hooded baselayer for sheep hunting?

[keller]

I will be going on my first sheep hunt aug 2018 and am super stoked! Ive been buying and trying gear and am pretty well situated i think. except for 1 thing i see on some peoples and outfitters gearlists a hooded baselayer such as the kuiu 200 peloten or sitka light hoody.i have the kuiu guide coat and baselayer just wondering if the function of the hooded baselayer would be better than the guide coat.maybe easier hiking more breathibility?just wondering what you experienced sheep hunters think? is it something you wouldnt leave home without? ok but not worth its weight? dont like it because...
thanks john

 

[Mt Al]

My only sheep experience is unlimited areas in MT years ago and a successful hunt in 2015 finally drawing after 20+ years putting in. Spent a lot of time hiking up and down, then glassing. Others on here will have way more experience than me.

Just me, but I hate pull over hoodies with half zip, feel claustrophobic. For a "hoodie" i had/have a sitka mountain jacket (way old proto). I couple that with a Dewpoint packable goretex for high wind/rain/snow/snain/snotty weather. For sitting/chow/glassing I put a Simms primaloft Downstream jacket. Key with the primaloft jacket is to get one with a hood. Basically exactly the same as any other primaloft, packable jacket, brand doesn't really matter. Add a fleece vest and a light fleece T shirt that's sure to reek to high heaven on day two. Hiking up = T-shirt and vest or t-shirt and mountain jacket. Glassing in cold weather = t-shirt, vest, fleece watch cap, primaloft jacket, dewpoint jacket over the top of everthing. Was very warm in really cold weather. I still can't believe what great insulation primaloft gold is. I have overzip pants with the same stuff and was toasty in sub zero weather.

I'd just try stuff on, imagine what it will be like climbing up a few thousand feet and trying to keep from overheating and get what works for you.

My .02

 

[handwerk]

Keller, I'm a year behind you going in 2019 (unless I draw TMA) Between my western hunts and the future sheep hunt I find a hoody very nice to have when tent sleeping as it's often just the right amount of warmth and more comfy then wearing a jacket in the sleeping bag or nice while sitting, glassing.
I just got that kuiu 200 and I think it's going to be a good fit for my needs.

 

[motts]

I can't speak to the sheep hunting side of your question as I haven't been fortunate enough to go on one yet, but I like having a hood on pretty much everything as they provide additional concealment, warmth, and sun protection without a lot of added bulk or weight and they're always readily accessible.

 

[Snyd]

No need for a hooded base layer. Pack a Balaclava.

 

[oenanthe]

Some people like hoodies, some don't. It's all personal preference.

I like a baselayer hoodie for sleeping. Helps keep my bag clean, and leaves me with a bit less hat-head. I usually carry two baselayers on sheep hunts - one is an older Sitka hoodie, and the other varies from T-shirt to long-sleeve with collar, depending on the weather.

 

[Nick Muche]

I like the chama quite a bit, but this year I used the sawtooth on all my hunts and it performed great. I like having the pockets to put my rangefinder and wind checker in.

 

[keller]

thanks for that I normally wear a balaclava just didn't know if their was something magical or simple that I was missing with the hoodie maybe a new fad?I'm sure a lot of it is personal preference. my wife will also be happy if I don't have to buy another piece of gear.

 

[bates]

Keller

Where are you hunting ?

For me I would of been too hot in a 200 type hoodie. I was in the Brooks 2nd week of season

I did wear the 97g hoodie and really like the piece.

It was perfect I wore that and the Sitka lightweight shirt underneath it

It’s light and you don’t notice the hoodie but in the mornings I would put it on.

Leave the guide jacket at home

 

[keller]

I also have the Yukon and have done a fair amount of backpacking with it and was thinking the same thing wearing it instead of the dcs... but thought it may be more comfortable to wear the dcs if you spend a lot of time in it? I guess its a lot of extra weight to carry both if not needed.

 

[keller]

I will be hunting the wrangells st.elias park with cole ellis first week of the season

 

[TXCO]

My preferred combo is a hooded base layer and hooded rain jacket with everything in between no-hood. I find you always struggle getting all the hoods to line up when you layer up and it adds a lot of extra bulk/fumbling behind your head. The hooded base layer is nice because you can where it when you start hiking and easily pull it down when you warm up without having to tuck a beanie hat somewhere and risk losing it (been there, done that).

I too have gone the route before of ditching the soft shell/guide jacket for a yukon. Why carry two when you can carry one?

