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clothing talk

Skimmed the thread and don’t think this is mentioned… now is the time to consider if you want to try Scentlok, sales going on all the time. I have a bin full of First Lite but in the past two seasons I’ve seen enough interesting things happen in Scentlok that it’s what I put on 80% of the time. The quality is decent for the price you pay even if it didn’t have carbon in it. As @bigmike23 said, when it’s cold it’s amazing how much warmer a wind proof shell is. When it’s not too cold I usually don’t go wind proof since most wind proof layers are a bit louder.
 
I don’t see anyone else having mentioned it so I guess I’m the first - get a heated layer. I have a heated baselayer and a heated vest both from Scentlok. Sat in 20 degree weather with my insulated bibs, heated vest and lightly insulated windproof top.
I’ll second Scentlok, I really like the fit of their stuff. The quality has improved much over the years and they have great sales right now. I’ll also second the wind layer aspect, doesn’t matter how much insulation you have if the wind is cutting through it. Get you a good baselayer, maybe heated, then an insulated mid layer, again heated, then a windproof shell or combine the mid and outer layer and get you an insulated windproof layer. The way I do it is merino base layer, then have my heated vest/insulating layer, then have my thicker windproof outer layer for really windy cold days or my fleece windproof outer layer for mid season temps (40-60).
The key in all this is not to sweat. I see folks think they’re cold cuz their clothes aren’t thick enough or insulated enough even tho they look like stay puff marshmallow man, it’s cuz they have on too much stuff and nothing to block the wind and they sweat. Also look at getting either heated socks or heated insoles, I prefer socks as you can move them among footwear easier. Keep your dogs warm and it’ll make a world of difference. Throw a heated vest on top of that to warm your core and you’ll look like one of those memes where the husky is covered in snow and completely happy.
 
I use a hodge podge of stuff. Early season is primarily sitka. As it cools, I switch to FL merino and a kuiu wind resistant fleece jacket. This year I added the mid weight sherpa lined ASIO set and it worked really well. With proper layering I stayed plenty warm down to real cold weather for us, mid single digit wind chills.
 
I like meriwool base layers. Looking at one of those merino fishnet numbers as well, but no personal experience yet.

Outerwear I generally have been wearing the wrangler outdoor stretch pants you can find at Walmart. Cheap, durable, work fine. And some sitka lightweight hoodies/shirts I got used.

Winter/cold weather outers- Have some sitka stratus/fanatic outer layers that I got used/as a gift for outer layers, work very well. Stratus generally takes the place of my wrangler pants, fanatic I'll usually walk in without and out over what I'm wearing at the base of the tree.

Not at much of a sitka fanboy as it appears, just got some good used deals etc. They work well, but I think a lot of the high end gear is comparable in quality to be honest
 
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Red Beard said:
And I'll be the dude that says he doesn't like First Lite. My disappointment with them is strictly due to brighteners they use though. I had a Spectre top that glowed like the sun under a UV light.
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I will second that! I was spotted way too many times in firstlite (usually when getting blasted by the sun). I have not been spotted like that since I sold it all.

My first season in sitka went very well.
 
Dmathews87 said:
pulled the trigger on the wick hoody and kiln quarter zip from FL and scent lok had the saddle hunter jacket on sale which is wind resistant and insulated so snagged that too!
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For the last two years I have put my kiln hoody on September 15 and pretty much leave it on until June 15th. It functions as every layer depending on conditions. I would get some merino tech t shirts and a pair of merino tech light weight and heavy weight long bottoms. My merino get sweated up going in but stays comfortable and dries while wearing. I used change out base layers when I got in the tree however since switching to merino base layers about 8 years ago I no longer bother.
 
Red Beard said:
And I'll be the dude that says he doesn't like First Lite. My disappointment with them is strictly due to brighteners they use though. I had a Spectre top that glowed like the sun under a UV light.
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I'm not as much into FL anymore either, but for different reasons, primarily fitment/fitment consistency/range of motion... I still own and prefer a few pieces, but... The reason I replied, is: dud you ever play with UV Killer and all following washes in Sport Wash? I treat all my blaze orange this way, and other stuff that exhibits added UV brighteners.
 
Nosaj said:
For the last two years I have put my kiln hoody on September 15 and pretty much leave it on until June 15th. It functions as every layer depending on conditions. I would get some merino tech t shirts and a pair of merino tech light weight and heavy weight long bottoms. My merino get sweated up going in but stays comfortable and dries while wearing. I used change out base layers when I got in the tree however since switching to merino base layers about 8 years ago I no longer bother.
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its going to be super warm here early season so im thinking that wick hoody should do me for probably the first half of the season and just keep the kiln in my pack for when it drops just a bit and then pack that scent lok jacket for late season
 
Proper layering with the intended purpose in mind is always the most important. The base- and mid-layers don't have to be any specific color/brand/etc., but *maybe* your shell/outer-layer does. I prefer camo or solid mid- and base-layers, because that's usually what I end up hiking in, etc...
 
