Hunting clothes

Secular

Secular

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This will be my first season hunting and I need help finding some good clothes. I live on the west coast of BC which is very wet, and -5C to 0C weather. I plan to get some merino long sleeve shirts and socks, maybe pants(not sure what would be best), to wear as a base. What I'm not too sure about, and need some advice is the outer layer. I need a good water proof jacket and pants that wont be too 'loud' (like most water proof gear) and is breathable. Cabelas should have a store open on the island soon, otherwise i will probably be limited to Amazon, or cabelas online orders. Other retail outlet suggestions are welcome. I also need some suggestions on waterproof gloves that will work well when handling a rifle.

Any brands or line of clothing that worked well for you in these weather conditions would be very helpful info.
Thanks.
 
This right here. IECS Goretex jacket.



I have worn mine in absolute torrential downpours and stayed nice and dry. They have large pockets, a very large concealable hood (needs to accommodate a helmet), large buttons and zippers. With a good fleece underneath you should be more than warm enough in the conditions you are talking. If you require hunter orange, just throw a vest over top.

They also do this for nice easy storage
 
That looks like a great suggestions. Thanks. I assume they would be at a military surplus store?
And pant suggestions?
 
You should be able to find them at surplus stores, they have shown up on the EE a few times as well. Maybe post a WTB ad there. No suggestions on the pants though.
 
I really need some suggestions on pants. At least what to look for material wise. I've been told to watch out for Remington water proof gear as it has a plastic lining, which is like wrapping yourself in cellophane (not breathable/sweaty)
 
Browning XPO 4-in-1 and Hell's Canyon pants - totally 'quiet' and totally waterproof:


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Do you guys out west not have regulations about wearing blaze orange while hunting? Required by law here (with exceptions, ie, ducks or turkeys), and it's one law I agree with 100%.

Back to the OP question: hanging out with some tactical types, I'm persuaded that the best all round camo is called 'Multicam', a copyrighted pattern that raised the price of stuff a bit. But if you can buy a Realtree type that matches the environment you'll be wearing it in, that has to be good too, as long as you stay there. Subdued solid colours are, I suspect the best option of all, olive drab the best of the best. For one thing, nobody will point at you and say "Hey look at the guy wearing camo! What's he up to?"

Jackets and pants, for duck hunting or upland hunting below zero, I also bought Browning XPO insulated and waterproof camo and they are great. I rarely feel the need for insulated pants, but when I do, they are what I use. More often, I wear a Filson upland hunting coat, a simple canvas fabric with a big rear game pocket, or if it's raining, an ancient Barbour waxed cotton coat [Beaufort model, also with the vital game pocket] that will defy any rain, snow, thorns, or dirt that get thrown at it.

Then I put on my blaze orange vest and hat.
 
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Same here, we are required to wear blaze orange through the end of Deer season, I where it everytime I hunt. Vest and Hat, without exception, I want to be seen when hunting. So far as my underlayers, early season, can be as little as a t-shirt, by the end of Grouse season, a decent mid-weight winter jacket.
 
I should mention that after years of destroying trousers (and legs) by wading through miles of thorns and blackberry canes, I finally gave in and bought a pair of New England style nylon- fronted woolen trousers, the nylon fabric being sewn on, really big patch fashion, to the front only, to protect the legs from those dreaded plants. They're a bit noisy as they're being scratched, but the grouse I'm after hear you coming long before that. And you can't beat the wool if it gets wet, as often happens.

Woolen underwear, always woolen underwear. Buy Stanfields.
 
+1 on the stanfields. Wear a wicking-type long underwear underneath the Stanfields. I typically wear a wool/polyester union suit and/or a grey henley from Stanfields and find they work well in most conditions.

I'd recommend a pair of waterproof lace-ups that sit fairly high. I can't afford a pair - I hunt in a set of Dunlop moon boots instead, and it's hard to walk quietly as they flap against your legs. High waterproofs are great in case you have to ford swampy terrain; most newbies never think of this and only buy ankle boots.

Buy a wool commando sweater at an army surplus store. It'll cost you $10, tops, and will last you for years in the bush.

Don't be suckered into thinking you need camo - best camo I ever found was to hide behind a tree. It's your shape that needs to be broken up. It is a good idea to have something to take the shine off your face, though - I typically wear a bandanna or something, as it's the most reflective body part you have showing.

