What Happened to Sitka?

[LongWayAround]

My opinion has largely been that they make too many over specialized pieces.

I have an old 90% jacket and it's great. Windstopper, taped seams, grid fleece inside, soft shell outside. I wear it for almost every day trip.

They discontinued it so that they can sell you three different pieces instead of that one.

 

[SDHNTR]

Who cares?

 

[H80Hunter]

I suspect market saturation with the bust of covid $timmy checks. Less personal cash flow & a silent recession combined with enormous inflation make Sitka lower profit margins to maintain competitiveness within their market. Their margins before were just nuts, maybe the competition moves them to be more cost friendly.

I know I haven't been buying much since I got $1400 four years ago.

 

[H80Hunter]

I also view this as part of the natural cycle. It's the same as when a band gets popular and the "I liked them before they were this popular crowd" has to chime in. I haven't noticed any changes in quality on Sitka stuff from recently so I'm not worried about it.

 

[Fins_N_Tines]

I agree. This is what I'm saying - I like them personally but it's niche. The ambient, evo and especially the 120 merino was niche and overpriced IMHO. At $83 bucks and free ship I might pick one up though.

This is why we live in a great time for options. We have options for everyone. The ambient is definitely not niche. After using it a couple times I do not even use my fleeces anymore. The ambient is better in everyway. I guess it loses in cost category unless you get it on sale.

 

[Bump79]

This is why we live in a great time for options. We have options for everyone. The ambient is definitely not niche. After using it a couple times I do not even use my fleeces anymore. The ambient is better in everyway. I guess it loses in cost category unless you get it on sale.

I agree that it's awesome. It's just primarily a western specific piece. Whereas their heavyweight, midweight, jetstream and other options are more appealing to wider group of people. That's what I mean by niche.

 

[SMOKYMTN]

This is why we live in a great time for options. We have options for everyone. The ambient is definitely not niche. After using it a couple times I do not even use my fleeces anymore. The ambient is better in everyway. I guess it loses in cost category unless you get it on sale.

You may not view it as niche, but it is definitely niche within the broader hunting community. I guess in that regard, so is Sitka as a whole but the Ambient Hoody is twice the cost of a HW Hoody, half as durable, and just as warm. Yes, the Ambient is a great piece, I love mine, but I can still admit it’s niche as is the EVO jacket, range pants and wearable sleeping bags, etc. It serves a very specific purpose and isn’t practical for the overwhelming majority of hunters in all climates and terrain, like a HW hoody is for example.

Sitka has always been the tip of the spear with regard to innovation, it’s part of their DNA. I love Sitka for that reason and I will stand by for whatever they release next, I’m just stating my observations as is the OP.

 

[KurtR]

As long as they keep making the dakota hoody and pants im good

 

[Sccritterkiller]

It's just clothes...I dont care how fancy your marketing dept is there is only so much "innovation" you can do from year to year. Add in most of these companies are probably heavily leverage so they can invest to grow...then interest rates go up that eats at the bottom line...inflation goes up so consumer discretionary spending goes down...that eats the bottom line...can't renew some of influencer and employee contracts for reasons above and more...
Wait and see what happens if Trump gets elected and the tariffs he has been campaign for get passed. All these Gucci gear companies import all their product from overseas .I think the entire outdoor industry is in for a correction period.

 

[Ho5tile1]

I hope they drop there prices I love my Sitka stuff but they also need more solids lots of folks going that route so they can pull double duty. everything I wear is some kind of hunting clothes wear it to church wore some kuiu stuff to 2 weddings and had Tons of folks asking where I got this stuff at as they don’t hunt. I think they also make way to many pieces some of it is not needed also once you have the stuff you need there’s no point in getting something else unless yours is tore up but at the prices they charge I baby all my stuff the best I can nothing gets dried only washed with graingers and delicate cycle only dry when reapplying dwr etc..

Kuiu is where I spend most of my money now


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[Gotcha_]

I know I haven't been buying much since I got $1400 four years ago.

Exactly, you make great products and therefore they last. without real advancements in tech they have to market "primaloft" like its something different from a brand new synthetic fleece..... I'm onto them -_-

 

[Olympics777]

I did notice that I haven’t seen any marketing for their new pieces lately, I thought it was strange but idk, maybe the marketing budget had to shrink a bit. Anymore I just buy from mountaineering brands anyway, the Ambient is the only cool thing from Sitka in a long time. I used to use the Dewpoint jacket for a long time, recently I got an Outdoor Research rain jacket that was like 150 bucks cheaper than the Dewpoint and it’s honestly better, I’m not gonna pay significantly more just for optifade.

 

[IDVortex]

I could careless about what happens to them. Only time I buy their stuff is when it's on sale. And even then, I'm not brand loyal, considering I own SG, Walmart stuff, Sitka, Exo, REI.

 

[TSU_Archer]

My only issue I am currently having with Sitka is its noticeable slip in initial quality and durability.

