Archery layering system in the northeast

[msal]

Hey all. I'm looking to invest in a layering system. I'm located in the lakes region/white mountains area of New Hampshire. I've been eyeing First Lite and am getting familiar with their product line. In the past I've only hunted in regular firearms season so the clothing I have is bulky and geared toward very cold weather.

What I do have:

• REI 200 gram merino base layer (black)
• Redhead insulated bib (Kanati) - I didn't think I would like having a bib but these are nice an cozy TBH, not much to complain about here given the price.
• Redhead insulated jacket combo (Kanati, inner layer zips out). The inner layer is meh, and the outer layer is huge on it's own without the inner layer. Together they do OK.
• regular clothing as necessary, e.g. a sweatshirt, pajama pants, etc. in between

Eventually I would like to replace the jacket and maybe the bib also. As of right now, I have nothing light enough to wear for the upcoming Spring turkey season. I don't want to invest too much into gear specifically for this season, but I'm hoping whatever I pick up will also be useful come archery season in the fall (especially since this stuff is $$$), and I can build into my layering system. FWIW I am hunting with a recurve for both turkey and whitetail (mostly stand hunting) so I think I having quiet gear is necessary. I'm 5' 7", 165lbs and prefer a athletic fit if that matters.

The spring temps around here range from upper 30s/low 40s in the morning up to 70+ on warmer days in May. Similar temps in September/early October. The coldest day I hunted last year (firearms season, late November/early December) was around 10-15 degrees in the morning. On the colder days I was not very comfortable after a couple hours. I think this is due to a lack of a decent midlayer and terrible boots (I am upgrading these, separate discussion).

Alright, hopefully someone is still reading by now! Given all that, I am hoping to pick up a pair of pants and one or two top layer piece to start, and then build off of this as I go. I was dead set on the new FL Obsidian Foundry pants that are coming out initially. They're supposed to be out any day now. My concern is that these won't be warm enough. I've read a lot here and elsewhere about them having a wide range of temperatures, but it always seems like input is geared toward western hunting. Perhaps with my REI base layer underneath they'll work well on colder days? At that point if I overheat, it won't be easy to lose layers since the base layer is black/tight to skin. Will these pants work well between my REI baselayer and my bib in the colder weather?

For upper body, I was leaning toward the kiln. Again, my concern is I will be cold with just this...

Thanks everyone!

 

[cobbc03]

I would strongly recommend looking in to sitka. It wont be much more expensive than first lite, but a lot of it has windblocker. Me being from NY, that's a necessity. I just purchased the mountain pant and jacket for turkey season and early season bow hunting, it's exactly what you're looking for.

 

[msal]

I would strongly recommend looking in to sitka. It wont be much more expensive than first lite, but a lot of it has windblocker. Me being from NY, that's a necessity. I just purchased the mountain pant and jacket for turkey season and early season bow hunting, it's exactly what you're looking for.

Thanks for input! I'll take a look at these. How do you find the fit on the mountain pant/jacket? Is it still an athletic fit like most of the FL stuff? I am not a fan of feeling like a marshmallow or having baggy clothing, especially when bow hunting. One thing I like about the new FL gear coming out is that the waist/length are specific, not just S/M/L, etc. How is the noise on them? I'm also hunting with a traditional recurve and would like to mix in some still hunting - basically concerned about noise. I'll check out reviews in the meantime but figured I would see what your experience is.

A few other thoughts - I was also looking into the FL catalyst as these are warmer than the obsidians. There is a new FL "whitetail" line coming out this summer apparently along with upgraded catalysts (or the catalyst upgrade is the whitetail line, not sure?) and I'm curious if they've addressed the windstopper issues. With that said I'm reluctant to pull the trigger on the catalysts now versus waiting.

Man this would sure be easier if I could just go somewhere and try things on/get my hands on things. I may have to drive out to cabelas, I think they stock some sitka gear.

 

[blackdog of vt]

I can't really tell you what to get, but I can tell you what I use close to you in Vt. This is my turkey-bow season lineup so this may help you.

Base- Sitka Core LW/ Stone glacier helio if its below 40 all day
mid layer- Sitka active hoody/ kelvin lite vest
Outer- peleton 240
Pants- Ascent/ timberline if below 40

Also, good rain gear is a must here obviously and I prefer sitka cloudburst for that too. Kittery trading post has sitka in stock so if you want to try things on its worth the short trip.

 

[msal]

I can't really tell you what to get, but I can tell you what I use close to you in Vt. This is my turkey-bow season lineup so this may help you.

Base- Sitka Core LW/ Stone glacier helio if its below 40 all day
mid layer- Sitka active hoody/ kelvin lite vest
Outer- peleton 240
Pants- Ascent/ timberline if below 40

Also, good rain gear is a must here obviously and I prefer sitka cloudburst for that too. Kittery trading post has sitka in stock so if you want to try things on its worth the short trip.

Thank you! I didn't even think to check Kittery Trading Post, I could probably hit them and cabelas in the same trip over to ME.

 

[blackdog of vt]

Last time I was over there cabela's really didn't have much but you never know these days.....

