First lite solitude thoughts?

[neonomad]

I’m a little confused re: the “you’re only going to wear it a few times” crowd. I’m in NE Ohio and have Sanctuary + Woodbury which I would guess puts me near Solitude warmth. Once temps are in the 40s/50s the Woodbury starts getting use, and when it’s more a mix of 20s/30s/40s the bibs go on… I don’t hike with em, they’re not that bulky, and the bibs are only as warm as you need (via venting). Once Woodbury isn’t enough, just start layering. Same would be true of Solitude, I would think…

 

[greg728]

I actually just bought the solitude bibs. FL has a 20% sale right now and I’m not in a position to spend full price for a high end system on top of everything else I’m investing in. I have no doubt the stratus set is more versatile and probably has the edge in overall performance but I really just need something comfortable and of good quality that I can use for rut to late season.

 

[greg728]

I’m a little confused re: the “you’re only going to wear it a few times” crowd. I’m in NE Ohio and have Sanctuary + Woodbury which I would guess puts me near Solitude warmth. Once temps are in the 40s/50s the Woodbury starts getting use, and when it’s more a mix of 20s/30s/40s the bibs go on… I don’t hike with em, they’re not that bulky, and the bibs are only as warm as you need (via venting). Once Woodbury isn’t enough, just start layering. Same would be true of Solitude, I would think…

Could be guys from the south or maybe shorter seasons. I’m in a special regs area in Pennsylvania and our season goes from mid September to the end of January. I have plenty of clothing I can wear from early to mid season but my layering efforts in cold weather has made some hunts pretty miserable. I got the solitude set to wear during that November to January 29th time frame where temps will consistently be under 45 degrees down to the teens on occasion.

 

[Nosaj]

I actually just bought the solitude bibs. FL has a 20% sale right now and I’m not in a position to spend full price for a high end system on top of everything else I’m investing in. I have no doubt the stratus set is more versatile and probably has the edge in overall performance but I really just need something comfortable and of good quality that I can use for rut to late season.

I was looking for the same thing and bought them on Monday. I tend to do long sits so I will probably wear this setup Late Oct./Nov./Dec. I will walk in with the bibs and carry the jacket in my pack most of the time unless it is really cold. I can stand warmer bottom layers especially with venting zippers if I do not have a heavy top layer on. I am a big fan of layering however I have to bring a lot of layers for the long sits when it cold. I think they got hammered with orders during this sale, I had a hard time ordering and my stuff still has not shipped.

 

[HuskerInIowa]

Was around 35 when I got in the tree this morning in IA already. Next few night lows are 29, 23, 22. I’m really debating pulling the trigger on whatever the warmest thing they have is, sounds like the solitude. I can handle packing something in if need be but I hate thinking I’ll be wanting to cut sits short later because I’m cold and that’s been a problem for me in the past. I’d also like to find a less expensive option so I may just keep digging. Helpful thread all around.

 

[greg728]

The sanctuary is the warmest thing they have but from what I understand if it’s not under 25 degrees you’re going to be pretty toasty in them. The solitude I think is the more versatile between the two for most people. People in upstate NY or Minnesota who are dealing with teens regularly in the winter might find sanctuary better for them. I’m in PA and the average temps I’ll face in the winter is 20-40 degrees with some wind which is perfect for solitude. Sometimes it’ll dip into the teens which I’ll layer more if need be.

 

[HuskerInIowa]

The sanctuary is the warmest thing they have but from what I understand if it’s not under 25 degrees you’re going to be pretty toasty in them. The solitude I think is the more versatile between the two for most people. People in upstate NY or Minnesota who are dealing with teens regularly in the winter might find sanctuary better for them. I’m in PA and the average temps I’ll face in the winter is 20-40 degrees with some wind which is perfect for solitude. Sometimes it’ll dip into the teens which I’ll layer more if need be.

Thanks for clarifying. I don’t know why these get so confusing to me but they do. When I was younger and hunted and had 8 cents to my name I just put on the warmest thing I had in my closet. Now I can save a bit and buy something nice but I feel like a kindergartner trying to take the ACT trying to figure out the code words for layers.

