Deer Hunting Jacket for Illinois

[Holtamania]

I am in need of some wisdom. I went bow hunting in Illinois last year and froze. I wore Kuiu merino wool base layer 125, Kuiu merino 145 zip, Sitka Fanatic hoody, Arcteryx Cerium, and Kuiu Guide Jacket. I wore back warmers while hunting too. The temps were between 40-20 degrees and it was moderately windy the entire time. Is there something that I could get that would insulate better? I've toyed with buying the First Lite Sanctuary Jacket or the Sitka Fanatic Jacket. I am going to get some heavier merino bottoms, so I think that will help too. Please any and all suggestions are welcome.

 

[Skeeter]

IMO the Guide jacket is the weak link in your stand hunting setup. It’s a great jacket if you are moving some, but not great at blocking wind if sitting still in cold weather for long periods. The Yukon (overtop a puffy) is a better outer for blocking wind, but a bit noisy for bow hunting. You also want to make sure your outer layer isn’t compressing your puffy. I have a lot of Kuiu clothing and really like it depending on the temps and type of hunting I’m doing. The FL Sanctuary you mention is warm and quite, and I use it often when stand hunting.

 

[KChunter71]

Guide jacket is active wear. It don’t block the wind enough close to freezing. I bought the sanctity set for stand sitting for 35 deg and below. Don’t walk in with it on, sweating, and that set dont like thorns

 

[Ac338]

I really like the Sitka fanatic and incinerator jackets(don't own but tried them on) I ultimately decided on the IWOM XT and couldn't be happier. I walk in with prana pants and wick or kiln bottoms and on top I run a 150 smartwool with kiln hoody then put the iwom on in stand once hung. This is in Northern MI and I haven't left the stand due to being cold since.

 

[Midwestwaterfowl]

Unfortunately it’s discontinued, but the first lite Woodbury is the best coat I’ve used. I wear it all the time from November to January huntin deer and ducks in Illinois. They pop up occasionally in the classifieds here. I’m always looking for one in my size for a backup in case something happens to mine.

 

[Superdoo]

I really like the Sitka fanatic and incinerator jackets(don't own but tried them on) I ultimately decided on the IWOM XT and couldn't be happier. I walk in with prana pants and wick or kiln bottoms and on top I run a 150 smartwool with kiln hoody then put the iwom on in stand once hung. This is in Northern MI and I haven't left the stand due to being cold since.

I hadn’t heard of the IWOM before. It’s a neat product.

 

[Bigboone1988]

I would try out the sitka finatic, FL sanctuary, or FL solitude.

 

[RemiR7]

I’m f Live and hunt in west central Illinois. I’m out from the time season starts until the last day regardless of temps. 20-40 temps I would assume you were here during November as that’s when most people hunt anyways. I ran UA wool top/bottoms, fanatic hoody then the stratus vest with just the stratus pants in those temps. Once it hit mid-late November and temps got below 35 I’d throw the stratus jacket on. That system is bombproof and is cheaper than the fanatic series and incinerator stuff. It has built in windstopper and I tried it out on one of my stands that’s in an open crp/small pine field in 30+mph winds and I was great. I highly suggest that line up, and for what it’s worth I always told myself I’d never spend the money on Sitka. Well it’s worth it.

 

[Kurts86]

A great way to freeze eastern deer hunting is wearing high quality western hunting gear designed for active hunting at ground level.

When I deer hunted NW IL I would wear similar base layers to what you mentioned but with the Sitka stratus jacket instead of a softshell like the guide jacket. That would get me down to the mid 20’s before I needed to add bibs of some type.

The Sitka fanatic and stratus series are a great way to stay warm while stand hunting as are are the similar Whitetail specific pieces from First Lite. Definitely pay attention to boot insulation as well, but you need that wind stopper type jacket and pants to stay warm in a treestand.

 

[Vids]

I live and hunt in CO, and hunt IL every November. What some of the folks said above is correct, you don't want active wear as your outer layer. Learned that the hard way about 10 years ago. The key is to have an absolute wind blocker as your outer layer, and then insulate under that.

My gear is unconventional, I am not a high end clothing whore by any stretch of the imagination. The magic formula for me has been a RedHead Raincoat as an outer layer, my LLBean ski jacket liner as a puffy underneath (with 4-5 layers of merino/poly insulating layers under that) and for my legs I have merino long underwear, Sitka Timberlines, and then heavy duty windproof and insulated bibs over that.

I know what that damp 40 degree cold feels like, LOL. With any wind it can be brutal. I have recently brought in the Randy Newberg lined wool leather mittens and reenlisted my Grandpa's heavily insulated orange leather hat that my 78 year old Mom recently sewed some new chin straps on for me. I wouldn't trade that hat for the world, for warmth and other reasons.

