What is your gonto store for good cammo?

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Prariehopper

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Nanaimo, Vancouver Island
Hey all

Im in the market for some good quality cammo (silent, waterproof, wibdproof) for the fall hunt on Vancouver Island.

I've checked a number of sites and I either can't find the quality I am looking for or they are sold out. Curious what online shops you hit up so I can check their inventory...

Thanks in advance
 
Prariehopper said:
Hey all

Im in the market for some good quality cammo (silent, waterproof, wibdproof) for the fall hunt on Vancouver Island.

I've checked a number of sites and I either can't find the quality I am looking for or they are sold out. Curious what online shops you hit up so I can check their inventory...

Thanks in advance
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Forget the high end "trendy" crap that'll do nothing except empty your wallet and last one or two times afield. Military surplus and/or Canadian Tire have gear that's as good as or better than the high end stuff.
 
aprilfoolsme said:
I don't know about water proof but silent, durable and cheap? Bass Pro brand Redhead gets my vote
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Yeah man, I was looking at that today.... In my mind that is "high end"... They are sold out, even online. It's wild.

Rain is a constant reality during the winter on the island. Like all day every day sort of deal, which is why I am looking for gortex or similar... Having said that, I did manage to get a redhead jacket and bib for my 13 y/o... Anything that would fit me is sold out...

Appreate your posts gents. Any good (well stocked) online stores I can check out?
 
subscribe to camofire.com
that site is great, new batch of deals everyday sent by an email link for all kinds of gear, good prices and fast shipping.
shipping costs in US & Canada can hardly be considered cheap, but camofire isn't too bad, at least you know what the shipping will cost before you finalize the purchase.
There are no other costs when the package crosses the border.
They also offer a combined shipping option where a person can buy things over 7 days then its shipped all at once to keep costs down.
I've bought lots of things from them over the last few years, never been disappointed.
They used to ship knives to Canada but will not anymore.
 
Spray-on DWR means new life can be breathed into surplus and/or used gear. Also, absolutely ditto on the RedHead brand - the outerwear leaves little to be desired. Quiet and comfy, way cheaper than Sitka or Badlands or First Light or Scentlok or whatever. Decently made, good zippers, tough end stitching, probably good for 90% of hunting, Kanati and Strata patterns are both fine.

FYI they are mostly sold out because the Canadian order for 2021 hasn't arrived yet - it should be here shortly (that's why the "sales" at Cabela's are all 2XL/3XL and XS sizes!).

I personally landed on Under Armor of all things for my camo needs. I got an ultralight shell jacket and pants in their forest pattern, along with a neck gaiter. I must have looked like a weirdo walking into Cabela's with a synthetic puffer in early August, but I wanted to make sure my early and mid-season layers would play nice. It did, and since it was hosing rain outside on my way out, I tested out the water repellent capabilities - excellent. It was on sale for $60, and the pants for $100. I can layer my Smartwool base and various fleece (or puffer synthetic and puffer down jackets) underneath but the cut of the clothing means there's still not a lot "hanging around". It will be used shortly for fall turkey and archery whitetail.
 
mikeyb said:
Spray-on DWR means new life can be breathed into surplus and/or used gear. Also, absolutely ditto on the RedHead brand - the outerwear leaves little to be desired. Quiet and comfy, way cheaper than Sitka or Badlands or First Light or Scentlok or whatever. Decently made, good zippers, tough end stitching, probably good for 90% of hunting, Kanati and Strata patterns are both fine.

FYI they are mostly sold out because the Canadian order for 2021 hasn't arrived yet - it should be here shortly (that's why the "sales" at Cabela's are all 2XL/3XL and XS sizes!).

I personally landed on Under Armor of all things for my camo needs. I got an ultralight shell jacket and pants in their forest pattern, along with a neck gaiter. I must have looked like a weirdo walking into Cabela's with a synthetic puffer in early August, but I wanted to make sure my early and mid-season layers would play nice. It did, and since it was hosing rain outside on my way out, I tested out the water repellent capabilities - excellent. It was on sale for $60, and the pants for $100. I can layer my Smartwool base and various fleece (or puffer synthetic and puffer down jackets) underneath but the cut of the clothing means there's still not a lot "hanging around". It will be used shortly for fall turkey and archery whitetail.
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Awesome response I really appreciate that, thank you! I didn't realize the reason Cabellas was so short on stuff was due having not yet recieved the 2021 inventory. Great Intel, again thank you very much!

