Sitka Fanatic vs First Lite Santuary

[DCZ71]

I have the sanctuary bibs and jacket and love them. Only worn them once so far and that was during the cold snap last January. I was in a pop up when it got down to 15 degrees. I wore them over some other first lite layers and other than my knees getting a little cold, I was very comfortable. They are sized so that you buy your actual size and don’t have to upsize to fit other layers underneath. I’m 5’10”, 170 athletic build and wear Medium in all my first lite. I’m a big fan of FL... I like every piece I have.

[dope hunter]

Are the NB pants loud?

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Yes, they make some noise when you are walking around, but it's not too bad.

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[Planner]

Most pieces I have seem to run a little small, so I ordered up one. Hopefully, you can find reviews on the sanctuary stuff to get more exact sizing.

Do they run a little small or are you running a little big?


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[Saltyag15]

Don't size up with the Sanctuary. It will engulf you. Order whatever size shirt you normally wear. Usually, I wear large shirts and XL jackets. In first lite gear, I wear everything in a large.

[WTN]

Do they run a little small or are you running a little big?

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Watch it! Just for that comment, I’m going to snore my a** off next week.

[hittman]

Don't size up with the Sanctuary. It will engulf you. Order whatever size shirt you normally wear. Usually, I wear large shirts and XL jackets. In first lite gear, I wear everything in a large.

Is the sanctuary too warm in your opinion? I'm trying to decide whether to layer under the Woodbury (if needed) or get the sanctuary and sleep all day in the stand due to being so warm [emoji16]

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[Saltyag15]

Is the sanctuary too warm in your opinion? I'm trying to decide whether to layer under the Woodbury (if needed) or get the sanctuary and sleep all day in the stand due to being so warm [emoji16]

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The Sanctuary is definitely warm. It does what it is designed to do. You are going to pay for it, and not use it as much as you'd like to for hunting here in Texas. If it helps at all, I just ordered a Woodbury from blackovis.com yesterday for 30% off and free shipping. Good luck with whatever you decide, but if it were me, that's the route I'd go if you choose First Lite. Get you something with a little more versatility.

[SFAbowhunter]

I love all of my gear from FL. Although, I'm not too thrilled with them at the moment since they stopped carrying ASAT and everything I own from them is in ASAT. BUT, I love all of my gear. I have the Woodbury jacket instead of the Sanctuary. I'm glad I went that route here in Texas and have been plenty warm. I can wear a Llano long sleeve and/or Chama hoody and be plenty warm even in the mid 20's that we get. I do have the Sanctuary bibs and they are fantastic as well. Everything is well made and I hunt a lot of public land that I'm walking through a ton of briars/brush. I will say this, my bottoms tend to fit a little tighter than I would like...they're a touch short for my liking. My tops all seem to fit true to size. Even with layering the tops they fit just fine.

[SFAbowhunter]

The Sanctuary is definitely warm. It does what it is designed to do. You are going to pay for it, and not use it as much as you'd like to for hunting here in Texas. If it helps at all, I just ordered a Woodbury from blackovis.com yesterday for 30% off and free shipping. Good luck with whatever you decide, but if it were me, that's the route I'd go if you choose First Lite. Get you something with a little more versatility.

Exactly what he said. You would wear the Sanctuary a lot less than the Woodbury. I don't seem to wear the Woodbury as much as I would like to either, but it is there for when we get those cold fronts. I tend to walk in with just my Llano long sleeve and Kanab 2.0 pants, then throw my bibs and woodbury jacket on when I get to the tree. Otherwise, I would be soaked in sweat. Those puppies will flat cook you. You will fall asleep with the woodbury as well.

[ATXArcher]

I have the Sitka Fanatic parka and bibs in the original whitetail, and the fanatic light jacket and bibs in the newer whitetail. I really enjoy it. If you hunt in a tree stand or a tripod you can definitely appreciate it. I only hunt here in Texas, so I guess I can't appreciate what it's like to hunt where it truly gets "cold", but 20's to lower 30's with wind in a tripod is plenty cold for me.

[hittman]

Exactly what he said. You would wear the Sanctuary a lot less than the Woodbury. I don't seem to wear the Woodbury as much as I would like to either, but it is there for when we get those cold fronts. I tend to walk in with just my Llano long sleeve and Kanab 2.0 pants, then throw my bibs and woodbury jacket on when I get to the tree. Otherwise, I would be soaked in sweat. Those puppies will flat cook you. You will fall asleep with the woodbury as well.

What jacket do you wear when not in the Woodbury? I was thinking of getting the Llano 1/4 zip, Chama Hoody, Uncomphagre Vest, and not sure for the next layer up... maybe the Sawtooth Hoody or the Cirrus Ultralight Puffy Jacket.... I'm obviously not going to be able to get all of this now... but I can work towards it over the next couple of years.

[SFAbowhunter]

What jacket do you wear when not in the Woodbury? I was thinking of getting the Llano 1/4 zip, Chama Hoody, Uncomphagre Vest, and not sure for the next layer up... maybe the Sawtooth Hoody or the Cirrus Ultralight Puffy Jacket.... I'm obviously not going to be able to get all of this now... but I can work towards it over the next couple of years.

I have the Llano short sleeve, Llano long sleeve, Chama hoody, and the Chama heavy weight full zip (discontinued), Kanab 2.0 pants, allegheny base layer pants, woodbury jacket, sanctuary bibs, vapor stormlight jacket, merino gloves (discontinued), balaclava, and brimmed beanie.

I bought the puffy jacket first, but it's way too loud for deer hunting. I could barely move in it and I could hear every movement I made.

I would be looking at the Sawtooth Hoody if I were to add another piece.

[hittman]

I have the Llano short sleeve, Llano long sleeve, Chama hoody, and the Chama heavy weight full zip (discontinued), Kanab 2.0 pants, allegheny base layer pants, woodbury jacket, sanctuary bibs, vapor stormlight jacket, merino gloves (discontinued), balaclava, and brimmed beanie.

I bought the puffy jacket first, but it's way too loud for deer hunting. I could barely move in it and I could hear every movement I made.

I would be looking at the Sawtooth Hoody if I were to add another piece.

Sounds like a good lineup! I wonder if the Springer Vest would be a better option if the puffy vest may be too loud...

Looks like the Kanabs got replaced with the Obsidian Pant

[dope hunter]

Sounds like a good lineup! I wonder if the Springer Vest would be a better option if the puffy vest may be too loud...

Looks like the Kanabs got replaced with the Obsidian Pant

I have the Llano long sleeve, the Chama Hoody and the Woodbury for my top layers, and I have the Allegheny bottoms, the Allegheny expedition weight bottoms, the Obsidian Merino pants and the North Branch Soft Shell pants. As of right now, the only thing I feel like I need to add is a light jacket, like the Sawtooth, that can stop the wind. The Llano and Chama pair real good together in cool temps, but it doesn't cut the wind at all.

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[hittman]

I have the Llano long sleeve, the Chama Hoody and the Woodbury for my top layers, and I have the Allegheny bottoms, the Allegheny expedition weight bottoms, the Obsidian Merino pants and the North Branch Soft Shell pants. As of right now, the only thing I feel like I need to add is a light jacket, like the Sawtooth, that can stop the wind. The Llano and Chama pair real good together in cool temps, but it doesn't cut the wind at all.

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The NB Jacket or one of the rain jackets may be an option too, they look like they would cut the wind pretty well.