Help me gear up....Topic 2...CLOTHING

[bald9eagle]

Last week of September. Unit 54. Archery.

I've read a lot about avoiding cotton. I wear cotton pants over a pair of long underwear (long johns here in the South) during most of my turkey hunts. Keeps the ticks at bay while adding warmth. When it gets warmer I might switch my cotton pants for my lightweight pants, the kind that have zip off legs to be used as shorts. Many times I will wear those over a pair of jeans and find that comfortable. I layer my shirts. I have a few of the polyester style shirts that I wear under a cotton shirt or light weight shirt. I like being able to shed when it gets warm. So here we go.....

Weight
Material
Camo pattern

[zpd307]

no cotton here. I have found that I don't need to wear much while hunting. you heat up in a hurry while walking up and down mtns. unless its below 20, I don't wear long john bottoms. even if it is, they only stay on until the sun comes up. I will wear a tight fit under armour t shirt, then a camo under armor long sleeve. if under 20, then I have a light camo jacket. again, only needed until the sun comes up. a pair of light gloves helps while holding a cold bow and a beanie to keep the ears warm in the dark. always have them with you, because you will cool down when to stop to have a break, lunch, nap.
hell, I stopped to take off my long john bottoms when my bull came into the wallow that I was sitting near.... it was 18 degrees when I left camp at 0430 hours and I was starting to sweat at 0900, not sure what the temp was then, but the sun was mighty bright and warm.

[pointysticks]

in the right conditions. cotton is king!!

my predator green pants. i'm a fan. nothing less than barbwire will tear them. zero issues with burrs. comfy like a pair of your favorite jeans..because they are essentially jeans. predator green is fantastic for the winter desert, and my legs give the passing cactus the middle finger. great for my spring turkey hunt as well. i'm dry.

but in rain, or moisture cotton sucks.

i wear KUIU attack pants. super flexy for those big high stepping rocks, and i can sweat and dry pretty fast. i rarely need merino bottoms. i tend to heat up pretty quick when i hike.

on top, it is all about layers. merino shirt, perforated summer shirt, puffy vest, sitka 90% jacket. i move layers on/off, and to layer in a different order to fit the weather. works awesome for me.

KUIU chacuch rain jacket rolled up in the pack. with the attack pants you HAVE TO have a sitting pad or you will tear up the butt section.

[Fridaythe13th]

I have pullover camo pants ( I think scent blocker), I hunt Minnesota so in the fall I just pull them over my jeans, done ready to hunt. Elk hunting I just pull the over shorts because we have a 1:45 walk before we start hunting. It is a little chilly at first but you warm up fast. Shirts 1 short sleeve moisture wicking and long sleeve moisture wicking. I think I got them at walmart on sale for $10- 15 bucks.

I think most people think the same COTTON KILLS.

[Indian Summer]

in the right conditions. cotton is king!!

And since the conditions when elk hunt is usually 100% chance of widely scattered sweat cotton is the worst. Not to mention the weather conditions over a week, or even day to day, can change. Polyester. Merino base layers.

Camo pattern doesn't mean squat. Anything that breaks up your outline which most do. I'll keep this one short since you have a lot of reading to do BaldEagle!

[bald9eagle]

in the right conditions. cotton is king!!

And since the conditions when elk hunt is usually 100% chance of widely scattered sweat cotton is the worst. Not to mention the weather conditions over a week, or even day to day, can change. Polyester. Merino base layers.

Camo pattern doesn't mean squat. Anything that breaks up your outline which most do. I'll keep this one short since you have a lot of reading to do BaldEagle!

Yes....I do have some reading to do. I'm an obnoxious planner but I'm also one of those guys that can make do. It sounds as if my turkey hunting stuff might not be a bad choice. The weather sounds very spring-like...temps can be 20 to 70.

[zpd307]

yep, you are right on the temps.

[Ben Nicholson]

I'm a fan of Sitka Gear. Always dress in layers, always. Merino wool is unbeatable for a base layer. As for socks, I'd recommend good compression socks. Your legs will thank you after hiking all day for days on end.

Good luck!

-Ben

[Huntrgathr]

Indian Summer nailed it. We call it " rotten cotton" around here. The only cotton I own is T-shirts for the days when can't hunt...

