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Sitka pissed off Euro optic

Yes as outrageously expense as they are, mine have been great. Got a slight tear near the boot (barb wire probly), sent back to Sitka who repaired them at no cost and returned in a couple weeks with freebie cap & gloves. If you spend a lot of time hunting in waders IMO they’re worth it. It’s amusing for sure how much hunters will spend on designer camo for sitting in a heated deer stand , but their waterfowl gear has held up & served me well.

Same-same for Kuiu, they make some good gear too. I wear some of it for snowboarding or other mountain activities - rather support hunting brands than Patagonia, NF etc.
The waders while expensive are probally their best "value". Not only do they have a lifetime warranty but it's basically the only product they don't let you use discounts on. Which means they are much more expensive to make and the margins aren't as good as the rest of the gear. I kick myself for not buying a set local for 700 last year.
 
The waders while expensive are probally their best "value". Not only do they have a lifetime warranty but it's basically the only product they don't let you use discounts on. Which means they are much more expensive to make and the margins aren't as good as the rest of the gear. I kick myself for not buying a set local for 700 last year.
I found my old waders from back in the day, still good I think. Not Sitka though. However, good waders are actually worth their weight. I think these that I found from way back were around 300 back then. Of course, nothing back then was chinese crap.
 
I guess I'll show my age here. When I first started hunting as a teenager, we wore jeans and cotton thermals and if we weren't wet, freezing and miserable we didn't think we were having a good time. Been on hunts at altitude on the west slope and my goto gear was Filson wool jackets and pants. Kept you warm even in the worst weather but was heavy especially when wet. Live in southern NM and hunt in the mountains and started buying Sitka gear when it first came out nearly 20 years ago. It was well made and worked as advertised. Haven't bought any in many years and the original stuff is still performing. Unfortunately, companies that make a great product sometimes go sideways for various reasons and piss off their vendors and customers. Not saying this is the case here but who knows. Used to be a big fan of North Face and still have bags and tents that are 30+ years old and still darn functional. Then they got bought out and went to shit.
 
I guess I'll show my age here. When I first started hunting as a teenager, we wore jeans and cotton thermals and if we weren't wet, freezing and miserable we didn't think we were having a good time. Been on hunts at altitude on the west slope and my goto gear was Filson wool jackets and pants. Kept you warm even in the worst weather but was heavy especially when wet. Live in southern NM and hunt in the mountains and started buying Sitka gear when it first came out nearly 20 years ago. It was well made and worked as advertised. Haven't bought any in many years and the original stuff is still performing. Unfortunately, companies that make a great product sometimes go sideways for various reasons and piss off their vendors and customers. Not saying this is the case here but who knows. Used to be a big fan of North Face and still have bags and tents that are 30+ years old and still darn functional. Then they got bought out and went to shit.
Yeah, I remember when they started out as well. I even remember the first SHOT Show they attended (one of the attorney's wives was a "booth babe"/"greeter" at our booth that year). They were a pretty small company back then....
 
Just about everything has a time and place. I have a few different pairs of pants from various manufacturers. But figured tops I just go with whatever is in my cold weather gear back from working the bering sea, usually marino wools, under armor cold gear and fleeces. 75% of the time I just hunt in my work pants, but if heat or rain are in the forecast I'll break out the good stuff. And it's totally worth every penny when you need it
Hear! HEAR!
When I took my first wife to Alaska, we spent several days in Anchorage before heading on out. I outfitted her with gear. I picked out some foam/foil/felt insulated boots for her. She about had a cow when she saw the $450 tag.

I just told her that was $45 a toe. How much were her toes worth?

I spent likewise on other outer gear and not a peep.

That winter, when we were out and about and not freezing, she told me she was sure glad I had spent that money...otherwise she would be stuck in the cabin trying to stay warm.
 
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When it’s 95 degrees out and humid during archery season the higher end technical gear makes a huge difference in lightweight, breathable clothes.

The cold weather gear is lighter, less bulky and warmer than my work clothing too.

I like having nice stuff and Sitka fits me the best. First Lite is a pretty good fit too.
LMFAO. 13 posts since 2018 and 11 are in this thread.




Also
Camo is over rated. Mobile blinds FTW

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I use as wooden club and loin cloth.

Spears are for posers.

My friend went hunting with a buddy in a treestand. Had a bear walk by and his buddy jumped down and stabbed it with his knife.

He and the bear had a bit of a disagreement as to who was going to eat who but the human won.