 

[msal]

I went to Bass Pro in Concord, NH recently which is a bit further for me than Cabela's in ME. I'm pretty much right in the middle, a bit closer to Cabelas. Bass Pro had a terrible selection (much worse than the ME location from what I remember, at least the last time I went), the help knew nothing about the products, and the changing rooms were closed due to Covid. I'm curious to see how Kittery looks though and can check out Cabelas while I'm over there.

 

[blackdog of vt]

I know, that store is terrible. We never go there unless I have to even though we're close. I was there once asking where the sitka was and the teen something kid said it was to expensive and that's why they don't carry it lol. KTP is so much better in every way.

 

[cobbc03]

Thanks for input! I'll take a look at these. How do you find the fit on the mountain pant/jacket? Is it still an athletic fit like most of the FL stuff? I am not a fan of feeling like a marshmallow or having baggy clothing, especially when bow hunting. One thing I like about the new FL gear coming out is that the waist/length are specific, not just S/M/L, etc. How is the noise on them? I'm also hunting with a traditional recurve and would like to mix in some still hunting - basically concerned about noise. I'll check out reviews in the meantime but figured I would see what your experience is.

A few other thoughts - I was also looking into the FL catalyst as these are warmer than the obsidians. There is a new FL "whitetail" line coming out this summer apparently along with upgraded catalysts (or the catalyst upgrade is the whitetail line, not sure?) and I'm curious if they've addressed the windstopper issues. With that said I'm reluctant to pull the trigger on the catalysts now versus waiting.

Man this would sure be easier if I could just go somewhere and try things on/get my hands on things. I may have to drive out to cabelas, I think they stock some sitka gear.

My mountain pants and jacket should be arriving today, so I can let you know this weekend how they are. I do know that sitka is much like first lite in the athletic fit, and not baggy whatsoever. Everything I've read on the mountain outerwear is they are perfect for bowhunting.

 

[Wilderness Spirit]

I have been wearing the Sitka mountain pant and jacket here in NEPA for bowhunting whitetails from Oct. to late Nov. As the season gets colder I layer with mid weight merino top and bottom and also wear a Traverse mid layer top. I wear the mountain jacket till the temps start to drop later in the season and switch to the Stratus jacket.
I really like the mountain pant and jacket and will be using them this spring for turkey hunting.
The removeable knee pads are also a great option.

 

[ddd-shooter]

I use both Sitka and first lite. I use first light corrugates for most of the season, and switch to Stratus pants once it gets super cold. For outer layers, you WILL NOT beat the wind stopper in Sitka. I have the fanatic and Stratus set and it pays for itself quickly!

For layers and warm weather, I love the first lite merino. The wick is a great shirt for early archery and later for layering. If I were recommending a pant, I'd say get the new corrugates and pair them with a good baselayer. When it gets cold, use the bibs over the corrugates.

 

[msal]

I use both Sitka and first lite. I use first light corrugates for most of the season, and switch to Stratus pants once it gets super cold. For outer layers, you WILL NOT beat the wind stopper in Sitka. I have the fanatic and Stratus set and it pays for itself quickly!

For layers and warm weather, I love the first lite merino. The wick is a great shirt for early archery and later for layering. If I were recommending a pant, I'd say get the new corrugates and pair them with a good baselayer. When it gets cold, use the bibs over the corrugates.

How do you find the noise on the corrugates? This was one reason I was leaning obsidian. Also the FL vids make it sound like the obsidians can handle a wider temp range. I noticed in (Jordan? Morgan?) one review video it was mentioned that she uses the obsidians for warm weather and the corrugates for moderate, which is the opposite of what I thought though. Also the side zips are a nice feature on the corrugates since you can wear a baselayer but then dump heat if necessary. If noise was similar I would probably go corrugate because of the durability and heat dumping.

I went to kittery trading post and cabela's this afternoon. Tried on the cabela's stand hunter stuff and the pants were about 6" too long and super baggy. Neither had a good sitka selection really.

I'm probably going to pull the trigger on obsidian foundry pants once they release along with the kiln hoody and layer under/over them with what I have as necessary. I think I am coming to peace with the fact that I will need more layers but would like to see what FL will release in the summer first, and I think I will still use these 2 pieces in some way going forward...

 

[ddd-shooter]

I noticed the corrugates made a little noise inside the house. Walked outside, noise gone. Hunted a long time in them in all environments. No noticeable noise.
I'd get the corrugates personally because of durability, but maybe with the obsidian foundry they fixed those issues.

 

[msal]

I noticed the corrugates made a little noise inside the house. Walked outside, noise gone. Hunted a long time in them in all environments. No noticeable noise.
I'd get the corrugates personally because of durability, but maybe with the obsidian foundry they fixed those issues.

I ended up ordering the obsidian foundry, they just came out today. It seems like they're a cross between the two, e.g. there is now corrugate material from the knee down I think in front and the wool blend in back. I picked that and the kiln hoody up. I figure I can layer the kiln under my soft shell zipout (part of my existing jacket) for now, and layer my existing REI stuff underneath that and the pants if necessary. I will be taking another look at the catalyst set in the summer probably, but this should be a good start! Thanks again everyone for listening to my indecisiveness.