants to go with their jackets and thus makes them that way.

I have tried and tried to get a Sitka kit together that works for me, but I can't justify the fit for the price even at closeout prices.

Another thing is sizing. Almost every piece is smaller than standard sizing. All very tight in the arms and across the back. I am assuming it is for a more athletic fit.

I am sure there are many Sitka users who are happy with their purchases from all the glowing comments I see posted, but it just has not worked out for me on many levels.
 
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