Gear/clothing question for the pros out West...

[twostrings]

The past few years have been wonderful, but one thing that has been lacking is a dream hunt pursuing elk, bears, and mulies (pronghorn too). I'm just about ready to pull the trigger on just such a trip (or more likely, multiple trips).

One area of the hunt that really makes me nervous is proper dress. For you guys that live out West, and spend a bit more time in the mountains than those of us who live in Texas, what do you wear?

I'm going to start purchasing the clothing needed to effectively hunt the drastic temperature changes and wetness of the mountains and thought I'd get your opinion. I really don't want to be miserable.

The states I'll most likely hunt are NM, ID, and CO.

mh

Ps. My budget is extremely tight and I'm a minimalist. So, any suggestions that are $$ conscious will be greatly appreciated. Thanks!

[Shedrock]

My budget is tight as well. I wear fine merino wool tops and bottoms when it's chilly, with plaid cotton or plaid wool shirts and Carhart pants. Just Carhart pants and cotton plaid shirts for the warm days. Works good for me.

[jhg]

Originally posted by twostrings:


mh

Ps. ... I'm a minimalist.

good. This weekend was a good example of out West hunting. Hot. Then the rain came and it was 52* and wet. I knew it would be hot so in the morning when it was cool I wore one of those sun shirts with the vented back and a mesh wicking panel under my wool shirt and powerstretch vest. By noon it was 75* and I was in just the sun shirt, (and pants) climbing a tall slope. By 2PM it was raining and 52*. I had the wool and vest on again. This is typical.

scout e-stores like campmor, sierra trading post etc for bargains in tech clothing. Think what will do at least two things well- part of a layer system for warmth or alone as a hotter weather top. Like using a sunshirt as a base layer. Works very well and you have two very good uses for that garment.

I found that off brand stuff is almost  as good as the top shelf (expensive even on sale) stuff but with fewer refinements. I have never felt they did not perform. Look for brands like lowe alpine, white sierra, duafold, marmot, pendelton, terramar, etc

Get as much merino wool as you can. I found some pants made for turkey hinters that are awesome for elk. dry out fast and BREATH. Look around and the stuff  is everywhere if you do not have to have the cache hunting brand stuff that is way over priced or maybe its not, but its priced for those who have more bling than most of us have.

[Scott Teaschner]

In the high country you have to be prepared for the worst. But September is about as good as it gets for nice weather. I do not have a lot of high tech gear. But I will tell you what I take in the back country. I have guided bowhunting and found this list to be good. Boots that fit well, I have 2 to 3 pair cotton camo pants and 4 to 5 long sleave cotton tops, 1 pair marino wool underwear, 6 to 7 pairs good wool socks I like to change socks often, heavey wool shirt or sweater, wool hat to go over ball cap, silk scarf "no respectable cowboy is with out one", a wool jacket and pants if weather turns rough, wool gloves. If you have a horse you can bring in a few more luxurys but I have found every one new to a back country camp brings to much. They go to Cabelas buy the bigest duffle and load it till the zipper busts. Every new hunter seems to do this and they only use a small portion of the gear or clothing. Its hard to keep from sweating so even if you start with clean clothes there toast in a few hours of hiking. You just get tough in the back country some people try it and never come back. Oh yeah and packable rain gear. I mean the smallest lightest take up no room in your pack so you dont leave it in the tent rain gear. It might save your life!

[centaur]

Hunting antelope on the high plains and hunting elk in the high country are very different propositions, and mule deer can be found both places, so gear may vary depending on what and where you are hunting.
September in the mountains can be 80 degrees, and can be zero degrees, and everything in between. I am leaving tomorrow to do some elk hunting, and it looks like temps will be in the 70s during the day at 9000 feet, but will probably be mid 30s at night. I have been snowed in twice in mid September,only to return and have 70 degrees two weeks later. What I guess I am saying is that weather can and does vary greatly depending, and the higher the elevation, the more it can vary.
Your Texas garb might work very well for low country antelope and deer, and might even be perfect at times at higher elevations, but wool is a great choice for lots of days in elk country.  For elk, good hiking boots that are well broken in will make for a much more pleasant experience, and a good level of fitness will make the hills a bit easier.

