Sitka Mountain EVO jacket

[Texasbuckeye]

Mountain Evo Jacket: High-Performance Jacket for Mountain Pursuits | Sitka Gear

Meet the Mountain Evo Jacket from Sitka Gear, designed for backcountry hunting and high-exertion mountain pursuits. Available in Optifade Subalpine, Optifade Open Country, and Sitka Black, this lightweight technical jacket offers superior protection, mobility, and breathability. Incorporating...

www.sitkagear.com

Sounds like it could be a mix of the well reviewed ambient and the mountain line with gore wind membrane in some key places and breathable-flexible 4way stretch panels in the back and underarms for heat management and comfort while wearing a pack.

It is expensive. Not sure if there is any significant insulating layer (I submitted a inquiry), but chest and waist pockets, full zip, and a wind proof hood, with breathability in the back for pack wear; could be a winner for some.

 

[Texasbuckeye]

Edit: heard back from sitka. The evo is not insulated at all, and does not have any kind of fleece backer or anything. It was described to me as a thin wind barrier.

So take that to mean it is essentially a reworked mountain jacket with fhe breathability factor dialed up due to the back and under arm areas being a flexible breathable portion.

 

[slowelk]

I see this as an active shell layer that you would wear over your base layer and ambient mid layer.

 

[Texasbuckeye]

Agree, with no insulation or fleece backer, it is def a piece to wear over a base or mid in cooler weather.

 

[Dkuczek]

Way to niche of a piece. The back being non windstopper under a pack makes sense. Until your pack is off, then what? You must put on a wind piece or insulating layer...unless those are not needed then you may be SOL. I really was hoping they would redesign the mountain jacket and more replicate a windshirt itself and cut the weight of it

 

[TheTone]

Way to niche of a piece. The back being non windstopper under a pack makes sense. Until your pack is off, then what? You must put on a wind piece or insulating layer...unless those are not needed then you may be SOL. I really was hoping they would redesign the mountain jacket and more replicate a windshirt itself and cut the weight of it

Agreed Way too niche a piece, especially for the price. Guess maybe I should have bought the wind shirt they made 10 or so years ago that was way cheaper

 

[Dkuczek]

Agreed Way too niche a piece, especially for the price. Guess maybe I should have bought the wind shirt they made 10 or so years ago that was way cheaper

And that's why I have the houdini. Weighs nothing and does such an amazing job.

 

[TrailDog]

Check out the Outdoor Research Ferrosi hoody...esstntially the same jacket at 1/3rd the cost

 

[Bearwhisky]

Check out the Outdoor Research Ferrosi hoody...esstntially the same jacket at 1/3rd the cost

I have the ferrosi, and while I enjoy it for certain things, it does not even remotely compare to the old mountain jacket in regards to stopping wind. If the windproof panels on this are the same, the ferrosi is not comparable.


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[fngTony]

I like the idea. I have their nimbus jacket from the ttw line that I use for non hunting hiking. That thing breathes well with a small daypack but not so well under a larger heavy hunting pack.

 

[sr80]

Way to niche of a piece. The back being non windstopper under a pack makes sense. Until your pack is off, then what? You must put on a wind piece or insulating layer...unless those are not needed then you may be SOL. I really was hoping they would redesign the mountain jacket and more replicate a windshirt itself and cut the weight of it

Im thinking if you're hiking to glassing point or to setup camp with this jacket on and then drop your pack to glass/setup a guy would most likely be throwing a puffy on over top of this jacket? At least that's what i would do. But i still don't buy into the whole wind layer jacket, at 13oz, why wouldnt i just pack a rain shell ? I know the windstopper jacket would breath better but still i dont like the idea of packing two jackets.

 

[carter33]

Seems like a nice piece and like what they have done with it, if I had one it would probably get some use. I think it would be good for mountain hunting when you plan to basically have your pack on the entire time other than glassing and at camp. As others have said though it is pretty niche for the price. For me it just doesn't seem to fill a needed void and is more of a nice to have piece perhaps so will probably not buy one. Also if I were to buy one I would prefer a solid color other than black.

 

[Bearsears]

Agreed Way too niche a piece, especially for the price. Guess maybe I should have bought the wind shirt they made 10 or so years ago that was way cheaper

Which wind shirt are you talking about just out of curiosity?

Im thinking if you're hiking to glassing point or to setup camp with this jacket on and then drop your pack to glass/setup a guy would most likely be throwing a puffy on over top of this jacket? At least that's what i would do. But i still don't buy into the whole wind layer jacket, at 13oz, why wouldnt i just pack a rain shell ? I know the windstopper jacket would breath better but still i dont like the idea of packing two jackets.

