In many areas blaze orange clothing is a must during certain seasons.
Whether it is for hunter safety laws or a personal choice it is always a good item to wear afield.
I got a chance to test out the Sitka Gear Ballistic Vest in Blaze Orange and here is what I found.
When the deer gun seasons come around in Ohio blaze orange clothing is required. It is a good thing when you think about how many hunters are ready to drop that buck of a lifetime during the short seasons. Looking downrange and seeing a blaze orange clad hunter has saved countless lives.
Up until now I have hunted in bargain priced blaze orange clothing. It was many times bulky and not made by hunters for hunters specifically, instead are made with cheap, non-helpful designs. Well the times have changed and Sitka Gear has come up with a very well thought out hunter safety vest. Let’s take a quick look at some of the great features.
-
Interchangeable Shoulder Pads: The interchangeable shoulder pads can be worn on either side.
-
Zippered Hand Pockets: Safely and conveniently cache your necessities.
-
Adjustable Waist Bands: The adjustable waist bands offer a technical and comfortable fit.
-
Magnetic Quick Connect Buckle: The magnetic buckle easily reconnects for quick layering changes in the field.
-
Durable Water Repellent Finish: The DWR finish resists light precipitation and prevents the face fabric from wetting out.
- Weight: 14.4 ounces.
I received my review sample in size XL. This size allows me to add the vest over bulkier cold weather gear easy and with the bottom cuff adjusters and the adjustable quick connect buckle this vest fits well over lighter clothing too. The ease of adjustments makes sense and allows the vest to fit well over any clothing and not be in the way when that perfect shot comes at a split second moment.
The interchangeable shoulder pads are a nice touch. The perforated foam pad is housed in either shoulder pocket you choose and cuts down on recoil significantly. This can be a great asset when you are firing big bore rifles like my favorite the .45/70 or heavy kicking shotgun slug guns such as magnum 12 gauge loads.
Zippered hand pockets keep all of your small necessities from being lost while crawling through the thick underbrush. The regular hand warmer pockets underneath the zippered pockets are perfect for keeping your fingers from being numb on a sub-zero deer stand.
The material is quite water repellant and is perfect for keeping your core area drier during sleet and freezing rain. The only down side I notice is the material is not a truly silent one against branches and briers on a stalk like a fleece or regular fabric type fabric might be. Overall though, the weather resistant fabric I feel tops that downside. That will allow you to stay out longer afield in poor weather conditions.
After testing the Sitka Gear Ballistic Vest in Blaze Orange I found it to be a great safety vest that does so much more. Wear the vest, or if you are in an area that blaze orange might scare your quarry such as wild turkeys, toss the vest in your bag. Put the vest on after you have bagged your prize and keep other hunters from spotting only your harvested game and taking a pot shot at it without knowing you are carrying it. Safety first always and hats off to Sitka Gear for bringing the hunter safety orange vest into the modern times with features never found on cheap competitors offerings.
Do you like articles about the outdoors? You can follow him @ericthewoodsman on Twitter, The Classic Woodsman on Facebook, and @theclassicwoodsman on Instagram, The Classic Survivalist, and The Classic Woodsman YouTube Channel.
NEXT: SITKA GEAR AMBIENT HOODY IN REVIEW