Tell me about the new "techie huntin' clothes"...

[Kevin Dill]

I'd like to just add that clothing made for the REI-type folks may not be constructed with the ideals of hunting in mind...and especially not bowhunting. All of the high-quality hunting apparel makers are designing and building gear specifically for hunting purposes. Think about pants with articulated leg design, built-in or removable knee pads, waterproof seat areas, extra pockets with zippers instead of button flaps, etc. Jackets tend to fit close and lend themselves to flexibility and shooting needs. Hoods (if incorporated) are typically designed for better peripheral vision and warmth.

Maybe part of the decision comes down to whether a guy needs to go pretty light or extremely light on gear. When Super Cubs come into play it's always an ounce-counting thing unless you get an extra gear flight at extra cost. When weight of gear gets critical, it's good to have a system which gives maximum versatility with the fewest pieces. Think about you, your gear and all necessary food for 10-14 days on one little plane. I like wool but I can't afford the heavier weight on a Cub flight. My personal everyday hunting clothing for Alaska is KUIU with the only exception being base layers and my down jacket. I won't disparage any company, but I have proven to myself that KUIU's designs and quality excel on those tough hunts.

[Bigriver]

Kevin is one of those guys I was talking about....

[Jubu]

Kuiu and First Lite make great stuff. their stretch weatherproof fabrics will keep you warm and dry, as long as you're on the move. If your hunting requires standing or sitting motionless in cold weather, you will get cold, unless you wear wool or down material under that fabric. Both are very well made. Personally, I prefer my First Lite soft shell pants, but I prefer my Kuiu DCS Guide soft shell jacket. Both are also super quiet, which is not the case with most backpacking brands like Mountain Hardware, North Face, etc...

[KSdan]

Commented on this before here on TG.  Old school long time wool guy here from the north country.  BUT research, talking to others (who have hunted AK, NZ, and other remotes places), and one fly-in AK hunt really changed my mind on these things.  Light- weight, ability to fast-dry, bomb-proof (you can not afford them to fail), and features really are in a new world.  You still use ltwt. wool for base and mid layers (though even some of the truly latest tech stuff is getting better than merino).  Sitka is amazing stuff.  Expensive- Yes.  But they do not try to figure a marketing price point- RATHER they design a piece of equipment to truly cover all the detailed bases.   The pocket configurations, locations, materials all are there for a good reason.  These clothes really are a good investment if you are doing more than typical  eastern whitetail hunting.  I hear KUIU gear is excellent, but my Sitka Timberline pants would be my choice for AK or any hunt like that.  They are bomb proof.  And frankly, I bought mine slightly used- and I would guess with 1-2 weeks of wear per year they will be around a LONG time (truly a long-term/wear investment). 

Dan in KS     

[amicus]

My last hunt in Kodiak AK. I wore Sitka pants and will use them again. Very light and comfortable and held up very well. My son has a pair of KUIU pants and really likes them as well. I don't think you can go wrong with either brand.

[wingnut]

I switched to Firstlite a couple years back for the same reason.  Saved almost 50% on my clothing weight for the super cub.
Allows for more food.  LOL

Mike

[chinook907]

I've tried a lot of different clothes from the brands mentioned, and have pretty much settled on what I like.

Never tried any of the hunting pants mentioned though.

For a non-camo pair of pants that will last, stretch, dry quick, and are very tough, you can't go wrong with a pair of Champion C9 golf pants in railroad gray.  Don't think they make them anymore, so I get them off the auction site for $15-$30 delivered.  I also wear them for work, play, Sundays, etc.

Have finally found a set of rain gear that I absolutely love, the First Lite SEAK (South East Alaska).  Jacket is just the right weight, fits well, lots of zippered pockets.  Pants are very tough and a real weathershield.  Some noise with both of course, especially the pants, they practically could stand up on their own when new.  But not too bad for noise for solid rain gear.

The SEAK coat is nice enough and breathable enough that I just wear that, rain or shine.

The SEAK pants I wear alone if I'm not climbing too much or if the weather is likely to be nasty.  Can save weight that way.

Colder weather I sometimes take the wolfskin pants from Gray Wolf woolens.

Another set of pants that I sometimes bring are Patagonia primaloft pants, think they were made for Special Forces.  In olive green.  Full-length zippers so you don't have to take your boots off.  Extremely light weight, great for putting on if your're gong to be glassing for hours on end in cooler or cold weather.  They don't take up much space in the pack.

A great siwash parka is a Patagonia DAS (dead air space) parka, filled with primaloft.  Mine is olive green, maybe weighs  1 1/2 lbs and goes into a tiny stuff sack.  Weather goes south and I just pull that out and all is good again.  Warmest coat I've ever owned.

[arrow30]

im learning from this thread, do yall have pictures of these garments? the inside , and in use ?   

[Roadkill]

Gortex melts.  To the skin. We found that out in the military.  I do not know how these plastic clothes react to flame-fires happen in the best camps.  best to know how this does with heat and flame.  I am a wool advocate, have it in a variety of weights. It does not ‘shine’ like synthetics, quiet and a wind stopper can be added under the outer wool layer

[Historybuff]

I've been using firstlite for a couple years and love their clothing. The wool baselayers are very comfortable to wear and warm.  They have  good sales once and awhile. 

[Chain2]

Old school guy here as well. It’s been wool my entire life, until a pack in elk hunt when I was introduced to Kuiu. I’m changing everything over to Kuiu. I wore some late season here in MI and the amount of weight you can shed and still stay warm is amazing.  Movement and range of motion was a lot better in my old frame as well. I’m a convert.

