I was very skeptical of Sitka as well. Until I tried it. The stuff is worth the money and very versatile
I’ve had long lasting use out of my scent-lok clothing. Never had the desire to try anything else yet.
Honestly I go with what I can find on sale. I have a 2 Badlands jackets and 3 sets of pants and got all of them for at least 50% off or more. Badlands has a discount section on their website and I have found some good deals on Amazon as well. I also have a UA sweatshirt and light weight summer shirt I got for dirt cheap at TJ Maxx. (Like a 2nd hand store for new clothes that don't sell). The problem I've found with most quality hunting clothing is the price. If you have to pay retail, it's usually too darn expensive so I shop for stuff on sale and just pick it up when I can. If you happen to be a military vet or work in law enforcement or are a first responder, you need to look at these web sites. They offer awesome discounts on all kinds of stuff related to outdoors and honestly you normally can't beat the prices. https://www.expertvoice.com/ https://www.govx.com/
I've been using my Scent Blocker Outfitter Jacket and Pants for 14 years now. Doubt they still trap scent but still look new and keep me comfortable all season. When it gets super cold for 20 degrees or lower, I wear my polar fleece shirt and pants underneath my Outfitter suit and never get cold with them on.
Good base layers and something that blocks wind, and artic shield boot covers. You can stumble across Under Armor stuff at TJ Maxx/Marshalls/Ross, it is super comfortable at a huge discount. I've mainly found lighter base type gear, but I really like it. Don't overlook Columbia, the Omni-Heat gear is legit and lightweight. The omni-heat base layers are awesome. My friend has the Widgeon Bibs/Jacket and he seems to always be warmer than I am and he does not wear much underneath that. Only two camo patterns, but camo patterns are only useful to look cool.
Depends on whether you want any scent control technology or not. If you want to be scent free, the only clothing line in the marketplace that can use activated carbon is ScentLok because they own the US patent on doing so (unless other manufacturers license it from ScentLok). All other technical clothing lines use anti-microbial treatments, silver threads, and other materials that are relatively worthless when worn as exterior garments because whatever the anti-microbial tech they use, it doesn't come into contact with the bacteria it's trying to kill. It's like spraying the outside of your house for ants inside. Also anti-microbials in undergarments wore against the skin only kill bacteria, they do nothing to adsorb the odor of the dead bacteria or do anything against the other hundreds of odor molecules that emit from the human body. If anyone would like me to post about activated carbon technology, please reply.