[longbowray]

Well I'm in az and the weather is can change alot , on my deer hunt last week , I left home at phx it was a 114 hunting up by flagstaff the hi 84 and the low were 51 and it rains up there lol . So for me that cool at night . Light wool for the afternoon and morning with my leafy wear and socks and cotton shirt too change into as it warms up and pack frog tong rain wear . As I stay out most all day , and I hunt at 9300 ft

[vernon]

I leave tonight to go bowhunting over 9000 feet for a week chasing the majestic elk.  I will pack good longjohns top/bottom, wool socks, and then I hunt in cotton pants and longsleeve shirt.  My most important gear, regardless of bow or rifle, is my wool windshear jacket from Cabelas.  The wool windshear, they also sell berber fleece windshear, is an awesome garment.  They are under $200 and although you cannot hike in them cuz you get too hot they are a necessity when your sitting on top of a ridge and the wind is howling or your hunkering down in the morning and evening hunts.  Buy a garment similar to that and you won't go wrong.  Keeping your upper torso and internal organs warm goes a long way to handeling the elements.

[twostrings]

This has been helpful. I have a follow up question for those of you who do not use the high tech gear: do you have any pictures of what you wear? I'm having a hard time seeing what some of this looks like (thickness, coloring, etc), especially in the wool garments.

thanks,
matthew

[PaddyMac]

In the inland northwest the last two weeks we've been waking up under 40 degrees and going to bed close to 100 degrees. But it's cooled off a bit. Yellow jackets are ferocious this year. There's like zero time between blood and bees. So if you're sensitive take precautions. Antlers are rubbed, mostly. I got a picture of a bachelor group of about a dozen two days ago. They're bunched. Fire danger is extreme so keep your head up and be careful. Snakes are still frisky. Grouse are rank this year. Bring blunts and flu flus if ya got 'em.

I'm daytripping so I'm planning on leaving the wool at home. I'll be wearing cotton camo fatiques, longsleeve tee, light fleece pullover, fleece vest and bandana. That's it. I guarantee the fleece will be lashed to my fanny pack before 9 a.m. I'm packing 2 qts of water in a surplus bladder canteen on web gear.

Good luck. Have fun. Don't shoot any trees.

[jhg]

No pictures but I suggest thinking about layers and their thicknesses like this: one top shirt medium thick. one middle layer medium thick and one middle layer thin, One base layer thin and one base layer medium. A vest, a rainjacket that is light, a good hat and a thin pair of gloves. The layers after the base layer can be a thin sweater, thin as in like a thick t-shirt. When you put all this on and you want to be sure it all will fit together, so you have to try it on over stuff. You can handle some pretty low temps and anything in between approaching clothing this way.

IMO, even though guys wear it, there is so much available that is better than cotton in every way its amazing its even mentioned. It takes too long to dry, chafes under pressure when wet (like under pack straps or in a boot), clings if pants and they get wet, and on and on. I got wise to better materials a long long time ago.  Cotton is what you wear to that BBQ down the street.
Why make it harder than it already is? Stay in the 21st century.  Cotton sucks. (and I am a pretty tough dude who drives a diesel truck and climbed 100 foot trees to top them and fought forest fires and ran barbed wire fence by hand with the bale on an old 1 inch thick length of spud bar, ate glass for fun, tried to ride a moose too, so have nothing left to prove by wearing cotton in the mountains.)

[Steve Kendrot]

I've got three words for you. Merino, merino, and merino. He stuff is amazing. It wicks, stays warm when wet, dries quickly, and you can wear it for days and it doesn't smell like a lot of the synthetic fabrics. Cotton in my opinion has no place in the backcountry for the simple reason if you get it wet, you are screwed. The cost of merino will put you off, but when you consider you could get by with half the clothes, it's no more expensive than cotton and or even cheaper than many of he synthetics. A lot people associate wool with cold weather, but lightweight merino is more comfortable in warm weather than cotton. It doesn't feel clammy when you sweat like cotton does. Merino comes in many weights. 170 gram is pretty light about like a standard  cotton tee. 200 gram is a bit heavier, about like a chamois shirt or standard long johns. 400 gram is heavy, about like a thick sweatshirt.

