Sitka Ambient

[TOLeary]

Anyone have any other brand’s “active insulation” jackets that are similar to the ambient?

 

[cuerro viejo]

Free Alpha® Direct Jacket Men

The Free Alpha® Direct insulating jacket for men keeps you reliably warm, while its great breathability even on long, challenging climbs will also impress you. With this piece, the boundary between insulating jacket, fleece, and...

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[wnelson14]

Arcteryx Atom, Outdoor Vitals Ventum. Haven’t had the Sitka, both those are both advertised as active insulation.

 

[BCsteve]

Kuiu Kenai

 

[Clesh92]

Kuiu Kenai

What kind of experience do you have with this jacket?

 

[BCsteve]

What kind of experience do you have with this jacket?

I've had mine for a couple years, usually use it has an insulation piece under the Guide or Yukon jacket, not for true "mountain hunting" but seems to breath well.

 

[Clesh92]

I've had mine for a couple years, usually use it has an insulation piece under the Guide or Yukon jacket, not for true "mountain hunting" but seems to breath well.

Ok. I just picked up some pieces from Kuiu and that was one of them. I white tail hunt public land and am super active. I got the peloton LS 118 strongfleece 260 and the kenai jacket and pants. I have a nomad barrier jacket to put over the top if I need to.

 

[veganhunter]

The Arc'Teryx Proton FL is very similar, I have one and it's a great piece of active insulation. I have also the Atom LT and Proton LT. You can actually wear it for moving through the mountains unlike the Atom
I wear mine hunting, colder weather biking, and ski touring.

Breathability from least to most goes: Atom LT then Proton LT then Proton FL.

 

[TOLeary]

Most compatible product I’ve found is Patagonia’s nano site puffy. Less than an ounce lighter and same cfm (essentially breathability). It’s the same price so no point in going in patagonias direction imo but just noting it’s out there

 

[BoilerBowHunter]

The Arc'Teryx Proton FL is very similar, I have one and it's a great piece of active insulation. I have also the Atom LT and Proton LT. You can actually wear it for moving through the mountains unlike the Atom
I wear mine hunting, colder weather biking, and ski touring.

Breathability from least to most goes: Atom LT then Proton LT then Proton FL.

Have you compared any of the Arcteryx to the Ambient? The Atom LT seems perfect and it has the hood and pockets (Ambient collection is missing one or the other). Is the Ambient more robust in regards to the outer shell to where it would hold up better to hunting scenarios?

 

[veganhunter]

Yeah I have compared the two, the Atom LT is not remotely as breathable as the Ambient. It only has breathable stretch fleece panel on the side of the torso - the rest of the jacket is a standard short-staple synthetic fill. The Proton FL is the closest competitor from Arc'Teryx using the faceless Octa insulation (very much like PolarTec Alpha Direct). And the Proton LT splits the difference in breathability.

I'd say the Proton FL is closer to the Ambient hoody in terms of warmth and breathability. It's the least warm (most breathable) of the three Arc'Teryx pieces. It's not as warm as the Ambient jacket tho.

The Atom LT used to be the gold standard in the Active Insulation market - before Active Insulation was really a thing - until the Patagonia Nano Air came out (~2016 I think) but now there are much more breathable pieces and the Atom LT is mostly my around-town jacket.

IMO, the Proton LT is the goldilocks of the three - it's warmest and is adequetely breathable. The Proton FL is bar far the most breathable but least warm. Since I own all three though, my preferred set up is the Proton FL with a Patagonia Houdini over the top to cut the wind. Very versatile system

 

[BoilerBowHunter]

Yeah I have compared the two, the Atom LT is not remotely as breathable as the Ambient. It only has breathable stretch fleece panel on the side of the torso - the rest of the jacket is a standard short-staple synthetic fill. The Proton FL is the closest competitor from Arc'Teryx using the faceless Octa insulation (very much like PolarTec Alpha Direct). And the Proton LT splits the difference in breathability.

I'd say the Proton FL is closer to the Ambient hoody in terms of warmth and breathability. It's the least warm (most breathable) of the three Arc'Teryx pieces. It's not as warm as the Ambient jacket tho.

The Atom LT used to be the gold standard in the Active Insulation market - before Active Insulation was really a thing - until the Patagonia Nano Air came out (~2016 I think) but now there are much more breathable pieces and the Atom LT is mostly my around-town jacket.

IMO, the Proton LT is the goldilocks of the three - it's warmest and is adequetely breathable. The Proton FL is bar far the most breathable but least warm. Since I own all three though, my preferred set up is the Proton FL with a Patagonia Houdini over the top to cut the wind. Very versatile system

Great info. Thanks.

 

[BoilerBowHunter]

IMO, the Proton LT is the goldilocks of the three - it's warmest and is adequetely breathable. The Proton FL is bar far the most breathable but least warm. Since I own all three though, my preferred set up is the Proton FL with a Patagonia Houdini over the top to cut the wind. Very versatile system

One more question since you seem to have a pretty dialed in setup - why use the Houdini instead of a rain shell? Assuming it’s more breathable? Seems like the rain shell would mean one less thing to pack. I have limited experience with this stuff, so could be an ignorant question.