For me " Quiet is King". But if you're rifle hunting its not AS important. In my opinion, guys get way too caught up on the camo pattern, waterproof ness , etc. 99% of my gear is wool or fleece treated with a "wash-in" water repellant DWR. Carry a small piece of tarp to string up for rain shelter. If you're moving in the rain you're going to get wet - either from the outside or inside. Doesn't really matter how badass your gear is. And it's kind pointless to hunt in a downpour... Just my opinions...

[pointysticks]

in the right conditions. cotton is king!!

And since the conditions when elk hunt is usually 100% chance of widely scattered sweat cotton is the worst. Not to mention the weather conditions over a week, or even day to day, can change. Polyester. Merino base layers.

Camo pattern doesn't mean squat. Anything that breaks up your outline which most do. I'll keep this one short since you have a lot of reading to do BaldEagle!

i'm not debating this. elk hunting isnt really the "Right condition".

i'm spoiled really. i have really mild weather 80% of my hunts near my home. my fancy Attack pants. i bet they die this year in AZ. they simply cannot handle the thorns. sucks.

[Elkduds]

Cliff, are those thorns sufficient to warrant an upland pant w heavy nylon up to the thighs? I have a pair that I wear for ATV riding, any hunting where I know I will need to crawl, and roosters. The rest of the pants are denim jeans. They also make chaps out of the same nylon.

[pointysticks]

Cliff, are those thorns sufficient to warrant an upland pant w heavy nylon up to the thighs? I have a pair that I wear for ATV riding, any hunting where I know I will need to crawl, and roosters. The rest of the pants are denim jeans. They also make chaps out of the same nylon.

it's really bad. if the hiking wasnt so difficult, i would wear bird hunting pants. my brother's KUIU pants will be seeing the third season, i am not holding out hope. haha..last year, we had to pull out a lighter and melt a few of the bigger tears to keep them from progressing.

i bring a pair of cotton predator green pants, that are built like Carhart workpants. so far, i am surviving. it's like kicking hunting desert quail. fun tho...worth sacrificing the pants.

[Jcberg26]

Kuiu Attack pants in pattern of your choice, Kuiu merino 3/4 zip up long sleeve, Bridgedale liner socks, darn tough merino socks, and Kuiu vest were essential pieces for me.

[BadgerStateBugler]

I like the Core4Element line up of gear. It is affordable especially if you scour the internet for sales. Start at camofire.com and ebay, blackovis.com is also a good site. I recommend merino wool baselayers, especially boxers and a 1/4zip long sleeve shirt. I have a First Lite long sleeve top and a couple of the Core4Element tops, all work incredibly well at keeping the funky scent down during your multiday backcountry hunts. I avoid synthetic baselayers even more than cotton strictly because of the NASTY odor that accumulates in a day of high activity.
One of my hunting partners wears the merino boxers followed by Under Armour heat baselayers and the Sitka line of outerwear.

Another wears army type lightweight poly base layers, and warm weather lightweight camo outer garments, similar to that of what they market at Gander Mountain and cabelas for warm weather turkey hunts.

If I had to make a suggestion on clothes I would recommend that anything that touches skin be merino. Buy a comfortable pair of boots, they don't have to be expensive as long as you can hike miles and miles in them and want to keep going back for more. Buy the best pack that you can afford that suits your style of hunting. I use the Eberlestock JP9 Blue Widow, I added two accessory pouches to my hip-belt, a 3-litre water bladder and the Butt Bucket. I chose to remove the Butt Bucket to cut weight and keep my bow in hand. Hard to kill anything with the bow strapped behind you. Plus, I like to make sure the bow is protected if I fall. We spike camp 3 days at a time 3-3.5 miles off the forest road. I use my pack to haul all my gear to spike camp, as a day pack while out hunting and to help haul heavy loads of meat out after my buddies were successful. Who needs horses when you have friends like me!!!!

I recently read about the Tenzing TZ5000 pack and am recommending that to a buddy who plans to hunt with me in 2016.

I got the Eberlestock X2 pack for day hunts here in WI for whitetails, I predominantly hunt from treestands, but do an occasional still hunt or stalk if the conditions are permitting.