 

[Kayl]

I was debating between the Sanctuary and Solitude and decided to go with the Sanctuary. I am not planning on wearing the bibs to my saddle spot and the Sanctuary has side zippers to vent if too hot, so I figured it would be better to own the warmer one for late season. I also grabbed a pair of zip off furnace long underwear to layer with my regular hunting pants for more flexibility.

 

[greg728]

I was debating between the Sanctuary and Solitude and decided to go with the Sanctuary. I am not planning on wearing the bibs to my saddle spot and the Sanctuary has side zippers to vent if too hot, so I figured it would be better to own the warmer one for late season. I also grabbed a pair of zip off furnace long underwear to layer with my regular hunting pants for more flexibility.

I got the kiln base layers which are really nice but I’ll probably get furnace too

 

[greg728]

Thanks for clarifying. I don’t know why these get so confusing to me but they do. When I was younger and hunted and had 8 cents to my name I just put on the warmest thing I had in my closet. Now I can save a bit and buy something nice but I feel like a kindergartner trying to take the ACT trying to figure out the code words for layers.

trust me man same here. I only know this because I just went through it

 

[TooheyBirdie]

So wore my sanctuary 2.0 for the first time here in Southern MN.... we were at about 40 degrees... I was a bit chilly in my corrugate guide jacket so I tried the sanctuary... it was 40 and blowing 15-20 and I had to vent cuz that thing was toasty!!... I'm looking forward to using it later in the season!!

 

[Nosaj]

I had a chance to use my sanctuary 2.0 jacket , bibs and muff and I was very happy with them. The first hunt started out at 20 deg. and the plan was to hunt from my saddle until mid day. I walked 30 min. in with my bibs and my base layers which are a light weight wool tshirt and lightweight wool henley and a medium weight wool hoody. This was completely comfortable on the walk in. When I start walking I want to be cold as I know I will be warming up as I walk. After getting set up in the tree I put on sanctuary 2.0 jacket and was super comfortable. I was hunting with my bow so I was wearing wool gloves and putting my hands in the muff to keep them warm. After a couple hrs I was starting to feel a little cold creep into my body and then realized that the zipper vents were open on the jacket so I zipped those and was completely comfortable for the rest of the hang which ended up being about 7 hrs. When I walked out it was in the low 30's. I walked out with the pant side zippers open and the jacket vent zippers closed and by the time I reached the truck I was sweating a little. I did not unzip the jacket because I had an orange safety vest binoculars and my pack all of which were in the way of the zippers. If I was thinking at the base of the tree I would have unzipped the jacket vent zippers however it was only a 30 min. walk so I just pressed on.

The second day the temps were in the mid 20's and this time I was still hunting with my bow. Another completely comfortable day with the setup, this is just the setup I was looking for in the 20's and 30's. In the past I would layer up the wool underneath and then a midweight jacket over the top and I wanted to reduce bulk and make it easier to adjust temp. In the past if I wanted to increase or decrease temp I would have to take layers off remove or add some then put layers back on. The solitude jacket takes up less space than my additional layers in the pack, I can regulate temp with the zippers. Both the warmer and gear pockets were all very functional. I like the way that FL does the gear pockets on the front of the thigh with one stash and one zippered. The jacket sleeves were nicely tapered for shooting a bow and have a stretchy zone at the wrist to keep that area tight and away from your strings however still giving you access to your watch underneath. This time when I was done still hunting and walking back at a walking pace I just opened the side zippers on the pants and vent zippers on the jacket and I was completely comfortable.

The sanctuary 2.0 is definitely not an all around setup however when it is cold and you are sitting for long times or still hunting I found it very functional and comfortable. I could also see hunting with the jacket and or the bibs when it is in the 40's as well I just might not wear both pieces depending on how the weather was going to trend.

