Sitka Fanatic jacket?

[TwoTikkas]

Just curious here. Why do you see so many new,or nearly new,Fanatic jackets for sale by individuals? I'm thinking I need one. Curious why so many are being flipped as new. Problems? I flat love the Sitka gear I have thus far.

 

[smoothie25]

I've used mine for about 3-4 years now for treestand hunting in IL. I love it. It's extremely warm and the it's great not having to bring big gloves b/c of the kangaroo pouch. The zipper is a little weird at first but it's grown on me. My only complaint is that it doesn't have a hood. A Sitka rep told me they would be adding a hood to the men's fanatic in the future tho.

 

[TwoTikkas]

Sweet! Good to hear about the hood. Yeah,the zipper sure looks funky. I guess I need to squirrel some money away and get one of these. Stand hunting whitetail here in PA can be a frigid proposition. Maybe bibs too.

 

[Kevin Dill]

I could guess at a couple things. Some guys probably think they'll use their Fanatic more than they actually do. It has to be pretty darned cold to warrant use of the Fanatic system. The price is serious. If it isn't getting used enough, sell it and move on. Another possibility is sizing. The Fanatic in your normal size may tend to run slightly small. I wear a medium or large shirt. There is not the slightest possibility I can wear a medium Fanatic anything. In a large I have to be careful not to bulk up in layers under it, because I can easily bind up across the shoulders and back...elbows tight.

 

[TwoTikkas]

Thank you! That is good information right there. I likely would have ordered the wrong size. Tough call. Being a real heat factory,you might want it to run small. Less likelihood of wearing a lot of layers under it. On the other hand. It would l d be nice to have it sized to throw on in extreme cold,over your usual system,while immobile. My usual PA deer hunting system consists of the core lite hoody,merino,Kelvin lite puffy,Timberline.makes it kinda difficult to plan the new stand hunting apparel. I guess walk in minus the puffy,and swap the Timberline for the Fanatic once on stand. Still might size up one size. I hate tight clothes. I tell the kids,"tight clothes equal cold clothes". Old school maybe,but it's been working.

 

[bean outdoors]

Just curious here. Why do you see so many new,or nearly new,Fanatic jackets for sale by individuals? I'm thinking I need one. Curious why so many are being flipped as new. Problems? I flat love the Sitka gear I have thus far.

Sitka Gear is top notch gear but at a price...I have some guys who buy it and then get buyer remorse as soon as the season is over. They have decent resale so if you are in a jam its a quick way to get moolah. If you need help with sitka sizing or pricing...just let us know.

 

[TwoTikkas]

Will do. I love my Sitka gear. A couple years ago,I hiked back in to the boondocks in the early AM. Cold,snowy bear season opener. Long story short. Hiking back out later in the day,at more like 50 degrees SUCKED. All I had at the time was bulky,heavy Cabelas brand outer wear. What a debacle. Then and there I vowed to climb into this century,and get a good system. Love it. I still have a couple items to pick up. Some cold gear and some gor tex. I can put my whole elk kit in one duffle now. Sweet.

 

[Kevin Dill]

My take on wearing the Fanatic Jacket over a puffy like the Kelvin Lite: You'll need to either go to a store and try those two garments on (unlikely) or order them and hope for the correct sizing. Be prepared to do some returns until you get it right. The deal-breaker for me is the Fanatic Jacket would likely (then) fit way too loose when worn with no puffy. At most I would personally recommend only a medium weight vest worn inside the Fanatic.

For the record I didn't really care for the fit and features of the Fanatic Jacket. I sold mine (it was too big anyway) and replaced it with a Fanatic Vest.

 

[Arbutusbucks]

I have the original Fanatic Jacket and Bib I bought in 2011. I don't think there is a better whitetail combo out there for where/when/how I hunt NE PA late Oct/November in a stand. It has more pockets than I need but I like the kangaroo pocket on the front as well as the grunt tube and range finder pockets.

I'm 5'9'' athletic build and I have a Large in both pieces. If its really cold I have enough room to pair a puffy jacket and puffy vest as well as puffy pants. If your hunting in PA I don't think you'll regret the purchase.

 

[TwoTikkas]

My take on wearing the Fanatic Jacket over a puffy like the Kelvin Lite: You'll need to either go to a store and try those two garments on (unlikely) or order them and hope for the correct sizing. Be prepared to do some returns until you get it right. The deal-breaker for me is the Fanatic Jacket would likely (then) fit way too loose when worn with no puffy. At most I would personally recommend only a medium weight vest worn inside the Fanatic.

For the record I didn't really care for the fit and features of the Fanatic Jacket. I sold mine (it was too big anyway) and replaced it with a Fanatic Vest.

Luckily,I have the Kelvin lite now. If I can find a couple Fanatics hanging around in different sizes,I can try a couple on.

I too like vests. I have a Core 4 Element I wear both hunting and casually. Vests are good gear.

 

[TwoTikkas]

I have the original Fanatic Jacket and Bib I bought in 2011. I don't think there is a better whitetail combo out there for where/when/how I hunt NE PA late Oct/November in a stand. It has more pockets than I need but I like the kangaroo pocket on the front as well as the grunt tube and range finder pockets.

I'm 5'9'' athletic build and I have a Large in both pieces. If its really cold I have enough room to pair a puffy jacket and puffy vest as well as puffy pants. If your hunting in PA I don't think you'll regret the purchase.

I think the features are pretty cool. Like the assorted pockets. Sometimes I think I'm the only Pennsylvanian that carries a day pack. I require a lot of carp to get the day in. Makes it nice to layer up or down. Not like my younger days when all I had were Dickies coveralls or a Woolrich.

 

[Arbutusbucks]

I think the features are pretty cool. Like the assorted pockets. Sometimes I think I'm the only Pennsylvanian that carries a day pack. I require a lot of carp to get the day in. Makes it nice to layer up or down. Not like my younger days when all I had were Duckies coveralls or a Woolrich.

I hear youI throw it all on my back and ride my mountain bike in. I take the same layers with me whether it's going to be 10 degrees or 50, never know.

 

[RussellM66]

I also have a older Fanatic jacket and love it. Zipper takes a little to get use but once I did wear it most of the time

 

[DmrbigEshotT]

Jan. 1 it was -6 with the windchill here in Michigan for a tree stand muzzle loader hunt.

I managed a 4 hour sit with a merino base, sitka traverse mid fleece (XL), fleece windproof vest (L), FL uncompahgre jacket (L), the older sitka fanatic bibs and finally an XL newer fanatic jacket.

It was a pretty dang tight fit up top, but still could have pulled my bow back. Hope that helps!