Adam Scepaniak 12.30.23
If you spend any amount of time in the outdoors, you know there is one piece of clothing that is imperative to have in your wardrobe for both practicality’s sake and for time spent amongst friends: a good flannel. As much of a staple that garment may be for so many people, there are so many clothing companies that get it wrong. Sometimes they are all oversized (respectively for each individual size) as if the manufacturer believed we’d be wearing 7 layers underneath it. Or you get common flannel shirts that are as thick as the ice on a Canadian lake in January. Moreover, they’re so stiff and ironically not warm that you wonder if they’re made of ventilated cardboard?… I know these things because I have bought countless flannel shirts over the years only to donate them to Goodwill or throw them away. All of them never were sized right or met my needs, practicality and curb appeal. So, today we have the tall task of reviewing the Sitka Grange Flannel in a Pyrite Plaid colorway to see if Sitka knows how to fabricate the “coveted flannel” correctly. Let’s dive in!
Sitka Gear Coverage on AllOutdoor
Garment Specs – Sitka Grange Flannel (Pyrite Plaid)
The Sitka Grange Flannel comes in colorways of Pyrite Plaid, Dark Red Pyrite Plaid, Anchor Plaid, and Shale Gray Stripe. For this review, we are checking out the Pyrite Plaid, specifically. Throughout this review, I am donning a Medium (I’m 6’0″ tall and 180 Lb) and you can get this flannel in the available sizes of Small, Medium, Large, X-Large, and XX-Large. It is currently on sale for $49.50 on Sitka’s website. All of the specifications, features, and a statement can be read below as presented by Sitka:
- Brushed herringbone flannel fabric is exceptionally soft
- 51% nylon, 49% polyester (138 g/m2 fabric)
- Polygiene® Odor Control Technology reduces odor
- Chest pockets have single-button flap closure
- Shirt tail hem
Built to take you from the work week into the weekend, the lightweight Grange Flannel is our take on a classic. Made with a soft brushed herringbone fabric and equipped with Polygiene® Odor Control Technology, this shirt will keep things fresh for days.
Field Use – Sitka Grange Flannel (Pyrite Plaid)
I have had this Sitka Grange Flannel in my possession for the better part of 3 months now. I have worn it countless times to go to family get-togethers, at my day job managing a gun store, ranching, and even at the gun range on occasion. So far, I love the feel of it. The fabric has a soft yet durable touch to it. None of the stitching has come loose, there are no loose threads, and everything is holding up nicely. Aside from me wearing this probably 2 dozen times or more, I have put it through a washer and dryer that many times as well. So, although I have not had it a long time, it has seen a lot of miles. What’s the Indiana Jones quote… “It’s not the years, it’s the mileage.” The Grange Flannel has gotten some hearty use already.
Aside from feeding my wife and I’s egg-laying chickens, shooting firearms, and going out on the town, the biggest test I put the Grange Flannel through was visiting Vortex Edge in Wisconsin for a media event. There I took part in a 1-day class from their top-flight cadre of instructors and participated in “Practical Pistol” which was a mix of safe gun handling, red dot handgun training, and shooting on the move. This mixed bag of elements and movements would be a good test of stretch, flexion, comfort, and fit.
Through all of the dynamic movements in the 1-day class, the Grange Flannel performed well. It was a little tight around my lats and shoulders, and although I have a muscular build for a skinny guy, I probably could have gone up one size for a more comfortable fit. I do like how well the flannel shaped to my torso, my arms, the length in the sleeves, and the crisp fitment of the buttons. Overall, aside from a sizing issue that was of my own doing, it fit, flexed, and performed really well.
We did not do crazy parkour movements like jump, tuck, and roll – that’d flatly be unsafe with firearms. Rather, we did sprinting from Point-A to Point-B with safe gun handling, peaking around obstacles/corners, and twisting/contorting our bodies to do mag exchanges and reloads. Through all of these precarious movements that only shooters would understand, the Sitka Grange Flannel did its job and I looked like a cool outdoorsman while doing it.
The only constructive criticism I have for the Grange Flannel is some “pilling” that occurred on the back of the flannel (pilling is characterized by little balls or ‘pills’ of entangled fibers clinging to the fabric surface). These clumps or pilling likely was dryer-induced because I have worn and wash/dried this flannel a lot. So, I would highly suggest you let it hang-dry if you purchase one. Other than that, this flannel has performed superbly in all of its tasks.
Final Thoughts – Sitka Grange Flannel (Pyrite Plaid)
So, what are my final thoughts on the Sitka Grange Flannel in a Pyrite Plaid colorway?… Overall, I am impressed. When I have been let down so many times in the past purchasing flannels, this one has held up really well. It has soft fabric yet its durable, it comes in attractive colorways, the fit is good, and my only qualm with the flannel might have been my fault for drying it so repetitively on high heat. At the discounted price Sitka is listed it at for $49.50, this is a good buy.
In closing, I want to say thank you to Sitka for allowing AllOutdoor and myself the opportunity to try out their Sitka Grange Flannel in a Pyrite Plaid colorway. That is greatly appreciated. Also, we would like to know what all of you guys and gals think? Do you believe that the Sitka Grange Flannel in a Pyrite Plaid colorway is something worth spending your money on? Would you deploy them for hunting this fall? Take them with you camping? Use them tending cattle on a ranch? Or, for going out on the weekend? As always, let us know all of your thoughts about Sitka in the Comments below! We always appreciate your feedback.
