Sitka Help Needed
General Topic
Contributors to this thread:
Hey guys. I have decided i want to get some Sitka gear. Choosing between the Stratus gear which is the Elevated II pattern or the Jetstream gear which is the Optifade Subalpine pattern.
I like the stratus gear as it is desgined for whitetails but here is my big hang up... I do a lot of tree stand hunting AND a lot of still hunting/natural ground blind hunting/tracking. The Elevated II patterns seems a little light in color for any kind of ground hunting without snow. Its a lot of grays and whites as opposed to greens and browns. What do you guys think? Aside from pattern what do you think about the difference in the two jackets anyways? Stratus seems better for what i do but i love the arm pit zips that the Jetsream has for those really long walks in/out as well as still hunting. Thanks!
Without color vision both patterns should work well for deer etc. even from the ground, although the nod would go to Subalpine.
Stratus will be slighlty quieter (micro fleece face); Jetstream will be slighly more loud but also more durable.
You'll have a tough time going wrong with either: Jetstream is geared for active hunting, Stratus geared for treestand/less active hunting.
Dead calm day 10-15 yards from a jumpy whitetail in your stand you may wish you had the Stratus, but other than that I'd lean to the Jetstream for its versatility.
I've used both of these jackets quite a bit. The Jetstream is a little more versatile, but the Stratus is more quiet as the exterior is a raised fleece. Jetstream isn't "noisy", but is not fleece either. If you are going to do any mountain hunting at all, you'll want the Jetstream. Both are great jackets for their intended use. The Jetstream will not be a real warm option in the tree stand. Again, comes down to your intended use. As far as the camo goes, it will bother you more than it will bother the animals.
Smarba and I must of posted at the same time. I concur with his explanation 100%.
This may interest you:
http://www.optifade.com/science
Agree with these guys. I have both and they serve their purpose. Love the jet jacket. Most favorite piece I own. Use it mostly for western hunts it works great for early season midwest deer hunts too. Stratus comes out in November.
Scott.
LOL Kota, I guess great minds think alike!
If you can only go one pattern I would say Elevated 11. Beware of the addiction:) good luck
That would be Elevated 2 or II. Elevated 11 won't be out until 2049 LOL