Clothing Layers

This topic has probably been covered on the forum in some detail but there is so much information when plugging in search terms it just isn't very productive. Linking this to an existing discussion may help me out and may be the best way to proceed so, if you wish, link away!

Otherwise, here are some thoughts I'm having about clothing gear in no particular order of priority:

* Reliability - don't want to be in the field and have malfunctioning gear
* Price point - don't really want to take on a 2nd mortgage to buy clothing
* Layers - trying to determine the best/number to use and how to integrate into seasonal use, not really wanting to wind up with multiple sets of gear if layering covers seasonal need/use
* Camo pattern - am wanting dual use for rifle and future archery
* Buying for others - will probably end up buying for wife, for sure for my son

Been looking high and low for discounted gear and various vendors like Cabela's, Krptek, Sitka, Badlands, UA...pretty much up and down the line not wanting to leave anything out. I know Sitka is thought of very highly here and for good reason but maybe my bullheadedness has the better of me and I'm just not comfortable yet with this new area of outlays needing to be made.

I would very much appreciate feedback from anyone who cares to make comments, thank you.

I think if you want reliable clothing, you will have to spend good money. It's like everything else. You get what you pay for. That being said, shop around on the forum classifieds and you can find good deals. Other guys on this forum are far more knowledgeable on doing that than I am.

I'll give you a example of the reliability of hunting clothing like Sitka, First Lite, and Kuiu. I have used my Kuiu guide pants for the past 5 years exclusively from Wyoming to New Mexico to Montana to Ohio. I've went through crap that would tear Wal-Mart clothes off of you in about five minutes. Other than a few minor tears, they are still in great shape. I think I gave $150 for them. I would have spent that much in cheap cotton pants that would have been ripped to shreds and had me miserable once they got wet. You can't go wrong with any of the brands I mentioned. I've never owned Krptek or badlands so not sure about them. Not a fan of UA. Cabelas is decent but with the Bass Pro takeover, I think the outfitter line is doomed.

Not limiting yourself to camo opens up a big world of function and value.

My advice... and there are a number of threads on this...

Base Layer merino- First Lite Camo of some kind, this gets warn 100% of the time
Hoodie- Cheap camo (kryptek, cabelas, etc better if synthetic), gets warn when you are day hike hunting in archery seasons
Down Jacket, Patagonia, Rab, Marmont, mammut, etc. Silly to get one camo, you won't stalk in it and it's not going to be your top layer, it's insulation. This is for late season, glassing, and backpacking. Never hike in it...
Hard Shell- If you are back pack hunting get a good rain jacket 3L gortex or hyvent (doesn't need to be camo, muted solids work great) if you are day hike hunting get a 2L gortex or something that will cut wind and protect from rain/snow. When you glass you wear this over your puffy

Pants- I think solids are more versatile and camo isn't that necessary. I like sitka timberline the best then kuiu guide for a 4 season pant, sitka assent for an archery season pant. Your standard prana, columbia sport, etc. will work great as well.

Rain pants- definitely something you want as added warm layer and to keep you dry if backpack hunting same as hardshell.

Optional
Soft shell- I have the Sikta Jetstream and I use it instead of the hoody above, I don't take it backpack hunting as it's too much weight.

Base layer bottoms, wool/synthetic again first lite or smartwool, mostly for late season

This is my set up and I use the same base merino layers, a puffy, hardshell, and softshell/hoody for everything from spring bear and turkey to archery elk and late season mule deer and waterfowl.

The two replies given so far nicely split the argument of what to do about clothing gear pretty much in two, couldn't have done it better myself. On the one hand you have modern tech that has infiltrated and done a good job of selling the notion that you need the latest and greatest to not just give you the edge, but to be successful. On the other hand there is what was used before almost everyone decided that unless you have camo your success probabilities are limited. Don't want to get into a religious war over the two concepts, but it has been brought up to me before that if you don't put the understanding of animal movement and wind as a top priority, it won't matter what you wear. I'm just guessing because I'm not an experienced hunter, but that seems a fair statement considering that if you do have that understanding and you do use camo your probably going to be more successful than the one that slaps on some camo and takes off into the woods thinking nothing else is required. Or, if you're the person that uses standard gear and doesn't have a clue about movement/wind, you're in the same boat. Guess I'm not done thinking this through yet hehe.....

I think somebody on here said this about gear, but it applies to clothing as well:
Light. Strong. Cheap. - Pick 2

I once had the same bullheadedness. I never thought I would own a piece of that overpriced, overrated, latest and greatest, cool stuff - until I tried one piece of Sitka (a merino shirt) that I picked up on a 'just can't pass up' sale at Scheels on the way out west a couple years ago... Game changer. Now I try to add an item or two each year. Some camo, some solid.
Really liking the First Lite stuff that I've seen and/or tried, also.
Been saving my pennies...

Nice summary of what I'm thinking through....thanks! Do you wear camo as a base layer because it may end up being exposed on a warm day? 3L or 2L refers to what?

Festus said:

I think somebody on here said this about gear, but it applies to clothing as well:
Light. Strong. Cheap. - Pick 2

I once had the same bullheadedness. I never thought I would own a piece of that overpriced, overrated, latest and greatest, cool stuff - until I tried one piece of Sitka (a merino shirt) that I picked up on a 'just can't pass up' sale at Scheels on the way out west a couple years ago... Game changer. Now I try to add an item or two each year. Some camo, some solid.
Really liking the First Lite stuff that I've seen and/or tried, also.
Been saving my pennies...

Click to expand...

I like your strategy of picking up things slowly but, here's the thing in my case, I don't have any truly useful clothing gear to speak of. So, I'm thinking of going all in on what I need once I've decided.

Yep, I find that if I'm stalking in range of an animal, where camo actually, matters it's almost always during a warm archery season, and/or it's hard to shoot a bow with a ton of layers on so I usually drop a layers for the final stalk. Having a sitka jetstream in camo or some other mid-weight layer/hoodie is a good idea as you might wear that on a stalk when it's cold.


3L v. 2L refers to the number of layers in water proof jacket. 3L being a rain jacket and 2L being more a water resistant jacket great for sitting through a quick storm and definitely not something I would want to hike in.

A good rain jacket that you would wear while hunting in the rain or snow should be 3L, fully tapped seams, have pit vents, and have a 20,000/20,000 water proof rating at minimum. The difference between expensive jackets (Arcteryx and Sitka versus North Face or Columbia) is going to be how good the seam tape is and how good the DWR is. Durable Water Repellent is the coating that makes water bead up and fall off the jacket, a great jacket will bead up for a long time while wearing a bad one will wet out quickly. All rain jackets wet out eventually, which is why if you are going to be spending an entire trip in the rain you might want to consider grudens or helly hansen, something that is PVC/ rubber.

Wetted out after 2 hours hiking in heavy rain in Iceland, most in the spots where the DWR was rubbed off by my pack.