RE: Why is hunting gear.....
 

Scott, I also wish topics like this were discussed more. I am inthe process of getting new boots, I am torn between alpha burly and muck.

I usually wear a headnet (not actually a net) but I am very pleased with the ones from MAD. Since I wear glasses it works very well for me.

For my outer layer I am wearing browning with gore tex, no insullation. For colder weather I layer with long johns from cabelas, not sure which ones I only know they are green and warm.

RE: Why is hunting gear.....
 

I've had a theory for some time, now.....since my hardcore days of duck hunting.

I believe this..........If you told hunters that they'd harvest MORE deer wearing pink bib overalls than they would wearing camo......MOST would choose the camo. I really don't think the deer mind very much.....and I think the marketers of camo do an AWESOME job.

That being said.....I love to be COMFORTABLE. I practice scent control....and I'll pay a few more dollars (OK....a lot) to be warm with less on. I RARELY wear the same camo patternshirt/jacket as my pants (makes sense, to me).....and I'm MUCH more interested in cover. I honestly think a grey/ashen color (solid) would work great for winter.....due to the tree colors (and most of us are right there against the trees). I honestly just think hunters LIKE wearing camo (myself included....though I'm NO fanatic).

Just my .02....

Jeff

RE: Why is hunting gear.....
 

yah i have the scent-lok supreme system and i love it. does the job and i don't get busted by the deer. i guess its just peace of mind. plus keeps me warm as hell and dry. so im not complaining. and i have a pair of Lacross 18" rubber boots. 1000 grains insulation is good for me.

RE: Why is hunting gear.....
 

I just last year think I finally pinned down the perfect layering system for my bowhunting. I hunted w/ this system from 10/1 the whole way through 1/15 in late season in PA.

I have the x scent under garment setup. I have 3x pairs of this stuff. I bought it all from Walmart, for about $35 a set. This stuff is awesome at wicking moisture.

On top of this stuff, I have a scent lok savanna coverall w/ head cover. I layer this on top. When it is warm (50+ degrees), this is all I wear. I may pack my fleece jacket in my pack on the way in just to cut the chill while waiting for the sun to come up.

Last year I bought at Dick's Sporting Goods a set of no-scent fleece wind proof/water proof hooded jacket and pants. These things are awesome. I think I paid $35 for the jacket on a early fall sale, and about $40 for the pants. These things are dead silent, really warm, and they really are water and wind proof. I will layer these on top of my x-scent and savanna suit as needed and this honestly keeps me warm well into the 25-30 degree temps. When it gets cooler, I will layer hensley/mock turtle neck sweat wicking material shirts between the x-scent/savannah suit as needed and this has kept me warm down to 10-15 degrees or so last year during late season.

The best boots I have ever owned are a pair of Lacrosse Alpha Burly's w/ 800 grams of thinsulate in them. They are actually bearable in warmer temps even into spring turkey season, and if I layer a x-scent wicking sock under a wool sock (buy the boots big) I am comfortable down into the 20's or so. If it gets any cooler I use stick on types of toe warmers and am fine for an all day sit with these. These boots feel like slippers inside and I have many times put 5+ miles in a day on them while turkey hunting and my feet are comfortable the whole time. I love these boots and think they are the best tool I have in my hunting "tools".

The last thing I love the most is my backpack/quiver system I use. I kind of stole the idea for this rig from Michael Waddell. It consists of a $50 modular backpack I got from wally world. It is actually a really nice pack that I can zipper off the main backpack portion from the fanny pack. On the kidney strap of the fanny pack, I have attached a quiver bracket for a kwikee quiver. It tucks the arrows/quiver up and behind me and they are out of the way there, protected, and don't get caught on stuff while walking through the woods (unless I walk backwards). I also use the main compartment of the bag for packing in layers of clothes, as well as food, a book, compass, knives, calls, scents, etc. I will try to take a pic of this rig tonight when I get home because I love it so much. I have a quikee quiver bracket on the pack, on the bow, and another on a screw in thingie that I use to attach the quiver to the tree. When walking in the woods, the quiver is attached to the pack. When climbing the tree, I attach it to the bow and pull up w/ the bow, and once up there, I screw it into the tree. It works beautifully and for about $80 or so I had an awesome pack and quiver setup that is easily customized. The pack also has a bladder pouch to add in camel pack style.

RE: Why is hunting gear.....
 

Withoutgarments constructed of proper materials,one's stay in the woods for any extended period of time in colder temps is either almost unbearably miserable or nonexistent.

As a young and dumb kid years ago I remember shivering in agony waiting for a buck to show up. Most of my layered clothes "in the day" were made of cotton; after all if it was calleda "sweatshirt" it must be warm right?!

I also think that some of my favorite camo patterns like Predator and ASAT have handicapped themselves somewhatby sticking with cotton garments for the most part. Even if you just hunt in warm weather, cotton fades badly over time. Not good when you pay $50.00 for a pair of pants! If you hunt true wilderness areas in late season and you get caught in a storm, your life could be in jeopardy if most of your clothing is cotton. Of course that is not a reality for most hunters so wearing cotton really isn't that big of a deal.

It is no secret, layering is key. Keeping dry equals more time on stand or at least better comfort when you are there. A good wool garment is hard to beat. The good stuff is expensive no question. King of the Mountain and Sleeping Indian are probably out of the equation for most of us. I have a Sleeping Indian shirt and Archers vest that I got from a buddy when he "grew" out of themand they are outstanding.

