I remember my first Whitetail Deer Hunt like it was yesterday. I was in a pretty serious hunting group that lived by the tale of a Whitetail’s nose. We would eat, sleep, and chat all about scent and the wind in camp. I was a newer hunter and only had 1 set of hunting clothes. I had my big ole bibs and parka that I purchased specifically for the Whitetail woods and I had never had them washed in anything but Dead Down Wind scent proofer. I also was very cautious because I heard of the brightener that is put in commercial detergents such as Tide and I wasn’t a fan of believing I would be sticking out like a sore thumb in a tree. Needless to say, I was hyper focused on learning from the wise men in camp and followed the play by play. When it came down to the hunting itself, I saw lots of deer but I was never able to put the hammer down on a nice buck. Instead, all I saw were some small forky’s and lots of does. However, what I learned from this trip was remarkable. It was evident that details were crazy important and that the gear I had or didn’t have could make or break my hunt and my entire experience.
A few years ago I was reflecting on my gear and the evolution of myself as a hunter. Yet, it dawned on me that as I was evolving, so were my systems and every year, I was changing things to continuously get better. Now, I know that there is the thought that your father and grandfather went out in jeans and some flannel and crushed some “biggens” but times have changed. I remember as I started out with my first western big game hunting experiences for Elk, I didn’t bother with the lesser gear and instead started right up at the top with Sitka Gear. I figured the most important thing for me was going to be my comfort level with the cold since it was a second season rifle hunt for elk in Colorado. I was in camp with my uncle and another client along with my guide and the outfitter himself. I noticed that I clearly had way more “expensive” gear than everyone else. It was sort of interesting to me to see my outfitter wearing real cheap clothing and not really seeming to care about the camo, technical gear, or just about anything else. On the second day of our hunt, I was paired with the outfitter himself as my guide and he asked me about my gear. He said he really liked it and saw it in the magazines but it was too rich for his blood. As we sat there waiting next to a meadow for some elk to come in and feed, he began to get super cold. His toes were cold, he was shivering, etc. I ended up lending him an extra hat of mine and I had an extra pair of socks that I ended up giving him. I realized, I might have spent a ton of coin off the bat but I was damn comfortable and watching my guide be super cold in what were rough conditions, was not a good sign. I promised myself I would never be in that position.
*Picture from Colorado Elk Hunt*
What I did spend in clothing, I didn’t spend in other gear. I ended up having a 30 degree sleeping bag, a pack that was not great, hats that I wish I didn’t have, sleeping pads that were not great, headlamps that were super heavy and boots that could have been better. I know you might be wondering what happened in the story of the elk hunt? Well, let’s say it was a great educational experience and an adventure. We got dumped on with 24 inches of snow in about 36 hours and the elk went into lower elevations on private property so we were SOL. However, I wouldn’t trade the hunt nor the experience for the world and I am very happy with how things evolved from here.
I remember getting home to my place in Colorado and I began to venture into the world of evolving my gear. I started looking into items that were lighter, items that had more reviews, and certainly things that would likely last me longer. The one thing all these things had in common were that they cost alot more! I ended up going on a couple more elk and mule deer hunts before I really started feeling like I fine tuned things. I ended up trying lots of different gear and heard about this company called KUIU. The reason that I ended up getting curious into other clothing along with all my other goodies was due to my great hunting partner absolutely hating the noise of my other gear. He kept complaining about how loud my clothes were and that I sounded like I was swooshing through the woods with a wind breaker on! 😂
I will be honest, I felt terrible that I might be impacting someone else's hunt because I might have been louder than I thought. To be honest, I couldn’t hear him being too loud because all I heard were my clothes swooshing as I began to pay attention more and more. I ventured onto the KUIU website and started piecing together my new gear. Their clothing was made for Sheep hunting and the technical clothing seemed incredible. I also liked that the clothes cost less than my other brand due to their ”direct to consumer” business model. I ended up ordering a full layering system from them and started putting it to the test. When you hear layering system, you might be very well in tune to this aspect or you may be new to it so I will break it down here with how it works and a few links to the items I ended up getting and falling in love with.
Base Layers are the beginning of your system because they are next to your skin. I like to think of a base layer as the foundation of your house. You have to lay the concrete down or develop the basement underground before building the house up from there. Your base layer will work the same way and it will be the key support for the rest of the layering pieces you will use. Base layers will come in 2 different fabrics. You can either choose Merino Wool or a Synthetic material. Both of these materials have their pro's and con’s and you, sort of can't go wrong with either nowadays. Some may not know this but Merino is a fabric that will do really well in the heat as your next to skin. Merino is antibacterial and therefore will prevent the nasty smells on the clothing. It also will pick up your body's moisture in the hot weather and use it to help you cool down. Essentially it will help your body thermoregulate in warmer weather. However, since it holds moisture more than Polyester, having it on a cold hunt as your next to skin would be a mistake when you are done exerting high output and decide to sit down for a glassing session. This is where it could help get you hypothermic in freezing environments. Therefore, in the cold weather hunts, I recommend using the polyester base layers due to its moisture wicking abilities and its breathability.
