goose142004

Ok it may blow your mind that i ask a question like this but here it goes. i am from oklahoma and when its 30 degrees it freakin cold. i hear it a little different in colorado bc it drier. i am planning my first trip to colorado elk hunting next year during second elk season. i am curious what do you typically wear that keep you comfortable warm. i know the weather can change in an instant and i will have multiple layers of clothing on. i also have a very good parka with a zip out liner. the part where im not sure is pants. i will be taking bib overalls but i think they will be too hot and bulky when i am walking. i was thinking a pair of camo denim jeans with thermals should be sufficient. what do you guys typically find yourself typically wearing most of the time? also what are the things you carry in your pack while you are out all day long and going back to a base camp at night. i hope yall dont think this is a dumb question. but if you amswer its greatly appreciated.



Also i want to thank each of you personally for all of the help you have given me. i joined this forum a few months ago and have gotten gobs of information for ya'll and have purchased the gear that the majority of you have seemed to like. i am so excited to go to the woods next year after those incredible majestic WAPITI!!!

bullelk1

No dumb questions for someone venturing into a new area for the first time. I don't know what time of year you are thinking about, but here in Idaho it can be snowing in mid September. Normally, however, the weather isn't real severe through October. Dress in layers, don't bring the cotton, and pack some rain gear. The rain gear will help as a wind break. I wear wool when there is some snow, and synthetics most of the time. Cabelas microtex and Sitka gear are both good picks. Bring waterproof leather boots, and wool socks. I use a poly sock liner to prevent blisters. Talk to other guys who have hunted the area you are planning to visit. Good luck!

RaghornHS

I'm on board will bull...synthetic socks, liner socks, etc. I also like to go with layers, base, mid and outer. If It's cold I'd recommend Under Armour's Cold Gear as a base layer followed by a synthetic mid layer and a fleece outer layer. The great thing about fleece is it works when wet!!! Remember, the goal here is to get moisture away from your skin!!!

Your boots should insulate well and be light enough to plow through the snow. If you can part with $200 bucks or so, buy a pair of Schnee's boots...

Guy Eastman from Eastman's Hunting Journal wrote a great article about layering in one of their magazines not too long ago...I'll see if I can find it and post a link here...

Bob H in NH

One thing I was doing this year, and it kept me warm down to around 5 degrees. Layers are the key! However everyone gets all caught up in layers that are "built" for hunting. Well it occured to me that only the outer layer had to be camo/hunting clothes.

I went with:
- good long johns
- heavy sweat pants
- camo pants
- camo bib pants when it got cold

the heavy sweats underneath made a HUGE difference.

Champlain Islander

I have hunted the past 3 years out there in Colorado with the most recent trips during second season. We hunt south central Colorado and don't seem to get the snow they do further north. We always get snow and cold but probably not to the extent that they get up north. Good boots are a must and i always dress in layers. Most of the time I wear a pair of uninsulated rain wearpants on the bottom. They are quality made Cabelas and keep me dry and stop the wind which is always there. They are quiet and light enough to keep me warm and not allow me to sweat when hiking up. All I wear under them is mid weight insulated long underwear. If I get up near 11K feet or higher it is colder and I can slip on a pair of warmer pants whichI keep in the pack. On top I wear an insulated flannel shirt under the rain jacket with a warmer jacket in the pack for use when sitting when it is cold. Up in the mountains I have seen it 65 degrees one day and near zero the next so you have to be ready for extremes. Good luck.

skb2706

Not even on the top 100 of dumb questions.

I hunt the third season every year and have since the sixties. What I wear is determined by the day, what I take is determined by the time of year. I can usually get by nicely with thermals, camo pants, thermal shirt under a meduim jacket, good thin gloves, 400 gram insulated hunting boots and maybe a headband in my pack for my ears.

