I have never owned a piece of Sitka/Fulough/First Lite gear, it is probably all that, but I don't spend days out in the weather either. If I'm turkey hunting and it starts really raining, I'll head to the truck, wait until it quits, and hit them again. If it starts while deer hunting, I'll head to a shooting house, so your plan of attack while hunting may be different than mine. Now, if I'm duck hunting, all bets are off on the weather, I'm in it until I limit out or the ducks stop flying. I have a heavy extreme rain coat over waders for that mess. I have a frogg toggs for warmer weather and rain.
Get you a good outer layer (something that can protect you from most elements, even the old Cabelas stuff will do that off Ebay), buy some cheaper merino layers and layer them together, grab a few pendleton or old llbean or military wool pullovers maybe a good wool vest (ll bean, woolrich (oh yeah), filson) and some quality boots that fit your feet and some cheap 80-90% merino socks and go hunt. Grab some Frog Toggs raingear or some other stuff that will keep you dry and go have fun. If you're hiking a long way, you won't like frogg toggs, that stuff doesn't breath. You'll be soaking from sweat not the elements.
You can piece your Sitka stuff together as you go, plus have some other gear for a kid or grandkid that will come along after you. You could even use it for work times and leave your real hunting stuff packed away.
Now, you are reading from a man that has at least four 72 gallon totes worth of hunting clothing. Some of it I will never wear again, old cotton clothing from back in the day, synthetic base layers and pullovers (that stuff is just too sweaty for me I'm wringing with water after wearing this stuff), very thick wool socks (light merino is so much better for sweaty feet), stuff passed down from my dad, old jump suits for stand hunting (when it's really cold, you can't put enough on under these and still have good movement), I even have a couple jump suits from the 70's and 80's that guaranteed artic proof (forget that marketing), etc.
What I'm saying with that whole last paragraph, don't let someone else tell you what you need. Buy some stuff and test what you will need the way you want. Yep, you may spend more, but you will have stuff you will look back at later and laugh that you bought it, but reminisce about wearing it. You may like synthetics, I don't, I sweat and then freeze from the water on my body. I don't like thick socks, I've found even in the teens, two light merino socks is enough, because they move the water off my feet. A good vest is great for me, freeing my arms to move and swing. We've all learned cotton is great and cheap, until it's not, then it can be too late.
Now I may tick some Sitka guys off, they've probably done the same thing I did, but a bunch, then end up with the best stuff, but they found what they needed and worked for them before shelling out the money. The main point, what worked for them before buying. But...............you also see a lot of used gear out there, why, they didn't find what worked for them, they listened to .02 Joes off the internet like me to tell them what they needed. In all my totes, you probably won't find that I've spent much more than (1) Sitka jacket in all my clothing in all my years. Would I take one and try it, you betcha I would, I love looking for another layer.
