Sitka Mountain EVO jacket

[Bearsears]

Man the price seems crazy for what it is

I agree. Sitka has always been expensive as heck and I have a full kit from them, but this is almost obscene

 

[WoodBow]

I think they priced themselves out of the market on this piece but I bet plenty of fan boys will still buy it. Has to be the most expensive wind shirt on the market.

Their big selling point is that you never need to take it off because it is the perfect balance of windproof areas and breathable areas. Yea my patagonia houdini is a pretty dang great balance of "windproof" and breathable and it cost $100. It is plenty breathable to hike in with a pack. And plenty wind resistant when stationary. I like my sitka stuff but the pricing has gotten out of hand.

 

[sr80]

I think they priced themselves out of the market on this piece but I bet plenty of fan boys will still buy it. Has to be the most expensive wind shirt on the market.

Their big selling point is that you never need to take it off because it is the perfect balance of windproof areas and breathable areas. Yea my patagonia houdini is a pretty dang great balance of "windproof" and breathable and it cost $100. It is plenty breathable to hike in with a pack. And plenty wind resistant when stationary. I like my sitka stuff but the pricing has gotten out of hand.

Ive heard barklow talking about how he has stuff designed that the market isnt even ready for yet - price wise. So look out!

 

[fngTony]

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.

Since you had your hands on it, how would you describe the non wind stopper parts was it like a regular softshell material or more like a mid weight shirt?

 

[TheBootBowhunting]

Since you had your hands on it, how would you describe the non wind stopper parts was it like a regular softshell material or more like a mid weight shirt?

Best comparison I can make is that its similar to the coyote brown stretch material Kifaru uses on some of their side bottle pockets (hellbender, stryker xl, shape charge, etc) and exo uses on the front of the k3 bags. You also notice the lack of sewn seams as well. Everything is bonded and taped, not sewn.

 

[carter33]

Best comparison I can make is that its similar to the coyote brown stretch material Kifaru uses on some of their side bottle pockets (hellbender, stryker xl, shape charge, etc) and exo uses on the front of the k3 bags. You also notice the lack of sewn seams as well. Everything is bonded and taped, not sewn.

I mean all that sounds pretty good unless I’m misinterpreting it?

I still get why you sent it back though as not all “good” pieces are worth owning, but would you say it’s a good piece other than the fact that it’s too specific?

 

[TheBootBowhunting]

I mean all that sounds pretty good unless I’m misinterpreting it?

I still get why you sent it back though as not all “good” pieces are worth owning, but would you say it’s a good piece other than the fact that it’s too specific?

I guess it depends on what you already have. I wear the jetstream vest a lot (or the jetstream jacket), and usually pack the dew point...I think I could use either in similar ways as the evo mountain. Probably one of my favorite and most used sitka items is what people would call a niche piece - the kelvin active hoody...or belichick with the short sleeves. The evo mountain seems to nail what it was designed for, I just think the cost on it at 329 is high for what it is, even in the realm of sitka pricing.

 

[Desk Jockey]

I have been squawking about a hooded mountain jacket for a while, but that is pretty spendy. I like the idea of dumping heat through the back but it seems like that leaves a lot of surface area exposed if you aren’t wearing a pack.

 

[Greenbelt]

I guess it depends on what you already have. I wear the jetstream vest a lot (or the jetstream jacket), and usually pack the dew point...I think I could use either in similar ways as the evo mountain. Probably one of my favorite and most used sitka items is what people would call a niche piece - the kelvin active hoody...or belichick with the short sleeves. The evo mountain seems to nail what it was designed for, I just think the cost on it at 329 is high for what it is, even in the realm of sitka pricing.

What would you say something like this would be fairly priced and worth paying?

 

[Desk Jockey]

What would you say something like this would be fairly priced and worth paying?

That gets a little subjective. The old mountain jacket listed for $299 and was on sale for $180.

The current jetstream lists at $380. For comparison, the Arcteryx gamma is $350 and gamma LT is $220 - both are highly regarded soft shells and wind jackets froma top tier non hunting brand. So the evo price is definitely around the top end for soft shell jackets and well above a top tier light weight shell like the gamma LT.

sitka gear has always been pricey and I will also say that the camo print probably adds some to costs So there is a reasonable justification for a higher price point.

for me - owner of 2 jetstreams, a traverse hoody and a mountain jacket - I probably wont take the plunge unless I wear out one of my current Sitka jackets. If I didn’t have all that Sitka gear, it might be a little easier to swallow but it is still spendy. Just my $0.02.

 

[TheBootBowhunting]

What would you say something like this would be fairly priced and worth paying?

I pretty much agree with desk jockey. And Im not complaining too much about sitka pricing as a whole, its the nature of the beast with it. Hell, I probably own as much sitka as anyone here. Its just this one in particular,
with roughly 2/3 windstopper, and the rest leaves you exposed....the designed in strength of the non windstopper back while hiking with a pack becomes a weaknesses when you arent wearing it.

But its all subjective. If youre a guy who wants to wear it hiking up to a glassing knob, drop the pack and put on a puffy, then it might be worth it to you. Im just saying for me, considering what I already have and routinely pack, I cant find value in this one. Thats just me though. Some other might think this piece is their holy grail.

 

[Bump79]

For me - this jacket doesn't have much of an appeal. My wind shell weighs 5 oz and this is 3x the weight and 5x the price for what I got mine on sale for.

 

[jd1006]

Barklow seems to think this is a true 2nd layer piece. after your core layer, it’s this. Then insulation in the next layer. I’m intrigued by that. Anybody wear windstopper like that? There’s not many body mapped windstopper pieces.

 

[Greenbelt]

Barklow seems to think this is a true 2nd layer piece. after your core layer, it’s this. Then insulation in the next layer. I’m intrigued by that. Anybody wear windstopper like that? There’s not many body mapped windstopper pieces.

