What coat/jacket/sweater do I want?

[Potsie]

I have the Sitka 90% that is close to what I'm looking for, but doesn't quite fit the bill. It's not warm enough and no hood, just barely quiet enough.

Can you combine it with something else to get you wear you need to go? Like with a core heavyweight hoodie or something?

 

[Gerald Martin]

All these suggestions and no one thought of these sweaters? So disappointed.

 

[Irrelevant]

Rab Vapour Rise Summit could work for you too.

It sure could... gonna keep an eye out for that one

 

[Irrelevant]

Can you combine it with something else to get you wear you need to go? Like with a core heavyweight hoodie or something?

Layering is great to a point. But I also like to have something that functions over a wide range. I'll probably do something like that this year but I like what others have suggested

 

[Jwill]

Fleece lined, soft shell? I have an old Patagonia one that is wind proof and a little water resistant and fits this niche for me. No hood, my puffy and rain jacket have those if I needed. It layers well with base + fleece under and puffy or rain jacket over. The model I have was discontinued of course...

 

[woods89]

Here's what Alpha Direct looks like. As you can see it traps a lot of air. It's a great insulation, but it can be stymied by the wrong face fabrics. Earlier versions sometimes had interior linings as well, which didn't help breathability.

I overheat easily, so maybe someone who runs cold would need more. For me, this banishes my fleeces that I used to wear as mid layers to the back of the closet for backcountry hunts.

You've got a bit of a tough set of requirements. Any one garment will probably be weak in at least one area you listed. For me, this is what I would grab for the conditions you're talking about, with a 150 wt synthetic or 50/50 merino/syn baselayer.

I find hoods to be extremely valuable for that sort of use. There is a major difference in warmth between zipped halfway down your chest and hood up and zipped up tight.

Sitka made a similar hoody in their tactical line, called the MDWi, if I remember correctly. There may be a few on closeout yet. The new Ambient hoody is supposed to be similar, but it hasn't been in widespread use, yet.

As you can tell, I'm a bit of a layering nerd......

 

[Johnny Bravo]

I have the Sitka 90% that is close to what I'm looking for, but doesn't quite fit the bill. It's not warm enough and no hood, just barely quiet enough.

I thought you stated you don't make manager money...but yet you buy Sitka...hmmm.....

 

[Redman]

I have not, it's been on the list, but for some reason I felt like it wouldn't be warm enough...and they seem to only make it is bright @ss safety orient colors, or black.

My partner has that coat and says the same thing. He uses his more as a puffy and doesn't hunt in it very much (unless it's real cold).

I have the non hooded version of the Kuiu Kenai not sure what it is called but did your buddy tell you that if you sweat in it that it wicks the sweat out to the outside? I was amazed at this! I was heading back to camp for the evening kinda in a hurry and didn't stop to take off the coat. I took my hand down the arm of the jacket and it was wet from my sweat but the inside was completely dry.

 

[brymoore]

I wear a hooded puffy (Patagonia but there are a bunch of options) and a Swazi Rifleman jacket.

I’ll switch up my shirts based on weather. Wool T-shirt, wool long sleeve and a wool flannel type shirt. If hotter, lose the long sleeve and wear a Pendleton Boardshirt. Colder gets a heavy wool shirt. Add gloves and hats to suit your needs.

I can hunt almost all temps until it gets too cold to hunt.

 

[Speeddmn]

I just picked one of these up. Paired with a good base layer I think it will be pretty sweet. With a hood and built in face mask, flow through front pocket. Betting I’ll be sweating my face off with the way I layer.

 

[Irrelevant]

View attachment 238108

Here's what Alpha Direct looks like. As you can see it traps a lot of air. It's a great insulation, but it can be stymied by the wrong face fabrics. Earlier versions sometimes had interior linings as well, which didn't help breathability.

I overheat easily, so maybe someone who runs cold would need more. For me, this banishes my fleeces that I used to wear as mid layers to the back of the closet for backcountry hunts.

You've got a bit of a tough set of requirements. Any one garment will probably be weak in at least one area you listed. For me, this is what I would grab for the conditions you're talking about, with a 150 wt synthetic or 50/50 merino/syn baselayer.