This has been discussed ad nauseam on the forum and in a ton of podcasts with John Barklow. There are a ton of reasons why using your rain jacket for this purpose sucks. The biggest for me are the loudness and crunch of most rain jackets, the absolute terrible breathability of them compared to a wind layer, and they are the most expensive layer Im usually packing. When i need rain gear i really need it to work so I dont want to be using it and getting the pores clogged with dirt, ruining the DWR, or tearing it up in a bushwhack if I can avoid it. Respectfully, until youve used a windshirt, you dont know. I thought the same for a long time. Now I have wind layers for all aspects of my life lol.

All that being said I think this new jacket is a miss. I specifically want a wind layer on my back for glassing, calling setups, or around camp etc. Barklow should have just added a hood to the old mountain jacket and called it good. I guess I need to buy a 2nd old style mountain jacket for when mine fails.

 

[JakeShmevans]

Im thinking if you're hiking to glassing point or to setup camp with this jacket on and then drop your pack to glass/setup a guy would most likely be throwing a puffy on over top of this jacket? At least that's what i would do. But i still don't buy into the whole wind layer jacket, at 13oz, why wouldnt i just pack a rain shell ? I know the windstopper jacket would breath better but still i dont like the idea of packing two jackets.

I think this was the intention - put it on when you're pushing up the mountain to block wind and then layer with a puffy once you get up top and stop to glass. I agree it does seem like a niche piece like everyone said before, but I would imagine that it works perfectly in conjunction with the Ambient and only comes in at 26oz or less for both making it extremely versatile. The wind stopper is an 80% solution for a majority of people and environments meaning you could ditch rain gear depending on the forecast or something.

 

[JakeShmevans]

Which wind shirt are you talking about just out of curiosity?

This has been discussed ad nauseam on the forum and in a ton of podcasts with John Barklow. There are a ton of reasons why using your rain jacket for this purpose sucks. The biggest for me are the loudness and crunch of most rain jackets, the absolute terrible breathability of them compared to a wind layer, and they are the most expensive layer Im usually packing. When i need rain gear i really need it to work so I dont want to be using it and getting the pores clogged with dirt, ruining the DWR, or tearing it up in a bushwhack if I can avoid it. Respectfully, until youve used a windshirt, you dont know. I thought the same for a long time. Now I have wind layers for all aspects of my life lol.

All that being said I think this new jacket is a miss. I specifically want a wind layer on my back for glassing, calling setups, or around camp etc. Barklow should have just added a hood to the old mountain jacket and called it good. I guess I need to buy a 2nd old style mountain jacket for when mine fails.

I almost exclusively use my old Timberline solely for the fact that it has a hood on it, unlike the now “old” Mountain Jacket. I believe that this jacket would be like the first wind stopper I tried where it would have to be something to try before thinking it's a complete miss. I am skeptical though...

 

[prm]

Looks interesting. If I think about a typical day elk or mule deer hunting, and the clothing system I would have, the design makes sense. I wear my pack most of the day so having the back breath is a positive. If I stop and remove my pack, I would always have my first real insulation layer with me (Arc’teryx Atom) if the temp/wind conditions demand more insulation. In my case, it would be worn over a base layer replacing a Kuiu 240 Peleton. The 240 is quite possibly my favorite piece due to how it blocks wind, retains some warmth while breathing adequately. I would see the EVO breathing a bit better while hiking with a pack, trading some protection when not wearing a pack. Where the EVO fails me personally is the price.

 

[Dkuczek]

Looks interesting. If I think about a typical day elk or mule deer hunting, and the clothing system I would have, the design makes sense. I wear my pack most of the day so having the back breath is a positive. If I stop and remove my pack, I would always have my first real insulation layer with me (Arc’teryx Atom) if the temp/wind conditions demand more insulation. In my case, it would be worn over a base layer replacing a Kuiu 240 Peleton. The 240 is quite possibly my favorite piece due to how it blocks wind, retains some warmth while breathing adequately. I would see the EVO breathing a bit better while hiking with a pack, trading some protection when not wearing a pack. Where the EVO fails me personally is the price.

The issue will be if you dont actually require insulation, this piece falls short

 

[TheTone]

Which wind shirt are you talking about just out of curiosity?

maybe the contrail, but the old online pricing I see for it doesn’t seem to match what I remember . I think there was one before that even. I seem to remember it being a pullover with a quarter zip

 

[TheBootBowhunting]

Got it in today, and returning it. Its just too much of a 1 trick pony. No doubt the back is more breathable if that is something youre looking for, otherwise the $ for this one seems high for what it is. Ill get by with a jestream jacket/vest and the dew point. Fit is a little longer in the torso and arms than the mountain jacket and other sitka pieces if anyone is normally l or xl and order up to lt or xlt in some pieces to get more length.

 

[roosiebull]

Man the price seems crazy for what it is