Fins_N_Tines
WKR
I’m curious where the KUIU Strongfleece 260 fits in. It’s a great piece. The hood isn’t the best though. My guess is it will stack up warmth wise but not be as breathable.
What if you weighed the garment, soaked in water, hung in a room and compared the rate they “dried” vs their original weight?
Also curious why Sitka didn't include the Polygiene odor control on Ambient like they did on KAH.
Mike
I’m a first lite merino fan.
The 240 gram kiln top works well in cooler temps.
Lower elevation September hunts I’ll go with 150g lite top for my mid layer.
Agree with others merino dries much faster than other materials. I’ve tested many.
David
this is the same experience I have had as well. The only reason I still like merino is the funk factor. However, I'm at the point that after 2-3 days my core lt weight hoody will be stinky but I just don't care and keep hunting for 5 - 7 more days.My experience is the opposite. I find synthetic dries significantly quicker.
I still have merino base layers, but they see a lot less use.
Do you prefer the material of the full zip of the pullover better? I believe they're different correct?Can you toss in an Arcteryx Leaf Naga Hoody in full or pullover ? They have been my go to.
Do you prefer the material of the full zip of the pullover better? I believe they're different correct?
What if you weighed the garment, soaked in water, hung in a room and compared the rate they “dried” vs their original weight?
Agree. I think. The pullover fits tighter also.I like the full zip better. It’s straight Pontetorto fleece. The pullover has an insulation based chest with fleece sleeves. Still a solid garment, just never found a place for it.
A Sitka Ambient Hoody will officially be part of the shootout after receiving one today. Fit is perfect in size Large for my 5'11" 180-ish frame.Evolve sure looks like Alpha Direct, will be curious when I get my hands on one
The Marmot Alpha 60 is another jacket in that category. Seems to be well received and it’s older so it can usually be found for a pretty good price. I just picked one up for $100.Another vote for the Arc’teryx Proton FL if possible. The new revised version of the Proton FL is probably the closest thing on the market to the Sitka MDWi. It’s received great reviews already. Pretty crazy that there aren’t more options like these two on the market
He's got a few articles on Rokslide writing up the benefits.Wow... there's a lot of tech mentioned in this thread that sounds like a foreign language to me. When did I fall so far behind on layering systems?
@mtwarden what is the intended purpose of the mid layer in this testing?
I usually use a Peloton 200 hoody over a base layer, backed up by a puffy and a hard shell rain jacket. Am I understanding that some of these mid layers are more lofted, similar to a synthetic puffy? Always looking to up my game, but I am not sure I understand the difference between a thin fleece and an active insulation piece.
Wow... there's a lot of tech mentioned in this thread that sounds like a foreign language to me. When did I fall so far behind on layering systems?
@mtwarden what is the intended purpose of the mid layer in this testing?
I usually use a Peloton 200 hoody over a base layer, backed up by a puffy and a hard shell rain jacket. Am I understanding that some of these mid layers are more lofted, similar to a synthetic puffy? Always looking to up my game, but I am not sure I understand the difference between a thin fleece and an active insulation piece.
That's a rough stretch of heat in MT. Sorry to hear that. Would it help if I told you we finally snapped our two month streak of 99-105 degree heat here in TX?Sorry for the late response, for some reason not getting all of my notifications
Anywho- thin (to midnight) fleece serves the same role as the new active insulations out there- to provide warmth on the move, while breathing decently and drying quickly if they do get wet
Hopefully this shootout will shed some light on what garment is more efficient
I can tell you that without any testing fleece has a couple of things where they already win out- cost and durability; if your hunting area contains a lot of thick brush, thick timber, etc you can be less cautious with a fleece mid-layer than with these newer active insulations. Not saying they aren't durable, but aren't going to be as durable as a fleece garment.
BTW we've (central Montana) been in the low to upper 90's for the past six weeks straight- 45+ years of living here and have never seen it this warm, for so long. Here's hoping September treats us better than July and August.