Mid Layers are very important and I would say these are going to be my favorite. I like a mid layer because it can become my outer layer in warmer climates, my layer that I sport during a hike, and it also can be a slightly insulating layer if I need something to hold some heat while putting a jacket on. These layers also are majority of the time going to be tops and nothing for your bottoms (legs).
The reason to only have them on your upper body is because your body focuses on keeping your organs warm and therefore will move more blood flow around them. You don’t have organs in your legs therefore you don’t need to put as much focus on your lower body. My personal favorite mid layer is Peleton 240.
This thing keeps me warm as my outer layer when I am hiking and it also can be my mid layer once I sit down and start glassing. Depending on the weather, if it is going to be warming up more, this will stay as my go to outer layer the entire day. Otherwise, we will move on to our next layer that comes next.
Insulation Layers are going to be your “puffy” products. These come in a series of 2 items. You are either going to be picking down or synthetic here. Down is going to pack down really well and it is going to weigh next to nothing. However, down sucks when it comes to breathability. Synthetic insulation is great if you are going to be hiking and it is super cold out because it can breathe really well and therefore your body will be able to thermoregulate much better. I personally use both but always will pack one of them. I like using the Kenai Jacket for when I am moving around and I have the matching pant. However, I will 100% of the time, pack my Super Down Pro Jacket and Pant. I absolutely hate being cold and I love to glass for hours so the down gear is a must have and it weighs next to nothing. If I was to say I have a favorite set of gear, it will be my down items. If you do not have some for yourself, please do yourself a favor and plan on getting some because you will not be disappointed.
Exterior Shell is going to be your final layering piece. This is usually a water repellant or waterproof soft shell jacket and pant. I personally like the Axis series of gear that KUIU offers because it has some water proof areas while others are water repellant and it keeps me quite warm while not being too stuffy. When I say ”stuffy“, I mean that the clothing breathes well and therefore I don’t feel like I am getting clammy under it. This would be a really big deal if it was cold outside because that could have you go hypothermic if you were sitting and getting frozen by the minute. You also can consider your waterproof layer such as a fully waterproof jacket or pain from your rain gear as your exterior layer since it will cut wind and keep you dry as well. However, I end up packing my waterproof items at all times and almost never use them! It seems like an insurance policy I refuse to terminate because I never know when I will need it. 😆 🌧
Q: So why did you end up choosing the KUIU gear?
A: I have a few reasons. I ended up liking that the fabrics used were not Gore-Tex membranes and therefore the material was much quieter. I realized that I liked the Vias Camo pattern more that I expected. Finally, the gear was just so damn light. I felt like I could pack it down more and it all became a game of ounces for me.
Q: Have you switched away to other gear aside for Clothes?
A: Yes! I have fiddled and evolved my gear over and over. I will save some more of that for other posts but I have evolved my sleep system, my optics, my food, my cook system, and a bunch of other items! All of it had to do with weight plus functionality for me.
Q: When you look back, is there anything you would have changed?
A: I think that tuning your gear is super fun so I don't think I would have changed anything right off the bat. I enjoyed the evolution of my gear but if I were to have changed anything, I wish I didn't bounce around as much with my clothing. I wouldn't have known any better but buying stuff and then reselling it and then getting other new stuff was some work! Now, I enjoy giving back by helping others get in the right gear so they do not make the same mistakes. I have a saying that is.. "every school costs some money." What I mean is that every form of education will cost you money and sometimes you can find budget items that are good but I rather have things that I am striving to get short and long term that are the best so therefore I don't have to buy up and lose out on the cheaper items I ended up having earlier on.
At the end of the day, everything comes down to your personal decisions and how you feel about things. The beauty of this is that you can always evolve your gear and fine tune it to make it your own but if you think about upgrading something, take a look at your clothing because they will help you stay out longer due to being comfortable, warm, and they will last.
Thanks for the read folks! Application deadlines are currently happening and it is time to get involved and get ready for the fall.
I added links directly to the items I have or had so you can see them. If you have any questions, please shoot me an email, head over to my contact us page, or give me a call.
Scout, Hunt, Repeat
Alex~
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