I am looking to buy some Sitka gear and had a question. I am trying to decide between the Fanatic Lite, Stratus, or Coldfront gear. Does anyone have any experience with the Coldfront line of gear? Good, bad, indifferent? If you were to choose between the three sets, which one would you choose for stand hunting in Texas and some spot and stalk in Colorado. I am leaning toward the Coldfront because I like the camo pattern but they dont have the bibs, only the pants with suspenders. Any info is appreciated.
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My only input is there are lots of good head to head reviews on similar systems and Sitka pieces on YouTube. Some of these pieces are gunna tough to make work for sitting in a tree vs stalking / hiking just by how warm you’d get. Good luck can’t go wrong -
Coldfront will be really hot for any spot and stalk hunting.Comment
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I have the fanatic lite set, jacket and bibs. I bought them before the stratus had bibs and the stratus jacket was still deemed noisy. It’s a great system for Texas hunting, the fanatic lite is super warm for how thin it is. Only thing it lacks is it’s not wind proof so on days the north wind is cranking it can be chilly. The new stratus set is really nice and had the wind stopper material. I bought the vest last year and like it a lot. Will probably transition to a full stratus set soon. I think you would probably burn up spot and stalking with it though if it wasn’t 40 degrees and below.
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I live in Texas and have the fanatic set. Incredibly warm! Especially on those at freezing or below freezing days in a tree with blowing wind. I would never wear them spot and stalk. It’s wayyyy too warm. You’ll sweat horribly. I don’t even wear my fanatic set to the stand. I hike in and put it on. I have a plethora of Sitka gear so depending on what you are trying to do, there may be a better solution where you can utilize the gear for both Colorado and Texas. For instance, before I got the fanatic set, I wore multiple layers (wool FL base no matter what, Sitka midweight or heavy weight top or bottoms or under armor 3.0, and maybe a fleece hoody) with the mountain pant and jetstream jacket for sitting in a stand deer hunting. Jetstram is incredibly warm if layered and wind proof. I skied for 4 days in mine in January and stayed warm. Then I use the same pieces for Colorado and shed layers as needed. In September, you rarely need more than 2 layers in Colorado unless it dumps snow like it did last week on us. Typically I’m in FL wool base, Sitka mid weight top, and accent pants with wool base. And by 9 am I’m down to just a wool top base. I will say that the best warm weather to mild weather pant to hike in and hunt is the Sitka accent pant. Hands down one of my favorite pieces. Tough as hell and dries quick if it gets wet.
My honest opinion, it’s going to be super tough to use any of their cold weather sets for Colorado unless you’re hunting in well below freezing temps or sitting for long periods. They are just too warm. A super nice piece to add for warmth if sitting and glassing or bitter cold is a puffy. I have the kelvin lite and it’s super warm. I don’t ever really hike in it bc, again, it’s just too warm. Even the jetsteam jacket can be too warm for hiking.
As far as camo patterns, they all work. I’ve deer hunted in open country in a tree and never been busted and my wife elk hunted in elevated ii and didn’t get busted. Don’t put too much thought into the pattern and focus more on the intended purpose of the piece.
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Just a note : their T shirts are made with Texas organic cotton.Comment
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I’ve got the stratus set and I LOVE it. It’s quiet enough to stalk in, warm enough to sit in without layering in slightly chilly temps and durable as heck. I get cold easily though so being “too warm” isn’t really an issue for me. I layer underneath for cold days. Even in some mild rain the stratus set is awesome.
I actually just got a second stratus set because I’ve lost weight. I considered the fanatic set but I don’t want to fix something that ain’t broke.
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Don't know about the cold front. I have the stratus set; jacket, pants and vest. I also have the Fanatic bibs. The stratus is great for me in Texas 95% of the time. The fanatic bibs are crazy warm. I don't like the bulk of the fanatic jacket or vest...
You would be impressed with the stratus set and add the fanatic hoodie for a great set of camo. Hard to beat for Texas.Comment
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Not sure what you've found on prices, but the coldfront looks to be half off here: https://www.mountain-archery.com/sit...nd-forest.aspxComment
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