Gear Review-Sitka Mountain Pants

Most of us as hunters have a go to piece of clothing that we tend to lean towards throughout the season. This may not be an option for a lot of pieces of gear mostly because 90% of the time they are specifically designed for an exact seasonal condition. With that in mind, the Sitka Mountain Pant can keep more money in your pocket by allowing you to where it throughout the majority of the season. I found the Ascent Pant is going to cover you for those early August hunts that tend to be screaming hot and then the Mountain Pant will allow for use the rest of the season including late with the proper wool base layer underneath.

The Mountain Pant is built with a high strand count of woven stretched polyester that when worn has little to no irritation upon your skin, even during warmer temperatures. This also keeps the actual weight of the pant down as they weigh in at 28.8 ounces total. There are serval features that I thought were great on these pants that make them really stand out against other competitors as well as a few things I would change. The first thing I noticed was that the pockets all have zippers on them which is extremely helpful while on a critical stock or maybe crawling. Most of us are carrying wind checker reeds and many other things in our pockets and the last thing you want to have happen is them falling out. With a single pocket on the back and two side cargo pockets, there is plenty of options. On the side cargo pockets I noticed they had snaps instead of having zippers and usually I would be worried about snaps being loud and noisy while trying to open and close them. These snaps are nice and quiet and I think that is a major plus compared to other pants on the market. The optional knee pockets are great but to be honest it is something I may use only once a year if that and that would be during pronghorn season. The main issue I have with the knee pads is while worn in the pant there is little to no air escaping now through the knee area causing major sweating in that region. Hiking with these knee pads seemed to be uncomfortable and I would more than likely recommended that you just take them out. Thats the beauty of this pant is that you have the option too, and can easily pull them out by flipping the pant inside out and pulling the velcro loose on the knee pocket and pulling out the pad. This is a very similar system to how most of Sitka's pants are as well.

The low profile belt system is a genius idea and I love it. There was absolutely no bunching up while wearing my pack with this belt system and honestly on other pants in the past that has been one of my biggest problems because I would have to where my normal belt. Another feature I liked about the Mountain Pant was the offset waist button in comparison to the zipper, thus allowing for an easier smaller profile look and feel. Around the waist there is a rubberized liner that seemed to help keep the pants where they belong even while squatting or kneeling over. The days of having to pull up your pants even with proper belt tightness are over. You will find that while wearing these just as a lot of other pants that have hit the market in the last several years, that they are built with four way stretch to allow you to maneuver how ever you need. This in my opinion is a must in a hunting pant that you are going to be putting through the ringer. I want that pant to stretch so Im not ripping out the crotch while getting over big downfall and other situations that arise. The Mountain Pant will dry extremely quick once wet and will also wicked away any sweat away your body. I would give these pants and average rating for noise, I have head pants a lot louder than these and am plenty happy with the quietness of the Mountain Pant. If you are looking to order a pair I would recommend going one size bigger on the pants because they run more of an athletic style. Im 5' 11" 185lbs and I'm super comfortable in a size 32 pant for almost every thing but with these Mountain Pants a size 34 seemed to be on the money.

Pros

• 4 way stretch with quick dry
• Durable 3 season pant with proper layering In late seasons
• Zippered pockets to keep you from losing things
• Built in low profile belt system to prevent bunching up

Cons

• Could be a hair quieter, the DWR treatment adds a little noise
• Knee pads aren't my thing personally but can be easily removed
• I would prefer a zipper vent system on the sides other than the cargo pockets