Base Layers: First Lite's merino wool is the best on the market from what I've seen and felt. Mine has been durable, comfortable, and does a nice job of moisture management. Meriwool is probably second best from what I've read, but I haven't gotten my hands on any.
Mid Layers: To me, mid layers matter the least from a brand standpoint. I don't see any reason to spend crazy money on one of the high-end brands' fleece or puffy when Eddie Bauer, Magellan (Academy's brand), and similar low-to-mid-cost brands produce mids that are VERY comparable. That said, the one piece of clothing that has made the absolute biggest difference in my comfort on stand is my Ororo Original Heated Vest. It's warm and comfortable even when it's turned off, and there's nothing like getting a consistent blast of heat to your core when you get a chill on you in the deer stand or duck blind. I put it on under a light outer layer as early as upper 50's and wear it through the end of duck season on every single hunt.
Outer Layers: I've been working on figuring this out this offseason. I have a Nomad outer jacket that I really like, but it's pretty heavy. I've bought or been gifted several First Lite outer layers (Solitude Bibs, Corrugate Foundry Pants, and Whitetail Catalyst Jacket), and I am returning every single one because they just don't fit me quite right (6'3, 165 lbs.). My dad has almost every piece in the Asio Gear lineup, and he swears by it. Seems well made and is definitely thoughtfully constructed with whitetail bowhunters in mind. I'm in the middle of researching what's the best outerwear system, and right now, I'm torn between the Sitka Stratus set and comparable offerings from Kuiu. I'm not especially hard on my gear--I take good care of it--but I ask a lot of it in terms of temperature ranges in which it's useful. I can't afford to buy three different Sitka/First Lite/Kuiu outerwear systems: one for sitting still in a freezing cold tree stand or duck blind, one for more moderate temps while sitting still, and one for run-n-gun turkey hunting on Tennessee spring mornings where it can be 30-60* on the same hunt.
 
TNbowhunter said:
Base Layers: First Lite's merino wool is the best on the market from what I've seen and felt. Mine has been durable, comfortable, and does a nice job of moisture management. Meriwool is probably second best from what I've read, but I haven't gotten my hands on any.
Mid Layers: To me, mid layers matter the least from a brand standpoint. I don't see any reason to spend crazy money on one of the high-end brands' fleece or puffy when Eddie Bauer, Magellan (Academy's brand), and similar low-to-mid-cost brands produce mids that are VERY comparable. That said, the one piece of clothing that has made the absolute biggest difference in my comfort on stand is my Ororo Original Heated Vest. It's warm and comfortable even when it's turned off, and there's nothing like getting a consistent blast of heat to your core when you get a chill on you in the deer stand or duck blind. I put it on under a light outer layer as early as upper 50's and wear it through the end of duck season on every single hunt.
Outer Layers: I've been working on figuring this out this offseason. I have a Nomad outer jacket that I really like, but it's pretty heavy. I've bought or been gifted several First Lite outer layers (Solitude Bibs, Corrugate Foundry Pants, and Whitetail Catalyst Jacket), and I am returning every single one because they just don't fit me quite right (6'3, 165 lbs.). My dad has almost every piece in the Asio Gear lineup, and he swears by it. Seems well made and is definitely thoughtfully constructed with whitetail bowhunters in mind. I'm in the middle of researching what's the best outerwear system, and right now, I'm torn between the Sitka Stratus set and comparable offerings from Kuiu. I'm not especially hard on my gear--I take good care of it--but I ask a lot of it in terms of temperature ranges in which it's useful. I can't afford to buy three different Sitka/First Lite/Kuiu outerwear systems: one for sitting still in a freezing cold tree stand or duck blind, one for more moderate temps while sitting still, and one for run-n-gun turkey hunting on Tennessee spring mornings where it can be 30-60* on the same hunt.
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Build a layering system that excels at its job and it will cover a way wider range than those pieces that are "nice" or "acceptable" lol!
 
bowhunthard88 said:
I'm not as much into FL anymore either, but for different reasons, primarily fitment/fitment consistency/range of motion... I still own and prefer a few pieces, but... The reason I replied, is: dud you ever play with UV Killer and all following washes in Sport Wash? I treat all my blaze orange this way, and other stuff that exhibits added UV brighteners.
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Yes sir. Sport Wash didn't work at all.
 
thedutchtouch said:
I like meriwool base layers. Looking at one of those merino fishnet numbers as well, but no personal experience yet.

Outerwear I generally have been wearing the wrangler outdoor stretch pants you can find at Walmart. Cheap, durable, work fine. And some sitka lightweight hoodies/shirts I got used.

Winter/cold weather outers- Have some sitka stratus/fanatic outer layers that I got used/as a gift for outer layers, work very well. Stratus generally takes the place of my wrangler pants, fanatic I'll usually walk in without and out over what I'm wearing at the base of the tree.

Not at much of a sitka fanboy as it appears, just got some good used deals etc. They work well, but I think a lot of the high end gear is comparable in quality to be honest
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There sure are a lot of businesses trying to crack the market that Sitka has dominated for a decade. You really have to put something pretty good together to compete with their quality. (which, frankly took a slight step backwards with the EVII lineup imo)

I’ve been wearing Sitka since around 2010 and honestly it’s been fantastic. Particularly, I really like the Incinerator bibs. And the hand muff on the Fanatic jacket/vest is pretty nifty. The core baselayers have been great too.

I do think there are now options that offer better value, but Sitka is still high quality.
 
Plebe said:
There sure are a lot of businesses trying to crack the market that Sitka has dominated for a decade. You really have to put something pretty good together to compete with their quality. (which, frankly took a slight step backwards with the EVII lineup imo)

I’ve been wearing Sitka since around 2010 and honestly it’s been fantastic. Particularly, I really like the Incinerator bibs. And the hand muff on the Fanatic jacket/vest is pretty nifty. The core baselayers have been great too.

I do think there are now options that offer better value, but Sitka is still high quality.
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if sitka would offer more stuff in small, i probably would have bought some stuff from them. Maybe they just out of stock in small on everything??
 
Dmathews87 said:
if sitka would offer more stuff in small, i probably would have bought some stuff from them. Maybe they just out of stock in small on everything??
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Hmm, not sure. They used to even have youth sizes.
 
Plebe said:
Hmm, not sure. They used to have youth sizes.
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almost all the hoodies i wanted and some outer wear didnt even list small as an option, it was all medium and above...im going to keep checking their stuff throughout the year for some mid\outer stuff.
 
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