[Kevin Dill]

A couple of additional thoughts on the garments designed and built by the companies like Sitka, First Lite, KUIU, Kryptek and others:

Most (not all) of the outer garments have DWR treatments which make them very water repellent and able to remain dry in all but steady rains. Aside from merino base layers and certain outer pieces which contain merino wool, most of the fabrics are 100% synthetic. They can get wet but they hold far less water (and weight) than most organic fabrics, plus they dry faster. My merino 185 (KUIU) base layer takes about twice as much time to dry as my synthetic Sitka layer when I wash them during an extended hunt.

I find the soft shells and tighter face on the fabrics makes them less prone to absorb mud, dirt and blood. I recall Bryan and I coming off a 10 day hunt back in 2008 when we had Sitka clothing. Our pilot commented our clothing looked like we hadn't even worn it, but it was basically all we wore during a tough hunt. I really appreciate the wash-and-wear characteristics of this type clothing.

As for clothing made by major outdoor names like Patagonia, Marmot, LL Bean, Kuhl, Columbia and many others, I'm certain they have plenty of things which would be well suited to hunting in a variety of settings. Some of their offerings would probably cross over to casual wear or other pursuits as well, making them multipurpose and a good value.

[beendare]

Backcountry hunts in the Mountains backpacking or flyin's is where the high tech clothing shines.

Its a better balance of Weight to performance. Just compare a good puffy to wool jacket.....its a 3 or 4 day difference in the food you can bring/carry.

The Critical pieces IMO;
Puffy jacket in either waterproof down or synthetic insulation

Merino wool base layers- In early archery I use a LS merino T as my outer too. This base layer provides days of wear with less stink- its amazing.

The pants that have some stretch to them- different weights depending on climate. I wear the Kuiu Attack/Sitka Assault weight pant for early season, the heavier Mtn pants for something like Sept in AK.

A good Light Gaiter unless its Rubber boot/Hipper terrain.

[Tim Finley]

We bought some Kuiu jackets a couple of years ago and no way are they quite enough for drawing your bow on a whitetail very noisy and the models we bought were supposed to be the quietest they had . I sent mine back, my boy kept his for coyote hunting wearing it underneath his snow camo .

[Roadkill]

With wood stoves and tight quarters in tents, does this stuff melt or burn?  It only takes a nano second to brush against a wood stove. If you have a hole burned in a rain jacket, no matter how light, are you protected? 

[Kevin Dill]

With wood stoves and tight quarters in tents, does this stuff melt or burn?  It only takes a nano second to brush against a wood stove. If you have a hole burned in a rain jacket, no matter how light, are you protected?

I presume these fabrics would be damaged if they came into contact with a very hot stove or flue pipe. I don't believe there is risk of an instant 'catch fire' occurrence with the fabrics I'm wearing inside the tent. In the 11 consecutive years I've been wearing them in a heated tent I've not damaged them even once. I can also speak for myself and say I don't ever recall having a fire going in the stove and wearing my rain gear inside the tent at the same time. But almost any rain gear would certainly be damaged if it somehow contacted a hot stove.

I always carry some form of a kit to patch or repair my clothing. Tenacious Tape, AquaSeal, needles and thread, etc. In 11 years of this type clothing I recall stitching a sleeve seam which came apart (Sitka) and repairing a gouge-hole in the the thigh of my KUIU pants caused by a sharp spruce stub. That's it.

[azhunter]

I didn't want to give into the newer tech materials for what they cost but going in on pack in hunts convinced me to buy some a few years back. I just had to cut the weight. I have never tried Sitka but I prefer first light wool base layers compared to Kuiu. I really like the light base wool layers Llano and mid layer Chama. It may be called something different now. I have a lot of Kuiu. I do not like the guide jacket at all. It doesn't block much wind and isn't very warm. I much prefer the Columbia Ascender soft-shell that you can get for $69 online. It blocks more wind and is cut similar in design to Kuiu items. I like the Kuiu Kenai jacket as it is not as warm as down but is designed to breath well. Great for layering or when it is cold enough you need a jacket while walking but want something that breathes. I think Kuiu has two different down jackets now. The original down jacket is not very warm. They have a new one my friend has called the super down pro. Twice the down as the original and a much better material that breaks the wind. Im going to sell mine and get that one. I really like their peloton zip off fleece bottoms and the zip off down bottoms. Really nice not to have to take your boots off. I have found I really like carrying more lighter items for layering compared to how I dressed before with heavier layering items and a a heavy wool jacket. I cut a ton of weight and stay really warm.

[azhunter]

Forgot to mention the Kuiu Attack pant is my favorite pant. Most comfortable pant I have worn and I love the pit zips on the side to release heat when walking. Very flexible material and great pockets.

[Steve O]

Ryan,

If you are worried about quiet, look at the Sitka Apex pants. They were specifically designed with “quiet” in mind. You would like the Apex Hoody as well.

I will never wear another pair of wool pants. They fight you on every step.

Sitka Timberlines have a waterproof seat and knees and are my favorites. I can’t tell you their exact construction but they work well from +60F to -23F so far in my experience.

[Gehrke145]

I run Prana Zion pants (stretchy tough quiet hiking pant) mostly because it’s one of the few that are perfect for hunting and every day use. 

Any good base layer.

Fleece or wool mid layer up top only.

Puffy pants and jackets have literally changed my life, in the back country.  Being able to hike hard, and zip on some pants and a jacket and glass all day and be comfy is amazing.  Warmth to weight is second to NONE!

Good rain gear, I’ve ran just about all of it on the market and none last more than a few years of actually backcountry use.  I’m talking hiking with it and busting brush, not putting it on and weathering a storm.

I use this same setup from mid August until November about 40-50 hunting days (remote hunts, not in the back 40) a year, and equally as many scouting, backpacking and it can’t be beat.