Early Archery Clothing

[jkv5012]

Hello,

A buddy and I are heading out to northern MT for an early September (6-12) elk hunt this year. We will be backpacking for the duration. I’ve only hunted on the east coast so I was looking for some input on whether my clothing choices are reasonable (don’t want to freeze but also not overpack).

currently I have:

smart wool 150 long johns top/bottom
FL aerowool wick t-shirt
Kuiu peloton 200 QZ
FL brooks down vest
Smart wool/darn tuff socks
Rain gear: kuiu kutana jacket
Chugache pants

Soft shell looking at jet stream, catalyst, guide dcs, or hybrid axis.

pants: looking at FL corrugate or Kuiu attacks. Not sure if I need something warmer as well.

Any input would be greatly appreciated.

 

[callmebubba]

What you’ve got looks great to me. Consider a zip off style warm bottom (heavy merino options and puffy options exist) in case it’s particularly cold and you’ll be stationary for a while.
If you plan to be moving most of the time; one of the 150 weight tops and any pair of pants should be plenty. Puffy jacket on top so you can pull it on for short sits if it’s chilly.

 

[Hondo]

You certainly have good gear to start with.

I would add a lightweight hoody like the Sitka Gear Core LW Hoody or the First Lite Wick Hoody for early season. The sun can be brutal at higher elevations and both do a good job with odor control over multiple days. The Sitka dries quicker, has a chest zipper and a built in face mask as but i think the Wick Aerowool has the edge in helping regulate temperature over a broader range.

I like both the Corrugate Guide pants and the Attacks. I have big legs and find the cut of the Corrugate better for layering but hip vents on the Atracks can be very beneficial. Can't go wrong with either and the zip-off base layer suggestion is an excellent one.

I have the Jetstream, Guide DCS and the Catalyst jackets. My favorite is the Jetstream as i feel its wind blocking is superior. It also runs more true to size for me than the Guide DCS (runs small even for Kuiu) or Catalyst (runs big).

 

[jkv5012]

Thanks for the feedback, it’s very helpful.
I’ll add a lightweight hoodie and zip off merino bottoms.

Would you recommend a full puffy jacket or do you think I’m fine with the down vest?

Hondo, is the jet stream jacket reasonably quiet? I’m generally trying to pick gear that can also be used for tree stand hunting.

 

[callmebubba]

If I already had the vest I might stick with that. If it’s not enough you can put your rain jacket over it.

 

[Hondo]

I'm a vest guy and run hot so I would choose a puffy vest over a jacket particularly during archery.

The Jetstream is fairly quiet. If you are buying a new one be sure to wash it a few times before your trip as that will help with the noise level. The Catalyst is the most quiet of the softshell jackets I have but it has the weakest wind blocking ability.

My most used tops during archery are a light base layer, mid-layer, vest and rain shell.

 

[j33]

You have a good setup. Everyone on here always prefer a down jacket vs vest so consider getting that, if you’re cold a jacket is always the way to go. Base/Mid/Puffy/Rain will get out through everything.

For pants corrugated lite, Kuiu Kutana, Eddie Bauer guide, Praza Zion are all good options. I don’t have experience with attacks but generally they run hot. It can be pretty hot up there early September.

 

[bozeman]

For pants that early- save your $$ and get the Wrangler Mountain pants, $22 and invest in boots!! Best of luck!

 

[jkv5012]

Thanks. I already pulled the trigger on the Corrugates over the weekend. I’ll keep the wranglers in mind for the future.

Considering adding the puffy jacket. I assume something like the Sitka Kelvin lite hoodie would be adequate? Or something more along the lines of a super down ultra?

 

[bozeman]

Look at Eddie Bauer for puffy jacket.... I have a pull over with kangaroo pocket 650 fill I got for $50.....
Sold my Sitka

 

[camelcluch]

I agree with a puffy and I like the Attack pants over the FL. The attack should be plenty with a base layer if you get a crazy snow or cold day. No soft shell jacket as they don’t really do anything great. Just use the puffy and rain shell

 

[vectordawg]

What you’ve got looks great to me. Consider a zip off style warm bottom (heavy merino options and puffy options exist) in case it’s particularly cold and you’ll be stationary for a while.
If you plan to be moving most of the time; one of the 150 weight tops and any pair of pants should be plenty. Puffy jacket on top so you can pull it on for short sits if it’s chilly.

Would you give me an example of "zip off style warm bottoms", please? I'm not familiar with that.

 

[callmebubba]

Would you give me an example of "zip off style warm bottoms", please? I'm not familiar with that.

First lite makes one called the Fuse Zip off. These types of bottoms have zippers from the ankle all the way to the waistband so you don’t have to take your boots off to put them on or take them off. Several brands also make puffy pants set up the same way. Great for a chilly day where walking in with a base layer would be too much but you want them for time spent sitting still.

 

[JustJustin]

Would you give me an example of "zip off style warm bottoms", please? I'm not familiar with that.

I have experience with the Kuiu Peloton 200 zip-offs. Love them. They are warmer than I expected for their thickness.
I also have the UA Ridge Reaper Zip-off Down Pants. I got them on sale for $100. Very toasty. People on this forum tend to dislike UA because of their liberal standing, but I think your gonna have a hard time finding any other zip off down pants for that price. I do not know if they are still available, but one got sold in the classifieds recently.

Sent from my SM-G960U using Tapatalk

 

[BorisZ]

I also have the UA Ridge Reaper Zip-off Down Pants. I got them on sale for $100. Very toasty.

Sent from my SM-G960U using Tapatalk

Very hot at what temperature F ? and what were you wearing under them ? Did you walk or sit ?

 

[JustJustin]

Very hot at what temperature F ? and what were you wearing under them ? Did you walk or sit ?

Sorry, I didn't see this till now.

I've used them mostly for sleeping and glassing, but I have done a little bit of hiking in them. Definitely not for smashing through brush but plenty of times I've brushed against sagebrush or mountain oak?(the shrub/tree things with narly branches) and haven't done them in yet.
Temperature wise, I wore them for glassing once when it was cloudy, temp right around freezing, breezy and very damp and they were more than warm enough. I don't remember the conditions other times I've worn them, but they never left me wanting more.
I've worn them for sleeping quite a few times and they are awesome for substantially lowering the comfort rating of your sleeping set-up.
I've also worn them for digging out a snow cave and they stayed dry and warm despite kneeling in the snow for a while.

For glassing I always just zipped them on over my Kuiu Attacks with a medium base layer. For sleeping just a medium baselayer.

So honestly I've never tested them in weather cold enough to test them, but I guess the reason I actually haven't used them more is because in most of my hunting scenarios they would have been to warm.
Sent from my SM-G960U using Tapatalk

 

[cronsman]

Dont think you can go wrong with your current list but if you want to try something else I'd highly recommend the Sitka Apex pants. They are awesome and super comfy

 

[jkv5012]

Thanks. I already picked up some FL guide lites, corrugates, and kuiu attacks. Are the apex similar to the FL Catalyst?