It seems that a new era of hunting clothing is upon us as hunting apparel companies are tailoring their offerings more and more to hunters’ specific demands. We’ve put together this roundup of the new hunting apparel that was on display at this year’s ATA Show in Indianapolis, Indiana. You’ll see some familiar brands along with a few of the new kids on the block.
ScentLok
ScentLok Full Season TAKTIX.
This year’s jacket and pant combination from ScentLok is called the Full Season TAKTIX. There is no doubt that its mid-weight design was built with the hunter in mind. ScentLok also offers an early season lightweight suit as well. The feel of the fabric to the hand seems very soft and quiet which is really cool considering the water repellant features. The suit will be available in 4 colors which are the Realtree Original, Realtree Xtra, Lost Camo XD, and Mossy Oak Break Up Country. Both pants and jacket will be available in the summer of 2017 and wear a price tag around around $149 per piece.
Additional features include their NeverWet superhydrophobic treatment which repels water and heavy oils. The NeverWet water demo revealed this to be a very impressive fabric system. Also new is a deep pocket on the left chest pocket that can hold a concealed carry pistol.
The jacket and pant both appear very wearable with an active fit and come in both a men and women’s fit. The jacket has two zippered waist pockets & two smaller lower side pockets with a hidden snap. The wrist cuff is stretch fitted and has a tapered cut which helps to conceal an exposed hand, not to mention keeps the top of a hand dry as well. The pants’ cargo pockets have the similar hidden snap pocket which makes them easy to access and secure gear.
Be watching for it at www.scentlok.com
Kryptek
Kryptek has made a solid name for themselves in the camo and apparel category in recent years.
Kryptek has released a new line of fleece outerwear called, Vellus, which includes their fleece with an added layer of Thinsulate insulation. For hunters who prefer the comfort and quietness of fleece over other fabrics, this line might be for you. It boasts some really nice features including: windproof, waterproof, seam-sealed, yet breathable, and versatile for temperatures in the 15-50 degree range. It also features their X-Static Silver fibers to help stay scent free. The jacket sells for around $175, pants $160, and the vest for $130.
Check them out at https://kryptek.com
Sitka Gear
The Sitka Gear apparel line explodes with great new options for 2017.
New for 2017 from Sitka Gear is a big game camouflage pattern and series of clothing called Subalpine. This new camo pattern is designed specifically by animal biologists to blend in to vegetated ground terrain for stalking and ambushing. Their dedicated whitetail series remains mostly untouched from last year, but for the western mule deer and elk hunter, this new pattern is a game changer for close up ground engagement. This camo rolled out with their Ascent Series line of pants and jacket and are definitely worth giving a look. The Ascent shirt $169 and pant is $189. Also new for 2017 is a full women’s whitetail system.
See more at https://www.sitkagear.com
ScentBlocker
Sneak peek at a new camo pattern from Scent Blocker.
ScentBlocker is also rolling out a new suit for 2017. In fact, it’s so new that it doesn’t even have a name yet! The company also hinted at a new new proprietary camo pattern (as seen in the picture above) that will be coming out in 2017, so keep an eye out for that. The new suit will be a beefed up version of the Matrix suit. Similar to most outerwear, it is water resistant, but because the seams aren’t taped like rain gear, they aren’t classed as, “waterproof.” Pricing was unavailable.
Check them out at http://www.robinsonoutdoors.com
NOMAD
There’s a lot of new hunters wearing NOMAD for 2017 as the company continues to build this exciting product line.
New from Nomad is their Harvester series line developed specifically for the whitetail hunter. Nomad put a lot of thought into this mid-weight design that is comfortable to wear with a base layer, but just loose enough to wear with an extra layer underneath. The Jacket comes with a hooded or non-hooded option, and the entire jacket and hood is fleece-lined which is extremely soft and comfortable. One cool feature of this line is that it is windproof, water resistant, and still stretches. It is available in Mossy Oak Break Up Country, Realtree Xtra, Kryptek Banshee and retails for $129 each for jacket and pant. They also offer matching gloves, beanie, and neck gaiter.
NOMAD’s new “Dunn” series is their heavy weight Primaloft lined insulated apparel. This gear will keep you super warm on the coldest days. They are priced at $200 for the jacket, pant $180 , and $130 for the vest. There is also a really cool $100 packable rain jacket. One other big announcement from NOMAD during the show was their new partnership with the Drury Outdoors team for 2017.
