Hunting Clothing...where to start?

[tdwarburton]

I've been looking at investing in some quality hunting clothing this year but not sure where to start. I obviously am not going to run out there and buy a complete kuiu or Sitka layering system all at once. Well, not if I want to stay married anyway. So my question is where to start base layers first? Merino wool?
Or does a guy go outer layers first? There is obviously not right or wrong answer as there are many variables ie: style & conditions I hunt but I just want to hear some opinions and thoughts. Maybe someone will say something I haven't thought of yet.


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[fish_e_o]

i've been riding that wool train for the last 5 years and i love it

[Nyksta]

cotton is very common cause it is cheap, but cotton absorbs moisture from the air and your sweat and it stays in the clothes for a very long time. the moisture then sucks the heat right out of you all day long. If it is hot autumn bowhunting, then cotton is great, but if you plan on hunting at any temperatures colder than +5*C i would avoid any cotton at all costs, even as an outer layer when you have wool or polyester as base layers.

as for base layers, Merino wool is excellent as it is a natural fiber that rejects moisture and bacteria so it doesnt hold smell much and it wicks wetness. wool isnt great for cutting wind though, and because it doesnt hold moisture, it isnt great for blocking rain. if there is snow or rain, i have a goretex style technology nylon shell. note i said shell, I try to avoid thickly insulated items because you can use those shells in hot and cold. If its cold you can throw on 1000 layers underneath it. If it is hot then you dont want insulated stuff. Another nice thing about a shell rain jacket and pants is that it packs up pretty small and can be in the bottom of a backpack.

A nice soft(quiet) polyester style camo jacket and pants is great for blocking wind and wearing every day that doesnt rain, layer underneath as per temperature.

you can use the same cold weather base layers that you would wear when hiking or working. base layers dont need to be camo, so tell your wife that your buying them for all the time use. your camo outer layer and rain camo is the only hunting clothes you need.

If you are walking far away from your truck or home for all day without access to your extra layers, then you are going to need a backpack to carry extra layers that you want to put on or take off as your hunting day goes by. To small and your limited by the stuff you can bring, and too big and it is going to get in your way of being sneaky. if you are sitting in a stand all day, then your big backpack wont be on your back in the way, but it will have to be supported on the tree or taking up room with your stand.

a pair of quality boots will usually be a new addition to your hunting stuff. Big steel toes boots are not nice for sneaking in the woods, and you might be crossing streams or bogs and your casual footwear will get soaked. Theres lots of good hunting boots, Ive come to love waterproof neoprene boots, with a non-insulated pair for warm weather and a insulated pair for cold weather.

hiking boots usually have a heavy sole to them because your foot is needing support as you hike over uneaven terrain carrying a heavy backpack. the thickness of the sole and the weight of support you pick will depend on what you are going to be hunting. heavy backpack hunting over rocky terrain will need a lot thicker heavier boot than a still hunter stalking through forest without a backpack. if you go too heavy, you will be noisier than you need to be and tiring out your legs lifting your concrete block feet... if you go too light for your load, then you will have sore feet from extra gear weight pressing your feet over rounded sticks and rocks all day.

lightweight hunters sometimes wear bare feet or moccasins when they are stalking, so there is a huge variety in styles of hunting that will direct you to the weight/support of boot you pick.

[tdwarburton]

Nyksta, what products do you use as part of your layering system?
I typically do a lot of spot and stalk hunting in the south east from October through into November. Mostly Archery MD but switch to still hunting WT in November when I don't have a MD tag. What are some products you would recommend?

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[Mikeham]

Originally Posted by tdwarburton

Nyksta, what products do you use as part of your layering system?
I typically do a lot of spot and stalk hunting in the south east from October through into November. Mostly Archery MD but switch to still hunting WT in November when I don't have a MD tag. What are some products you would recommend?

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I went through the same search last year and settled on the Browning Hell's Canyon line. It's a soft shell pant and jacket combo that is a high quality fabric with some nice features (harness access zipper, scent blocking, vents). I wear merino base layer and merino sweater from LL Bean to warm things up underneath.

[JWCalgary]

For later season Stanfields makes a good merino blend long underwear. Much cheaper than the UA stuff or kuiu etc and works well (buy at marks ). Those layered with down / insulated pants/jacket then a wind blocker kuiu guide jacket / pants have served me well to -20*. Neck gaiter / beanie in merino have been great too. I always stay well vented as well for moving around.

