First Lite developing competitor for Sitka Ambient?

Picked one of these up, I’ll probably keep it but I dont think its exactly what I want. What I wanted was a more fitted midlayer/outerlayer that breathes extremely well with very wide temperature versatility. Havent really put it thru its paces, but from wearing around the yard doing some chores, this is a bit heavier, seems it’ll really be too warm if youre moving much unless its down in the teens or colder, especially for a pullover. This is sort of like a really heavyweight sweatshirt in warmth, so I may use it as an outer or mid layer bow hunting in cold wx, but its not what Id consider “active insulation” weight.
Also the fit is REALLY boxy in the body if you are thin. I’m 6’3” 195, I wear a large tall or an XL in order to get sleeves long enough and enough width across the shoulders. FL customer service told me this piece fit slimmer than some of their others and to get the xl…they were wrong, if anything it may be even more boxy than normal for them. Body is quite a bit too large, sleeves are slim, and its less generous across the shoulders than Id prefer. Id say it’ll fit well for a thicker physique with thin arms, but if youre tall and lean look elsewhere.
 

Here is a cheap but comparable one. I ordered one but haven't received it yet. Love my Sika but not the price.
I just ordered one of these fir $50...have you received yours? Tested it out?
 
I just ordered one of these fir $50...have you received yours? Tested it out?
I’ve had mine for a bit. Used it for 9 days in Idaho this spring. I’m happy with it for the price but don’t have any other similar pieces to compare it to.

Size up for sure. I’m a medium in almost every jacket but large in this one.
 
I tried a FL Navigator on at Scheels and it didn’t blow me away. I’m in the market for an active insulator jacket and was hoping this was it.

Pros - The insulation seems close enough to Polartech Alpha that is should be very comparable in performance. The shell material seems to be an appropriate trade off of weight and durability. The colors are good. The kangaroo pocket is insulated.

Cons - The fit is incredibly boxy. I’m an athletic 6’, 175 and the medium was very constricting because there is no stretch built in to the coat. A large looked like it was from their maternity line. The hood is goofy because of the flat panel at the top. I would vastly prefer a full zip for changing layers in the field but that is just personal preference, but I can also see where the kangaroo pocket would be nice to warm hands and stash things.

The hems and wrist cuffs are about what you would expect at the price point.

Edited for clarity.
 
I tried one on at Scheels and it didn’t blow me away. I’m in the market for an active insulator jacket and was hoping this was it.

Pros - The insulation seems close enough to Polartech Alpha that is should be very comparable in performance. The shell material seems to be an appropriate trade off of weight and durability. The colors are good. The kangaroo pocket is insulated.

Cons - The fit is incredibly boxy. I’m an athletic 6’, 175 and the medium was very constricting because there is no stretch built in to the coat. A large looked like it was from their maternity line. The hood is goofy because of the flat panel at the top. I would vastly prefer a full zip for changing layers in the field but that is just personal preference, but I can also see where the kangaroo pocket would be nice to warm hands and stash things.

The hems and wrist cuffs are about what you would expect at the price point.
Acuta or first lite? Wasnt clear to me which you were referring to.
 
Seems very similar, fabric face weight on the FL seems thicker but is woven in the same way as the Ambient/MDWi. Overall I really like it but wish it was a full zip. It’s a touch heavy at 12.6 oz for a large. As for boxy, it fits me and I don’t see a big difference in fit between the 3 below.

Left is Ambient, middle First Lite Navigator, right is MDWi.

View attachment 863001

Hard to see the similar weave pattern (grid structure), but here is MDWi - First Lite. Overall it feels like the FL piece would be more durable.


View attachment 863002

Lastly, to confirm it is an exposed insulation type and not a lofted Sherpa type, you can see the attachment method here. Looks exactly like the Sitka/MDWi.

View attachment 863003

I will get a couple more when Fusion and Cerca are released just because I like those patterns and these types of garments. But again, it’ll take a full zip version to make me eliminate use of the Sitka versions. I also can’t comment on warmth because it’s 90* here already, however I tend to like the lower gram insulation of the MDWi so I fear the FL piece may be too warm for most uses for me.
I just received the FL Navigator and the Sitka 100 Ambient. I concur with the above post for the most part. My observations in the house (no field use)…

Insulations is very Similar in texture and thickness. I know they are different types/brands of Insulation but look similar on the feel/eye test. The Ambient insulation is a little softer if that matters to you.

Fit is fine on both (I am a XL, 6’ 1” 220 lbs) but the FL is a bit roomer down the sides under the armpits to the waist line. I guess that’s why some are referring to it being “boxy”. Not enough to matter to me though, thinner guys may notice. Sitka has an elastic hem all the way around the waist line, FL just on the back half of the waist line.

Hoods are similar. Sitka goes just below bottom lip zip all the way up, FL just below chin. FL would better for anchoring to the face on an archery shot for that reason. Sitka has elastic hem all the around the face of the hood. FL elastic hem 3/4 around, they left the hem off where a hat brim would be. No noticeable function difference between the 2 though.

Both feel equally as warm the little time I wore them in the house.

Outside fabric looks and feels virtually the same to me. Sitka is full zip with separate UNC pockets and a chest pocket. FL is a half zip pull over with a kangaroo pocket and no chest pocket.

I like the 100 weight of these 2 pieces. I have an older Sitka Ambient 150 I can stack on top of the 100 weight to achieve a 250ish weight for static sits in the tree stand.
 
Is it the same type inner insulation (fleece)? That’s my only issue with the ambient. It seems to pull thru the arm hole and roll the fleece out when I put it on…not a huge deal but can be annoying. Otherwise, I love my ambient!


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