It may seem like a new color to many, but the new palette at SITKA has a lot of hunters excited. OPTIFADE Cover is the first camo option from SITKA that brings increased levels of green and deeper shadows to its lineup.
The brand worked with researchers at the University of Georgia Deer Research Lab to create the palette. The goal was to offer better concealment in “greener seasons,” with a focus on hiding hunters in densely vegetated areas and leafy tree environments. Regionally, the target audience for this new shift in shade was the eastern United States.
OPTIFADE Cover excels in diverse regions across the eastern US, providing early and late season concealment in areas with dense tree cover.
— SITKA Gear
We’ve had our hands on the new color scheme for a while now. And being the contrarians we are at GearJunkie, we decided to test it in several environments for which it wasn’t specifically designed, such as the Mountain West, a stretch in the desert, and even a few jaunts to the badlands.
The team at SITKA has been hyping up the public for a while, teasing “something new” on the horizon. Was the hype worth the Cover?
SITKA OPTIFADE Cover
At first glance, I assumed this was much of the same. The pattern is that familiar OPTIFADE, though the entire piece comes across much darker than previous iterations. To be honest, it has a bit of a Skre feel to it.
Out of the box, I immediately thought of the dense elk woods but figured that the overall deepness of the color choices would stand out against the highs and lows.
I was wrong. Though Cover doesn’t have the browns we see in much of our western hunting locations, the dark tones blend shockingly well with the bark of our coniferous forests. The greens are a spot-on color match for the fresh needles we often find ourselves tucked into.
Where we were most surprised was how well it blended with sage. In a test that wasn’t meant to be a test, I was attempting to avoid the evening chill of a fairly arid desert environment and happened to be standing out near some sage, setting out a target to launch arrows at when the reality hit that I nearly disappeared against the brushy backdrop.
Obviously, this isn’t going to be the top choice for golden grasslands or the red rock of the open badlands, but that isn’t what it’s meant for. Not only does Cover work well in the environments it was designed for, but it also works really well in lower-light, heavily shadowed landscapes, and it absolutely disappears in the pine.
What’s Available in SITKA OPTIFADE Cover?
Though no new pieces were launched, several of SITKA’s most popular pieces will now be available in Cover.
Current Men’s Lineup
- Core Lightweight Crew LS
- Core Lightweight Hoodie
- Equinox Guard Hoodie
- Fanatic Hoodie
- Ambient 100 Hooded Jacket
- Ambient 200 Jacket
- Stratus Vest
- Stratus Jacket
- Fanatic Vest
- Fanatic Jacket
- Traverse Pant
- Equinox Guard Pant
- Stratus Pant
- Stratus Bib
- Fanatic Bib
Current Women’s Lineup
- Core Lightweight Hoodie
- Fanatic Hoodie
- Cadence Pant
- Fanatic Jacket
- Fanatic Bib
… and a load of accessories, tools, and bags.
So, Does SITKA OPTIFADE Cover Live Up to the Hype?
Listen, camo is really what you make it. Sometimes, it can make or break a hunt. Sometimes, it matters far less than you think. For hunters looking to be completely concealed in green terrain, Cover does the job and does it well.
I think the target demographic is a bit too defined, though. Elk hunters in the west will likely find the greens and darker shades much to their advantage, as will spring turkey hunters across the U.S.
So far, color us impressed. Cover will certainly be showing up in our neck of the woods … or should we say, not showing up.
