Sitka Hyperdown jacket and pant review

[406flyfish]

I asked a Sitka rep at an event and he didn’t even know..

 

[Tony Trietch]

@Tony Trietch did you ever get an answer on Sitka on this Hyperdown fill being the high end product in the sleep bag, and the primaloft down gold blend in the jacket/pants? If not I'll ask them to comment. When I stopped into their place in Bozeman the sales folks had no clue. Even weirder, they used 900 FP version in their Lite Down line that was discontinued, but using 800FP on this piece. I assume it is to keep prices down and not be at that Super Down Burner parka cost level.

Drake again with a vid today talking about the Hyperdown Jacket/Pant and having the same insulation - tough look when the influencers can't get it straight (in his defense, I'm sure his prototype actually had that fill).

Sorry, I did not.

 

[406flyfish]

90/10

10% synthetic Prima Loft Gold with Cross Core technology.

 

[yeti12]

@Tony Trietch how is the packability? Like how well do they compress down?

 

[MT_Wyatt]

Got a response from Sitka, kudos to them for actually addressing it. So they launched this product, but not with the intended fill, AND they used the lower grade of primaloft gold down blend (given the fill volume I expect that was to keep pricing/performance balanced).

I've bolded the input for emphasis - will they re-launch at a later date with that fill?? I did ask in repsonse and will report back.

Ryal J - SITKA Gear (SITKA Gear) Aug 23, 2024, 8:42 AM MDT Hey Lawrence, Thanks for reaching out. The sleeping bag has the ExpeDry down and the Jacket and Pant do not, they will use Primaloft Gold Down blend instead. The reason the jacket and pant do not come with the ExpeDry down is because it is a new down and we were not able to source enough of it to put it in all three products yet. The Hyperdown jacket and pants are still extremely warm and are great products, they just do not feature the ExpeDry down. The jacket and pant will have 8 ounces of fill. Please reach out if you have any further questions. Thank you, Ryal J.

 

[tracker12]

This jacket looks very warm. Maybe to warm for I look for in a puffy. Do you think you could actually climb in this?

 

[Hi-liner]

This jacket looks very warm. Maybe to warm for I look for in a puffy. Do you think you could actually climb in this?

I know heat & warmth vary greatly from person to person, but there’s no way I could hike or climb in this jacket. It would have to be well below zero for me to consider wearing a puffy this warm for any kind of physical activity.

 

[Hi-liner]

I’m very interested in this jacket and have been doing a lot of homework on it and noticed that DWR isn’t listed as a feature on Sitka’s website. I reached out to their customer service team and asked if the jacket has a DWR treatment. This was their response:

“Thank you for reaching out. The new HyperDown jacket and pants are not treated with DWR. It is made with 800-fill PrimaLoft® Gold down blend, the insulation resists clumping in wet conditions to keep you warm. I would recommend the HyperDown to keep you warm during extreme temperatures, and a Dew Point Jacket as a shell in one size larger to keep that water off of you.

Let me know if you have any further questions!
Thank you,
Kylie H.
SITKA Gear Customer Support”

I thought I’d share this information. Do any of you think the lack of a DWR treatment is a big deal for a puffy coat like this?

 

[SikaHuntaa]

I got the jacket and pants. Way more impressed by the pants than the jacket- they just feel more thought out and very comfortable.

Going to struggle to find a use case for them in NZ but the deal I got them on was too good to pass up.

DWR isn't the end of the world but if I was in the states with it in the conditions its made for I would scratch my head that it doesn't have it. Maybe someday I'll be able to get back over there and test it fully.

 

[Hi-liner]

I ended up ordering this jacket in the Deep Lichen color, size XL and it arrived yesterday. I only had time to inspect it for defects (there were none) and try it on briefly. My initial impression is that the fit and finish are great, and I started getting hot just wearing it for a minute or two.

I’ll post more updates when I get a chance to try it on over some hunting layers and when we get some colder weather so I can really test the warmth.

