re: Best hunting apparel out there?

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wouldn’t by without some sort of discount

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I signed up to be a Sitka Pro, used my military papers and I get 40% off so I get the discount.

With that said, if you are wet, cold, or extremely uncomfortable the last thing you are thinking about is that discount.

If you're not in extreme cold and/or humping it up and down mountain ridges all day, the "best" hunting gear is unnecessary.

Especially if your style of hunting is sitting over a corn pile or food plot.

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This. I am just as warm and cozy as the guys who want to look spiffy, and I have ample success in my hunting endeavors.

To each his own.

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If you’re hunting a box stand it doesnt really make a difference. But after always wearing Game Winner stuff from Academy, I got my first Nomad bib and jacket set this year and was comfortably warm hunting that week around Christmas when it was freezing. All I had was a pair of Magellan thermal pants and shirt underneath. With the Game Winner stuff, I’d have to wear 2-3 layers under and still not be as warm

Chêne is essentially Sitka for the Southern boy. I've never worn Sitka clothes or their waders, so I can't speak directly on their stuff. It looks like great gear and have lots of friends that love it.

But Chêne saw that there was a need for a Sitka style clothing with patterns like Mossy Oak Bottomland and Treestand, with the cool factor of shooting mallards in shin deep Arkansas timber. They have done an outstanding job in marketing and their customer service thus far is unparalleled in the hunting industry, especially in major apparel brands. Their wader pants are fleece lined and they are awesome.

Their Hyrdrolok keeps you 100% dry and has some nice features like a soft, plush neck liner, insulated hand warming pockets, a little bit of insulation and a great hood.

The Waxed canvas jacket has well placed, plush handwarming pockets, brass button/ brass zippered dual sided pockets on each side,and corduroy neck liner. It has compression sleeves which are great for water coming up the sleeve, but not as good for mobility. Very nostalgic in bottomland and has a fit like a sports jacket so can be worn to an outdoor banquet or event. If I was getting one, I'd go hydrolok though. Something about being waterproof that is nice.

The 60 series is a Patagonia that the patent ran out on and everyone went out and copied it. I love it though. It's warm, thin, and has a low profile Hood on it. Great for Louisiana weather, use as a mid layer or outer layer casually.

Waders are tough as nails. Worn a total of 85 times in 2 seasons, just got a small leak. Texted Jeff Jones, he immediately said send them attention to him and he would personally get them serviced and sent back. The have subtle handwarming pockets that are surprisingly effective. Comfortable boot. Fit great to the body. Come in a bunch of different wader sizes. Uninsulated, so don't think because it's 45 that morning you won't need insulated pants if you're in thigh deep water. Wear the insulated pants. Their wader pants wick moisture to the outside of the pants.

The First Lite wader pants, I don't have, but they're essentially a heavy wool pajama pant. Not as big a fan as I am of the Chene. They're baggies. Both come with a foot loop to keep them from riding. Chene is kind of like a stirrup strap, whereas FL has a harness for your foot.

The waterproof jacket that competes with Hydrolok is very similar. They're both made from the same material as their respective wader, but the wader materials are noticeably different. I haven't put it to test like I have the Chene, but it seems to be just as good. Has a cool strap system at the bottom to cinch it up like a wading jacket.

They don't have a waxed jacket, but their mid layers and base layers are comparable and made from merino wool. They're all pretty equal in the base and mid layers. Very comfortable, overly warm for most Southern hunters.

The waders actually fit a little better and look a little better in pics than the Chene in my opinion.they have the same zipper in the front. I believe it goes down a little further than Chene which helps when trying to pee in the field. The material is softer and almost feels like frog skin. Got a minor leak from a tooth on the zipper on my prototypes, but the seems have held up good. Very minimal seam system, with nice knee padding sewn into the inside that Chene doesn't have and Sitka has a lot of seams on the exterior. Boot is LaCrosse and goes almost to the knee. Great for ice breaking and doesn't change mobility much.

FL spent millions developing their timber pattern that they're releasing, and it looks exactly like a tree. I have pics of me standing against willows and look just like them. I would look back at the group and they blended very well in the woods. It doesn't have the cool factor around the campfire that bottomland does, but it does look better in the field. They do lack a solid color wader, and Chene is discontinuing each of theirs every season. Be interesting long term what each do, because there is a big draw to the solids in the south due to nostalgia and trends.

Also, we will see how the customer service is with FL, because that has been what helped Chene the last couple of years. That and their content.

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Chêne is essentially Sitka for the Southern boy.

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Jeff needs to rethink his brand name if he is going after the “Southern Boy”. Seeing a French word with a circumflex is not very southern. Name just looks a little “fancy”.



If you mean oak say oak. Other than that looks like quality stuff.

My son gets a 40% discount on Sitka, so I wear it. If he didn’t get that discount, I would not buy their stuff.

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Jeff needs to rethink his brand name if he is going after the “Southern Boy”. Seeing a French word with a circumflex is not very southern. Name just looks a little “fancy”.

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I respectfully disagree. I like the double entendre, being French for oak, and a play on words to the depth water they hunt. It makes for a clean logo, and if the company was named "Oak", that would just be kind of silly. Their products and style of hunting/content definitely appeal to southern guys.