Rain gear is one of those things that you tend to carry a lot but not use a lot. Much like a rifle, though, when you need it, you really need it. Over the course of two and a half years, I’ve used the Sitka Dewpoint raingear a lot.
Sitka Dewpoint Raingear
The Dewpoint pair has been in Sitka’s lineup for a while now, and I don’t think they’re going anywhere soon. Here’s what Sitka says:
“Our 3-layer GORE-TEX Dew Point Jacket and pants offer lightweight waterproof protection for volatile weather.”
They can be found here:
The jacket retails for $349, the pants $329.
I purchased mine out-of-pocket in anticipation of a Dall sheep hunt I had booked. I already had several sets of raingear, but all were on the very lightweight end of the scale and far from fully featured. I still wanted something relatively lightweight but robust and full-featured—a lot to ask for. After a lot of research, I narrowed it down to the Dewpoint set.
Fabric
The Dewpoint is a three-layer Goretex with a Gore C knit backing. It uses 20d ripstop nylon as the main fabric. Weight off their site is listed as 12.5 oz; my size Large weighs 13.2 oz; the pants are listed as 10.5 oz; my Large pants weight 10.8 oz. The jacket and pants are offered in both solid and camo patterns.
Fit
The sizing on the jacket is on the roomy side, which you want for rain gear. I’m 5’11”, 185 and the Large jacket fits with just a base layer or layered over a puffy. The pants I went back and forth between the Medium and Large; my waist is 33”, the upper end of Medium and I’m glad I went with the Large. My suggestion is if you’re on the bubble, size up on the pants. I should also add that in some sizes, they also offer a Tall version in both the jacket and pants.
Features
The jacket includes a fully adjustable hood—both at the front of the hood AND the rear. This is a feature missing on a lot of rain jackets, but IMO, very critical in getting a good fit, especially in windy conditions. It also can be zipped up past your chin, again nice in very tough conditions. The front zipper is robust and is stiffened to ease opening and closing. The bottom hem is adjustable, with an adjustment on each side. Velcro adjustment on the cuffs. One of the nicest features (and missing or are too short on most rain jackets) are long pit zips. Mine measures a full 17” long and with two-way adjustment zippers you can open them from either (or both) ends.
The pants are fully zipped with two way adjustment. This allows easy on/off with your boots on and also gives you a wide range of venting options; again an option not offered on a lot of rain pants. This same feature also allows easy access to your pants pockets. The front zipper is two-way as well. It has a built-in belt along with a comfortable elastic waistband.
In Use
I’ve use this rain gear a lot, logging close to 500 miles wearing them in rain, snow, and as splash protection when pack rafting. I’ve used them on numerous big hunts here in Montana, on my Dall sheep hunt in Alaska, and I have even used them on a few adventure races.
The miles that I’ve logged hunting (including my sheep trip), for the most part, weren’t easy miles- lots of bad weather, tough terrain—brush, rocky, blowdown, etc. But far and away, the toughest miles were on the adventure races. The “race” (it’s not a race as stated in the rules!) goes through the breadth of the Bob Marshall Wilderness Complex in late May; the starting and finishing points change each year.
Typically I’ll bring my lighter rain gear on these adventures as every ounce saved is valuable, but when the forecast is sketchy, I’ve been bringing the Dewpoints and have been damn glad I did. The two years I brought them (2022 and 2024), I almost lived in them. Near constant rain (or wet snow), high winds at the passes and always a ton of blowdown to contend with. The constant blowdown can wreak havoc on clothing; while I’m not saying you couldn’t rip/tear this rain gear, I don’t have a single tear or hole in mine!
Conclusion
The protection from rain, snow, and wind has been great, as should be expected from three-layer Goretex. It’s a bit of a pain taking off/putting on rain gear (and the surest way to let more precip in is taking off your rain gear!), so having rain gear that allows for many venting options is critical. The Dewpoint system allows this—for the jacket, unzipping the front zipper, loosening the adjustment on the hem, and opening the pit zips really help. The pants, with full zips and two-way zips, allow a lot of venting as well.
In my humble opinion, the Dewpoint system nails it for a lightweight, robust, and full-featured rain gear set!
Comment or ask Mike questions here.
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