What are you wearing for those 3 to 4 days bivy hunts
merino wool
Fleece or light weight wool,both of which are comfortable in a wide temperature range.I also carry packable,breathable rain gear,which can also do double-duty as a wind-blocking layer.
Depends on the season but I wear UA with a combo of fleece and wool layers or my old BDU's. I also carry light raingear, and a Poncho. I tend to carry more than I need and after a couple days of packing it around I curse myself. But I feel like it's better to have it and not need it, then to need it and not have it.
I will be wearing UA, fleece and a light rain jacket. Poncho as a backup seems like a good idea for the heavy downpours etc. If it's raining too much, I will be in the tent drying fletching. hehehe
X2, merino wool
We wear nothing but layers! From 10 deg--70's we layer, base is merino wool or U/A longsleeve on both. then then a poly shirt & light wool with a light camo or non-camo longsleeve over that. I would add 2 more type shirts to pack for night time comfort. Shed a shirt or add a shirt depending on temps. We wear or pack no jackets, they're too bulky & take up lots of space!
ElkNut1
I like wearing a Microtex 7 button shirt and pants in outfitter camo or a EMS nylon 6 pocket convertable olive pants, a Windpro fleece vest, a boonie hat, Endura Skin baselayers,liner gloves and/or fingerless fleece gloves, merino wool socks and Merrel hikers. In the pack is a Space Rain suit, extra baselayer, socks and a down vest OR a wool jac shirt. Depends on conditions, time of year or elevation. This setup is for mid Sept.
Merino wool base layer, sitka ascent pants, sitka vest, sitka jacket if needed, wool sweater, ifit gets cold cabelas outfitter series fleece hoodie. Packable rain gear. Asolo boots.
Kifaru AG2 backpack.
Lightweight poly blend base later, Duofold wool/poly blend mid layer on both bottom and top. I usually wear or have in my pack a snthetic fleece top layer shirt. Covered by a cotton chamois shirt, maybe a fleece vest, and a lined jacket on the top and generally cotton chamois pants or maybe wool if it is cold. I have a lightweight PVC poncho if it rains. I like a synthetic beanie or stocking cap in cold weatehr too. I wear smartwool or wigwam wool blend socks with poly liners and have Lowa Banf boots.
(http://sticknstring.webs.com/photos/2006-Elk-Hunt/06elkhunt13.jpg)
Merino wool base layer,wool shirt,wool sweather and wool KOM jacket.Plus some little weight raingear from Cabela's.
(http://i765.photobucket.com/albums/xx293/dazzafelix/ElkCamp-CO2009-1.jpg)
merino wool for me too
Wool layers for me as well. Tough to beat wool.
make sure you get good socks AND underwear! I will second smartwool socks- if I had the money I would wear them everyday of my life! To me underwear is very important too- leave your tighty whiteys at home! I found some justin st charles merino boxer breifs on sale and they are fantastic!
I wear smartwool sock. They are the best.
Russell APX2 clothes it is awesome stuff I liked it so well last year that I bought another outfit of it. Widow
Smartwool socks are ok, I prefer Filson wool socks. I won't buy Smartwool anymore as I heard from another site that Smartwool donates to pita.
Anyone else hear this? :dunno:
Shedrock, I just sent off an inquiry about this to Smartwool. I'll let you know their response. They do help fund alot of "envirnomental" organizations. Being as they are in with REI and others it wouldn't surprise me if they are pro-PETA.
I love merino wool also. I use it for late hunts. For the early season (end of Aug.-mid Sept.) I wear mostly cotton camo for a cooling effect. But in the high country it is always a good idea to pack the wool. Remember that the majority of heat loss is through your head! A good cap is the way to go. I like to wear silk liner socks and then the wool socks. This has helped me to reduce any blisters from starting.
And it is unanimous. Wool. A light layer of silkweight underwear and a flannel on top, and my KOM pants in any weather. I keep a warmer shirt in my daypack just in case. Plenty of dry socks is key for me on any elk hunt, but when they're bugling, nothing else seems to matter...
I would be dissapointed but not surprised to find out they contribute to PETA... If so, I'll never buy any smartwool again.. I already banned Camelback for similar reasons a couple years ago.. Baffleing that they market to the very people who they lobby against with contributions... I'll be waiting to hear what the skinny is here...Sorry for the rant...
It wouldn't surprise me Jeff. Heck, they are selling to REI and that place is full of PETA lovers. However they can make $$$ to support their cause they will. I'll let you know if I receive a response back from my inquiry.
The gear I will be using whenever I get it will be mostly the new Kuiu products. As many of us prefer, the base layers will be Merino wool. What I like best about the Kuiu line is how lightweight and compact it will be, which is great for clothing I will have to be packing around using my own power. I have a bunch of Sitka Gear that is very nice, but I think the Kuiu items will be significantly better.
Allan
This will be my first backpack elk hunt. I will be using KUIU gear all the way.
Check them out at KUIU.com. Then go to their blog. Jason has done a great job of showing photos and describing each individual article. They are a sponsor here.
Jerry
wow that kuiu stuff looks great- wish i had more money! keep us posted how it works out!
As far as rain gear goes,
Are Frog Toggs good or do you have a better recommendation?
I personally have only examined frog toggs in the store and did not care for them. I ended up getting cabelas space rain jacket- which i might add feels very wimpy- i bought it with the expectation that I would destroy it on the mountain- I didnt- it worked great. Also pack a poncho- some guys will say get a 99cent poncho- spend the 5 or 7 bucks for the thicker one and leave it in your daypack.. if you get caught in some nasty stuff you wont regret it.
Know thy weaknesses when planning your clothing...
There are a couple items I always must have. I take them no matter the weather or temps, since things change or what kind of hunt I am on. Without them I'd be sick in no time.
A good warm hat besides the hat I wear most of the time.
And a thin wool Dickey.
Mine has a good front panel that protects my chest. Thats my weak spot along with my head. Fighting forest fires and having pneumonia left my upper lungs very susceptible to infections if I do not keep that area warm.
A dickey is light takes up little room and gives a lot of warmth for its size by protecting your core.
I know guys that can stand out on 15* windswept lakes with nothing more than a jack shirt on half buttoned up in front and never get a sniffle. That ain't me.
Joshua
I heard that smartwool had some association with anti lobby. That's besides the point. The best investment you can put between your skin and your boots is a Thorlo. They last forever and they are more comfortable than anything I have ever owned. The mountaineering socks are the best of the best IMHO. Living in Alberta I can attest to severe conditions. I was on a whitetail hunt this fall and the temp was -30C. Thorlos made it tolerable.
Other things I wear in the bush - I have a set of stanfields merino lond underwear that I love. I'm also a huge fan of the shoeller dri wear stuff. Light and effective.
You all really should check things out before you post them. I can find no "association" between SmartWool and pETA. If you have some other info, I would appreicate it. There was some press on SmartWool refusing to buy Australian wool because of some questionable animal cruelty practices. In general, pETA is not real fond of wool anyways.
For rain gear, I prefer Peter Storm gear.
It stretchable and breathable, but more importantly, it dries almost instantly. No cloth liner to stay wet for days and days.
Microtex in Cabelas Outfitter camo, like Elknut, thin layers! they have a line of very light pants, etc that was great last year. And very affordable!