 

[bates]

I also have the Yukon and have done a fair amount of backpacking with it and was thinking the same thing wearing it instead of the dcs... but thought it may be more comfortable to wear the dcs if you spend a lot of time in it? I guess its a lot of extra weight to carry both if not needed.

yes the guide and yukon would be over kill

i carried the following
sitka base layer
peleton 97
ultra nx hooded down jacket
yukon jacket

i also brought a 240 hooded jacket that i never wore and if you feel you need a softshell then take a 240 over the guide. but if i had to do it again i would leave the 240 at home and take a chugach type jacket over the yukon.

i just dont see where the guide is needed, its too thick to hike in, sucks for glassing if its windy not great for lots of rain, a puffy and hardshell will trump it for your hunt.

the yukon is nice and bomber but when it rains and gets wet it takes a while to dry out, so now you are wearing a damp heavy jacket or carrying it strapped to your pack.

but like tx said try and limit your hoods

just my experience looking back at my hunt and gear.

 

[Steve O]

I’ve spent about 8 weeks in Alaska in the last 3 years, not sheep hunting but deer, bear, and moose. I’ve spent only 6 weeks total hunting sheep in the Yukon and Colorado. The one piece of clothing I have worn universally those last 3 years is the Sitka Fanatic Hoody and it will be on my person for any upcoming sheep/goat hunts. I know it’s a “whitetail” piece but it is just perfect for me in the mountains.

 

[sr80]

august sheep hunts in northern BC are very buggy, so I personally like a hoody base or mid layer that I can pull up and get a tiny bit of relief from the skeeters. Also nice to keep the sun from beating off your next when there is no shade.

 

[Matt W.]

Everybody is different, but I like hoodys. Haven't had to many issues getting them lined up when running multiple layers, but then again that could be my body style and personal preference. My hunting partner can't stand hoods... I also like a good light weight soft shell, and I know plenty of better hunters than I will ever be who can't stand them.

Below is my current Sheep Hunt list of clothing.
In the Pack:
Sitka Core LS T
Sitka Core LW Hoody
Sitka Core LW Bottoms
Sitka Core Silk Weight Boxer
Sitka Dewpoint Rain Gear
Sitka Kelvin Lite Hoody
Sitka Timberline Jacket
Salomon XA Pro 3Ds Camp Shoes
This equals about 93ozs. If it is early season, I drop the Kelvin Lite Hoody and the Timberline and just run the Kelvin Active. This saves me quite a bit of weight and puts me about 74.5ozs. I also prefer to run real shoes as my camp shoes and this adds weight others would not take.

This is what I start out wearing.
Sitka Ascent Shirt (one of my favorite pieces for 2017 - light and breathable, perfect for gut busting hikes into hunting terrain)
Sitka Mt Pant
Ball Cap
Crispi Guide GTX
OR Endurance Gaiters - (shorter gaiter works better with pants that have integrated knee pads)
Light weight Gloves (learned the hard way to always have some sort of glove on when in the field)

 

[Stid2677]

I always use a hoody, the PELOTON 200 ZIP-T HOODIE, is one of my favorite pieces. I also like a hooded wind shirt for hiking and glassing.

 

[keller]

thanks for all the good info and opinions they all have their pros and cons and a lot of personal preference.not to change the subject but as long as I have some some attention here from experienced trekkers of Alaska I intend on spending some extra time in Alaska to do some fishing wondering if anybody could recommend some reliable guides for salmon and halibut fishing would like to do a trip of each.i have a place to stay in anchorage but will be travelling around and camping some.

 

[FreeRange]

Just to throw it out there because I noticed noone mentioned it above, but the two pieces you mentioned are very different weights. The sitka light hoody is significantly lighter material than the 200. I've owned both hoodies but only kept the Sitka and as was mentioned above, prefer non-hooded between my hooded baselayer and hooded shell. No matter how warm it gets or how cold it gets I always keep the Sitka LW hoody on. I would say the 200 Hoody is more like a synthetic equivalent of the Chama. Only on the coldest of late season hunts would I want that as my dedicated baselayer.

 

[Wapiti1]

On my dall hunt this fall, I wore a 230gm weight zip up fleece hoodie by Black Diamond pretty much 24/7. I took it off when hiking and I got hot, or when I needed to put on my bino pack. I like full zip layers so I can put my bino pack on over my base layer, then never have to take it off the rest of the day.

It doesn't have to be a hoodie, but a 200gm or so fleece or wool layer is required in my opinion. I like a hood on that layer and one on my puffy.

I used Whittier Marine Charters for halibut/bottom fish. Good outfit. They did a great job. Keep in mind that Whittier is a long boat ride to the fishing grounds. Like close to 2 hours. Seward is an hour or so out, and Homer is like 100 yards from the fish. It is worth the drive to Seward to see the fjords and do a tour, IMO.

For salmon I went up to Talkeetna and had Phantom Charters drop me off at a tributary on the Talkeetna River. I had gear already, so that was a cheap and easy way to do it. They were good. I was there pretty late (first week of Sept), and the silvers were about done. The Kenai still had fresh silvers though.

Jeremy