I do not believe that “waterproof” and “breathable” can co-exist. As some point, the waterproof part will give way to the breathable part, and you’ll be wet. Water-resistant and breathable? Fine. Water-PROOF and breathable? I don’t buy it.

I use USGI ponchos for rain and it works fine, but I have to say I had one fail on me this season. I think it is coated in some type of waterproofing agent (like polyurethane), but something got to the poly and made it fail (could have been something I washed it in). Anyway, I usually bring two ponchos for rain; one to wear and one to sit on for when I take a break from still hunting. When I still hunt and I find a nice spot with cover while moving, I will sometimes sit for an hour to see if anything comes my way. That is, until I need to get up and moving again!

I am very interested in ASAT’s rain gear. It sounds like it’s something that you could easily keep in your pack for a rainy day, and is easier to deal with than a poncho (you can be caught with your arms in the wrong spot with a poncho if you need to quickly fire upon spotted game). http://astacamo.stores.yahoo.net/asatraingear.html

For your base layer, you need polypropylene, not polyester. You DON’T need expensive UnderArmor, etc. What you need is what you SHOULD find at your local military surplus store (or a GOOD local hunt/fish shop, but probably not Bass Pro, Gander Mtn, etc). Just look for USGI ECWCS base layers. They are made by either Rothco or Tullahoma. Bottoms, top and balaclava (the latter if it’s cold enough) and gloves. Also, pick up some polypropylene socks. I have THIN pairs and pairs of normal boot sock thickness. If it’s not too cold, I wear the normal boot socks. If it is cold, I wear the thin pair under a pair of merino wool socks. If it is super cold, I wear all three.

FWIW, I don’t like carrying my gear in backpack when still hunting. The pack invariably makes me get really sweaty directly under the pack. This year, I picked up a used utility belt with suspenders at the mil surplus store. I attach all the gear I need to the belt, including extra layers of clothing. The clothing goes in a compression sack and attaches to the rear of the belt like a bedroll or something. I find I sweat much less this way.

It’s tough for me to find the balance between how much clothing I need to bring, etc, especially since I still hunt almost every outing, coupled with sitting for an hour or so here and there. You don’t want to make too much movement putting on clothing, but you don’t want to freeze your ass off either.

To poop from coveralls, I guess you just gotta take ‘em off! I have no idea. I do not poop in the woods, and never have had to fight off the urge. For some reason, my body requires very little food when I’m out hunting (2 Clif bars for a full day of hunting), and it knows not to poop until it’s home.