The fanatic lite bibs. For their weight I am not seeing a real use for them. I feel like I would never use them as a stand alone piece and if it's cold enough to use them then I need additional layers on top. So the a set of "light" weight bibs that aren't so light really doesn't fit in for me. I think I am better off layering under stratus pants ..and then on top layers I have more choices with out the bibs in the way. I run really hot so keep that in mind. I didn't have a single day last season that I thought it was cold enough to use the fanatic bibs with the fanatic jacket. The jacket as a stand alone yes ...but together no way. I like having them for odd ball situations ( late November Kansas 2014 comes to mind.... Single digits all day with insane winds chills.) but otherwise they just been taking up space. I have a set of incinerator bibs that are coming this week.i am going to take a good hard look at them. That said I really wish I didn't sell my old original status bibs. They were the best bibs I used so far. I handle anything from the teens on to the 30 with them. Hopefully they bring a set back into the line however I am not hearing it.
Another thing on both sets of bibs . Just for me they took them in the wrong direction as far a pockets. Way to much going to with them. For me if have bibs on I have a jacket over it and have all the pockets I need. I want bibs streamline and clean for layering. I think they could shave a bunch of weight off them buy bumping all the unnecessary pockets
You definitely run warmer than I do. For me these bibs will be used soon as I would feel the need to add a layer under the equinox pant and down to the time I would wear the insulated fanatic gear, unless there is high winds I may wear the stratus. My system is probably a lot different than most whitetail hunters. 80% of my hunts I have to pack everything from my insulating layers and outer layers in to cut back the sweating. I hate having to take my boots off to put the stratus pants on. When the temps drop with the fanatic lite bib and my kelvin pants the warmth to weight / bulk will be great and no more taking my boots off.
I have the Fanatic Hoody, Jacket and Stratus pants. I too thought about the Fanatic pants, but if you're anything like me, my legs dont get cold so the Fanatic pants were too warm and overkill. The Stratus pants are a nice balance and gives good layering options. I wear mine from start to finish in a season with no issues. Just adjust whats under them as needed. If I could tell you one thing, ditch the Sitka Core stuff. its nice, but not as good as some of the real wool makers stuff out there. I just bought two different weights of Minus 33 and was blown away with the stuff last year. And a few bucks cheaper too.
I have the 90% jacket and pants and they are great for early to mid season. They are thin enough to just wear when it's a little warmer but have a fleece lining that works great with layers under them. If you chill easy a good wind stopper layer would be about all you need even when it's cold out.
I love merino wool for active hunting and warmer stand hunting however for pure warmth it doesn't compare with a micro grid heavy weight fleece. None of my heavy weight first lite base or Sitka wool bases are as warm. The only thing that comes close is my Ullfrotté however it's very heavy compared to the heavy weight core or ECWCS Bases
Thanks for all the replies. I found. New with tags fanatic lite for a price I couldn't pass up. I had the regular fanatic but it was just a bit to warm for me. It basically had to be 15 degrees before I could wear it. I'm hoping the lite will give me more options. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
I agree, I posted in a thread last fall that to me the Sitka heavyweight is warmer than merino. It keeps me warmer than the minus33 heavy weight while static. However, as you said if I am being active, moving, walking, etc causing sweat then being stationary the merino is far superior for me.
Not sure if this will be helpful but I have two different systems from Sitka that I will blend depending on the temps and the time of year. This is gear I have: Stratus Pants Celsius Jacket Ball cap Fanatic Gloves Fanatic Bibs Fanatic Jacket Incinerator Hat Neck Gaitor Early Season I will use this combo: Celsius Jacket, Stratus Pants, Ball cap, and Fanatic gloves Mid Season depending on temps I will use this combo: Celsius Jacket, Stratus Pants/Fanatic Bibs, Ball cap, neck gaitor, and Fanatic gloves Late Season depending on temps Fanatic Jacket, Fanatic Bibs, Fanatic gloves, Incinerator hat, and neck gaitor. Possibly will use Celsius Jacket for layers depending on temps.
I might as well throw my lineup on here as well. Early season. (You could use anything for this time, but if running Sitka, it would be the following for me.) Equinox Pants Fanatic hoody or Core LW LS Shacket Mid to late October Stratus Pants Fanatic Hoody Celcius Jacket or Stratus Jacket November/Late season. (If it's actually November weather. If not, see mid to late October. Fanatic Hoody Fanatic Jacket Fanatic Bib I bought the fanatic lite jacket and sold it a week later. The way it fit didn't feel right to me. Haven't tried the light bibs, but I don't really need them. To add, I use a mix of First Lite and Sitka base layers.
My set up is similar...early season I actually just use a thin scent lok savannah series in realtree xtra that works well for those 55-75 deg days Mid season I have stratus pants, fanatic hoodie, stratus jacket and can layer either the shacket under stratus, fanatic vest over all pieces as needed. This covers me from 30-60 deg or even lower Late season is I wear the fanatic bib and jacket with the hoodie Good from 0-45deg...any warmer and you would be roasting
I think I'm going to pick up the stratus vest to go under the fanatic lite. That and a good base layer should get me down into the 30's I'm thinking. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
I went with the Fanatic lite bibs, Stratus jacket and Fanatic vest for this year. I really liked the Stratus pants however without zippers to vent I felt the lite bibs would be a better overall more versatile piece that I could wear for a better part of season then. The Stratus jacket for the wind blocker of course and the fact that the fit is so streamline, athletic and comfortable. Then I figured the Fanatic vest would give me the added warmth when temps dropped without the full bulk of the Fanatic jacket and of course the kangaroo pouch with the heavy fleece lining will allow me to wear thin gloves still keeping my hands fairly warm, especially with some hand warmers inside. Plan to use my merino bases with my DLATS Gen III mid weights as well when the temps decrease. I am hoping this combination keeps me warm while still performing with the athletic fit of all the pieces. Excited to see how this year goes and test this all out.
I am just not a fan of the Fanatic Lite stuff, but I am weird. I get hot very easy in warm temps but also get cold easier than a lot of folks when the temps start to drop. To me the Lite series is too heavy for early season and too light for even mildly cold temps. I almost bought the Fanatic Lite bibs today but they just don't fit into the range of temps I would use them for. They are extremely comfortable though, I'll give them that. So far I have the following Sitka pieces: Stratus Jacket Stratus Vest Equinox Pants Core LW LS Shirt Sitka Beanie Fanatic gloves I plan to add either Stratus pants or just bite the bullet and get the Fanatic jacket and bibs for November-January.
