Is the Sitka Ambient a must have?

[Oregonhuntrboi]

I’m liking the Ambient more and more. Have used the 100 weight vest for over a year now in a variety of conditions and have nothing but good to say about the design.
I ordered the 100 weight hoody a while back and received the 200 wt jacket by mistake? I really like it and it is quite warm. Found a sale on the 100 hoody a bit later so snagged one of them after all.
I’m not ambivalent about the Ambient.

What’s your use case with the vest? I’ve tried the 75, 150, a marmot primaloft evolve (95), and the new outdoor vitals fleece and they have all been too hot for me in conditions Down to freezing whe combined with a shell. But don’t offer enough weather protection stand alone… my next step would be to try the vest.

 

[Fritz D]

Oregon,

My use case with the vest is over a base layer such as the Sitka core or old Patagonia ultralight capilene. I run pretty hot and find the vest sufficient insulation on the move down into the mid-twenties, perhaps? Of course this gets thrown out the window with anything over very light precipitation and/or winds of any note? In such circumstances I’ll throw a shell such as a Sitka Jetstream over everything and “ Charlie Mike” as they say.
I’ll often fine-tune this by using the pit zips on the shell as needed?
In conclusion I think the Ambient 100 gives me a great deal of flexibility when I’m on the move in the mountains.
One of the first threads I remember really reading closely when I joined Rokslide a few years ago was about the Sitka Ambient.(vest)

Edit: one thing I haven’t tried with the Ambient 100 is drying it out at night in my sleeping bag? I do that with socks and gloves frequently and I would imagine that that trick would work great with the Ambient?

 

[wnelson14]

Looks sweet. Is it an Evolve or Primaloft active?

Doesn’t say, it says:

• Super soft, lightweight brushed fleece liner for maximum comfort

 

[mtwarden]

Edit: one thing I haven’t tried with the Ambient 100 is drying it out at night in my sleeping bag? I do that with socks and gloves frequently and I would imagine that that trick would work great with the Ambient?

I've done that successfully w/ "naked" Alpha and the Ambient UL (discontinued). Both those pieces breathe better than the "regular" Ambient pieces, but it sure could work—just haven't tried it.

I use the Ambient vest very similarly to @Fritz D just use a lighter wind layer