This piece really does intrigue me. Listening to Barklow on a recent podcast it all does seem to make sense. I do think that if your back is to the wind and you have 3 pieces on (including the wind stopper) then you stop and throw a puffy on, it should block the wind. In the podcast he explained that he is more concerned about perspiring and having no air circulation. Where as most pieces do such a good job at blocking the wind they do not circulate air onto the body. I was in 40 mph winds a couple days ago and this piece was on my mind the whole time.

 

[mtwarden]

I will say that Windstopper is the king of cutting wind, on par with a rain jacket. But like a rain jacket, doesn't breathe very well.

I purchased a Sitka Flash a few years ago (now discontinued) as a wind layer- it was basically a Mountain jacket with a hood and a pullover vs a full zip. I found that on the move (other than going very slow- which obviously is something that is common with hunting) it didn't breathe well enough for me. For cutting the wind, it easily blew away all of my other windshirts.

The other thing Windstopper does well is fend off precip. The fabric has a hydrostatic head of 10,000 which means it falls into the bottom echelon of waterproof (Goretex Pro is 30,000-ish). I was really impressed with the Flash in rain; a couple of times I got caught out in some pretty heavy rains (not all day rains, but short heavy rain) and was fine.

I've since relegated the Flash to a light duty rain jacket (brought when forecasts are favorable ie little chance of precip).

I toyed with the idea of getting long pit zips sewn in, to enhance the breathability a bit. Got a couple of quotes that were outrageous (more than what the jacket cost!) and quickly dropped that idea.

The Flash is pretty darn light too, 8.5 oz for a XL. The stretch panel fabric evidently must be a little heavier than the Windstopper fabric, as the Evo comes in at 13-ish oz.

Clearly the Evo will breathe better than the Flash; with the breathable back panel, obviously wouldn't do as well with precipitation, unless your backpack fully covers the back panels.

I can't lie, I'm definitely intrigued by this piece

 

[jd1006]

I wish there were other solid colored options than black. I have the flash pullover…I agree. I wear the mountain vest a lot underneath layers…similar to how Barklow mentions this piece should be used. The idea of having a breathable layer for the back is what makes this most appealing. I think a system that uses this with a an active insulation piece and a puffy with an outer membrane would be great. Put the puffy with the membrane on when you stop to stay warm.

 

[Bearsears]

Barklow seems to think this is a true 2nd layer piece. after your core layer, it’s this. Then insulation in the next layer. I’m intrigued by that. Anybody wear windstopper like that? There’s not many body mapped windstopper pieces.

This is precisely how I wear my wind layers and Ive done multiple posts about it over time. Its the best way as the closer this wind laminate is to your skin, the better it will push moisture through. I always run base, wind layer, and then active layer unless there is light precip then Ill run the windstopper on the outside.

I will say that Windstopper is the king of cutting wind, on par with a rain jacket. But like a rain jacket, doesn't breathe very well.

I purchased a Sitka Flash a few years ago (now discontinued) as a wind layer- it was basically a Mountain jacket with a hood and a pullover vs a full zip. I found that on the move (other than going very slow- which obviously is something that is common with hunting) it didn't breathe well enough for me. For cutting the wind, it easily blew away all of my other windshirts.

The other thing Windstopper does well is fend off precip. The fabric has a hydrostatic head of 10,000 which means it falls into the bottom echelon of waterproof (Goretex Pro is 30,000-ish). I was really impressed with the Flash in rain; a couple of times I got caught out in some pretty heavy rains (not all day rains, but short heavy rain) and was fine.

I've since relegated the Flash to a light duty rain jacket (brought when forecasts are favorable ie little chance of precip).

I toyed with the idea of getting long pit zips sewn in, to enhance the breathability a bit. Got a couple of quotes that were outrageous (more than what the jacket cost!) and quickly dropped that idea.

The Flash is pretty darn light too, 8.5 oz for a XL. The stretch panel fabric evidently must be a little heavier than the Windstopper fabric, as the Evo comes in at 13-ish oz.

Clearly the Evo will breathe better than the Flash; with the breathable back panel, obviously wouldn't do as well with precipitation, unless your backpack fully covers the back panels.

I can't lie, I'm definitely intrigued by this piece

Agreed, mtwarden and I have talked about this before. For me, the breathablility of windstopper has been sufficient if worn close to my skin and moderating pace. I still love my Flash pullover also although it usually doesnt make it over the mountain jacket due to noise. I completely understand Barklows thinking on this piece, and he certainly is much more of an expert than I am, I just disagree and it could be my body type. I get cold pretty easy when stopped in the wind. Even with a puffy on, I am still warmer when I have a windlayer underneath the puffy. While puffys block alot of wind, they arent a windlayer and some wind still gets through them. Unless its a piece like the old Sitka Kelvin down WS which might be my favorite Sitka piece of all time.

As far as the sweat build up in my current mountain jacket, Ill deal with it before ill sacrifice full wind protection. In my experience, after a tough hike to a glassing point, when I sit down and throw a puffy over my layers, my base layer is dry within less than 10 minutes or less. I could care less how long it takes to move through the rest of my system. Im dry and comfortable.

 

[jd1006]

I think a puffy with a laminate like the Kelvin Down WS (or non-hunting brand options) would be a nice compliment to this system for most later season, high exertion activities.

 

[Greenbelt]

While we're on this topic does anyone have any experience with the breathability of the Patagonia Houdini?

 

[mtwarden]

While we're on this topic does anyone have any experience with the breathability of the Patagonia Houdini?

The newer Houdini's breath less than they used to, but are now more wind/precip resistant. They change fabrics fairly often, so tough to stay up with it. If you want more breathable, they make the Houdini Air.