I find hoods to be extremely valuable for that sort of use. There is a major difference in warmth between zipped halfway down your chest and hood up and zipped up tight.

Sitka made a similar hoody in their tactical line, called the MDWi, if I remember correctly. There may be a few on closeout yet. The new Ambient hoody is supposed to be similar, but it hasn't been in widespread use, yet.

As you can tell, I'm a bit of a layering nerd......

I'm going away from merino a bit. I just don't find it that warm but still heavy. I don't sweat much so that's not an issue.

I thought you stated you don't make manager money...but yet you buy Sitka...hmmm.....

Back off old man i bought it used for $40.

 

[MTLabrador]

I'm going away from merino a bit. I just don't find it that warm but still heavy. I don't sweat much so that's not an issue.

I find myself going away from merino for the opposite reason. I sweat a lot and I get tired of the long dry time with merino.

I usually wear some type of mid-heavy grid fleece quarter zip and maybe a wind stopper vest if it’s breezy. Sitka Jetstrean if I’m colder.

 

[bsmith]

Kuiu Kenai hooded. Have used it in a wide range of conditions and activity levels. Hasn’t let me down and doubt it ever will. Also nice when hiking with a pack or moving a lot with pit zips to dump heat and insulation in the right areas. My go to

 

[woods89]

I'm going away from merino a bit. I just don't find it that warm but still heavy. I don't sweat much so that's not an issue.

Yeah, 50/50 blend is as much merino as I want to wear anymore. I don't like how clammy merino gets.

One of my favorite cold weather base layers is the Kuiu Peleton 97 Hoodie and zip offs.

 

[rtraverdavis]

I’ve used the Kuiu Kenai hooded jacket for the past six years, some in fairly cold conditions. I like it a bunch. Like others have said, it wicks moisture really well and if you run cold I could see it being great to move around in. Good dwr. But it doesn’t do much to block wind. I spent some windy mornings freezing my ass off while using it as an outer layer, and promptly bought a wind stopping shell to layer over it.

 

[Potsie]

Granted, I’m on the exact opposite end of the spectrum as you, I run hot, but I’m good to go in those conditions with a core heavyweight hoody and a jet stream vest.

Just wish I could find a way to get the heat from my core out to my fingers and toes. My hands go numb in October and I’ll be lucky to feel them again before March.

 

[rtraverdavis]

Granted, I’m on the exact opposite end of the spectrum as you, I run hot, but I’m good to go in those conditions with a core heavyweight hoody and a jet stream vest.

Just wish I could find a way to get the heat from my core out to my fingers and toes. My hands go numb in October and I’ll be lucky to feel them again before March.

Same. I even think about getting up an moving and I start to sweat. But my fingers are icicles. Fun to torture the wife and kids with in the winter though.

 

[Irrelevant]

vests just don't work for me, never have. I think I need light fluffy insolation in all situations.

For fingers, I use mittens. I'll take these to WY next week. https://www.mountainhardwear.com/p/...tex-mitt-1912701.html?dwvar_1912701_color=010
They weigh almost nothing, yet keep me hands nice and toasty.

 

[Irrelevant]

If I just made manager money... this is pretty sweet.

Ambient Hoodie | SITKA Gear

Stay warm and comfortable while hunting in the Sitka Ambient Hoodie, featuring a unique Optifade Open Country camouflage pattern and durable water-resistant construction.

www.sitkagear.com

I tried it on at Sportsmans

 

[woods89]

If I just made manager money... this is pretty sweet.

Ambient Hoodie | SITKA Gear

Stay warm and comfortable while hunting in the Sitka Ambient Hoodie, featuring a unique Optifade Open Country camouflage pattern and durable water-resistant construction.

www.sitkagear.com

I tried it on at Sportsmans

Buy one and let us know! I'd imagine John Barklow designed it and he seems to know what's up.

I think if I was currently on the market for active insulation I'd be looking hard at the Arcteryx piece that @SnowyMountaineer referenced. But I've been pretty much just been switching over to non hunting brands and buying earth tones when possible.