Bug Off: The SITKA Equinox Guard System Assessment

Generally preventing off the mosquitos and ticks makes up half the battle within the turkey woods. If you happen to’ve ever forgotten to pretreat your garments with permethrin or left your ThermaCell at house, sitting in additional buggy situations can get downright depressing. To not point out the intense mosquito and tick-borne ailments. The Equinox Guard System is a light-weight camo choice for turkey hunters that frequent the buggy situations of the South or heat late-season temps. 

In brief: The SITKA Equinox Guard System makes for a superb turkey camo and ensures that you just’re not with out insect repellent, even while you go away the spray at house.

SITKA Equinox Guard System Assessment

SITKA refers to those garments as a system for a couple of causes. First, the handled pants, hoodie, and gloves needs to be worn to offer virtually full safety from bugs. Second, each bit of clothes conveniently connects to the opposite for optimum safety in opposition to crawling bugs.

The pants have inner leg gaiters that stuff inside your socks to stop ticks from crawling up your pant leg. Equally, the hoody has an additional lengthy tail you’ll be able to tuck into the pants for comparable functions, whereas the prolonged cuffs on the gloves present extra safety when worn in tandem with the sleeves. I additionally admire the hoody’s built-in face masks, so that you don’t have to fret about maintaining with one individually. 

Handled with Insect Defend, the Equinox Guard System ought to retain its effectiveness for 70 washes. Most hunters ought to get a number of seasons out of the Equinox Guard System, however for those who save all of your trip for turkey season, it would fade prior to later. 

Testing the SITKA Equinox Guard System within the Area

I’ve been utilizing the SITKA Equinox Guard System and turkey vest for the reason that starting of final season. I hunt in my house state of Mississippi, the place now we have a season that runs for 48 days. Whereas now we have the occasional chilly snap, spring brings heat, muggy climate — the proper situations for testing insect-repellent clothes.

If you happen to’re questioning if the built-in, odorless Insect Defend works, it does. I by no means had a problem with mosquitos anyplace I used to be lined. Nonetheless, mosquitos will discover the chink in your armor. This implies anyplace you’re not lined (like your index finger and thumb or face).

Regardless of being virtually totally lined, I did have to use additional mosquito repellent to areas of my face. However once more, I hunt a few of the buggiest swamps and creek bottoms of the South, so I used to be nonetheless impressed with how efficient the Insect Defend proved. And I don’t see this as a knock in opposition to the Equinox Guard system. Mosquitos are simply infamous for locating any opening they’ll. 

The place the SITKA Equinox Guard System Excels

For a light-weight, breathable clothes system that retains the bugs away, this method does an superior job. Final spring, I hunted a number of days that flirted with 90 levels and humid situations. Not like different breathable supplies, you don’t have to fret about mosquitos penetrating the material.

Even on days after I logged a number of miles, I by no means felt too heat within the Equinox Guard System, and it took a number of steamy run-and-guns earlier than I wanted to clean this method. I even used this method throughout a September velvet hunt, so I didn’t have to make use of a ton of spray-on repellent. And the strong shade choices are glorious for summer season scouting journeys.  

The place the SITKA Equinox Guard System Can Enhance

If the worth offers you pause, you’re not alone. I had the privilege of testing a pattern Equinox Guard System, however I’d battle to pay $450 for turkey camo, even when it meant I didn’t have to purchase or reapply additional insect repellent. And for those who’re a diehard who spends 30-plus days within the turkey woods yearly, you’ll most likely put on out the Insect Defend all too quickly. That being stated, for those who hunt notoriously buggy situations, not contracting Alpha-gal or one other insect-borne illness is price much more than $450.

Ultimate Ideas

Killing a gobbler is difficult sufficient. Heading off mosquitos and different critters provides one other stage of complexity. The SITKA Equinox Guard System lets you give attention to calling a tom into vary as an alternative of reaching for the bug spray once more.