Any of the big hunting gear companies are pretty equivalent in my opinion. Sitka, first lite, kuiu, SG. Kind of a ford vs Chevy situation with folks. I have gear from them all and have my preferences as well. I’m not brand loyal at all. My do-all kit for anything from 80° to 0° is pretty similar. I just add/subtract/sub based on conditions. Play around, try stuff on, take everyone’s preferences into consideration and build what works for YOU. My favorite base layers are hands down Sitka’s core system, light, medium and heavy. I’d suggest getting a light and a heavy to cover everything. In really cold temps, I wear the light and the heavy together. The light NEVER comes off. This will cover you for anything base layer. Base layer bottoms, I go with wool so it doesn’t stink on a long hunt. I run the FL game bag underwear (most comfortable underwear I’ve ever had), and for cold temps I’ll wear the kiln long underwear over those. For pants, I have some from every company and my favorites are the stone glacier de haviland. They are a little bit louder than others, but the adjustable fit design, pocket locations and toughness set them apart from my mountain or timberline pants. For active insulation I run a Patagonia nano-air over my base layer(s). Keeps me warm but also doesn’t sweat out on chilled hikes with a pack, and it balls up super small if i want to stick it in my pants pocket during long hikes. Over that I’ll run my shell, I love my Sitka jet stream, but any of the companies make an excellent shell. The most important thing for me in a shell is it has to be wind proof. This allows me to skip a wind layer, and the Jetstream has some good insulation and DWR to boot. For cool, not cold temps I run FL brooks down sweater over my shell for glassing, colder temps down to freezing I go with Sitka Kelvin down hoodie (SG Grumman down jacket would be comparable), for below freezing I go with a sleeping bag with arms…my go to is the Sitka kelvin WS hoodie. For even a little warmer you could go FL chamberlain. The WS doesn’t come in a solid but it has a wind proof layer built in which I love. Over everything, if it rains I bring Sitka’s dew point rain gear. It’s been bomb proof in Alaska so far and is the most packable 3 layer rain gear I’ve found. I don’t have a ton of experience with Kuiu but have buddies that love it. But, most have gotten away from their puffies. From what I’ve seen, they lack the warmth for really cold temps…and I’ve seen them rip more than the other big brands.
That’s my system in a nut shell not going into gloves and all that. A shell with WS is the Swiss Army knife for any kit I think. I’ve had great luck with the jet stream and it comes in all kinds of solids. All my shit is mixed camo patterns, with a lot of solids. I think this just helps break up my outline even more, and if you go all solids…I think having different earth tones and greys help break it up as well. It’s all just different shades of grey to the critters. I’d rather wear the gear I think is best (for me) than look pretty with all one camo pattern.
My system isn’t perfect, and I’m always trying new shit to improve it. Hope you can take something out if it though. Again, ANY of the big companies are going to make comparable gear that works really well. Don’t be afraid to get out of the hunting box either. I haven’t found a piece from a hunting brand that touches my Patagonia active insulation…nano-air, R1, etc.
