What's Your Opinion: Waterfowl Gear

[Odell]

It'll set you back some serious coin unless you catch sales, but I say Sitka.  I have a duck oven mid layering jacket and I cover it with a Delta Wading Jacket for warmer temps (down to 20 with no wind) or my Hudson jacket for colder temps with high winds.  Love these pieces.  Sitka's warranty policy is great, too.  A couple of years in, my Duck Oven zipper broke.  They sent me a brand new jacket as a replacement and paid shipping both ways.

I'm about to turn 65 and I figure I will have this Sitka gear for the rest of my hunting days.

The only complaint I ever hear about Sitka is their zippers sucks and I do hear it a lot. The same people that make the complaint though keep buying Sitka haha.

You think Sitka zippers are bad, just try Drake. At the end of the day, everything can break. Having a company who will stick by their product is worth a lot. Waterfowling is hard on gear

[OltHunter]

Sitka Hudson Jacket for me, mainly cause they have tall sizes in it.  But fits great, love the stretchy panels, keep you dry and keeps the chill off enough and if it's super cold, I run a puffy underneath. Also like the built in call lanyard.  But for everything Sitka, don't pay full price!

I go the Lacrosse Aero Elite waders on clearance.  Their sizing was a train wreck they discontinued them.  Got them for $250.  Outside of sizing, they have done well for me and will do well for people up to 600 pounds!

Sitka doesn't make them up to my size, would have liked to check those out, plus US made!

Banded have heard very mixed reviews.

Breathables are nice if you have to walk a lot, but it sounds like you can't beat the durability and dependability of neoprene.

[HaydenHunter]

Breathables are nice if you have to walk a lot, but it sounds like you can't beat the durability and dependability of neoprene.

My main hunting partner has been making fun of me for years for wearing neoprenes.  I have pairs of 3.5 and 5 mm.  He has always worn breathables with proper layering underneath.  I finally bought a pair of Herters breathables on closeout from Cabelas last year for $89.  I have worn them most of the year and have only worn my 3.5 neoprenes a couple of times.  Breathables are THE BOMB!

[h2ofowlr]

I waterfowl a lot and have tried most brands on the market except banded gear.  Won't support Chad and crew, personal reasons.  After purchasing, dealing with leaks over the years and clothes not fitting right or to big and bulky, I went the sitka way.  Been great clothing and I was sold on the big game as I have used it for about 12 years now and the waterfowl gear for 4 years.  I have had great luck with it.  Zippers have been an issue for some, main culprit is due to them getting caked with mud or other crud.  They get gummed up and stuck and one pulls on them harder and pops them apart.  Warranty has been great.  I had a hood pulling apart on my Sitka Hudson jacket.  They are sent to Seattle for repairs.  I had my jacket back in a week and they tossed in a new hat for my troubles.
If you only ducks hunt a few weeks a year, it may not be worth it for you.  I am chasing waterfowl from Sept. 1st until March, so I wanted good gear.  I have all the base layers, jackets, pants, bibs, hats, etc.  It's all I use anymore and most of the guys that hunt like I do, use the same gear as well.  Their is a reason it is so popular.  It keeps you warm and dry. 

[silverdalesauer]

Well, I'm definitely seeing a common thread here and it's that Sitka has figured out how to make gear that fits, lasts, and is fixable on their warranties. I grew up in Maine and really loved LL Bean gear, but since moving to Washington 20 years ago, LL Bean's customer service has changed and so has their options for hunters. I think they still make some quality gear, but there's not a lot of options out there.

I'll be doing some looking around for some deals.

Waders are one of those things where I need to go try them on as I'm a stout, tall guy.

Thanks for your input folks!

[Guzman]

There is a lot of good stuff out there.

However Sitka is literally another level. I am not trying to sell you. I am telling you from a guy who guided for years and tried multiple systems. When sitka came out I dropped $2k on a good system. Honestly it isn’t even close. I have never. And I say never got wet. It moves well, quiet and requires less clothing. It is expensive.

[ridgefire]

Spend your money on Sitka and you will not regret it. These Delta wading jacket is head and shoulders above any other jacket I have ever had. I have some Sitka stuff that I bought the first year they made it in ASAT and I still wear it to this day. It's probably pushing 15 years old now. My next Sitka purchase will be the waders.