By Josh Kirchner

I can remember it like it was yesterday. Saturday mornings as a kid weren’t spent watching cartoons like most kids. My Saturday mornings were spent with my Dad watching hunting television. Most of them involved whitetail deer hunting from a treestand with a bow. Since those precious mornings with my Father, I have wanted to do a hunt like this. Finally, this year I did my first one and got to test the whitetail system from Sitka Gear while doing so.

My History of Hunting

Before I get into my thoughts on this awesome gear, I just want to go over a little bit of my history with hunting to better understand my perspective walking into all of this. I’m an avid western backcountry hunter who mostly spot and stalk hunts. Sitting motionless in a treestand in cold weather is far from my normal.

Because of this, I knew that my western hunting gear wasn’t going to cut it. It’s all super lightweight, but it’s slightly more noisy and built for a different style of hunting entirely. This is what made me reach towards the whitetail system from Sitka. It’s a different tool for a different job and I wanted to walk into the whitetail woods prepared to sit in a tree for long hours and handle the cold without problem. Now that’s out of the way, let’s break down the goods.

My Sitka Whitetail System

The overall formula for building a layering system for whitetail hunting was the same formula I use to build a kit for western hunting. The items are just a bit heavier and way more catered towards being silent.

Tops

Bottoms

Environment

  • Southeastern Colorado
  • 16-degree lows, 38-degree highs
  • 1 ft. of snow
  • Winds 5-15 mph

Base Layers

My whole system started with base layers, but one much thicker than I’m used to. I went with the Core Merino 330 Half-Zip and 330 Pant. I’m a big fan of merino wool and much more prefer the feel of that on my skin over synthetic. Plus, I knew if I did sweat a bit on the way into the stand, the merino would hold its insulation value as well as pull that moisture away from my skin.

After one week of hunting, both pieces ended up working fantastically. I’d also like to add that they didn’t stink. Yet another advantage of merino is the fact that bacteria has a harder time attaching itself to the fine fibers. The result is a garment that doesn’t hold your stench, even after a week or more of hunting.

Mid Layers

A mid layer for me generally comes in the form of a heavier merino wool or grid fleece type piece. The Fanatic Hoodie fits the bill far and away. This is another type of piece that I’m familiar with from western hunting. The fit was spot on and the kangaroo pocket is an absolute standout feature that comes in handy.

This is a piece that worked so well into the system that I honestly forgot I was wearing it. Most of the time I’d make my hikes into the stand with just this and my base layer. Being newer to the whitetail game, this piece of clothing is one that I can see being incredibly versatile, working across the entire hunting season.

Pants

The pants I went with were the Stratus Pant. Very comfortable pair of pants made with a silent outer that works perfectly for being stealthy in the whitetail woods. One of my favorite features, along with the stealth, is the built-in belt. I’m generally not a fan of built-in belts, as they are usually subpar. This one landed on the side of exceptional.

When all was said in done, I was kind of disappointed because I didn’t get to spend that much time with the Stratus given the temperatures. It was really cold, and way lower temperatures than normal, so I spent most of my time in the Fanatic Bibs. I can tell though that on a regular year without all of the snow and low temps, these Stratus will be my absolute go-to paired with the core merino bottoms.

Light Insulation

On top of the Fanatic Hoodie, I layered the Traverse Hoodie. This is a super comfortable softshell piece and ultra warm. It has a full zipper on the front which I appreciate. I just think it makes a piece like this easier to put on vs. having to go pullover style. The outside is also very quiet and built for stealth, just like everything else in this system.

I wore this every single day of my hunt. And I sometimes even wore it hiking to the stand. The fit is great and the hoodie doesn’t get bunched up easily. How I had it set up was I’d wear my Fanatic Bibs over this Traverse piece. One evening we were using a decoy and calling. Well, when doing such things moving around really isn’t an option. I forgot to put my main jacket on over the Traverse until dark and I was ok. This is a keeper.

Heavy Insulation

The Fanatic Jacket and Bibs were unbelievably impressive to me. Both are built with heavy insulation and both are dead quiet. Along with being ultra warm, one of my favorite features of the jacket is the magnetic collar. This is a clutch feature for bowhunting because it ensures your collar isn’t going to get in the way of your bow string. The kangaroo pocket is money for keeping your hands warm too. As for the bibs, they’re very comfortable, warm, and easy to take on and put on with the full-length leg zips. The shoulder straps are adjustable, and there are a healthy amount of pockets to stash snacks, calls, etc.

On every single sit, I wore the Fanatic Bibs and Fanatic Jacket. Not once did I get cold with these on. I was honestly shocked at how well they worked and how comfortable they were. Before my hunt, I had a bit of worry that the suspenders paired with the weight of the Bibs would eventually be uncomfortable, but I never had any issues of the sort. These two pieces are a serious no-brainer for whitetail hunting and I can’t see myself leaving them at home unless it was the early season.

Is There Anything Wrong?

As great as this system worked for me, there were a few things that came across as downsides. None of these are deal breakers of course. Just my findings through experience and observation.

One, this stuff is pretty big, so it takes up quite a bit of room in a backpack. Not a big deal if you’re wearing everything, but food for thought. I also can’t decide if I’m a fan of the diagonal zipper on the Fanatic Jacket or not. On one hand, it’s a unique design that allows the zipper to not dig into your chin if zipped all the way up. On the other, it was sometimes hard getting the zipper started up given the steep angle of the zipper and where it falls at the bottom of the jacket. Wearing that thick of clothing also makes it difficult to get a bino harness on. Maybe, that’s my whitetail ignorance talking, and I shouldn’t be wearing a bino harness though. I see lots of folks hang that in a tree. And lastly, this stuff is really expensive. Which I completely understand. What you’re getting with the quality is unreal. But, it’s a shame more folks can’t enjoy the wonders of the Sitka Whitetail Gear.

Final Thoughts

At the end of the day, every one of these items is a winner if you ask me. And I’ll even go as far to say that I truly don’t think I could have done the hunt I did, and been as comfortable as I was, without this stuff. Hunting clothing has come leaps and bounds since I was that kid watching hunting TV with my Dad. This system is a perfect example of that and we’re lucky to have great gear like this out there to help make us more efficient hunters. I’m excited to continue putting these items to use on future whitetail hunts.