Help me build a mid-season clothing system.

[Fish_monger]

I’m gearing up for a 7 day whitetail drop camp in the Upper-Midwest this October. I’d like to retire my hodgepodge of Realtree camo and put together a decent clothing system.

My first concern is obviously performance. The average temperature for this hunt will be 30°-50°. I’ll be packing ~6 miles into base camp and from there I’ll spend most of my time in a saddle. the area is known for gusty winds.

My second concern is patterns. I think Sitka offers the best selection of garments, however I’m worried the Elevated II pattern is too light for October foliage, and Timber is too dark for whitetail in general.

First Lite Spectre is just about perfect but they have a very limited selection of garments. First Lite Fusion seems to strike a nice balance off whitetail options, but I’m worried about their reputation for lack of wind protection.

I realize this is a unicorn, but I’m looking for a system that’s light and breathable to pack in, yet capable of sitting static in 30° weather with wind…Extra points for scent control.

 

[H80Hunter]

I don't care about patterns, but you can always get a light sitka mountain vest to go under whatever system you decide to go with. I think the FL Solitude is plenty for 30-50 and you're not going to freeze in the wind in it. I wear Sitka though because I just prefer it but it's not super packable so it depends on how important that is to you.

 

[H80Hunter]

Trying to help more specifically if I was starting from scratch AND wanted something more packable and versatile this is what I'd do.

First Lite Furnace Baselayers -- super warm and should be fine to move in, even around 50 degrees
Sitka Stratus Bibs -- windstopper across most of the body
Celsius Midi Jacket -- More packable, pretty warm
Fanatic vest -- Great layout, windstopper, etc.

This is bare bones but should be plenty across that range and very versatile.

 

[Btaylor]

Trying to help more specifically if I was starting from scratch AND wanted something more packable and versatile this is what I'd do.

First Lite Furnace Baselayers -- super warm and should be fine to move in, even around 50 degrees
Sitka Stratus Bibs -- windstopper across most of the body
Celsius Midi Jacket -- More packable, pretty warm
Fanatic vest -- Great layout, windstopper, etc.

This is bare bones but should be plenty across that range and very versatile.

I wouldnt argue that setup and Have been using the EVII for a few seasons now and have yet to have a deer peg me that I didnt move to draw their attention. That said, you did mention saddle hunting so the Mountain pants may be worth considering as well. The built in knee pads work great for saddle hunting.

 

[Trey Arentz]

Lightweight, breathable, and warm while static don't really play hand in hand all to well. First I would wear a lightweight merino poly blend baselayer so if you sweat it will dry quickly. Then some sort of grid fleece hoodie and some soft shell pants that are wind resistance. Maybe add some fleece lining as long as they have hip zips. I would then add a windproof vest, and the Kuiu kenai puffy jacket and pants. 30 degrees can get cold quick when stationary. I would even recommend carrying the 4-5 lb first lite sanctuary or Sitka fanatic bibs and keep the same upper layers as mentioned above.

I always error on the side of being warm during a all day or long sit. I attribute a lot of success to being able to sit through weather conditions as well as sit still and keep my body warm.

 

[Bump79]

This isn't a tough ask for a clothing system IMHO. I personally could care less about patterns or matching or scent killer for that matter. But hey I don't kill huge bucks either

I do spend a ton of time in both the whitetail woods and out west. I wouldn't recommend a heavy weight merino over 200 really for any hunt. Once your over that then you should really just got a fleece. A baselayer is meant to be a next to skin layer and manages moisture primarily. I'm all about bang for my buck. Pun intended. I'll pay for quality gear but it better be worth it.

Lower:
1) First Lite Corrugate Foundry Pant - has zips for removing baselayer bottoms, knee pads and waterproof seat.
2) Kuiu Peloton 97 zip off bottoms.
3) Merino socks. Many good options
4) Rain gear - let me know if you find something quiet enough for whitetail.. been eyeing the Pnuma 3l.

Upper
1) Base: 125-150 gsm merino 1/4 or 1/2 zip top. Many good options out there. 75% or higher merino content.
2) Fleece: Kuiu Peloton 200 or 97 for lighter weight but less durability. Haven't found a grid fleece I like as much as these.
3) Rain gear ditto above
4) Mid layer synthetic insulated. Similar to Kuiu Kenai, FL Uncompaghre, Sitka Kelvin active


This should take you down to 30 with ease.

 

[STL]

Bottom:

First lite wick long boxers
First lite furnace zip offs
Regular hunting pants (many good options)
First lite uncompahgre puffy pants
Sitka stratus bibs

Top:

First lite wick
First lite furnace
First lite origin/Sitka fanatic/kuiu 240 hoody
Kuiu Kenai/FL uncompahgre/Sitka midi puffy or Sitka fanatic vest
Sitka stratus jacket


Layer as needed for conditions and activity level.

 

[Lowg08]

This isn't a tough ask for a clothing system IMHO. I personally could care less about patterns or matching or scent killer for that matter. But hey I don't kill huge bucks either

I do spend a ton of time in both the whitetail woods and out west. I wouldn't recommend a heavy weight merino over 200 really for any hunt. Once your over that then you should really just got a fleece. A baselayer is meant to be a next to skin layer and manages moisture primarily. I'm all about bang for my buck. Pun intended. I'll pay for quality gear but it better be worth it.

Lower:
1) First Lite Corrugate Foundry Pant - has zips for removing baselayer bottoms, knee pads and waterproof seat.
2) Kuiu Peloton 97 zip off bottoms.
3) Merino socks. Many good options
4) Rain gear - let me know if you find something quiet enough for whitetail.. been eyeing the Pnuma 3l.

