This is a review of my experience with the new SJK Tactical Thermal Cloak tree stand bag. Background: I deer hunt in western Wisconsin. Last year’s hunting season brought single digit temperatures and bitter winds. The only thing that kept me on the stand all day was a Heater Body Suit (HBS) that I had borrowed. As a tall skinny dude, I find it almost impossible to stay warm sitting in my stand. The HBS is the best thing I’ve found for staying warm, not only did it keep me warm and on the tree stand, but it was surprisingly easy to slip out of when it was time to pull the trigger and drop my deer. But at $360, getting one of my own was not looking likely. During a web search for a used heater body suit, I ran across the newly released SJK Tactical Thermal Cloak (TC) and at $200, if it works close to as well as the HBS it’s got to be worth it. So I ordered one up. TC vs. HBS: The HBS is a fully enclosed tree stand bag made right here in Wisconsin of DWR treated brushed polyester tricot with a DuPont wind barrier and 300 grams of 3M Thinsulate insulation. It has a single zipper down the center. It comes in several camo patterns and you can get the optional hood and zip on blaze orange overlay. The TC is made by SJK Tactical, which is a newly formed (or re-branding) of Slumberjack, so they have many years of sleeping bag production experience. It is comes in Kryptec Highland camo and is made of waterproof fabric, with taped seams and 160 grams of synthetic insulation. It is different than the HBS in that it has a zipper down the middle plus self sealing magnetic arm slits on either side of the main zipper. It is also open at the bottom, and the bottom portion can be hooked up for walking. The hood is permanently attached; it has a slit for a safety harness, and there are no blaze orange overlays available. It comes with a stuff sac, packed up it’s half the size or less of the HBS. Finally, the fabric of the TC does not seem to be quite as quiet as the whisper quiet fabric used in the HBS. My Experience: Two awesome little girls kept me out of the woods during bow hunting season, so I wasn’t able to test out the TC until Gun season. The first hurdle I had to deal with was a camo garmet without any orange overlay. Fortunately I can manage OK with a sewing machine, so I was able to take an un-insulated orange jacket I had, cut the sleeves off, widen it and sew in some arm slits. It works, but it’s not something I think most hunters would undertake. You could possibly use an orange vest, but that might hinder use of the arm slits. The stuff sack made it easy to transport clipped to my backpack. The first day of the season was in the mid 30’s. I sat in the stand all day, but didn’t end up using the TC. The second day it rained off and on, steady at times and was around 40 degrees. I wore the TC to test how waterproof it actually is. The fabric did a great job of keeping out water, but water ended up leaking in through the seams, especially a horizontal seam on the top sitting right about my knees. Because the seams are supposed to be fully taped, I contacted the company after the season. They emailed me back and actually requested that I send in the TC so they can tear it apart and see what’s up with the seams. They will send me a new one, once they receive mine. So far, I’m pretty impressed with their customer service. The third day the temp dropped to mid 20’s. Again, I wore the TC all day. It was able to keep me plenty warm at mid 20’s temps with only my base layer, a thin fleece & my scent lock shirt underneath. I was worried that the open bottom would be a huge disadvantage, and while I could tell that some air could move around my legs, my core stayed plenty warm. I was also worried that the arm slits would let in cold air, but that wasn’t much of an issue. Unfortunately, I didn’t get the chance to test the TC in the bitter cold temps that I used the HBS in last year, but I would bet that the TC would be close to as warm as the HBS. For half the price, and with less insulation, I wouldn’t expect the TC to be quite as warm as the HBS. The Good: I really liked the arm openings in the TC.I also like the stuff sack and portability. The hood was nice, and the slit for the safety harness was really nice (I hate cold air coming down my neck because of a harness strap). It kept me warm, functioned as described and if the taped seams on my replacement function properly, it’s waterproof. All in all, I had a really positive experience with the TC and would recommend it to a friend. Best of all, the price is right. The Bad: I would say the biggest drawbacks are the fabric noise and the lack of an optional orange overlay. For gun deer in rain and wind I didn’t notice the fabric making too much noise. I would have liked to test it during bow season under calm conditions when being quite is imperative. Making too much noise could be a deal breaker. It would also be nice to have an easy way to zip or snap on an orange overlay for gun season. My other comments are all pretty minor. First it would be nice to have an enclosed bottom, or a zip on bottom for those cold days. It would also be nice if you could unzip the main zipper from the inside (like the HBS). As it is, you have to stick your arms out the arm slits and unzip it, not a huge deal. Thanks for taking the time to read my review, and feel free to post your comments or experience with either the TC or HBS or other means of staying warm in the tree stand.
thanks for the review, I was going to buy a heater body suit but went with the iwom instead, its been so warm here in Wisconsin I haven't used it yet. Scoot
scoot12, I would love to put the IWOM to the test along with the HBS and the TC. Obviously the main difference with the IWOM is that it has traditional sleeves for the arms, a great advantage when trying to get a quick shot off, but I feel like my arms are one of the things that always get cold. That's why I liked the idea of the arms inside the suit. It would be interesting to hear your experience with your IWOM....once you get a chance to use it. Bottom line I think is that any of these cold weather suits are great, with subtle differences that would make a person choose one over another, but all of them will keep you in the stand longer, which is the main goal!
Thanks for the review guys, I was thinking of getting a HBS after season. But now its going to be more research on all the options out there. Beefie