Gray Wolf Woolens makes excellent wool and wolfskin garments. The wool is not as thick as the two companies mentioned above but is quality and you can get it in camo's like predator that are not mainstream. I have some ofJeff's stuff as well as Marc Barger's who invented Predator and was Jeff Aulik's predecessor. All of the products I have purchased from Gray Wolf has been quality stuff.

I recently purchased a wool pullover and pants in ASAT camo from Gary Christoffersen at Day One Camouflage at a very reasonable price for the quality of garment. It feels very much like the material from Gray Wolf but it is not the 27 0zBemidji woolen mills fabric that Jeff uses. It is a Canadian 24 ozfabric. Again I can't tell the difference between the two with my fingers. Years ago I bought some ofGary's garments he madefrom fleece (in Predator Camo)and they are stillgoing strong. He makes good stuff without a doubt.

Insulated wolf skin products are nice too. The insulated stuff is bulkier than wool but then I have the uninsulated wool too, so that makes a difference.

I have a pair of Cabelas wool pants that I have used for a few years. Actually it is a blend so it is not entirely 100% wool. They are now showing wear with a couple of holes around the cuffs. They are thicker than the Gray Wolf wool but not any warmer.

ColumbiaGallatin wool is certainly cheap enough. It is made in India and is not the same quality as the ones listed above but again it is quite a bit cheaper too. I have the bibs, a shirt, and Jacket that I have had for a while now. I have used the bibs the most and they are beginning to show some wear. They are a decent "poor mans" wool garment in every piece but the coat. I would not recomend the Jacket to anyone. There are built in "bellows" (or should I be proper and say pleats) under the arms that are made of cotton and believe me the cold air just rushes in when ever you move.

Under the wool I will wear a couple of pair of long johns, and then some fleece if it is bitter out. Don't forget the knitted neck gator; that alone makes a huge difference. Leather insulated boots. In bitter weather they will be covered by a boot mitten; again a huge difference in comfort with or without.

If a person isn't hung up on the camo look, Filson makes some great quality garments too....

I could go on but then I would have to put some action scenes in this novel to keep you all from going to sleep....;):D:)

RE: Why is hunting gear.....
 

AE, thanks for taking the time to put all that down on paper (or screen, as it were! ;))

I bought a 100% wool bomber jacket in Predator Fall Gray for my own Christmas present last year, and absolutely love it. Jeff sent me some samples of his wolfskin fabric as well, and it felt awesome. That's one of the main reasons I think this new Enigma stuff has a chance to make it; the fabric alone is that good.

After reading this thread (Thanks Scott, by the way...), I think I'll start slowing up my hard-goods purchases like sights, rests and stabilizers for a bit and start purchasing some more quality clothing.

RE: Why is hunting gear.....
 

I am so envious I don't have one of those :D....

RE: Why is hunting gear.....
 

I have never owned a wool outfit... Am I really missing out as much as it appears from your guys replies?

In your experiences, how much do the wool garments restrict your freedom of movement for drawing a bow?

What other benefits does the wool provide (if any) other than it's insulating and wicking properties?

Is wool as heavy and thick as it looks as well?

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RE: Why is hunting gear.....
 

Scott,

I certainly wouldn't be the one to say you are missing out on anything because you don't own a wool outfit. A lot of people prefer synthetic especially when comparing cost. What one person really likes another person may abhor.

Wool is expensive but taken care of properly it should last a lifetime.
As far as the restriction of movement issue goes, the wool by itself is not restrictive at all. When I look at my unlined wool garments I am always amazed they hold as much heat as they do because they really are not that thick. That is the beauty of wool, heat without bulk. Insulating it can bulk it up but not worse than insulated synthetics.

There are many that say a bitter wind will go through wool like poop through a goose so it would not be a bad idea to have some windstopper on the inside of one's personal wool and even some insulated wool products on hand. Personally when those kind of winds are blowing I haven't found much it won't go through.

Wool can absorb 30% of its weight in moisture and not feel damp. Itstill helps to retain a certain amount of body heat under those conditions, something that very few if any synthetics can achieve. However it can get heavy when totally saturated so if you are hiking in the high country this is something to consider.

If I was to sit in a treestand from dawn to dusk and could only pick one garment to use for comfort in cold weather(excluding that giant body mitten used in extreme temps), it would be a pair of King of the Mountain/Sleeping Indian bibs. Of course most of us are not going to spend $400.00+ on a pair of bibs. Jeff's lined bibs in woolrange from $350-390.

On the down side, some we have already mentioned, obviously price, heavy when saturated, it does pick up burrs, some wools recommend drycleaning only (I wash all of mine by hand. It never sees a dryer and I have never had a problem. Finally when the temps reach greater than 50 degrees some layers are coming off...

RE: Why is hunting gear.....
 

I have an all wool outfit that I used to use and still do occasionally use for rifle hunting (dark green, not camo). As mentioned above the insulation properties when wet are the huge benefit, I spent many days in Vermont's late season hunting in temps well below 0 with this outfit and it is the warmest in my closet. It is expensive though and a PITA to wash. I may be looking for a nice wool jacket of some sort in an open pattern for this year if I don't tag out in the early season.