Colorado Cajun

I ware long johns and camo pants, good boots that are water proof and insulated, and then on top, a t shirt, long sleve t shirt, a sweat shirt, and a water proof insulated jacket. In CO. you will be walking a lot and it is easy to start sweating. That is what you want to avoid. Dress in LAYERS because it might be 12 degrees when you leave camp and 50 degrees at 2PM. I don't like insulated bibs or coveralls because you will sweat then get cold if you stop. If you take them off, you have to lug them around. I ware coveralls in camp at night but not while hunting. Thin layers is the way to go. Also, I would suggest two pairs of gloves. 1) some really good insulated ones and 2)a lighter pair for when it starts warming up. I usually bring several different types of hats too.

It is usually a drier cold here then it is in OK. I have experienced both.

Colorado Luckydog

Depending on the weather for the day, long johns suck. I always bring them, but rarely wear them. It can be very cold in the mornings and evenings and hot as hell in the afternoon. I prefer to dress in layers that are easily taken off and put back on. If it is going to be cold all day then I will wear long johns. Nothing worse than hiking all afternoon in the heat and not being able to pull your long johns off.

Don't go cheap on the rain gear. You will rarely need it, but cheap rain gear is cheap rain gear and if you need it you will really need it. Try to find rain gear that will roll up small to stay in your pack all day but is a good enough quality to do the job right.

MTMountainMan

Alsatian

Pardon if I repeat advice already given by others. I'm too lazy to read the other post.

Bear in mind some general principles of outdoor clothing. (1) For unpredictable and/or changing weather, plan to layer your clothes. Don't go naked and wear one, heavy duty coat that will keep you warm at -30 degrees . . . you can't take this garment off when it is +20 and you get too hot! Instead, have at least three layers of clothing and take off/put back on layers as needed to regulate body warmth. Take off your outer parka while hiking in to your deer/duck blind; put the parka back on after you cool down. (2) Choose wicking material for your innermost layer of clothing. This can be polypropylene or some other 'wicking' fabric. The idea of 'wicking' fabric is that it removes moisture, such as sweat, from the surface of your body and makes you feel dry and prevents you from feeling cold. (3) Choose wool or synthetic fleece for middle and outer layers. Wool and synthetic fleece retains much warmth when wet. Cotton and goose down, by contrast, retain very little insulation value when wet. There are lots of ways to get wet during outdoor activities -- fall in a stream, fall out of a boat, capsize a boat or canoe, have wet snow fall off of a tree onto the outdoorsman, climb up a steep hill and get sweaty, walk around during a heavy snow storm of wet snow, walk around in a rain storm, etc. (4) Carry an appropriate hat. You lose a LOT of heat through your head. A balaclava is a very good thing to have. Consider having an outer, lightweight shell that sheds water and/or wind.

Here is what I like to wear when elk hunting at 11,500' in SW Colorado. Inner layer of thin polypropylene long underwear bottoms and long underwear top. Medium weight 100% wool trousers (US Army Surplus M51 trousers cost $20 from an internet site -- medium weight Filson wool trousers can be obtained for $160). Medium weight (9 oz?) 100% wool long sleeved shirt from Pendleton. Heavy weight (26 oz) wool vest from Filson. An insulated outer hooded parka that has a goretex outer shell. I wear a medium weight polypropylene balaclava. If I get cold, I'll pull up the hood of the parka. I have a couple of pairs of gloves -- a thin pair which I can wear while operating my rifle -- including pulling the trigger -- and a heavier pair if it really gets cold. I can hunt in this outfit down to about 0 degrees with this whole outfit on (keeping walking at least at a slow pace) and up to 80 degrees by taking stuff off and putting it in my daypack.

With regards to the polypropylene long underwear, I wear this in the mountains in July/August when I'm going backpacking. During the day, typically I'm going to be wearing the polypropylene long underwear bottoms and tops with just a pair of bermuda shorts for modesties sake. This keeps me comfortable at altitudes from 8,000' to 11,500' even in the summer, while hiking with a heavy pack. Remember, the polypropylene wicks away moisture, so you stay dry and cool. The only trouble I have had is that if the sun is out, my navy blue polypropylene can really interact with the sun and get hot when I am lying still, for example during a lunch break. If the polypropylene weren't navy blue but was light, the problem would not exist. It is not an issue when I'm moving -- it is just the strong absorption of solar radiation and then the conduction to my skin -- it almost feels burning. No problems in the shade.