Skre Kaibab vs Sitka Heavy Weight Hoody?

[timberlinehunter]

Does anyone have any real world experience between the Skre Kaibab and the Sitka Heavy Weight hoody? I have the Sitka now and am looking for something a little thicker and warmer. Do these two overlap too much that it doesn’t make sense to own both?


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[JustCortisol]

Just ordered the Kaibab 300. Can't comment on the sitka heavyweight hoodie but I personally would opt for wool against my skin. If the heavyweight hoodie isn't warm enough I'd just beef up your base layer (unless wind is your problem then throw a wind resistant vest on over the hoodie).

I use ~150 wool t shirts as my base layer in mild weather and ~250 wool long sleeves if its colder. Especially if you do any backcountry camping, wool is the only fabric you can sweat in all day and then sleep in at night and it won't feel nasty or smell bad. Or if your job requires you work outside in the cold and get sweaty and then go back inside where its hot and you're around other people, wool will keep you feeling pretty fresh.

Thin polyester tshirts don't do much as a base layer and insulated polyester base layers might transport moisture decently enough but will definitely feel stickier than wool and get a rank smell quickly. Even if treated with polygiene or some anti odor, it won't quite smell like B.O. but actually smells worse in my opinion. Wool is resistant to odors, and freshens up by just hanging it up to dry, and won't hold a smell until you really get some sweat soaked into it over multiple uses.

Skre's merino wool products are probably the cheapest out there, so if their fit is good for you its a good buy. They often have decent sales otherwise you can also get 20% off with the code 20off

 

[bozeman]

Had both, still have the Sitka.

 

[JustCortisol]

update after using the hoodie

pros - looks nice (olive), feels nice (pajama like softness), and the hood and thumb holes are a nice feature to add a little warmth especially in a situation like cold weather camping

cons - the weave of the fabric doesn't have much loft or fuzziness to it. At 300 weight fabric I'm expecting maximum warmth since its basically the heaviest weight wool offered by common outdoor brands and I think they could improve upon the insulation factor at that weight. Also the hood has a slightly funny shape to it but its still fine.

fit - I'm between a medium and large in most brands (6' 170# 33" waist 42" chest) and often have to size up to large because of the chest size. The medium had a nice slim fit, I tried the large too and I was swimming in it, so I went with the Medium (customer service and exchanges are super easy).

Comparison - The OP asked about this in comparison with a synthetic fleece. In my opinion its tough to compare the two because they each have their own place, with wool being the ideal base layer and a synthetic fleece being the choice mid-layer. For the most modular and breathable cold-weather setup I'd wear the wool base, fleece mid, and an uninsulated shell. For casual cold weather use I'd wear this hoodie by itself or over a tshirt with an insulated jacket as the outer layer.
Keep in mind merino wool is more fragile and can pill, pull, run, and rip easier, but it also feels soft and light even when damp and dirty, its naturally odor resistant, stain resistant, and fire retardant. Synthetic fleece will likely be more durable and lighter weight but may not feel as soft, especially once dirty, it will hold odor stronger and sooner, and an ember from a fire will melt a hole through it in an instant.