Help Build My First Camo System / Kit - Sitka vs First Lite

[ChurchAl]

Saving up for a complete camo clothing system/kit. I mainly hunt Whitetail in the Upper Midwest, but also do some hunting out west for Mule Deer, Elk, and Antelope. Temperature ranges from 10 degrees to 85-90 degrees and plenty of rain, wind, and snow.

I’m looking for full kit/system suggestions (jacket, bibs, pants, base layers, coat, lighter wear, gloves, hat, mask, rain gear, etc) - a sentence about why you’d pick each piece would be greatly appreciated! I am planning on spending around $1500-$2000.

Trying to stick with one camo pattern, but with pieces for all purposes. The patterns I’m currently considering are First Lite Fushion, First Lite Cipher, Sitka SubAlpine, or Sitka EVII.

I’ve done a lot of research, but I’m mostly able to find reviews on individual pieces as opposed to how the pieces work with the kit overall. Thanks for your help!


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[toadmeister]

Pattern smattern. Mix and match the best pieces of Sitka, FL, Kuiu, Cabelas or other brand.


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[Gman12]

I agree that there are some good stuff from many manufacturers and I have a hodge podge of Kuiu, FL, Sitka, Cabelas. I personally don't care if my pants have a different camo pattern than my jacket but everyone is different. Based on what I have, if I were to start over, the first piece that I would buy is the FL Furnace top. It is the warmest for the weight garment that I own. I use it for deer and duck hunting at home in Virginia and cool Sept mornings out west while elk hunting. It is incredibly warm and comfortable. I wear it any time I'm outdoors and it is really cold. Highly recommended.

 

[Catskill.Joe]

I second the hodge podge. I have lower cost merino base layers. Some of the FL base layers are nice though. My rain shells are sitka, my insulating layers are FL. Just get what you can, cheapest.

 

[ChurchAl]

To clarify, I’m not opposed to mix matching patterns and have been ever since I began hunting.

When I’m looking to buy a full system at once, why wouldn’t I buy it all matching?


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[Beckjhong]

“System” sells you on the marketing. Buy pieces based on your needs and what works for you.

 

[HaydenLane]

To clarify, I’m not opposed to mix matching patterns and have been ever since I began hunting.

When I’m looking to buy a full system at once, why wouldn’t I buy it all matching?


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Two reasons to completely disregard pattern and get whatever fits your needs/budget best:

1. Every company has its own strengths and weaknesses

2. Camo is generally highly overrated

 

[SecretSpot]

Go for solids, camo is overrated and cant be worn casually. I have a ton of camo pieces and wish I had come to that conclusion 3000$ ago

 

[Okhotnik]

I agree that there are some good stuff from many manufacturers and I have a hodge podge of Kuiu, FL, Sitka, Cabelas. I personally don't care if my pants have a different camo pattern than my jacket but everyone is different. Based on what I have, if I were to start over, the first piece that I would buy is the FL Furnace top. It is the warmest for the weight garment that I own. I use it for deer and duck hunting at home in Virginia and cool Sept mornings out west while elk hunting. It is incredibly warm and comfortable. I wear it any time I'm outdoors and it is really cold. Highly recommended.

instagram cares though

 

[Scooter90254]

Another vote for mix and match. Get whatever is the best deal.

As mainly a whitetail hunter I on purpose do not match my camo. It’s help break your outline if you wearing two different patterns. It doesn’t matter for elk. They are stupid compared to Midwest whitetails.

Look at FL for your base layers. Then whatever you can get on sale for the outer layers.

Just remember anything from Sitka will have a 40% retail mark up. It’s way over priced unless you catch the sales.

 

[Pezboat]

I don’t know, man... I’ve been wearing Kuiu, Sitka, and FL this past whitetail season and this current turkey season. Was skunked last year. Haven’t seen a turkey thus far. 90% sure it’s the bad ju-ju from conflicting camos. You’ve been warned.

 

[Southernhunters]

I wear Kuiu....always hated feeling like a damn Eskimo when it was really cold, which is why I wanted something extremely lightweight with no bulk. It works great for me and I’ve been pleased with with the quality of everything I’ve worn so far, extremely durable which is also a huge plus for me!

I know that’s not Sitka or FL, buts it’s my few sentences on what I wear and why.


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[HaydenLane]

Look at FL for your base layers. Then whatever you can get on sale for the outer layers.

Just remember anything from Sitka will have a 40% retail mark up. It’s way over priced unless you catch the sales.

It’s more than that. 50% is basically standard retail markup on all clothing (performance/tech included), sometimes closer to 60%.

Absolutely agree on first lite baselayers, they’re the best I’ve found. That said, I won’t hesitate to buy more black ovis merino when it hits camofire for 40% off again. Great for the price.

 

[H80Hunter]

Layering PIeces:

FL Wick Crew and Fuse Long John bottoms
FL Kiln Hoody or Sitka Apex Hoody
Cheap Grid Fleece (I have a Condor Level 2 Crew I like from Amazon for $25)
Sitka Celsius Midi or Kuiu Kenai puffy

FL Obsidian or Corrugate Pants depending on your needs on quieter vs more durable OR Sitka Apex pants
First Lite Solitude Bibs (Perfect weight for mid season)
FL Catalyst Jacket (I wear mine with any/all of the above pieces depending on conditions and then the bibs)

Sitka Fanatic Bibs/Jacket (The vest is incredible too but expensive for what it is)

I don't have much experience with rain gear so I'll punt on that. You probably won't find something you like that will fit properly under normal conditions AND over the fanatic so you'll have to figure out how to thread that needle.

