Sitka Gear continues to improve their gear offering, especially for mountain hunters and 2012 is no exception. June 1st sees the release of several new items in Sitka’s “Open Country” lineup. For those of you who don’t know “Open Country” camo is arguably the best mountain hunting camo available on the market today, and it’s not just for mountain hunting.
The Open Country camo has proven very versatile for hunting here in BC and is an excellent choice for anyone hunting the logged out slashes in search of deer, elk, moose and bear where you’ll blend right in with the mixture of dead tree limbs, brown rock, dirt, gravel and debris left over from logging. Open Country will help you get closer!
The new “open country” lineup for Sitka Gear (in my own opinion) is a move to close in on two niche markets. #1. Backpackers and the light weight crowd (Dewpoint) and #2. Regular Guys – By offering quality Open Country rain gear at more affordable price points (Cloudburst) than some of their existing offerings. I might be totally off-base with that assessment, you decide!
New For Sitka 2012
The Sitka Cloudburst Jacket is a new waterproof, breathable jacket in the open country pattern. If you’re not ready to go “all in” with the Stormfront or the Coldfront then the Cloudburst will be an attractive option for you and about $150 less (than the Stormfront). You’ll get wet weather protection in famed “open country” camo for a little less money.
Features:
– 2 Hand and Chest Pockets (standard Sitka)
– Hide-a-way Hood (I like this!)
– 2 Way Stretch (stormfront doesn’t really stretch)
– 20 oz’s approx. weight.
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Obviously meant to work with the Cloudburst jacket the pants are also a new waterproof, breathable pant in the open country pattern. Actually a little bit lighter than the Stormfront pants, and also a little lighter on the wallet as they are about $100 cheaper. Not lacking in design features these will still be a great option for any mountain hunter looking to get concealment benefits of Open Country camo.
Features:
– Full Side Zips (nice for heat dumping too!)
– 2 Way Stretch Material
– Built in Suspenders (I love these!)
– Lower price point than Stormfront
– Lighter than Stormfront Pant (approx. 3 oz’s lighter)
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I am excited about the Dewpoint gear because it’s targeted specifically for backpack hunters. Lightweight and packable, you can now get the concealement benefits of Open Country camo with the protection of a Gore-Tex outer layer. The Dewpoint is the lightest weight Rain Gear in the Sitka lineup for the guys who haul enough gear on long hunts where ounces matter!
Features:
– 2 way stretch
– Lightest weight Open Country waterproof layer.
– Packable
– Full Hood
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Again the Dewpoint pants are aimed at the backpack hunter and guys who are hauling their gear on long haul backpack hunts where every ounce matters. Lightweight and packable rain gear with the concealement benefits of Open Country camo make these pants an excellent choice for any backpacker looking to shave weight and gain function.
Features:
– 2 way stretch
– Lightest weight Open Country waterproof pants.
– Packable
– Full Size Zips
– Only 10.4 oz’s!
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[box color=”brown-mute” type=”square” icon=”lightbulb”]If you have any questions or comments about these new offerings from Sitka Gear please let us know in the comments section below and we’ll do our best to respond to you.[/box]
For late season hunts desert country, it work pretty well. I tried it last year on an antelope hunt in central NM and things were still a bit green for it to work real well. It seems the antelope busted me (or at least go curious) more with the Open Country than with the greener camo I wore later in the afternoon. Just one experience though, and it seems to work real well in open areas with dried grass, especially if you lay prone in the dead grass and don’t back up against a green mesquite or creosote bush.
Thank you for the comment! Antelope would be a cool hunt one day, I’ve still got a lot of hunting left in BC though 🙂
Carl
love the sitka gear, great in the mountains, as an avid sheep hunter i can only wear the pants all the jackets are made for short ppl i guess tall guys dont hike…im only 6 1 but the jackets are way too short and not built to protect the lower torso from the cold,wind or rain… was hoping to see a tall size in the 2013 gear comming out, i would love to put away my arcteryx tops and get a new sitka jacket… but for now ill keep warm and protected from the weather with my arcteryx jackets… happy hunting