Sitka drama??

[WCB]

Not sure why anyone thinks on a scale that large they would start with offering 50%...any store liquidation I have seen or bought stuff from starts ok'ish 25-30% off. They move a bunch of stuff because most people, not guys here, but the general joe blow who hunts 5 days a year 100% pays standard retail prices. Yes many people get codes or industry/first responder/le/mil/guide-outfitter pricing. But I bet the majority of it is sold at standard pricing.

They will dump a bunch quick then when it stalls....40%....then 50%...etc.

 

[Outside]

A lot of comments on never buying Sitka for less than 30-40% off, which isn’t a great long term model for the brand. I wonder if Sitka is dropping retailers that devalued there stuff? Maybe going DTC, but maybe just limiting the places they sell to?

 

[Fireflyfishing]

As far as I know anyone that's fire service/LEO/ first responder gets 40% off through their pro program. I agree that their sales have been strange but I really feel like their build quality is really well done regardless of where it's built

Negative. You once could get that deal. Now you have to pay for a membership pro deal. Lame.

 

[2531usmc]

Just out of curiosity, what do they charge for the pro membership?

 

[Drenalin]

It may depend on the nature of the pro membership - mine is intact, and I've never paid a dime (or even bought anything directly from them).

 

[Muddler]

A lot of comments on never buying Sitka for less than 30-40% off, which isn’t a great long term model for the brand. I wonder if Sitka is dropping retailers that devalued there stuff? Maybe going DTC, but maybe just limiting the places they sell to?

I noticed the same thing, I think a lot of ppl either can't afford it or think it's overpriced. I only have a handful of their pieces that I bought on deep discount. Once I learned how many people either get free gear or heavily discounted gear from them, I had no desire to subsidize that. Also, they had/have way too many damn products in their line. I know...iTs a SYsTeM. I guess I'm too lazy to try and figure it out when there's other easier to decode products out there.

 

[P Carter]

I noticed the same thing, I think a lot of ppl either can't afford it or think it's overpriced. I only have a handful of their pieces that I bought on deep discount. Once I learned how many people either get free gear or heavily discounted gear from them, I had no desire to subsidize that. Also, they had/have way too many damn products in their line. I know...iTs a SYsTeM. I guess I'm too lazy to try and figure it out when there's other easier to decode products out there.

Agree - it’s good gear but only really worth looking at if at *least* 40% off. I have a few pieces bought at 50% + off. They’re great but no way I’m paying retail. And it’s not a budget issue - there are comparable pieces from high-end non-hunting companies that cost significantly less.

 

[wind gypsy]

All big retailers blow it out annually from what I can tell. Thus, no reason to pay full price unless you absolutely have to have it for a hunt and didn't plan in advance. Mark up on it at full price must be insane.

 

[jacobw5544]

All big retailers blow it out annually from what I can tell. Thus, no reason to pay full price unless you absolutely have to have it for a hunt and didn't plan in advance. Mark up on it at full price must be insane.

I’ve always wondered what some of this stuff costs to produce. It would be interesting to see although I would probably have a stroke thinking about what I’ve paid for other Sitka stuff


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[streetdoctor]

So much hate on Sitka but it is very good gear. A lot of the clothing I have from them is at least 7-8 years old. Last saturday I was packing out and fell in a river that was about 18" deep. I was soaked from the waist down and my entire left arm. It was 38F outside. We were still a couple miles from the truck so I just kept going. By the time I got to my truck I was bone dry.

 

[Fins_N_Tines]

So much hate on Sitka but it is very good gear. A lot of the clothing I have from them is at least 7-8 years old. Last saturday I was packing out and fell in a river that was about 18" deep. I was soaked from the waist down and my entire left arm. It was 38F outside. We were still a couple miles from the truck so I just kept going. By the time I got to my truck I was bone dry.

Yup not sure what future holds for Sitka but I have several pieces and it's still very well built and high-quality stuff. I mean their new well last year new Armur spun merino wool line is not just hype. That stuff is tough and has been best merino out of the big hunting companies. Most companies do not make merion shirts in 120 weight because it's usually a warranty nightmare as its not durable. The sitka merino 120 has amazed me how durable and fast it dry's. This is just one example of Sitka still making top tier hunting clothes.

 

[svivian]

So much hate on Sitka but it is very good gear. A lot of the clothing I have from them is at least 7-8 years old. Last saturday I was packing out and fell in a river that was about 18" deep. I was soaked from the waist down and my entire left arm. It was 38F outside. We were still a couple miles from the truck so I just kept going. By the time I got to my truck I was bone dry.