I don't know how I did on budget but I think you cover a lot of situations with what I've got. If anything is on the chopping block, skip the Solitude bibs and get the furnace bottoms for under your pants.

 

[ChurchAl]

Layering PIeces:

FL Wick Crew and Fuse Long John bottoms
FL Kiln Hoody or Sitka Apex Hoody
Cheap Grid Fleece (I have a Condor Level 2 Crew I like from Amazon for $25)
Sitka Celsius Midi or Kuiu Kenai puffy

FL Obsidian or Corrugate Pants depending on your needs on quieter vs more durable OR Sitka Apex pants
First Lite Solitude Bibs (Perfect weight for mid season)
FL Catalyst Jacket (I wear mine with any/all of the above pieces depending on conditions and then the bibs)

Sitka Fanatic Bibs/Jacket (The vest is incredible too but expensive for what it is)

I don't have much experience with rain gear so I'll punt on that. You probably won't find something you like that will fit properly under normal conditions AND over the fanatic so you'll have to figure out how to thread that needle.

I don't know how I did on budget but I think you cover a lot of situations with what I've got. If anything is on the chopping block, skip the Solitude bibs and get the furnace bottoms for under your pants.

This is exactly the details I was looking for, thanks a ton!!!


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[GetWestern]

I agree on getting solids unless you bow hunt a lot more. I bought a full Sitka line in open country and it’s done me well from single digits to the summer scouting months. The two pieces of clothing that stands out to me are the timeberline pants and the core heavy weight hoodie. I just mainly mule deer hunt so this system may not be ideal for whitetail but a few pieces in here are very universal.

- Sitka core light weight t shirt
- Sitka core light weight hoodie
- Sitka heavy weight hoodie
- Sitka kelvin puffy jacket
- Sitka jet stream jacket
- Sitka thunder head jacket and pants
- Sitka timberline pant
- Sitka core heavy weight bottom

Wish I had more experience with other brands like FL or Kuiu but I’ve never had the urge to change anything cause what I run works well. Many good recommendations people have said on here good luck.

 

[KHNC]

Go check out Pnuma gear. Quality gear as good as ANY. Customer service is unmatched.

 

[Titan_Bow]

Your "system" shouldn't be dictated by a company, but rather by features, fabrics, etc. some put price in there as well, me included.

Building a layering system is not rocket science, and when you spend a lot of time in the more arid western states, where temperatures swing drastically, your exertion needs change a lot (climbing 1K feet versus sitting and glassing) and humidity is usually pretty low, then it becomes a little more self evident.

Base Layer: Merino or Merino blend has been my favorite. All the big hunting manufacturers seem to offer them. I like a hoody base layer top, because it doubles most often as my single upper layer throughout the day. The hood is great for added concealment and for a little added warmth. Check sierra trading post or the like, just search merino, and usually can find high quality base layers for half the price of the big hunting brands. Also Camofire routinely has black ovis base layers, which are every bit as good as anything else out there. Kuiu's zip off bottoms are my favorite bottoms though.

Mid Layer: I usually rock a fleece here of some sort. I've ran an Arcteryx fleece, a Kryptek Cronos hoodie, even wool -flannel shirts. I like a grid fleece tighter fitting hoodie when I am in the mountains though. For pants, I usually wear Prana Zions, because they are typically half price of Kuiu attacks and the like, and every bit as functional. I try different things here occasionally, but usually come back to the Zions.

Insulating Layer: a puffy.. Dont need to overthink this one really. A good puffy is a good puffy. Sure, there are some differences in the higher end ones, and every brand is going to throw marketing hype for why there's is better. There may be different environments where certain features shine however. If its going to be colder, a higher loft quality down puffy is good. If its going to be really wet and rainy, might want to think about a synthetic, or even a thicker wool layering piece. Let conditions dictate mainly.

Outer Layer: Again, let conditions dictate to a degree. If your use is going to be on Kodiak or the PNW, you probably want the best quality waterproof here you can get or afford. If you are elk hunting Colorado, your outer layer is much more likely to serve as wind protection. I've used Kuiu Chugach, Kryptek Koldo, OR Foray, Marmot Precip, and REI brand goretex jackets, all have served this purpose well for me here in Colorado. When its really cold or late season, I will use my Kryptek Vellus as an additional insulating layer as well as my outer layer.


When you approach it from this perspective though: Base, Mid, Insulating, Outer then you can start to tailor a "system" to fit your specific needs, your specific wants, and the terrain and environment you are spending most of your time in.

 

[Okhotnik]

I don’t know, man... I’ve been wearing Kuiu, Sitka, and FL this past whitetail season and this current turkey season. Was skunked last year. Haven’t seen a turkey thus far. 90% sure it’s the bad ju-ju from conflicting camos. You’ve been warned.

fashion faux pas. -no bueno when hunting!

 

[toadmeister]

I don’t know, man... I’ve been wearing Kuiu, Sitka, and FL this past whitetail season and this current turkey season. Was skunked last year. Haven’t seen a turkey thus far. 90% sure it’s the bad ju-ju from conflicting camos. You’ve been warned.

You know what they call matching camo?

A uniform.

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