I’ve been wearing Sitka since its conception. Sitka was once known as the “durable” brand. Maybe a little heavier than Kuiu stuff and a little less breathable than First Lite but made up for it in outstanding durability.

Lately however I’ve seen some changes that quite honestly suck. I’ve already dropped my new version Jetstream jacket, evo mountain jacket, ambient line and a hand full of other new versions or new items. It almost seems some one came in a few years back and changed the product direction to something focused purely on performance but at a sacrifice on durability.

You still couldn’t get me to ever sell my old school jetstream stuff or mountain jacket but this newer stuff is falling apart quite quickly.


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[TheTone]

Been in three sporting good stores this week that commonly had lots of Sitka. One had a total of 2 pairs of pants, both really large sizes and a bunch of t-shirts, nothing else. The other two had quite a bit of stuff but all of it old stock that has probably been there at least a year if not longrr. The only “new” things I saw were casual and work wear clothes. Led me to think like others that a little more is going on

 

[eaglemountainman]

My opinion has largely been that they make too many over specialized pieces.

I have an old 90% jacket and it's great. Windstopper, taped seams, grid fleece inside, soft shell outside. I wear it for almost every day trip.

They discontinued it so that they can sell you three different pieces instead of that one.

Well, yeah. Cuz how you gonna be the most fantastic hunter that you can be, unless you have just the perfect ensemble for every possible situation. Don't forget to overthink the footwear choices...

 

[TSU_Archer]

Having been wearing Sitka in some form since somewhere around 2014, I’ve gotten used to their marketing, advertisements, sales tactics, more recent “influencing”, etc. I can’t help but notice something is very different this year.

The first thing that I noticed was the huge abnormal sales like most folks were pointing out, I chalked that up to overstocking and a win for folks to get cheap high quality Sitka gear.

Second was their summer product releases. There has been almost ZERO marketing for anything they’ve released. They appear to have new shooter gloves, a new bino harness, and more notably brand new very expensive down gear tops and bottoms. I have yet to see a single email, IG post, influencer, etc promoting these pieces. Very very strange.

I’ve also heard from folks in the industry that they’ve had some serious changes in staff, with only one or two folks left from the recent years. I’m guessing one of those is barklow cuz I still see him here and there discussing Sitka.

And lastly, I just saw today John Dudley saying he’s leaving Sitka (and PSE) and will be getting new sponsors. He more or less discussed the staffing issue above and also change in senior leadership.

Maybe I have a tin foil hat on, but something seems off. Is Sitka changing? Are they going out of business? Is it still the Sitka we have all always known and loved?

Let’s see what folks know, think or hear. I’m super curious, because as a long time Sitka fan, I hope they aren’t going anywhere or changing too drastically.


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I guess only time will tell if there is any truth to staffing changes or any degradation of the product and or customer service. Personally I think they are still the top dawg in the industry for now. As for deals, seasonal sales, etc.. I feel it’s been on par with previous years.

As for the whole “Dudley” leaving. I think this had zero to do with Sitka. I think Dudley can pick out a winning race horse when he sees one. I think he is just following Jocko and his entourage to another opportunity to grow his brand. Personally I don’t see the flare with Origin Camo minus its ownership and “made in America” selling points. I think it’s gonna have some seriously hard time selling past the knee jerk crowd. I think they will be able to get away with selling to the general crowd just looking to spend money. The diehard hunters who actually use and abuse their stuff to the extreme are gonna discover the fail points of their gear. Leading them to continue utilizing brands that have a substantial amount of time in the game, invested serious capital into R&D and have been well tested time and time again. Brands such as Sitka, Kuiu and some of First Lites stuff.

I’ve been a little disappointed with Sitkas durability lately but the performance is still absolutely on point. Granted I am a Kuiu guy but I can appreciate what Sitka is and has done for performance hunting apparel.

I think it has been mentioned though, it does seem Sitka is so maxed out on accomplishing just about every hunting endeavor that they are doing a lot of “speciality” pieces that just are not appealing to everyone. For example the Mountain Evo jacket, I just didn’t see a use for it. The few times I needed to use I was also stopping to glass and felt the air cut right through to my back. Personally I thought the mountain jacket was much more of a straight forward piece for such an application.

All good questions you have asked but I guess time will only tell if there is any truth to Sitka kind of being in a slump.


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[NJStricker]

I was checking out some of Sitka’s latest jackets for whitetail hunting. I don’t remember the model but it seemed to have a different face fabric. Thin and loud.

 

[Honyock]

I can't remember where I read it, but the rumor was that they are going direct to consumer.

 

[adamm88]

I think the 2020 covid year when everyone stayed at home and could hunt extra really boomed the hunting industry. I have bought there gear that lasts and haven't needed to upgrade, i have a few pieces of gear that i wnat which would be a second of item(timberline pants in solid), but dont have the disposable income to "need" to upgrade.

I also thing the hunting market is kind of stale, all the companies have similar products and similar camo, Theres only so good a product can get.