I'd like to try all of them under these conditions but found a deal on the Sitka that was ~50% off so I went with it. If it doesn't work, I'll post the findings.
Jason
Tried the Sitka Stormfront for the first time today hunting blacktail on the coast. Non-stop rain, thick brush, and wind. So far, the GTX Proshell is 100% waterproof and handled brush and falls well. Had the pockets partially open for easy access to my calls and by the end of the day they were holding water. None got inside the jacket or pants though.
Wind gusts were 30-40 mph and I didn't feel any of it. Not too surprising with the low permeability. I was wearing whipcord pants and lightweight merino top and synthetic shirt. With ambient at 48F I had to keep the pitzips wide open while climbing up and down the coastrange hills. In hindsight, I think just lightweight merino top and bottom would have been perfect.
When the temps dropped during moderate activity, I left the pitzips closed. Torrential downpour soaked my GPS, but I stayed dry.
I've been using PVC on the coast the past few years... Peter Storm jacket and Grundens Petrus bibs. I've also used Impertech jackets and pants in the past. Compared to those, I can tell that the Stormfront flows some air. Might not be as much as eVent or Neoshell but I'm happy that its waterproof in heavy rain and brush.
I'll update if I find anything new to report.
Jason
