Decent budget hunting clothes

The old Army and Navy store was my go to for cheap hunting clothes . They had surplus thick wool pants that with a pair of long johnson could be frozen stiff and still keep you warm . For a little warmer weather they had brown corduroy pants that were much warmer then jeans. Then I found flannel lined blue jeans cheap and wore those for years. We used to be gone from the truck for before daylight until way after dark down in SW Alberta.
 
I echo most here. I have moved to quality hiking gear as opposed to camo clothing often overpriced. For me quality underwear is key and good layering. I sometimes come in mid day and two pairs of boots is a game changer so my feet stay dry. Multiple pairs of wool socks to change out as required. If i stand hunt I walk in with underarmor or merino shirt and layer when I get there. Sweat used to cut me short. I personally find jeans hold too much moisture but know lots of guys use them.
 
Red plaid jacket, underneath is weather dependent. (Free)

Old School olive drab army pants (warm weather) (30-40$ a pair)

Wool battle dress pants with long johns (Cold weather) (100$ a pair)

Orange tuque or ball cap temperature dependent. (less than 20$)

I have warm and cold weather boots, I don't cheap out on boots. (200$+)
 
I have a nice Raven Wear parka that is just a little much for early season these years. Rather than send more money to the government to make the weather gooder I decided I needed some new apparel.

I stumbled across the Huntworth line while researching and was very impressed with the online reviews. Some are available at CT and Walmart but the local CT here is pushing the Huntshield stuff instead.

The Huntworth website has a sale on and there is also some clearance deals.

I picked up a couple of pieces yesterday locally and it is very impressive for the price. They compare it to the big names on line but I have never tried that stuff. The fit is awesome and the quality looks really good. They are a well thought out garment with quiet fabric and good pockets etc. What I was looking for was light weight while still being warm and this stuff seems to fit the bill. Time will tell of course.

Contrary to above, I believe jeans suck for hunting especially with quality wool pants available at the same price. One decent pair of wool pants will last for many many years. The old guys I hunted with growing up all wore wool pants.

I read on line that cotton kills and I tend to agree. It gets wet, it gets heavy, loses all insulting value and then it freezes. If you want to save money there is some quality merino wool base layers on Amazon and Big Bill wool is cheap enough but often available used. Wool and the new synthetic fabrics dry quickly and are able to keep you warm when damp.

If you have to spend the night in the woods and are dressed in blue jeans, your work coat and damp cotton under garments, you are going to have a very long night.
 
I love army surplus just for the extra pockets. Although I have some of the gucci camo and high end gear from Arcteryx LEAF, Berghaus, Outdoor Research, etc, my favourites are a BDU style pant and a Brit smock, both the DPM and the desert pattern.

All that said, I love seeing Cat's yearly pics of wool and red buffalo check overtop of a nice buck. It speaks volumes on the debate concerning which camo pattern is best for hunting.
 
I had Sitka pants and jacket for cold weather hunting. Had being the operative word. I found that fancy camo is nice, but I bought a bunch of blowout Under Armor camo gear (pants and light jacket) from Bullseye North a while back. With a Merino base layer (I bought whatever Marks had on sale) and a fleece 1/4 zip I'll start running hot quickly enough to not need a $300 pair of pants (I think I bought both UA pieces for like $120?). I have enough room under the jacket for a thin puffer as well if I need and I'd rather peel layers and maintain a slightly cool body temp then sweat under a heap of expensive stuff.

Also, 80% of my hunting is for whitetails. Who cares what your camo looks like when it's covered by an orange vest - get what fits your budget. Anything that breaks up your silhouette will work. The stuff from Chinadian Tire is fine for most folks, plenty quiet, warm, and some of them are reversible. Get that stuff, on sale, with CT Money, and go hunt. It'll be fine!
 
I started out like most with cheap Rocky brand stuff and army surplus. I got tired of having to layer up so much i looked like the Michelin Man so i invested in some high quality stuff such as sitka and first lite. While it is amazing for what it is, i knew i couldnt afford to outfit myself in a whole expensive waterfowl setup as well to go with my whitetail stuff even if i continued finding deals on used sitka pieces. My search for similar waterfowl stuff lead me to aliexpress.

Aliexpress has a few stores selling sitka/kuiu knock offs. Ive used a bunch of stuff from a company called Ainfad, the stuff ive used have been pretty damn good compared to the various sitka pieces i have. And the prices are pretty wild when they go on sale considering what you get. They don't use the same primaloft insulation but their gear is windproof and waterproof (if advertised as such) as well as very warm.

I have a few reviews of their stuff on youtube, there is a playlist as well that goes over a bunch of them.

Here is their incinerator stuff (i have a bunch of their whitetail and waterfowl stuff and some of their gear in subalpine for turkey)


 
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In the later fall I certainly wear wool pants, but in the early season I see no issue with Jeans .
I do carry a set of lightweight long underwear and extra socks in my pack at all times though .
I have spent more than one night in the bush over the years , and knowing how to build a proper shelter/ windbreaker that reflects the heat of a fire is vitaly inportant to survival.
Cat
 
If anyone is looking for boots for covering a lot of ground in, these are my faves. Warm, comfortable, good grip, incredibly light-weight (lightest i've found), totally waterproof, and what's even better they're $80 at Canadian Tire. Other than these i dress in wool, natural hues but not concerned with wearing camo. Big Bill wool pants, layers including Stanfield's wool Henley type outer, none of this stuff really expensive.

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My kids had a tiedye booth at farmers market when they were younger.
I bought a few white long sleeve t's and made my own for warmer days.
For pants Big Bill from Gostwear.
Cheap hoodies from Canadian Tire most days.

Buddy has the Skre stuff and it's super noisy in the bush.
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While certainly not as cheap as some gear, I’ve run big bill wool clothing for years. It’s warm, quiet and extremely long lasting. There are three different weights to choose from depending on the conditions you expect to encounter.
 
Aabradsh said:
Hey guys.

I have a buddy just getting into hunting. He’ll likely do some waterfowl hunting, rifle week for deer, and a little grouse hunting here and there.

most of my buddies and I have run Firstlite, Sitka, etc. for years. Cabela’s seems to only carry stuff on the $300+ range these days. Looking for recommendations on some half decent budget hunting clothing. Jacket/bibs kind of thing.

Thank you
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Some argue that camo is overrated. I knew a veteran waterfowl who didn't own a thread of camo. Just mud colour clothes.
 
I get all dolled up for turkey, right down to the face paint, I swear those birds have eye in the back of their heads, they can also spot movement well too so i take advantage of cover.

Big game, i dress for the weather, mostly in neutral shades of olive or brown. I am a fan of tick proof pants (bought at Marks a few years back) as my father caught lyme disease from them and suffered for years undiagnosed and I never want to go through that.
 
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