See more from NOMAD at https://nomadoutdoor.com
Plythal
Plythal is a relatively new brand of outdoor hunting apparel that is steadily gaining momentum. Their simple approach to the layering system, and their proprietary Photoflauge camo is turning heads.
The new Plythal line turned a lot of heads this year at the ATA Show.
Plythal has focused on their 6 key components which are flexibility, breathability, noise reducer, scent blocking, water reducer and wind reducer. These elements combined make for a very focused and distinct piece of clothing with an anti-microbial treatment that lasts for 50 washes.
Their gear contains some neat features that you won’t see anywhere else which includes a front pant pocket knife guard and over-the-boot flaps on the pants to allow to you to tuck your pants into your boots, but still keep brush and leaves out.
Plythal has early, mid, and late season apparel. They have aptly named them the Scrapeline, Pre-Rut, and Full Rut. Each of the Scrapeline garments are meant to layer with the other two garments for a comfortable and practical system. Their digital line of clothing is offered in Digital Marsh mainly for waterfowlers and the Digital Forrest for woods and mountain hunting. The Pre-Rut 2.0 jacket sells for $199 and the pant sell for $179.
Check them out at https://www.plythal.com
Under Armour
Under Armour introduces Threadborne wool for 2017.
Under Armour is known for their performance fabrics and they have a new twist on a classic staple drawn from their Ridge Reaper 13 jackets. Their new mid to late season Threadborne wool garment maintains the wool properties that hunters have grown to love and improved it by making it moisture wicking and stretchable. Mainly, wool is known for its heat retention properties due to its natural fatty acids and anti microbial elements. This jacket and pant combo is definitely worth checking out, especially if you love wool. It is offered in their own Ridge Reaper Barren and UA Forest camo. It was designed with the archer in mind with a harness slot and double chest pockets. The 2017 full retail price on the jacket is $250 and $225 for the pants.
Check them out when they launch at https://www.underarmour.com/en-us/hunting/g/3gy
Badlands
The famous backpack company, Badlands, is making a name in the apparel category these days as well.
We have all known Badlands for their packs over the last 20 years, but in the last 5 years their clothing brand has become recognizable as well. Their new Algus long sleeve base layer features the DOW developed Silvadur antimicrobial treatment good for 50 washes and Cool Touch fabric. Also new for 2017 is their Rev Jacket which is a single outer layer with wind blocking and water resistant properties. Its full array of chest pockets and interior pockets make it very handy and it is also Teflon coated to repel water and stains.
Their gear comes in their own Approach camo pattern. There are also new gloves, beanies, and hoodies in the same camo available for this year. Be on the lookout for the new gear in the spring of 2017. Pricing was unavailable.
Be on the lookout at http://www.badlandspacks.com/gear/apparel
TrueTimber
TrueTimber is releasing some great new hunting wear for 2017.
TrueTimber is a company that underwent a redesign in 2012 and is coming out with some awesome new gear. This Made in America fabric is actually the same material that was originally used in the Under Armour Cold Gear line and made in South Carolina. Their new Kanati line is made for the bowhunter and will launch later this year. We got to speak with their garment designer who showed us some impressive features, including their laminated windproof jacket, vest, and pant. This affordable jacket and pant is available for less than $100 each.
Also, their TrueTimber Pulse line (shown top right) is a new 70/30 duck down super tru-suede layer system that is super-lightweight and packable. This was one of the more impressive apparel pieces that we saw especially for the price. This gear also features an internal cinch system from the snowboard industry that prevents you from getting tangled in cords, and a magnetic hood closure systems. This gear has well thought out features designed with the hunter in mind.
Be on the lookout for their new gear at http://truetimber.com/
Rocky
Rocky jumps into the apparel category for 2017 with their Venator product line.
We grew to know the Rocky brand through their boots, but with their new 2017 Venator camo line, they now have an affordable light, medium, and heavy weight hunting gear option. It will be launching this summer in Dunham’s Sports stores. They offer a layering system that is water repellant and as I previously mentioned, very affordable. Their price point offers a combination pant and jacket for under $250 which is half the cost of what other brands offer. Specifically, their heavy weight Primaloft jacket is around $149. And the kicker…they have matching rubber boots!
Check out the Venator line http://www.rockyboots.com/rocky-mens-apparel