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[Nyksta]

Originally Posted by tdwarburton

Nyksta, what products do you use as part of your layering system?
I typically do a lot of spot and stalk hunting in the south east from October through into November. Mostly Archery MD but switch to still hunting WT in November when I don't have a MD tag. What are some products you would recommend?

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I do the same style of hunting.

I quite like Icebreaker for all my base and midlayers. I havent noticed any difference in other brands of merino wool as for warmth, i just like icebreakers fit.

For outer quiet polyester layer in the dry, kryptek, under armour, kuiu all make nice lightweight brushed wind resistant water resistant type stuff. Find out what fits your body shape the most comfortably.

As for camo choice, dont go too dark. Multicam is about the best shade in my opinion for mix between the half dead and completely dead vegetation of fall. Theres not too much natural black in the woods so i dont understand why camo companies would have black as part of their pattern.

For rain and wet stuff, the goretex or similar technology waterproof nylon is not going to be quiet, but the rain coming down usually muffles the sound so that your brushing sound doesnt travel far.

I have a river to cross just about every time i hunt, so I like muck boots.

I have Muck Woody Elites for when hunting is below zero all day, and with double wool socks these were still warm at -17*C and waterproof

When hunting is above zero i wear Muck Shadow pursuits. With a running shoe insole these are about as comfy as a running shoe, but waterproof.

I have 32 litre backpack which is just about perfect for a few extra layers and my lunch and a thermos of hot coffee. Not big enough though if i wanted to throw my rainsuit in.

[hilt134]

Love my under armour cold gear i think which ever keeps you warm. Not to expensive and works very well. 70$i think

[Phshrmn]

Outer layer and skin layer are most important. Get the right fabric

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[Nyksta]

Originally Posted by Mikeham

I went through the same search last year and settled on the Browning Hell's Canyon line. It's a soft shell pant and jacket combo that is a high quality fabric with some nice features (harness access zipper, scent blocking, vents). I wear merino base layer and merino sweater from LL Bean to warm things up underneath.

That looks cool too. There's lots of companies that make quality polyester/fleece/nylon/lycra stuff. I would just 100% say avoid cotton for cold, and if you want to wear it in the warmer days, then dont get too heavy sewn in insulation.

[jungleboy]

For inner layer I like a set of Merino wool underwear , and on top of that a pair of Carhart bibs and my Irish setter wool overcoat .
For really cold weather though ,its hard to beat a GMC 1/2 ton with the heat at about 60% to prevent drowsiness .

[Nyksta]

Hate to break it to you but carharts are cotton, so all your sweat is staying right there.

[bsmitty27]

Costco gets in A 100% merino shirt long and short sieve a couple times a year its under 20.00 and better than any tech fabric. I dont like Under Armor stuff. It has a horrable feel. And most of the base layer fabrics ketch on everything even the calluses on my hands. If I'm day tripping outer layer of cotton/canvas makes no difference to me. Extended trips are a different story.
Brad

[3blade]

X2 on icebreaker. Love that stuff but it is pricey. The Costco merino blend shirts and socks are good but certainly do not last as long.

I use a merino base layer, fleece jacket/pants, and a Sitka goretex rain shell top and bottom, or a waterproof parka/insulted bibs on stand or bdu style camo pants on the bottom if walking. Layers go on and off as necessary. To be honest, you do need all of the above to hunt all season. Heck sometimes you need them all in one day. I would recommend spending the money on base layers and good socks/boots. The outer layers need to be functional, but not necessarily expensive.

All light green/tan colored or camo, Ive found digital patterns to be far more effective than stick-and-leaf so as I buy more that's what I pick. Can also pick up stuff on sale at the end of the season or off the buy and sell.

[mountedbowman]

One of the biggest advantages I find with Merino wool is the lack of stank to your clothing after a couple of days. Most tech material gets an offensive odour by the end of the day as your sweat reacts with it. Wool on the other hand seems to just keep your odour natural even when sweating hard which has to help when your chasing animals.

Ice breaker is the best of the products I have ever purchased. Still have my first Icebreaker from 10 years ago and it was in a heavy rotation (3-5 days a week all winter) at my previous work location.

Mec does have a line but it can be slightly itchy when compared to the cashmere feel of high end merino wool.

[calgarychef]

A pal of mine uses Cabelas sherpa fleece jacket and pants and it gets him through all kinds of weather. They don't sell their heavy fleece in Canada for some reason. I bought a Sherpa style fleece jacket with hood and damn do I love this jacket, found it at value village of all places.