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By Pete Rogers
This year Sitka Gear unveiled their new Training, Travel, and Workwear line, and a key element in the line is the new Sitka Scouting Shirt. The long-sleeved, nylon body and knit side panels and sleeves are designed to keep you comfortable during the off season of scouting. Designed for comfort and durability, it carries the same functionality and comfort of all Sitka apparel. It is available in two colors schemes, Sitka Gear Cargo Scouting Shirt and Sitka Gear Granite Scouting Shirt. The shirt I tested was in the Cargo color.
Living in the sweltering, humid, rich environment of South Carolina, scouting in the summer months is oppressive at best. Nothing keeps me cool enough to prevent me from sweating – profusely! My wife finds humor in telling people: “Pete is a sweater.” (Her attempt at humor and a pun.) I don’t share her enthusiasm for the humor there, but it is true. From mid-April through September, I am in a constant sweat due to the 90+ degree days and humidity pushing 90%. It has been a long battle to find clothing that is comfortable, cool and durable.
Sitka Gear Scouting Shirt Basics
During the summer months, when we hunters are done with turkey hunting and trying to get ready for our early deer season, we are afield scouting new stand locations, cutting shooting lanes and planting food plots. Trying to stay cool and comfortable doing all of this is a challenge to say the least. We find that we often have to limit our time afield to a few hours in the morning and a few in late afternoon. Prior to the Sitka Gear Scouting Shirt, I usually wore what I term “fishing shirts.” These are lightweight, long-sleeved shirts designed to protect you from the sun and keep you comfortable. To my knowledge, no one has attempted to make a similar shirt for hunters who venture afield during the hot time of year, until now. Sitka’s Scouting shirt is designed to be worn untucked and the long sleeves do not have cuffs but fit loosely around the wrist, something I found odd but not a deal breaker by any means. It did prevent me from rolling up the sleeves and securing them, but I could push them up and they stayed. The side panels allow heat to escape, and the snap closures are easily adjustable to close for protection, or open to let the heat escape.
Features
Some features that I did find useful are the two zippered chest pockets that are a good fit for a smartphone and sunglasses (or in my case – reading glasses). The pockets are internal, preventing them from catching on anything. The Polygiene® odor control prevents bacteria from growing in areas where sweat gathers. Lastly, the tight weave of the nylon blocks harmful UV rays with a SPF rating of 30. The Scouting shirt will provide the comfort sought during the hot summer days.
The shirt is aptly named, but it is also a sort that can be worn to town for the evening out with friends. It is designed well, looks nice and can be just as comfortable on the town, in an airplane or climbing a mountain while looking for sheep.
In The Field
This past weekend, I went to my hunting property that is three hours from home. I needed to get some work done, and this was the first weekend I have had in several weeks. The plan was to scout some new areas for possible deer stands and to replace one stand with a permanent tower stand. The weather forecast was depressing with temperatures in triple digits and humidity over 90%, making the heat index at 110! Thankfully, the new Sitka Gear Scouting Shirt fit the bill and was put through the ringer this weekend. Wearing it kept the sun from my arms, and I could feel the gentle breeze making its way through the knit panels and cooling me down. Without a doubt the Sitka Gear Scouting Shirt will be my new go-to shirt for all scouting outings during the hot summer months.