I don’t see “hate” just folks saying it how it is…that it’s overpriced and can be had for much less than MSRP.

 

[bmart2622]

Negative. You once could get that deal. Now you have to pay for a membership pro deal. Lame.

Thats not true

 

[Muddler]

I'm not really hating...of the Sitka stuff that I have, I like. I just looked for fun..I think I counted 19 different jacket models to choose from.

My biggest gripe is their marketing/freebie system. I deleted all socials awhile ago and don't remember the exactitudes...but I recall at one point some pretty hot chick started an IG page who was just starting out hunting and getting into the outdoors. Wasn't long before she was fully kitted out in Sitka gear, apparently a brand ambassador or whatever. I'm not hating on this girl either, we all start somewhere, but from a hunting perspective there was no reason to endorse her IMO. I believe she got in with them before ever tagging a single critter. It wasn't like they handed Chuck Adams a truck load of free shit. It was pretty obvious she was generating a ton of clicks bc of how attractive she was and they wanted to capitalize on that. I say good on her for figuring out how to score a bunch of sponsorships and do stuff outside all day. IIRC...she also go hooked up with Swaro and Zamberland, among others. That's just one case.

I also ended up talking to some random guy I think at a golf outing several years ago. He was telling me about how he creates hunting content and had some podcast I've never heard of. Sitka gave him a pile of free shit every year (allegedly). I found his podcast, but it sure didn't appear to be very popular and he didn't "create" content all that often.

Full disclosure, two of the pieces I bought with a Sitka discount when I worked PT at a Gander Mtn years ago. So again not hating on discounts, I think every outdoor brand offers some sort of discount to retail employees like that, it's a part of the game nowadays. My issue is the apparent handing out of free/discounted gear to anybody with even a semblance of an "influencer" presense. Does every company give shit to influencers too? Sure, it just seems that Sitka does it more than most, or at least was brining the most attention for doing it so frequently.

 

[2531usmc]

For us to take your comments seriously, we need pics of the hot Sitka chick.

 

[TonyDS]

Guess I'll standby to see if there's a continued price drop.

 

[Ditt44]

Thats not true

Exactly. You pay no fee to Sitka. If you qualify for their program there is no fee. At worst you pay shipping when they run free shipping promos but that's fair enough as you are not paying retail prices. And pieces do sell out. You cannot always get the piece or the size you want if you wait deep into the season. Discounts apply to supply on hand. It is not limitless.

You might pay a fee if you go through "brokers" to get connected to major brands. But that's your choice to apply and try to qualify.

 

[jrowl2282]

Exactly. You pay no fee to Sitka. If you qualify for their program there is no fee. At worst you pay shipping when they run free shipping promos but that's fair enough as you are not paying retail prices. And pieces do sell out. You cannot always get the piece or the size you want if you wait deep into the season. Discounts apply to supply on hand. It is not limitless.

You might pay a fee if you go through "brokers" to get connected to major brands. But that's your choice to apply and try to qualify.

Yes this is my experience 100%. Zero cost to me and it Is directly with sitka. Wasn't even that hard to get

 

[Kurts86]

A few observations:

The entire outdoor industry is experiencing some whiplash post covid shortages. Lots of decisions made 2 years ago in order quantity are just now hitting shelves. Demand was booming and the sky seemed to be the limit and now it’s fallen down. Most things are in stock and discounted. Quite honestly most commercial demand planners and sales people making projections are NOT very analytical.

Sitka has seemed really scatterbrained recently with product launches. They seem to have changed the ambient 4 times in 2 years. Again I suspect this was the beginning of production whiplash and the timeline from development to manufacturing shrinking quickly.

The Sitka issues seem to be commercial ones, whether that is related to margins, pricing or shifting to consumer direct it’s hard to say without more information.

Sitka’s advertising/social media team has for a long time been run by idiots. The first time I met a Sitka ambassador (or whatever) I was shocked by how incompetent and dumb they were in person. But they were blonde, attractive and had 50,000+ followers on IG. This is not unique but Sitka is the worst about it in the industry.

Sitka still makes really good gear and that has not changed that I have seen but I buy a lot less from them now because my closet is full of technical hunting gear. I rarely have bought their gear at full price because of sales or friends/family discounts being passed around.

 

[Fireflyfishing]

Just out of curiosity, what do they charge for the pro membership?

I don’t remember. I haven’t checked in years when they switched to that method. Moved on and bought other gear.