 

[Hi-liner]

I was able to test the fit of this jacket over multiple layers. I was wearing the following Sitka pieces, all size XL:

Core lightweight (no hood)

Core heavyweight hoody

Kelvin Aerolite vest

Jetstream jacket (size XLT)

Hyperdown jacket

The Hyperdown fit really well over everything and didn’t feel tight or restrictive. I had no problems getting it zipped up or moving my arms around. I was also able to pull the hood up over the other two hoods with no issues.

Admittedly, I didn’t wear this combo for more than a few minutes because I started burning up standing in my bedroom. It’d have to be pretty cold out for me to wear all of this, but it’s nice knowing that the jacket will fit over everything like it’s supposed to.

I hope this helps anyone who’s curious how the sizing is.

 

[MuleDeerMike]

Tony,

If you're familiar with the Kelvin WS Down jacket, I'm curious your thoughts on how this compares? They discontinued the Kelvin WS a couple years ago and I've been wondering when they were going to come out with an actual warm late season jacket again, so it appears this is it. Any comparison in warmth and performance would be both very helpful and I think very relevant.

 

[MuleDeerMike]

Same here I’m so curious why they discontinued them and we have no clue when they will start producing them again. Can’t wait to order them

I doubt they will. I'm sure this is supposed to be the "new and improved" replacement.

 

[jbhoward17]

Has Sitka mentioned if they will switch the down in this jacket to match the Hyperdown bag once the down becomes more readily available? Seems strange to have the same name with different down insulation long term.

 

[elkaholic_bc]

I doubt they will. I'm sure this is supposed to be the "new and improved" replacement.

I had reached out when they discontinued their Coldfront line, cat hunters dream pants. They said they replaced the single garments with a system that consisted of 3-4 items vs 1. So you can see why they stick to their "systems", it makes more money. When I pay say $300 for the one pant vs $1000+ for their "system" they say works just as good...... Sitka for you.

Don't get me wrong, they can make some good gear. Just not a fan of how they seem to be shifting these days.

 

[gautti589]

Deff need jacket

 

[MT_Wyatt]

I asked Sitka about switching fill since the new Allied product is supposed to be a major step up vs DWR down, but they didn’t have an idea if/when. Barklow didn’t return my message when I asked him. He did mention on a pod (which he was bragging about the hyperdown fill on) that he wants to do a wind stopper version again in the future.

The latest pod with @Mark at EXO and the Outdoor Vitals founder talked about this fill a bit, and he thought it was kind of a step up. It’ll be interesting to hear some test results when possible (why I tagged you Mark) on the expedry fill, assuming they used it on the experience project hunts.

I actually picked up a hyperdown “parka” because I wanted 8oz+ of fill, and got one from Sitka for incredibly cheap on a special they ran. It packs up really well, is really warm, and I love the “goes over everything” fit. It’s much heavier and bulkier than a Grumman down piece, but fits a lot better at the waist.

 

[dribeerfeht]

What advantage does this jacket have over the Kelvin Lite Down jacket?

I'm interested in the difference too. The older KLD jacket is lighter (17 oz) and includes body mapped 900 fill Proprietary Primaloft gold Synthetic/Down Blend insulation (water resistant) and “Mapped” pure synthetic insulation in high moisture areas On sides and under arms.
I wonder what the difference is?

 

[MT_Wyatt]

I've been loving the hyperdown - the fit and functionality are awesome, it's packable, and really warm. The hood and collar are quite nice.

But can we just talk about how they released a LIFESTYLE piece with premium insulation package, but don't have it in the actual hunting version. Rediculous.

SITKA Gear | Turning Clothing Into Gear

SITKA Gear uses advanced design, technology and fabrics to create gear systems that enhance the experience of the hunter.

www.sitkagear.com

 

[GFMThunter]

I was looking at these the other day, what a pain in the ass it is keeping track of all the differences. They use the same name but they aren't the same, it seems like nobody has all the different models of Sitka clothing to try on and check out, which is about the only way to know what each article is. Sometimes you want a "coat" for winter, you order their "incredibly warm, furnace-like" puffy only to find out when it shows up you basically ordered a $400 fleece. At least keep things with the same fill, warmth, etc with the same name and if they're different, give them a different flippin' name.