Delta Wading Jacket Reviews

A very ambitious release from Sitka

Right away it was obvious that the shell material and camo print has improved. The material is slightly softer and the camo print is more vibrant. The dry suit gasket sleeves are perfect if sized correctly; however, the exterior shell of the sleeve does not have wrist adjustment to pin the excess material out of the way. Not having exterior wrist adjustment is an egregious oversight for a jacket of this price point. The new 2026 edition is bulkier in the upper torso and throughout the sleeves, which turns this jacket into just another bulky hunting coat. The 2025 model was trim and had an athletic cut, which left plenty of space for layering. This new model unnecessarily got bulkier and addressed a problem that did not exist. The 2026 model has an updated hood design and the sizing of the hood has been corrected from the previous 2025 model. Overall it’s another solid offering from Sitka. Sitka had a chance to make something special with the introduction of the dry suit gasket sleeves, but they dropped the ball with removing key features like the zippered chest pockets, making the coat unnecessarily bulkier, and providing zero exterior shell wrist adjustment. I love this brand and I specifically love the Delta line, but there is much to be desired with this jacket. I’m a 3rd generation waterfowl hunter that has been duck hunting since 1993. I’ve worn and beat up a lot of gear over the decades. I hope the Sitka Design Team takes this feedback and makes the Future Delta Wading jacket (2027 and beyond) the perfect waterfowl wading coat. Sitka is so close to making something truly special and I can’t wait to see it.

An overall quality waterfowl jacket

I applaud Sitka for the ambitious design updates, but this jacket leaves much to be desired. The hood design has been fixed from previous iterations. The Dry Suit gasket sleeves are awesome; however, there are zero outer shell sleeve adjustments and it’s crazy annoying. I’m not a fan of the new wader pocket placement. I much preferred the positioning of the 2025 hand pocket placement. The biggest disappointment I have with this 2026 release is that Sitka has moved away from an athletic cut regarding sleeve diameter. I appreciated a more trim cut. Layering was not a problem to begin with, so I don’t understand why the sleeves were made with a larger diameter. This jacket is going to perform and function as intended. Sitka almost made the perfect wading jacket… but they fell short. Maybe they will fix these oversights for a 2027 release.