Upper
1) Base: 125-150 gsm merino 1/4 or 1/2 zip top. Many good options out there. 75% or higher merino content.
2) Fleece: Kuiu Peloton 200 or 97 for lighter weight but less durability. Haven't found a grid fleece I like as much as these.
3) Rain gear ditto above
4) Mid layer synthetic insulated. Similar to Kuiu Kenai, FL Uncompaghre, Sitka Kelvin active


This should take you down to 30 with ease.

This with the Sitka down pour rain suite it’s quiet enough for bow hunting whitetail

 

[Bump79]

This with the Sitka down pour rain suite it’s quiet enough for bow hunting whitetail

Fair. I've checked it out before but it doesn't fit the bill for me. No pit zips and weighing 30.6 ounces is pretty much a non starter for me being an active hunter. I need a jacket that works for whitetail and mountain hunts. To be fair it's a lot to ask of a jacket..

 

[Lowg08]

Fair. I've checked it out before but it doesn't fit the bill for me. No pit zips and weighing 30.6 ounces is pretty much a non starter for me being an active hunter. I need a jacket that works for whitetail and mountain hunts. To be fair it's a lot to ask of a jacket..

I’m also active mountain hunter saddle bow only and I have cut weight every where else. Just carry the jacket

 

[Bump79]

I’m also active mountain hunter saddle bow only and I have cut weight every where else. Just carry the jacket

To each there own right? Personally lack of pit zips is a deal breaker. For others maybe it's not

 

[jimh406]

If you are only worrying about 30-50, I’d pack in a good set of insulated coveralls with a few different sets of gloves and face/head coverings. Overboots probably aren’t required.

The other option is start with insulated overalls and warm boots and walk slower. Put on the upper layer once you get there.

Fwiw, i think the camo patterns are more important to hunters than deer. I’ve had too many deer walk right up to me in full blaze orange to believe otherwise. If you stay still, I think you’ll be fine with virtually any pattern.

 

[go_deep]

Whitetail drop camp?

 

[Sitting in trees]

Sitka stratus is really the perfect outer layer but I’m with as I really don’t like the camo pattern. I know scent is most important and movement is second but it does give me confidence to be camouflaged in. I try to do this with my set up but a lot of times the tree where I want to hunt I don’t have a great backdrop to hide my silhouette.

I do something similar when I hunt public land in the northern Midwest. I do a couple different things.

One is I wear basically a base layer and a hoodie in and pack my insulation and outer Wear in my pack. I also use kuiu zip off merino pants. So I’ll hike in wearing a like polyester type jogger then put my merino base layer on under the jogger and adding my outer wear after I set my sticks and platform. I also keep a puffy in my bag I can throw on under my jacket in an hour or so after I cool down from my hike in. I also wear a pnuma heated next skin base layer that I usually don’t even turn on until after a couple hours in the stand. That usually warms me right up when a deep chill starts to set in.

So different combos I’ve used for this is;

Walk in (I want to be a little cold when I start walking)
Zip off merino pants
Pnuma heated no sleeve top
Merino top
Jogger cheap non cotton or lightweight hiking pant - depending on how cold
Light gloves
Light merino hat -which I usually take off quick to stay cool

Puffy - kuiu kenai, badlands HU2 or cheap Costco down- depends on temp which one I take (kept in pack)

The outer layers I’ve used are kuiu axis hybrid, first lite Woodbury and pnuma waypoint

Kuiu axis is awsome and I wear the pants when walking in with just a merino base layer. Very breathable system that works great down to 40. Below that I have a ton of layers or freeze.

The pnuma waypoint works pretty good and has vents in the crotch so if it’s not too hot you can vent those on your way in. Jacket and pants block the wind pretty good as well. That’s what I’m gonna use this year. I want to go Sitka Stratus but I keep holding off hoping they come out with a new pattern.

For outer layers I’d look at Pnuma waypoint, kryptek njord (obsidian pattern looks pretty great IMO), scent lok has some good options coming out for 2022 including the john Eberhart windproof fleece jacket made specifically for saddle hunters. Badlands is coming out with a Silens fleece that looks great as well- but I’m guessing you’d have to pack all those in except the pnuma waypoint. Thanks

Sorry to be long winded as I’ve gone down the rabbit hole on this quest for myself haha!

 

[Fish_monger]

Whitetail drop camp?

Maybe it’s not an official “out west” drop camp but we’ll be dropped off by a boat in some pretty remote wilderness then picked up a week later.

Sitka stratus is really the perfect outer layer but I’m with as I really don’t like the camo pattern. I know scent is most important and movement is second but it does give me confidence to be camouflaged in. I try to do this with my set up but a lot of times the tree where I want to hunt I don’t have a great backdrop to hide my silhouette.

I do something similar when I hunt public land in the northern Midwest. I do a couple different things.

One is I wear basically a base layer and a hoodie in and pack my insulation and outer Wear in my pack.

The more I read, the more I’m digging the stratus set with midi’s underneath. Thanks.

 

[Lowg08]

I’m also active mountain hunter saddle bow only and I have cut weight every where else. Just carry the jacket

I do understand. Hey you might have any to check out badlands. Same type outer. I think the catalyst pants and jacket are it. Pit zips and pack up.

 

[ddd-shooter]

Maybe it’s not an official “out west” drop camp but we’ll be dropped off by a boat in some pretty remote wilderness then picked up a week later.


The more I read, the more I’m digging the stratus set with midi’s underneath. Thanks.

The jet stream is the same jacket as the stratus, just a different face on the shell. It’s a tad noisier, but it’s not noisy. Better colors.
I like a cheap puffy under my stratus, itll take you down to the teens easily. Make sure you buy Sitka with wind stopper. It’s worth it. Their other stuff can be replaced with comparable pieces cheaper.