 

[veganhunter]

No, it's a totally fair question. A windshirt and rain shell can seem redundant at first. I carry it in addition to a rain shell (it weighs 4 ounces). For a couple of reasons:
1. It's much more breathable than pretty much all rain gear. Which means it's not nearly as warm so I can hike with the Houdini on in cold/windy weather but certainly can't with the rain shell over the Proton.
2. I just stuff it in my hip pocket and I'm donning/doffing it multiple times per day
3. I want to keep my rain shell for when it's actually raining. I don't want my $400 shell getting trashed from daily use and becoming compromised when I really need it.

Interestingly enough, John Barklow from Sitka seems to have a similar opinion to me, you can read a bit more of his thought process here where he talks about his 8-piece clothing kit. A couple of highlights from his blog that align with my logic:
"It’s a layer we carry because no other layer will work during persistent precipitation." Regarding a rain shell
"Rain gear needs maintenance more than any other layer to work as expected"
"A simple wind shirt integrated into your clothing system can often make the difference in staying warm and focused"
"Windstopper jackets breathe better than any rain jacket and are generally less expensive and quieter"
"Windstopper sheds light precipitation allowing you to wear them until rain or snow overwhelms the layer"

Edit to add: Keep in mind this is what works best for me and my style of hunting. I'm sure there are others with contrary opinions.

 

[pattimusprime22]

No, it's a totally fair question. A windshirt and rain shell can seem redundant at first. I carry it in addition to a rain shell (it weighs 4 ounces). For a couple of reasons:
1. It's much more breathable than pretty much all rain gear. Which means it's not nearly as warm so I can hike with the Houdini on in cold/windy weather but certainly can't with the rain shell over the Proton.
2. I just stuff it in my hip pocket and I'm donning/doffing it multiple times per day
3. I want to keep my rain shell for when it's actually raining. I don't want my $400 shell getting trashed from daily use and becoming compromised when I really need it.

Interestingly enough, John Barklow from Sitka seems to have a similar opinion to me, you can read a bit more of his thought process here where he talks about his 8-piece clothing kit. A couple of highlights from his blog that align with my logic:
"It’s a layer we carry because no other layer will work during persistent precipitation." Regarding a rain shell
"Rain gear needs maintenance more than any other layer to work as expected"
"A simple wind shirt integrated into your clothing system can often make the difference in staying warm and focused"
"Windstopper jackets breathe better than any rain jacket and are generally less expensive and quieter"
"Windstopper sheds light precipitation allowing you to wear them until rain or snow overwhelms the layer"

Edit to add: Keep in mind this is what works best for me and my style of hunting. I'm sure there are others with contrary opinions.

I'll second this. I too find that carrying the Patagonia houdini in addition to my rain shell is worth it for the breathability factor since it seems to weigh nothing. It's also usually more accessible and convenient to grab than my rain shell which tends to move lower and lower in my pack throughout non-rainy days.

 

[woods89]

One more question since you seem to have a pretty dialed in setup - why use the Houdini instead of a rain shell? Assuming it’s more breathable? Seems like the rain shell would mean one less thing to pack. I have limited experience with this stuff, so could be an ignorant question.

Once I used a wind layer that actually breathes, I quit using my rain jacket unless it's raining.

This might be something that makes more sense for those that overheat easily, but it's well worth it for me to carry both. If I didn't sweat a lot, maybe I'd think differently.

My wind layer is a BD Alpine Start.

 

[greenbowhunter]

So far my system from SG is as follows:

DEHL pant
Synthetic hoody at the start of the season, moving into the merino hoody
Helio
M7 (when I know temps are stable, M5).

That’s it. I run cold in the morning hikes, and use the Helio in the PMs. If I need wind stopping or to stay warm glassing, I throw on the M7 which I keep in the lid of my pack, If I know its warm, I’ll sub the M5. I’ve wanted to add an insulation layer, but haven’t had the hunt or circumstances to bust out. I have down in my sleeping bag if I need extra coverage. Definitely leaning towards the Cirque, but I’m still researching.

Cheers!

Oh, and I carry the helio bottoms JIC…

 

[Quest1000]

How’s the Ambient working out in the cooler temps? How is it holding up durability wise?

 

[TOLeary]

How’s the Ambient working out in the cooler temps? How is it holding up durability wise?

I have the jacket and I’ve worn it everyday for the last 2 weeks in New England. 40s-50s seems to be perfect for regular everyday stuff. Backpacked in the mid 40s to low 50s and was too hot. Going back up in a few weeks and temps should drop and I’ll be able to try it out again. Didn’t cut through any brush or do anything crazy so can’t really say anything about durability yet. Better finish than a fleece so I imagine less snags

 

[oldskool67]

Hard to find anything insulated that breathes better than the Kuiu Kenai, especially with the pit zips