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GORE ™ OPTIFADE™ Subalpine
At SITKA Gear we know the value of technology, but more importantly we understand the science behind it. As manufacturers of some of the industry’s highest-performing, most innovative fabrics, we’re committed to discovering the ways technology can benefit our customers. For 2017 we are excited for the introduction of GORE OPTIFADE™ Concealment Subalpine™.
The GORE OPTIFADE™ Concealment Subalpine™ pattern is designed specifically for stalking and ambushing ungulates from ground level in tree covered and vegetated terrain. The concealment technology is optimized for engagement ranges of 50 yards and less.
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GORE ™ OPTIFADE™ Open Country
In 2009 we introduced GORE™ OPTIFADE™ Concealment’s Open Country pattern, optimized for backcountry hunters of bighorn sheep, mountain goats, and other ungulates. The Open Country pattern uses the larger neutral areas of the pattern (macro-pattern) that are more critical to concealment at greater engagement ranges.
GORE™ OPTIFADE™ Concealment incorporates the micro and macro patterns of the animal kingdom to help make hunters unrecognizable as predators, even when detected. Stalking predators, like tigers, have a macro-pattern of stripes that break up their body symmetry as they chase prey. One of the scientific principles behind the GORE™ OPTIFADE™ Open Country pattern is the emphasis of the larger neutral areas of the pattern (macro-pattern) which are more critical to concealment at the greater engagement ranges imperative to hunting in the backcountry.
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Cole Kramer
Big Game Open Country Athlete
Cole fell under the spell of Alaska’s rugged landscape as a boy and has built a life around guiding others across Kodiak’s dynamic terrain, which can shift from serene to stormy in seconds.
He grew up in a small town in the middle of Kansas. Cole saw Alaska for the first time the summer he was eleven years old and spent two weeks fishing salmon and halibut, though fish weren’t all that got caught during that trip. “I was hooked,” Cole recalls, “for life.”
Several years later his high school classmates voted him most likely to disappear, and one week after graduation, he did; he drove up to Alaska and got hired as an apprentice/packer for Kodiak Outdoor Adventures. During his apprenticeship, Cole was also able to work for several of the other top outfitters in the state, gaining comprehensive experience. Upon receiving his Registered Guide license Cole started his own guiding operation, Kramer’s Kodiak Guide Service, though he still guides for other outfitters in Alaska and internationally to ensure he has a year-round schedule of guiding.
Guiding in Alaska presents the challenging conditions in which Cole thrives. Hunting mountain goats in September, he and his client pack a week’s worth of food, carry their mobile campsite on their backs, and exhibit extreme focus and patience as they watch the goats for two days, observing their patterns and waiting for the right moment. Kodiak’s capricious weather means conditions can turn on a dime. In a split second, a great day turns into a snowy, survival situation. Cole is prepared, his client hits his mark, and—perhaps most gratifying of all—the person who started out as a stranger at the beginning of the hunt is now a lifelong friend. “It’s a great feeling when it all comes together in the end,” he reflects, “and you help show someone what they are capable of doing.”
NEW KEY BIG GAME OPEN COUNTRY GEAR
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Streamlined to move like the wind while standing strong against it, our Mountain Jacket defies gravity and graupel alike. Imperceptibly light and minimal in bulk, it nearly disappears in your pack. Once deployed, the effects of its seam-taped WINDSTOPPER® construction are impossible to ignore.
Mountain Jacket [NEW]
When a pulsing artery of the jet stream is ripping everything apart, the Timberline Jacket helps you keep it together. The bombproof seam-taped WINDSTOPPER® construction seals out driving wind, while reinforced shoulders and sleeves hold their own in rugged terrain, making this our most versatile jacket for the mid to late season.
Timberline Jacket
Light, warm, and tougher than gnarly scrub, the Mountain Pant specializes in moving fast in the mid and late seasons. For 2016, we rebuilt it from the ground up with a more precise fit and a newly-developed fabric, making rugged stalks quieter and more comfortable then ever.
Mountain Pant [NEW]
A burly sheep hunting pant built for racking up vertical in mid to cold conditions, our Timberline Pant has long stood as the alpine hunter’s workhorse. The Timberline Pant is a highly technical 4-way stretch polyester spandex pant with double reinforced waterproof/breathable nylon ripstop knees and seat with articulated knee pads that are removable.
