There’s a reason we use GORE-TEX in our gear—it’s been tested and proven in the most challenging locations and conditions on the planet. And no one knows the value of having the right gear when the things take a turn for the worse than the hunters and guides who practically live in those wild, remote places. So we asked a few of them about some of the toughest tests they’ve put their GORE-TEX gear through. Here’s what they told us.
Back in 2017, I went on a late-season bowhunt in southeast Iowa. It was January, 22°F below zero with strong winds. I sat in a treestand over a food plot of soybeans that I planted, hoping to get a crack at a buck. The hunting was lights-out, with over 50 deer in the plot in front of me. Unfortunately, the mature bucks didn't quite come into range that evening, but since I was wrapped from head-to-toe in SITKA GORE-TEX® gear, my body was protected and I enjoyed an epic hunt. A combination of PrimaLoft® insulation and GORE-TEX ensured that the blistering-cold wind didn't rob me of precious body heat. As I got out of my stand, I had to take my Blizzard mittens off to detach my bow, and within about 15 seconds I could feel my fingers losing sensation. It was evident that I just hunted through truly dangerous weather conditions, and this only was possible with the innovation of my trusted SITKA Gear.
-Ben Harshyne, SITKA Ambassador
@ben.harshyne
It’s sometimes laughable how hard it rains on Kodiak Island, Alaska. While documenting a goat hunt there in 2019, the skies quickly turned from partly sunny to a wall of black—it was a full-on gully washer. As the storm set in, we were closing in on a billy. Fortunately, with the aid of GORE-TEX® we didn’t let the weather stop our pursuit. Our exposed fingers may have turned to prunes, but the rest of us stayed dry!
-Steven Drake, SITKA Ambassador
@stevendrakephoto
In 20 years of sheep hunting in the mountains, I’ve often been in places most would rather not be—and on occasion, I’ve even wondered what the hell I was doing there myself. I particularly remember a few times I wasn't sure I’d make it through the night. One time on an early October backpack hunt in a remote spot of northern British Columbia, we found ourselves sitting on a band of amazing rams when some brutal weather came in and we had to decide: Do we pull back to camp and risk losing these sheep? Or do we suit up and keep going after them? For us it wasn't that hard of a choice, but little did we know what the night would bring. At times the snow was blowing sideways and the visibility was nonexistent. We laid motionless in the piling up snow for what seemed like hours on the bedded rams without a clean shot opportunity. Finally, at last light the rams got up and presented a chance. Two simultaneous shots rang out amongst the snowflakes. I thought to myself,d “what have we done?”. Packing one sheep out from here would have been a challenge and now we had two. We spent the next several hours packing out, frozen, but fortunately still dry. Without the right clothing we would have not been here in the first place, we could not have survived this situation, and we would have surely been heading out empty. It’s times like these that you realize that without the right clothing, your hunts may not be successful and ultimately your life can be in real danger.
-Dustin Roe, SITKA Ambassador
@dustinroe
For over 20 years now, I’ve been guiding and hunting in some of the most unforgiving ecosystems. Kodiak Island, the Alaskan peninsula, and the Chugach mountains harbor some of the most brushy, windy, and wet conditions on earth. I’ve traveled to many parts of the world—from the windswept, snowy peaks of Nepal and the sheer walls of Azerbaijan to the deserts of Africa and Mexico where sudden thunderstorms will soak you to your core if you’re not prepared. And everywhere I go, I always bring GORE-TEX gear. To me, the true testament of GORE-TEX is that we no longer think about or care what Mother Nature throws at us in such brutal environments. Pack accordingly and not only will you survive, you’ll thrive.
-Cole Kramer, SITKA Ambassador
@cole_ak_kramer
There’s rain. And then there’s hard rain. Or cold rain. And then there’s hard, cold rain from yet another afternoon rainstorm laying within bow range of a bedded Stone’s sheep ram for the last three hours. It’s great when gear keeps you dry and comfortable as the weather takes a turn for the worse, but it’s absolutely critical that this same gear performs when the chips are down at the crux of a long hunt. Opportunities are so rare in bowhunting—we plan, we practice, we visualize and we dream up these moments all year long, but there’s no guarantee that the sun will be shining when (or better yet, if) they come to fruition. Eventually, when things seemed out of reach, the ram stood up, completely broadside and stretched, looking directly downhill and the opposite direction of my perch in the cliffs. I drew my water-logged bow and was able to make good on the opportunity.
-Adam Foss, SITKA Ambassador
@fossman8