If you must have camo, the best stuff I have seen is Cabelas Guide Camo. I like British patterns, if you're into surplus camo, and they typically perform well in field trials.

Forget about wearing cotton pants walking through brush. BDU-style military surplus pants work well. I usually wear a pair of Swiss surplus pants because they are cheap. The downside is that nobody takes you seriously when they see you wearing them - unless you are dragging a deer behind you.
 
Thanks for the suggestions. Blaze orange isnt required in BC for hunting.
The browning xpo seems to be discontinued, any other suggestions for lined water proof jackets?\
Anyone use the Cabela's MT050 GORE-TEX stuff? It has some good reviews on their site.
How necessary are Pit-Zips? (zipper vents under the arms)

Wear a wicking-type long underwear underneath the Stanfields.
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about the stanfields; I have a pair of merino wool longs that I was planning on using, but im confused on what you're suggesting to wear over them. When I go to stanfields website, they long have longs, no pants.
 
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Joe549 said:
This right here. IECS Goretex jacket.

Click to expand...

worst piece of junk ever, only by margin better then jean jacket it replaced. its fine in dry/cold enviro but in wet cold it will cause much suffering

many said it before, mil clothing is supplied by lowest bidder, there is some good stuff that can be used but not much. consider how much time you will be spending out in the bush in the cloths you will buy, invest, most of them will last quite a bit. do your research and dont be stingy, a good set of clothing, specially in the environment you going to hunt in, will make a difference between a good hunt, adventure to talk about (aka lesson learned) and disaster
 
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Secular said:
about the stanfields; I have a pair of merino wool longs that I was planning on using, but im confused on what you're suggesting to wear over them. When I go to stanfields website, they long have longs, no pants.
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I work outside on the Bay of Fundy all winter long. When I'm not fishing, I'm duck hunting on the bay, or sitting in a deer stand (obviously only in season!).

I wear any pair of wicking long johns I have (top and bottom). Then I wear a pair of these over them:
http://w ww.stanfields.com/two-layer-wool-blend-combination.html
Then over that, I generally wear one of these shirts:
http://ww w.stanfields.com/men/heavy-weight-wool-henley.html

I buy Stanfields from the factory outlet in Truro on the one or two occasions a year I go through there. The union suit usually sells for around $30 there, and the wool henley is around $35-40. That wool henley design goes all the way back to the Yukon gold rush. I'd never seen one before a couple years ago, when a bunch of guys on the site here (from BC) proclaimed their all-around awesomeness (at the time, the only wool I owned was my trusty commando sweater).

I stopped by the Stanfields factory that summer and bought the wool shirt and what a difference it made!

If you are going to be moving a lot, you likely don't need as many layers, depending how warm it is outside. I like to wear a button-down camo shirt over the wool henley, because if you start to overheat, you can always unbutton that.
 
rhino519 said:
worst piece of junk ever, only by margin better then jean jacket it replaced. its fine in dry/cold enviro but in wet cold it will cause much suffering
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Well then, I must have gotten a rare extra well made piece. As I had mentioned I have used mine in some pretty nasty wet and cold weather and it worked great at keeping me both dry and warm with good under garments. Is there better gear out there? Absolutely. No matter what you buy there will always be something better. I have had good results with this jacket in the conditions I have used it.
 
Boots...don't scrimp on the footwear. Waterproof and well above the ankles...and comfortable with heavy wool socks on...and good grips. Nothing makes a day outdoors more miserable than cold, wet feet.
 
Joe549 said:
Well then, I must have gotten a rare extra well made piece. As I had mentioned I have used mine in some pretty nasty wet and cold weather and it worked great at keeping me both dry and warm with good under garments. Is there better gear out there? Absolutely. No matter what you buy there will always be something better. I have had good results with this jacket in the conditions I have used it.
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Don't take it personally, I was issued mine, had it for few years and though just little bit better then old style jacket, found it lacking
granted mine was the first issue, so maybe quality improved over time, I would have to get in touch with some friends to find out
 
If you can afford it, go with a soft shell gortex outer layer. I bought mine from Cabela's 7-8 years ago. It's quiet, waterproof and breathable. Mine also has a carbon layer for scent control.
 
Buy whatever camo type of outer shell from a surplus store, and use a good quality layer underneath to meet the weather/climate needs.
 
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