3D Leaf Camo?
04-21-2013, 04:30 PM
#5
Spike
Join Date: Mar 2013
Location: Oklahoma
Posts: 79
I love my leaf suit and I use it on a regular basis. It has helped me get really close to deer, turkeys, coyotes, and a variety of other critters. A leaf suit is great in the fall, winter, and early spring. They can get a little too warm when temps starting reaching 65+. I have 2 and I prefer the second one.
The first leaf suit I purchased was an inexpensive house brand suit from Bass Pro Shops. I bought it a few years ago and it has survived several successful hunts. So, I feel like I got my moneys worth. However, there are several things I don't like about it. These issues forced me to seek a better suit.
First, this suit doesn't have pockets. The jacket has openings that allow access to pockets, but the pants don't. This is a major pain in the arse when you want to get something out of your pocket. Also, It's "one size fits all" and in my case it's a little too big. That excess in size makes it easier to snag it on things around me. Lastly, it was "inexpensive", which means it's not the most durable. It's starting to tear apart from briars, brush, branches, and a few barbed wire fences, but it has lasted several seasons and is still going. If it had pockets, I'd be pretty happy with it.
In my search for a better suit, I recently purchased the Cabela's "Ghil-Leaf" pant and jacket. I'm very happy with this suit. The reason I purchased this suit was that I wanted a better fitting suit with pockets. This suit not only has pockets, but it also has belt loops and zippers in the lower leg area. This makes it better fitting, more durable, and more practical than my other suit. It helped me bag my first turkey last week!
Regardless of brand or features, I recommend a leaf suit. It will help conceal you and put you closer to wildlife.
The first leaf suit I purchased was an inexpensive house brand suit from Bass Pro Shops. I bought it a few years ago and it has survived several successful hunts. So, I feel like I got my moneys worth. However, there are several things I don't like about it. These issues forced me to seek a better suit.
First, this suit doesn't have pockets. The jacket has openings that allow access to pockets, but the pants don't. This is a major pain in the arse when you want to get something out of your pocket. Also, It's "one size fits all" and in my case it's a little too big. That excess in size makes it easier to snag it on things around me. Lastly, it was "inexpensive", which means it's not the most durable. It's starting to tear apart from briars, brush, branches, and a few barbed wire fences, but it has lasted several seasons and is still going. If it had pockets, I'd be pretty happy with it.
In my search for a better suit, I recently purchased the Cabela's "Ghil-Leaf" pant and jacket. I'm very happy with this suit. The reason I purchased this suit was that I wanted a better fitting suit with pockets. This suit not only has pockets, but it also has belt loops and zippers in the lower leg area. This makes it better fitting, more durable, and more practical than my other suit. It helped me bag my first turkey last week!
Regardless of brand or features, I recommend a leaf suit. It will help conceal you and put you closer to wildlife.
04-21-2013, 07:22 PM
#6
Nontypical Buck
Join Date: Oct 2009
Location: Kansas
Posts: 3,905
My thoughts on commercial leafy suits... Of any brand...
Stick the pants in the closet and leave them there. They'll give you nothing but trouble if you spend much time on your feet unless you're hunting in prime areas with nothing at all to snag on, or get seeded into your leafy pants.
As Sheridan mentioned, durability is a key driver. If your "leaves" tatter or tear off, they aren't worth much.
I'd never pay too much for a leafy suit, a good quality suit can be had for $50-100. The suits my wife and I are using now (since our homemade ghillies can get pretty hot in warm weather), are Gander Mountain Guide Series suits, we got them for $65 on sale, regularly $100. Mesh body stays cool, and it's been durable enough for my needs (beaten it through hedge rows and brush for a few years now).
All of these suits are made to go over the top of other clothes, so they're generally supersized. I buy mine to fit fairly tightly on the jacket I'd use them to cover up, then sew a few buttons or velcro to the suit and the underlayer to help keep them together.
Another option to make them fit better is to cut a few small holes (not necessary on mesh base suits) at certain points around your arms, body, wrists, so you can use elastic cord and sliding cord keepers to adjust the tightness. Drives me nuts having a leafy suit flapping in the wind because it's too much bigger than my under layer. Rubberbands around the outside work just as well, but they're a pain to put on and take off.
They're very often too green for most conditions around here, but then again, most commercial camo patterns don't match KS hunting fields worth a dang anyway (little or no hardwoods, little or no greens).
Other than that, unless I'm inside a blind, I ALWAYS want some type of 3D camo. If you're not down to make your own ghillie jacket/poncho, then a good Leafy suit is your best option.
Stick the pants in the closet and leave them there. They'll give you nothing but trouble if you spend much time on your feet unless you're hunting in prime areas with nothing at all to snag on, or get seeded into your leafy pants.
As Sheridan mentioned, durability is a key driver. If your "leaves" tatter or tear off, they aren't worth much.
I'd never pay too much for a leafy suit, a good quality suit can be had for $50-100. The suits my wife and I are using now (since our homemade ghillies can get pretty hot in warm weather), are Gander Mountain Guide Series suits, we got them for $65 on sale, regularly $100. Mesh body stays cool, and it's been durable enough for my needs (beaten it through hedge rows and brush for a few years now).
All of these suits are made to go over the top of other clothes, so they're generally supersized. I buy mine to fit fairly tightly on the jacket I'd use them to cover up, then sew a few buttons or velcro to the suit and the underlayer to help keep them together.
Another option to make them fit better is to cut a few small holes (not necessary on mesh base suits) at certain points around your arms, body, wrists, so you can use elastic cord and sliding cord keepers to adjust the tightness. Drives me nuts having a leafy suit flapping in the wind because it's too much bigger than my under layer. Rubberbands around the outside work just as well, but they're a pain to put on and take off.
They're very often too green for most conditions around here, but then again, most commercial camo patterns don't match KS hunting fields worth a dang anyway (little or no hardwoods, little or no greens).
Other than that, unless I'm inside a blind, I ALWAYS want some type of 3D camo. If you're not down to make your own ghillie jacket/poncho, then a good Leafy suit is your best option.
