Covert Deluxe is a GREAT suit and i HIGHLY recommend it for bowhunting for cold weather sits!! Probably the best scentlok suit has produced to date. These are very high-quality technical hunting garments. Scentlok has really hit a homerun with the covert
jacket and pants combination. Whether or not you believe in scentlok technology is almost irrelevant as this is about as perfect as a cold-weather hunting outer layers as you could ask for... with a few exceptions. I wrote these reviews for Amazon so there is some redundancy... See below:
Covert Jacket
Pros
Extremely quiet. I have tried a LOT of hunting jackets that claimed they were quiet. Make no mistake, the deep-napped fleece and polyester outershell material is dead silent. If you get busted it won't be because of any noise coming from this jacket.
Warm. My first sit was on a 48F, partly sunny and lightly breezy day. Mistake. Way too warm. I then did a few morning sits in the low 30's when the temps finally crept up to the low 40s and was very comfortable with a lightweight base layer and a midlayer.
The windproof membrane works as advertised - Strong, chilly winds do NOT permeate the jacket. This helps keep you warm as wind is not robbing you of precious body heat. It also works to retain warmth from the inside.
The cut in the torso is generous and I like that it goes well past my waist. Often jackets - if they are not 'parkas' - have a tendency to ride high on my torso and expose my lower back. Parkas, on the other hand, have a lot of excess bulk around the bottom skirting. This jacket has enough length to keep your back covered without the bulk.
Pockets - The two chest pockets are absolutely perfect. They are placed in exactly the right place, are very deep, and are easy to access.
Cons:
Sizing: I am normally an XL and ordered a 2XL to accomodate for layering per recommendation from a scentlok customer service rep. While I am certain an XL would have fit, it would have been snug. This is not a con, but more of an FYI, and signals to me that scentlok still has a little work to do in understanding how to create a true technical garment system (like Sitka).
Snug around the neck. Despite ordering a size up i still fought with the jacket to get it zipped up to the top around my neck. I like to wear quarter-zip mock neck shirts for layering, and it was very difficult to get the jacket zipped up all the way because of the snug fit around the neck. Scentlok please note that, generally, a 2XL is going to have a 18 1/2" neck or better.
While I found the sewn-in sleeve extensions to be a really nice feature, they run just a hair short. If not wearing gloves under them they begin to chafe my palm area between thumb and index finger. Otherwise I love that I can keep my wrists from becoming exposed.
Covert Pants
Pros
Extremely quiet. I have tried a LOT of hunting pants that claimed they were quiet. Make no mistake, the deep-napped fleece and polyester outershell material is dead silent. If you get busted it won't be because of any noise coming from these pants
Warm. My first sit was on a 48F, partly sunny and lightly breezy day. Mistake. Way too warm. I then did a few morning sits in the low 30's when the temps finally crept up to the low 40s and was very comfortable with a lightweight base layer and a midlayer.
The windproof membrane works as advertised - Strong, chilly winds do NOT permeate the pants. This helps keep you warm as wind is not robbing you of precious body heat. It also works to retain warmth from the inside.
Pockets - I hunt from a saddle but the knee pockets are in very convenient locations.
Full-length zippered legs. Makes putting these on in the field a breeze. You can also leave your pants unzippered for longer walks to prevent overheating.
Cons:
Sizing: I wear a 38W in regular
jeans/pants but an XL in scentlok pants fits more like a size 40-42, so order accordingly. I have wore a lightweight baselayer and a bulky berber fleece midlayer under these and still had wiggle room. Plan on wearing a belt.
Built in Suspenders: These work just fine and I like that I can get away with not wearing a belt when using, but the suspender buckles are cheap plastic. They can easily pop open with little effort or on accident. I would gladly have paid a few bucks more for a higher quality buckle on the suspenders to ensure they do not slip/accidentally open - or worse yet - break.
Contrast and fidelity of camo patterns on different fabrics types. While fleece will always be challenging to transfer artwork onto the contrast between the fleece and the woven polyester on the knees/lower leg is night and day. It doesn't affect the function of the product, but is almost comical how sharply they contrast.
Scentlok is getting there and these are really excellent hunting garments. They're quiet and warm, minus the bulk. About darn near as perfect of a cold weather bowhunting shell layers as one could ask for. Now if they could nail down their sizing they would really have something special here.
