Check out our review of the new Sitka Incinerator Aerolite cold weather gear. I heard a couple of negative reviews but my experience was anything but negative - these were warm (almost too warm) and extremely well made. The only issue is the price - holy cow it's pricey. But IMO, worth the money for hard core guys that hunt whitetails in miserable cold, wet weather.
Good question. Maybe on day 2 with sun and no wind. Not on day 1 with a -20 wind chill. This stuff really cuts the wind much better than the Fanatic stuff. Also, Fanatic is not waterproof so on a cold winter rain this stuff would be terrific - however I never got to try that out. That last week in February felt like I was in Nunavut. 8 degrees with 20-30mph wind day 1, 5 degrees with 0-5 mph wind day 2.
ON a scale of 0-10 the Fanatic noise is a zero. The Incinerator Aerolite is a 2. The brushed GoreTex shell is not as quiet, but on day 2 you could hear a pin drop and I drew on that doe at 15 yards. It is very quiet. Nothing is like the Fanatic. I would also add that no burrs or stickers cling to the Incinerator either where the Fanatic is a magnet for them.
Thanks Pat. Budget minded here, I will have to stick with my Fanatic. Full disclosure, I am just not as tough as you, I am not hunting in minus 20 wind chill. I don’t see deer moving too much in those conditions on my farm. Those conditions are rare here so deer will typically wait them out.
Sure am happy with the Sitka products I have purchased, they have been worth the price to me.
I’ll defer to kota-man. I’ve never owned or even seen the original incinerator but I guessed that it was lighter and much less bulky. Hard to imagine how it could be warmer.
Come on Pat. You just wanted to show off your perfect shots lol. In all seriousness, how durable is the outer material ? A buddy has some Sitka and some tears In the bibs. Have you walk through some heavy cover with them on etc...
Spike…That can be answered about a hundred different ways depending on the person. The stuff was designed to not heavily layer. I’ll usually wear a base layer and a fanatic hoodie. If it gets REALLY cold, I’ll add my Pnuma heated vest.
As far as durability goes…None of the whitetail stuff is designed for “busting brush”. It is designed for sitting in a tree. I can’t imagine walking anywhere in an Incinerator anyway so busting brush/durability is not really a concern for me. If your gonna bust brush in cold weather gear, you’d be better off in Carhardts. This stuff is actually too warm to even walk to and from the treestand.
Agree with Kota-Man. If you read the article I lay out everything I wore for my two February hunts but here it is:
"For my system I used the Aerolite Incinerator Bibs and Jacket. Under the jacket I had a stratus Vest as a mid-layer and a Fanatic Hoody as my base layer. Under the bibs, I wore an equinox midi pants, and merino heavyweight bottoms. On my head I used the Fanatic beanie over the hood of my Fanatic hoody. For gloves I used Incinerator flip Mitts for my first hunt, on my second hunt I used the Stratus gloves. The Stratus gloves were inadequate in 5 degree weather. "
I don’t know about the Lite version but Incinerator parka and bibs are my go to when it’s sub arctic out and the wind is sticking it to you. You do NOT walk around in that stuff. You’ll burst into flames!
I found the Aerolite Jacket sticks to trees when leaning back on stand and makes a slight scratching noise when you pull off the tree. The Newest Fanatic Jacket is heavier, doesn’t have a hood like the Aerolite but makes NO noise. For me when it’s dry and cold it’s Fanatic and when it’s wet and cold Aerolite.
When I think back to the “hungry years” of outdoor gear both jackets are amazingly warm and non-restrictive to drawing your bow.