For non camo, Minus 33 makes some nice stuff. You can order their stuff online at Hanks Clothing. Duluth Trading Co carries merino long johns that are nice. Pretty light for a base layer. Ulfrotte Wool Power makes some nice 200 and 400 gram long underwear. It is a Terry cloth design so tras a lot of air for warmth. First Lite is one of the few producing camo merino. I love their stuff. Not cheap, but not outrageous and worth the price. Just got their Kanab Pants and like the looks of it. Kui makes some merino base layers but not sure if they have it in camo.

I'm packing for a colorado elk hunt in two weeks and planning on taking nothing but merino.

[Outwest]

For me its all about layers of the right kind of stuff that is light and dries fast.
 Polyproylene long underwear under light fleece pants.Same for the tops poly under a cotton t shirt under a fleece vest under a light fleece/ gortex rain coat.
 You can dress up or down with this stuff for most any weather in Sept.

John

[Roadkill]

No cotton
I use wool in cold times. I use military surplus,  yeah i know, but it works well at great costs. Fleece works. Good-no great boots-are a must.  Socks matched to temps and boots and terrain really help you make that last hill crest. Hats and gloves deserve your attention
Good sleeping gear will make your hunt enjoyable.  Match gear to weather.
Look up average weather for your chosen area and time so you can prepare properly.  The other thing is fitness.  I live at 5000 feet.  You will need to be in shape to cope with thinner air to be enjoyable.  My cousin from MO came out at huffed and puffed his way around.  Run

[ksbowman]

I've never been on a mountian hunt yet that a good light weight rain suit (top and bottom) wasn't a God send at one time or another. I've sit thru some pretty good hail and sleet storms with one on and they'll keep you dry and warm.

[jhg]

Originally posted by Steve Kendrot:
I've got three words for you. Merino, merino, and merino....
...I'm packing for a colorado elk hunt in two weeks and planning on taking nothing but merino.

Steve forgot to mention he owns a sheep ranch...


Joshua, just kidding of course.

[Smallwood]

plan on dressing in layers, it can be sunny and 70 degrees one minute, and thirty minutes later the temp has fallen to 50 degrees and raining.
check goodwill/salvation army or army surplus stores for military surplus wool sweaters.
good rain gear can save your life.
A little 4x6' tarp is sure handy when bad weather hits suddenly and you need shelter NOW!

[kojac]

My recommendation would be, don't over think it but make sure you have clothing for 0 to 90+ degrees and you should be fine.  

Don't let clothes stop you from taking a trip of your dreams.  The older I get the more I believe everything is becoming way over engineered and that includes camo clothing.

(I've killed Elk, Mule Deer, White tail and antelope, fox and coyotes in jeans with traditional equipment) I'm not bragging its just that all this STUFF that gets promoted these days is taking away from a natural hunting instinct we all have but don't put it to work.

Concentrate on, Who you hunt with(as in hunting partner), Where ya hunt, and How long you hunt.
 
Good Luck and Keep it simple.

[bsoper]

Out in Utah, which is still similar to the areas mentioned, be prepared to deal with drastic temperature changes as soon as the sun goes up or down or a quick rain storm blows in.  It's unreal how quickly the weather can change with out you expecting it.

Multiple layers are CRITICAL. Not just a base and outer layer, but multiple base and outer layers. I bring two types of underwear, long and short sleeve. Then I bring two fleece jackets of varying thickness. Then I have a vest and a jacket and rain parka. This way I can arrange the multiple layers in order to get the best combination for the current temp, plus one for when the sun starts to set.

[twostrings]

This is all really helpful. Another followup: is every single layer of yours camo? Or do you hunt in plaids? Or (an idea I'm kicking around) do you just Pull over a cheap long sleeve camo shirt on top of all your layers?

Thanks,
Mh

[centaur]

Sometimes I use camo, sometimes plaid. I don't know that it really matters. Movement in camo or in plaid will get you busted.
I just came in from 3 days in the mountains; it was 85 to 90 in town (5000 feet), and where I was at 9000 feet there was a good frost every morning, and probably 65 degrees in the afternoon. Today, the high in town is 65, but is predicted to be back around 90 by the middle of next week. That should give an idea of what to expect in early September.