Clothing Question

[Hondo]

I find that surprising as I follow FL on Instagram and haven't seen anything remotely political other than an American flag in a photo.

I think that if you are going to claim that First Lite is making SJ statements on social media that are somehow not in the best interest of hunters you should provide a link or at least be much more specific.

 

[Honyock]

Personally, I do not like the fit of the FL but that doesn't necessarily mean it's bad. Also it seems like sizing is all over the place. I normally wear a medium and some of their mediums fit like smalls and others are what I would consider a large+. Switched over to Kuiu a few years back and won't be buying FL unless it's their merino. Kuiu fits my body a lot better.

 

[boatloader]

Too many bad anecdotes for my liking... That will be a hard pass from me for the time being. Thanks for all the feedback. Almost got caught up in the hype

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[d_rek]

Too many bad anecdotes for my liking... That will be a hard pass from me for the time being. Thanks for all the feedback. Almost got caught up in the hype

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Eh. Plenty of people that wear it and love it and have no issues with performance. Wouldn’t call it “hype” - no more than what you get from other high end hunting brands. But now you have more information than you did before, and can spend your dollars in a more informed way. Personally I would love to experiment with Sitka but digital patterns just aren’t my thing. I might try hunting in some of their solids though.


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[Brettski]

I have found the same weird sizing issues with FL and never put any of there stuff in dryer


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[TheGDog]

They do make neat gear for hot weather. But the shirt in that combo... indeed was poor quality. Color was not very color-fast. 2 washings and very washed out looking. Several odd tears forming on the back of it presumably from the shoulder straps on pack exerting pressure there? And I always wash hunting gear in cold and hang dry.


I love their suspenders though! Did soo much to help with a soreness issue on my tailbone. hipbelt on pack was pushing my pants waist-belt and grinding it into my area of old-injury. Their suspenders are light, simple, and a 1000 times better closure idea than those stupid clasp type.

 

[Jdutton24]

I bought all FL stuff last year. Loved the fit, feel and looks of it all. The solitude bibs were like an old glove and fit so well. The suspender straps on the bibs are fantastic! Fusion is by far my fav camo and its awesome! Merino wool base layers feel great and not itchy at all. Was super stoked and first day in the stand with my set up and with it being in the 40s with about 10mph wind and bam! froze my ass off. I was so bummed! Wind cut through like I was wearing just base layers. The bibs did nothing at all do curb the wind. I tried different combinations to cut wind but nothing ever truly helped the bibs out. The solitude jacket did ok it seemed but it seemed way to bulky for the amount of warmth it provided. So I sat down this off season and re-evaluated. While i didnt have any QC issues, for me its absolutely amazing to market a system for whitetail treestand hunting and not have any windstopping layers. I mean that should be number 1 on the list. I mean most whitetail hunting is stand or still hunting.

So I decided that it was pretty much useless to me even though i loved the fit feel and looks of it. So I sold the bibs and jacket and got both the stratus and fanatic bibs and jacket this year. I feel confident in at least not being cold at all. I dont care for the elevated camo at all but I came to terms with the fact that camo is more for hunters but for me it does instill some confidence. Performance has to be number 1 and sitka definitely hits all those checkmarks. The little things like the magnetic collar on the fanatic jacket so that its not in your face (but can be if desired). Pocket layout is just as good if not better that FL. I feel very confident that i will be able to be comfortable this year after freezing almost every hunt last year when the sun started to set especially.

I emailed FL and begged them to put windlayers in the whitetail line and they replied back quickly that they were already working on that and hope to have more info soon but the more people emailing them they better they will know what they need to do! I think they are a good company who have fallen short in areas but deserve the chance to prove they can fix it. I think everyone needs to email them and tell them.

 

[Shadow14]

I personally have not had any performance issues with First Lite. I wear my Klamath Hoody all the time and the sizing is perfect for me. I love the fusion pattern but never wear the same pattern pants as shirt as I belive it defeats the purpose of breaking up your outline.
My setup is Sitka Hanger Pants (they handle briars and thick stuff well and are breathable/comfortable), Klamath Hoody, Sitka jetstream vest, and then the woodburry jacket. The Jetstream vest acts as a winbreaker and provides a little extra insulation. If its super cold, Ill throw on some long johns and an old wool sweater. I have been happy with this layering system and can add or remove layers to be comfortable all fall here in Georgia.

 

[Smid]

I struggle with sizing since I’m a weird “chubby athletic” build but I just ordered 5 pieces from first lite and they all for great. I really like the guide pants

 

[H80Hunter]

I’ve had a ton of first lite products and have always been happy with them.

 

[nettereo16]

Don't buy their boxers. Horrible!!! Fabric failed very quickly...

 

[d_rek]

Don't buy their boxers. Horrible!!! Fabric failed very quickly...

I have their wick boxers and I wear them daily for casual and hunting. In short they get a lot of mileage. These and smartwool are the best merino boxers on the market IMO. A couple other brands I have owned have all blown out at the crotch or developed holes eventually. These just have some pilling but no holes. I did read some of their older boxers had durability issues.

 

[SC MCG]

I've found that if you are on the shorter side, the fit is not great, not terrible, but the shirts/jackets are a little long. Shorter meaning 5/9 -5/10ish

 

[nettereo16]

I have their wick boxers and I wear them daily for casual and hunting. In short they get a lot of mileage. These and smartwool are the best merino boxers on the market IMO. A couple other brands I have owned have all blown out at the crotch or developed holes eventually. These just have some pilling but no holes. I did read some of their older boxers had durability issues.

Yup, mine are the old ones. I think Red Deserts. Crotch blew out of both pairs really quickly.

 

[Nillion]

I've found that if you are on the shorter side, the fit is not great, not terrible, but the shirts/jackets are a little long. Shorter meaning 5/9 -5/10ish

I could see that. I'm 6'4" and in XL First Lite seems like it's tailor made for me in regards to length. Sitka in comparison is far too short in torso and sleeve length unless I go with their tall sizes (which is not available in everything they make unfortunately).

 

[H80Hunter]

Too many bad anecdotes for my liking... That will be a hard pass from me for the time being. Thanks for all the feedback. Almost got caught up in the hype

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Even this thread, a magnet for complaints (NOT SAYING THEY AREN'T VALID) has over 4k views and only 94 posts, not all of which are negative. You can find negative reviews of literally anything and everything on the internet.

 

[HarryHunter]

Anyone see the new pattern?


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[Desk Jockey]

Only first lite thing I have had real problems with was there 1st gen rain wear. Mine HP shredded a few holes in the shoulder on the first time out When I barely scraped some thorns. Apart from that, I found the fit on their boxer uncomfortable and I blew the crouch out of a pair of kanabs, which they replaced Without an issue.

overall, I think they had some teething issues with their first gen stuff, but the more recent stuff fits better and refines some of the initial mistakes.