 

[Holtamania]

Thank you all for your responses, I really appreciate it!

I am seriously looking at the First Lite Sanctuary jacket and bibs. I think the Fanatic jacket and bibs would cost too much for me at this current time.

I know I am not comparing apples to apples but what would be better, the Sitka Stratus setup or the FL Sanctuary setup? Both seem around the same price, and I am aware that the Stratus does not have any insulation but has the windstop. While the Sanctuary has insulation it doesn't necessarily have windstop.

 

[Jdhunttrapfish]

I have the sanctuary jacket and bibs and I think the wind cuts through if its breezy out, I'm going to layer some kind of wind shirt under my sanctuary this year and I think that will be the ticket, other than the wind cutting through the layout and fit of the sanctuary set is awesome imo

 

[Dries]

I like the Sitka Pieces just due to Wind stopper alone. White tail pieces need the Windblock in them. I have worn plenty of pieces without it.
If First Lite would ever put a wind blocker in their pieces it would be gold!!


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[cuttiebrownbow]

IWOM I think would be awesome for cold weather hunts and would be much cheaper than any of these sets.

The first lite sanctuary is a lot more quiet, more comfortable and a better cut than the fanatic. Only advantage to the fanatic is the wind blocker but I think a wind shirt under the sanctuary would be nice and keep you feeling nice and warm in the wind.

The stratus and the fanatic are both ‘noisy’ IMO for whitetail gear where the FL gear is quieter.


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[MillCreekMike]

You're trying to use active mountain gear for seditary tree stand hunting. It's not made for that!

 

[arrowsender]

I live in IL. For me, the first thing is I carry my extra layers to the stand so I don't sweat. Then I wear a light base layer, a heavy base layer, Cadog jacket (Windstopper layer), then Kifaru puffy (awesome peice but a little loud). If it gets in the 20s I'll add another hoody under the jacket.

 

[Superdoo]

I live in IL. For me, the first thing is I carry my extra layers to the stand so I don't sweat. Then I wear a light base layer, a heavy base layer, Cadog jacket (Windstopper layer), then Kifaru puffy (awesome peice but a little loud). If it gets in the 20s I'll add another hoody under the jacket.

Wouldn't you want to put the windstop layer over your puffy? You want to keep the insulation out of the wind in order to hold the most heat.

 

[Ghetto]

I live and hunt in CO, and hunt IL every November. What some of the folks said above is correct, you don't want active wear as your outer layer. Learned that the hard way about 10 years ago. The key is to have an absolute wind blocker as your outer layer, and then insulate under that.

My gear is unconventional, I am not a high end clothing whore by any stretch of the imagination. The magic formula for me has been a RedHead Raincoat as an outer layer, my LLBean ski jacket liner as a puffy underneath (with 4-5 layers of merino/poly insulating layers under that) and for my legs I have merino long underwear, Sitka Timberlines, and then heavy duty windproof and insulated bibs over that.

I know what that damp 40 degree cold feels like, LOL. With any wind it can be brutal. I have recently brought in the Randy Newberg lined wool leather mittens and reenlisted my Grandpa's heavily insulated orange leather hat that my 78 year old Mom recently sewed some new chin straps on for me. I wouldn't trade that hat for the world, for warmth and other reasons.

Which Redhead Jacket?

 

[Vids]

Which Redhead Jacket?

Redhead Squaltex. Mine's an older version from about 12-13 years ago, it doesn't have the fancy scent blocking stuff. I bought it after I learned the difference between water resistant and waterproof the hard way on a turkey hunt. The squaltex is not fancy in any way compared to high end hunting wear, but it has two things which I really like. It has a brushed fabric on the outside so it's quiet, and it's waterproof. I've never been a big fan of Sitka and Kuiu's rain jackets, they seem very noisy and not worth hundreds of dollars compared to mine. It has worked well for mountain hunting as a rain jacket, and for whitetail hunting to block wind and rain.

 

[sneaky]

Thank you all for your responses, I really appreciate it!

I am seriously looking at the First Lite Sanctuary jacket and bibs. I think the Fanatic jacket and bibs would cost too much for me at this current time.

I know I am not comparing apples to apples but what would be better, the Sitka Stratus setup or the FL Sanctuary setup? Both seem around the same price, and I am aware that the Stratus does not have any insulation but has the windstop. While the Sanctuary has insulation it doesn't necessarily have windstop.

Stratus will be more versatile than the Sanctuary set. You can adapt it for warmer or colder temps. The Sanctuary is a cold weather only setup. The Fanatic jacket if you just want a dedicated cold weather coat. Worth every penny.

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