Growing up in the Midwest, I always thought of hunting as a lazy man鈥檚 sport, one where you were confined to a tree stand or a blind and didn鈥檛 move much. But after taking up bowhunting for elk, deer, and antelope over the past two years where I now live, in New Mexico, I realize I couldn鈥檛 have been more wrong.
Western big-game hunting is one of the most physically challenging activities I鈥檝e ever done. Nearly all your time is spent off-trail, and you鈥檙e聽sometimes required to聽sprint聽up hillsides and traverse聽ridgelines聽while carrying a ton of gear,聽often in nasty weather.
In all my days of mountain biking, backcountry skiing, backpacking, and sport climbing, I鈥檝e never done anything that鈥檚 so tough on clothing and equipment, and by the same token, I鈥檝e never been as impressed with a gear company as I am聽with , a hunting brand that makes high-end apparel and implements. Its聽slogan is 鈥淭urning clothing into gear,鈥 and its聽products聽live聽up to that better than anything I鈥檝e worn from a traditional outdoor brand.
As someone who comes from a nonhunting background, it聽got me thinking about the gear I use on a regular basis to hike, ski, and bike. The Sitka pieces I wear hunting have been some of the best-performing clothes I鈥檝e ever used in the outdoors, full stop.聽And now I wear them to do more than just hunt. I bring my on every hike聽and live in the Mountain Pant聽whether I鈥檓 camping or just working in the yard. I鈥檝e found the fabrics Sitka uses聽to be incredibly durable, and I love that the company聽sweats the small details,聽, so you can be as quiet as possible while stalking game. If you鈥檙e not into its聽standard camo look, a lot of the聽 and pants are now available in earth-tone solids that are a welcome departure from the overly bright colors so commonplace in the outdoor industry.
Even if you aren鈥檛 a hunter, there鈥檚 a lot to be gained by using equipment and clothing designed to thrive in some of the harshest conditions you鈥檙e likely to find yourself in outdoors. Here are three of my favorites.
Mountain Pant聽($199)
is one of the best pairs of pants I鈥檝e ever owned. I鈥檓 six feet聽three inches tall, with long legs, so finding pants that fit has always been tricky, but these fit perfectly. That鈥檚 partly thanks to the multiple sizing options (I wear a size 33 tall)聽and their design: the performance聽fit is a bit slimmer than traditional hiking pants in order to minimize sound, ideal for walking through the woods. I鈥檝e worn them in temperatures聽ranging from 25 to 75 degrees, and aside from being wind- and water-resistant, the standout feature is their durability. These pants聽come聽with removable knee pads (incredibly useful for hunting), but the four-way-stretch woven polyester fabric itself resists tears and handles abuse very well. I鈥檝e worn them for many different hunts in New Mexico over the past two seasons, and they still look brand-new. It鈥檚 rare to find such a fitted, versatile pair of pants that can withstand a ton of off-trail hiking in the Rockies, not to mention聽crawling on your hands and knees. For this reason, they鈥檒l work for just about any outdoor pursuit, including聽hiking or climbing.
Mountain Hauler 4000 Pack聽($495)
I got lucky this year and filled my first elk tag. It was an experience I鈥檒l never forget, and one that was made immensely better by having this piece of gear. My friends and I had to pack聽out the meat over two and a half聽rough, trailless miles back to the truck, and handled nearly 100 pounds of meat聽and antlers with ease. I鈥檝e used countless聽different backpacks designed for heavy loads, but none of them could handle weight like that. This one is expandable from 3,700 to 4,500 cubic inches聽and chock-full of hunting-specific features like antler straps and an internal load-hauling shelf for a rear quarter. But the comfort is what really sold me:聽I didn鈥檛 know you could carry that much weight and not be in pain. Anytime I need to bring聽a lot of gear along on a backpacking or ski-hut trip, I know which pack I鈥檒l be grabbing.
Kelvin Active Jacket听($289)
Hunting, like backcountry skiing, is one of those sports where having the right layers is crucial. Ideally, you want a midlayer that insulates when you鈥檙e standing still and that breathes when you鈥檙e trucking uphill. does both really well. It鈥檚 filled with 80-gram Polartec Alpha insulation, which is used by many of the best brands in the outdoor industry because of its thermoregulating abilities. I own similar jackets from other brands, but details like brushed-fleece-lined hand-warmer pockets and the Polygiene odor-control treatment make this one of my favorites. It serves as聽a great layer for ski tours, fitness laps at the resort, or even cold mornings on the mountain bike.