 

[greg728]

I had a chance to use my sanctuary 2.0 jacket , bibs and muff and I was very happy with them. The first hunt started out at 20 deg. and the plan was to hunt from my saddle until mid day. I walked 30 min. in with my bibs and my base layers which are a light weight wool tshirt and lightweight wool henley and a medium weight wool hoody. This was completely comfortable on the walk in. When I start walking I want to be cold as I know I will be warming up as I walk. After getting set up in the tree I put on sanctuary 2.0 jacket and was super comfortable. I was hunting with my bow so I was wearing wool gloves and putting my hands in the muff to keep them warm. After a couple hrs I was starting to feel a little cold creep into my body and then realized that the zipper vents were open on the jacket so I zipped those and was completely comfortable for the rest of the hang which ended up being about 7 hrs. When I walked out it was in the low 30's. I walked out with the pant side zippers open and the jacket vent zippers closed and by the time I reached the truck I was sweating a little. I did not unzip the jacket because I had an orange safety vest binoculars and my pack all of which were in the way of the zippers. If I was thinking at the base of the tree I would have unzipped the jacket vent zippers however it was only a 30 min. walk so I just pressed on.

The second day the temps were in the mid 20's and this time I was still hunting with my bow. Another completely comfortable day with the setup, this is just the setup I was looking for in the 20's and 30's. In the past I would layer up the wool underneath and then a midweight jacket over the top and I wanted to reduce bulk and make it easier to adjust temp. In the past if I wanted to increase or decrease temp I would have to take layers off remove or add some then put layers back on. The solitude jacket takes up less space than my additional layers in the pack, I can regulate temp with the zippers. Both the warmer and gear pockets were all very functional. I like the way that FL does the gear pockets on the front of the thigh with one stash and one zippered. The jacket sleeves were nicely tapered for shooting a bow and have a stretchy zone at the wrist to keep that area tight and away from your strings however still giving you access to your watch underneath. This time when I was done still hunting and walking back at a walking pace I just opened the side zippers on the pants and vent zippers on the jacket and I was completely comfortable.

The sanctuary 2.0 is definitely not an all around setup however when it is cold and you are sitting for long times or still hunting I found it very functional and comfortable. I could also see hunting with the jacket and or the bibs when it is in the 40's as well I just might not wear both pieces depending on how the weather was going to trend.

Awesome man. How do you deal with the collar while drawing your bow? I don't have the sanctuary I have the solitude but the collars are similar and found that it interferes with my anchor points. I tucked mine in last hunt and was fine. I love everything else about this jacket but that collar drives me insane.

 

[bigcat93]

FL has a 20% sale on outerwear and I’m in the market for a good rut to late season setup. I’m considering the new solitude bibs and jacket but I’m a little skeptical. What I want is something wind proof, warm, zippers to dump heat, dwr water resistant, quiet and can hold up to run ins with briar patches and trekking through the woods. The bibs look nice but the jacket looks more like a winter coat and the collar looks pretty big. I’m also considering Sitka status bibs and jacket but with factoring in this current sale I’d save $200 with FL solitude. My gut tells me stratus is probably better but I’m just curious what others think and if so how much better?

I wore my solitude bibs first time this past weekend here in NJ. Was a little rainy, mid 40s, 8mph wind and I had the kiln long wool bottoms on and was WARM

 

[Nosaj]

Awesome man. How do you deal with the collar while drawing your bow? I don't have the sanctuary I have the solitude but the collars are similar and found that it interferes with my anchor points. I tucked mine in last hunt and was fine. I love everything else about this jacket but that collar drives me insane.

My hood was back and I didn't know it was there when I I got this guy Sunday . I cannot say what it was like with the hood up. I do not have my solitude on because I took it off after getting out of the tree. After 4 hunts in 20's-40s I am super happy with it. It is just what I wanted in cold weather gear. I'm tagged out so it's full on waterfowl and get ready for ice fishing time now.

I will probably never wear the hood up hunting as I cannot hear with a heavy hood unless the weather is so bad you cannot hear anyway. I do like the way the hood shields the back of your neck.

 

[Waylon mark]

I don't know where you live but the Solitude is something you'll probably only wear a time or two (maybe less) a season unless it bitterly cold in your area. From my years of hunting experience I've found it's better to buy something that you'll wear more often but get it big enough that you can layer under it as needed. I have a First Lite Woodbury jacket. It's very warm but is not good at passing moisture away from your body like something like Wiggy's does. Therefore I have to carry it into the stand or sweat to death. My Woodbury is large enough I can wear a Wiggy's Jacket or Vest Liner under it if the temperatures really drop and I need additional warmth.

I have a wiggys jacket liner ,it is awesome have the lamilite socks as well