The editors of Outdoor Canada magazine just awarded Sitka Best New Hunting Vest for the heated Dutch Oven Vest and Best New Camo Pattern for the Gore OPTIFADE Visual Concealment.

Thank you Outdoor Canada!

For those of you who haven't seen it already, the Sitka 45 Bivy Pack received the Editor's Choice Award from Outdoor Life Magazine.  We were the only pack to receive an overall rating of four stars based on comfort, design/ features, ease of use and price/ value.

Is it me, or am I that much better looking?



Great article in the May/ June 2009 issue of Sporting Classics about the evolution of camo, and Sitka's role in revolutionizing the industry.  Download the full article: sportingclass_may09_article.

Sitka's Core Zip-T was recently tested by BackPackGearTest.org. Back Pack Gear Test does an impressive job at putting a product through the paces. It was impressive to see how the Zip-T handled the 6 months of abuse with glowing praise, for both the hunter and recreational outdoorsperson. Read the review here.

Thought I would share just a few of the review's on Cabela's website, where the Ascent Pants are seeing an average rating of 4.6 out of 5. Got to love it.

5 out of 5 Surprisingly Tough, March 23, 2009 By IdahoMW from Idaho

"Thought that the ascent pants may not be tough for high country abuse, but to the contrary, they have withstood abuse well. Very light, and the stretchable fabric moves well with you. Suspenders are a nice touch, and they wick moisture better than any technical hunting pant I have owned. Built to hunt very hard and mobile, especially during early hunt seasons." Would you recommend this product to a friend? Yes

5 out of 5 Sitka Ascent Pants, February 23, 2009 By BlackBearKilla from New York

"These are the most comfortable hunting pants I have owned and I've had a lot. Very soft, stretchy material. I highly recommend this product." Would you recommend this product to a friend? Yes

5 out of 5 My new favorite pair of pants, December 15, 2008 By cajunshooter from South La

"After purchasing the Sitka 90% jacket and loving it, I decided to give the Ascent pants a try. These are by far the most comfortable, quiet pants I own. I've been a fan of North Face and Mountain Hardware softshell for a while, and the Sitka is every bit as good, if not better in my opinion. These do fit a bit snug, and not intended for very cold temperatures, but they are great for their designed use." Would you recommend this product to a friend? Yes

5 out of 5 Great Pair of Pants, November 7, 2008 By Holleywood from Birmingham, Alabama

"I hunt mostly in Alabama where the bow season temps can range from 40 degrees to 70 degrees. These are the best pair of early season pants I've ever had. Not only are they lightweight, they are quiet and extremely comfortable. I liked them so much I bought the matching 3/4 zip pullover. I highly recommend the lightweight Sitka line to anyone that hunts early season in the southeast." Would you recommend this product to a friend? Yes

GORE's new Optifade camo disappears here in this high alpine setting in Nevada...prime time Mule Deer country. Shot at 1:1, this is Optifade at 50 yards.



For this difficult shot, David Brinker sat absolutely motionless. It was incredible to see male modeling like this in person. Not quit "ready position", but very close. The comfort his Sitka Gear provided in the 10 degree temperatures allowed him to hold this position for hours.

My turkey hunt on Saturday morning proved successful and a whole lot of fun.  I was offered a guided private land women's only hunt with the Colorado Division of Wildlife, co-sponsored by National Wild Turkey Federation and EnCana.  The day before we did Turkey 101 including calling, patterned our guns, ate dinner, and roosted the birds.  They even gave us new slate calls.

They've determined that these programs pay for themselves through new hunter retention.  Considering the average hunter in the U.S. is a 55 year old male, it's important to something to encourage women and kids to get out and hunt.

I've been upland and big game hunting for several years already, but this was my first successful turkey hunt.  We have Merriam's turkeys here in Western Colorado.  The population we we hunted included some beautiful white phase birds.  They had a gorgeous silver tone on the breast and white wing feathers.  I took it at about 30 yards with my Remington 1100 12 ga.

A huge thank you to all the sponsors and especially my guide, Dan Uhrich.  Dan did an excellent job of calling to some uncooperative birds, but his persistence paid.

Although this was a hack job of filming, it gives you an idea of the heat that the new Ardica enabled Sitka Dutch Oven vest puts out. PK Hart, Greg Novelo from Ardica, and I spent the day 20 miles of Lake Tahoe, capturing some images with a FLIR (forward looking infra red) camera. Built to survey heat loss in buildings or leaks that are unseen by the naked eye, this $40 thousand camera was very a blast to use.

Standard morning grind, training for my Stone Sheep hunt in August. You'd think being 10 minutes North of San Francisco would make it hard to find open space, but it's not. Marin County has maintained 80+% open space, with enough vert to make your quads quiver. Starting in the dark, this morning was a light load on the back, shorts, Salomons,  and my Sitka Core Zip-T.