Clothing he can't live without
In the above photo, I'm wearing two pieces highlighted in this article, the SITKA Timberline Pants and the Jetstream Jacket. Both were key pieces on this extremely cold hunt.
If there’s ever been a time to be a hunter, it is today. We are truly living in the good days when it comes to quality gear. And, as SITKA so nicely put it years ago, they really are “Turning Clothing Into Gear.” That phrase perfectly describes their high-quality clothing as each piece really is an essential piece of gear.
Over the years of putting the clothes through the wringer, there’s no way you’re ever going to pry several pieces of SITKA out of my hands. And, most recently, a few pieces have slipped their way into my top five — and for good reason.
Below are five of my favorite pieces of SITKA. It was hard to condense this list down to five, but here goes.
In the above photo, I'm wearing two pieces highlighted in this article, the SITKA Timberline Pants and the Jetstream Jacket. Both were key pieces on this extremely cold hunt.
These are pants that just scream mountain hunting. The SITKA Timberline Pants can take any sort of element that Mother Nature throws at you and, at the same time, you’ll hardly notice you’re wearing them because they are so comfortable.
With reinforced knees and backside, these really shine on an October hunt or even a late-season November hunt. I can work on an animal in comfort with the built-in knee pads and glass away on a snowy slope knowing my pants will keep me protected.
When the leaves start dropping in the fall, you can bet that I’m wearing the Timberline Pants.
It is my honest opinion that everyone needs to own the SITKA Core Lightweight Hoody.
I wear it to work, I shoot my rifle in it and it goes with me on literally every single hunt. It’s always the layer that is against my skin. To top it off, it has a built-in facemask if needed and the hood is key on those hot days to keep the sun from frying my neck or when the temperatures drop and I want to trap some heat in.
You’ll even catch me wearing the hood a lot when hiking in the fall.
Earlier, I mentioned new items from SITKA that have instantly jumped to the top of my favorite list. Those new pieces that I can’t live without are the Kelvin Lite Down Jacket and the Kelvin Lite Down 3/4 Pant.
The Kelvin Lite Down Jacket has just the right amount of insulation, great warmth-to-weight ratio, and it takes up minimal space in my pack.
You might be asking yourself why 3/4 length down pants. Well, when you are on a backpack hunt, it’s nice to not have to pack a ton of bulky items. These down pants are designed to end right below your knee pads. And, to be completely honest, I haven’t missed the extra 1/4 length missing in this insulation pant. I always wear full-length boot gaiters and my legs are still warm on those mid-season hunts.
Plus, you can remove them without taking off your boots. Win, win.
With how packable and light these two pieces are, they are easy to stuff in my pack no matter if I’m summer scouting or chasing the high country in September or October.
When it comes to a glove, I feel like SITKA really nailed the design of the Gunner WS Glove. Quick story: I was in Wyoming last year hunting mule deer. While packing out my buck in the dark, at one point, we stopped and I pulled out my phone to check out the map. In the process, I took off my Gunner gloves and somehow let one of them fall to the ground. Not knowing I dropped it, we continued to bushwhack our way up a creek bed when it hit me that I was missing a glove after reaching into my pocket for it. So back we went and I went to the spot I remember we stopped and spent the next 15 minutes looking for the glove with the headlamps. I just didn’t want to lose my favorite pair of gloves!
This glove just has what I want. I can hike with them when the temperatures drop, I can glass with them on and they are great around the camp for cutting firewood and a plethora of other uses. They are an all-around workhorse of a glove that I need to use all year.
The Jetstream Jacket is a timeless piece. This is my go-to softshell jacket when hunting mule deer in the late season. The big benefit to me is blocking the wind while glassing and the durability. I've used this jacket chasing buck in the snow in Wyoming and Colorado, as well as in low coulee country in Montana. With all the wind-blocking capabilities and water repellency benefits, it still breathes very well when you need to push up a mountain to go after something.
As I mentioned with the Core Lightweight Hoody, this Jetstream Jacket is another piece that I feel that everyone will benefit from.
There are a bunch of great SITKA items out there. And, each year, they find a way to step up their game. While there are a ton of great options that I use continuously, these pieces will never leave my side and have a place on my hunts.