My friend still has the video.
 
"Technical" hiking clothing is the exact same thing for less $$. Once you put camo on it or brand it for hunting, the fudds all come out in droves to waste their money on it.
Suggestions on such hiking clothing for 20-40 degree tree stand hunting? I've been getting by with cheap stuff like most here have mentioned for years.
 
He is wearing Kuiu attack pants, isn’t he?

View attachment 8499089

Sirhr

And hopefully a back brace too, damn. Hopefully a situation doesn't arise where he has to go prone, cause he ain't getting back up.

I just hope Euro still has some inventory left when I get money saved up again. I need some wet weather gear.
 
Hunting in the mountainous deserts of arizona will change a man's opinion of gear. 30° mornings, 80° afternoons, loose rocks that love to be underfoot, every single plant is sharp and lest we forget about the stinging catapillars? They feel like a red hot poker to the skin.

Oops, almost forgot.the deer are tiny, ive seen midwestern fawns bigger than trophy bucks. Prob get more meat off the nighbors dog...
 
Suggestions on such hiking clothingz for 20-40 degree tree stand hunting? I've been getting by with cheap stuff like most here have mentioned for years.
For stand/sitting hunting I just use cheapish wool Big Bill hunting clothes. It's heavy but I'm not moving much anyway. But when it comes to moving around and wearing lighter clothing I wear merino wool base layers from Woolpower and the outer shell is Outdoor Research. Half the price of Kuiu or First Lite, and arguably tougher.
 
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We’d call that a mild day. 😊



I only stoped wearing my Swedish army pants because I realized they were 75 years old.
Its not that its that cold, its the temp swing that seperates az from most of the rest of the country. 80 sounds great, but its hot coming off 30 only a few hours before. All for 30 pounds of cleaned meat.
 
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wow.
now if they just decrease prices by another 60% I may buy some hunting clothing.

I mean... I have no problem buying breeks, John Lobb hunting boots and some really spendy safari shirts.

But 'technical gear' makes even bespoke hand-stitched herringbone Saville Row breeks look like wal-mart rayon.

Technical gear is GHEY!

Sirhr
 
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Again, I get it. You guys that live out west need all kinds of fancy gear to walk around mountains with. The rest of us that live in heavily forested woodland environments that only have to drive a little ways to some land to trudge into where we have a ground blind or stand set up (or for some of us, within a mile of our back door) probably don't need fancy gear and that's why we poke fun at it. It's an insanely high margin market that IMO was mostly set up for yuppies and fools with lots of money to burn.

I also appreciate good gear, but there's no way in fuck I'm spending hundreds of dollars on a jacket just to tag out for the year. I can get good 'nuff gear for putting meat on the table without spending that much. Hell our forefathers did it for centuries.
This is all you need to know!
Same shit go for the doofus on streams fishing while all decked out wearing Orvis or Simms high dollar rip offs although they can’t catch shit still. I love playing clean up and pulling massive amounts of fish after them in bum clothing. Lol
 
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I think alot of hunting gear is overpriced, but I don't mean to imply it's bad gear by any means.

I splurge on some things. My pack (Eberlestock) and tent (Stone Glacier) for example. Maybe a sleeping bag one day.

For now the rest of my gear is cheap. Merino wool baselayers on sale and some simple fleece jackets. Simple nylon button-up shirt. HellyHansen rubber rain gear.

Wrangler makes some affordable nylon outdoor pants, that I get from Walmart.
Those pants have seen mountaintops and caves, and are still usable.

I haven't hunted in the mountains, yet. I just climb them.

Also a little toughness goes a long way. It's okay to be a little cold, but not too cold.

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Also a little toughness goes a long way. It's okay to be a little cold, but not too cold.
I see it the same, yet different. This super light "packable" gear doesn't do much to keep you warm once you're sitting still, unless you have a LOT of layers on. I prefer to toughen up by carrying a few extra pounds of clothing knowing it's going to keep me warm.

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It means the manufacturers put $ into R & D to build better gear that makes you warmer, dryer & quieter while also weighing less and being more comfortable to move around in.
Its called Marketing. They spend more on their glossy ads than on "Research." They buy off the shelf china-fabrics, sew their name on it and mark it up 75%.

They don't have a large enough revenue stream to do any "Research."

MAN BUN Alert in Aisle 4.

ETA: To the actual point of the thread, good on Europtic. I'm a 100% satisfied customer.
 
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