I looked at some of the Under Armor offerings and I was tempted but some of the reviews made me reconsider. The chief complaint I see coming up is a lack of ergonomic design.... The pants don't flex where they should etc. Still not ruling then out though.

Again, thanks for your response! I will try and be patient and wait for Cabellas to get re-supplied. Truth be told that is where I do the majority of my shopping anyway.

All the best!
 
Value Village and whatever surplus stores I can find.

If I bother with camo.

Never seen fit to make it into a fashion show, going hunting, usually I look a little like a refugee from the Salvation Army, instead of an Eddie Bauer model.

I still have a couple of the old CF OD combat shirts and pants, and they are my go to, if I actually want to sit and wait for the critters to come to me. They fit in about anywhere. In colder weather, I have a couple pairs of decent wool pants, that I got from Value Village for a couple bucks a pair.
 
trevj said:
Value Village and whatever surplus stores I can find.

If I bother with camo.

Never seen fit to make it into a fashion show, going hunting, usually I look a little like a refugee from the Salvation Army, instead of an Eddie Bauer model.

I still have a couple of the old CF OD combat shirts and pants, and they are my go to, if I actually want to sit and wait for the critters to come to me. They fit in about anywhere. In colder weather, I have a couple pairs of decent wool pants, that I got from Value Village for a couple bucks a pair.
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I had a friend mention something like that to me today. No sense in wearing camo unless you plan on getting up close and personal.

Being that I am new to hunting I guess I am just looking for any advantage I can get. This thread has been a bit of an eye opener with respect to separating facts from just straight marketing.
 
Prariehopper said:
I had a friend mention something like that to me today. No sense in wearing camo unless you plan on getting up close and personal.

Being that I am new to hunting I guess I am just looking for any advantage I can get. This thread has been a bit of an eye opener with respect to separating facts from just straight marketing.
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From my perspective, the more time you spend in the bush, the better your 'luck' will be. And, any time you are out in the bush, is a good time to be looking at trails, tracks, watching how the deer (or whatever) behave or react to you, to noises, and each other.

Learn to stand or sit still. Don't whip your head around like you are spooked, move slowly. Fast motion draws the eyes, and just about any prey animal out there is keyed in on that. Their life depends on it.

I personally, find it really hard to keep the noise levels down if I am with a friend. Deer have exceptional hearing. Deer are also not very quiet when they are moving through the bush, but they tend to move a bit, stop and listen, then move again, unless they have someplace to be, whether that's a food source or the smell of a doe in heat...
 
trevj said:
From my perspective, the more time you spend in the bush, the better your 'luck' will be. And, any time you are out in the bush, is a good time to be looking at trails, tracks, watching how the deer (or whatever) behave or react to you, to noises, and each other.

Learn to stand or sit still. Don't whip your head around like you are spooked, move slowly. Fast motion draws the eyes, and just about any prey animal out there is keyed in on that. Their life depends on it.

I personally, find it really hard to keep the noise levels down if I am with a friend. Deer have exceptional hearing. Deer are also not very quiet when they are moving through the bush, but they tend to move a bit, stop and listen, then move again, unless they have someplace to be, whether that's a food source or the smell of a doe in heat...
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Thanks for that.

It'll be yself and my 13 year old going this year. I dont want to take my younger son just yet, at least not until I've got a better idea of how to manage the hunt so I can put more focus on managing him lol....

I am planning on heading out far enough on the forestry roads that I (hopefully) stop seeing other people.... I'd like to get as remote as I can I feel like thats where we will have better luck. I picked up a garmin Montana gps unit as a measure of safety and to just help me navigate the terrain.

Once we get out to a location that looks and feels right the plan is to start looking for tracks, trails and of course observe any animals we might see. We will use some scent neutralizer to try and not leave anything behind that could spook the deer.

I expect to need at least a couple of visits to the same general area before we will be ready for the a tual hunt... When the time comes, I am hoping to get really lucky and sort of hide out within 100 yards of a well traveled trail and wait for my opportunity... OR we will set up in a natural blind and just observe the cut and hope we get lucky.

Im probably doing it all wrong but thats the best strategy I can come up with for now. I realize now that we should have been out scouting the area much earlier in the year in order to establish a read on the routines and such but this is the situation I find myself in.

That was a very long winded way of saying thank you for the tips. It'll take a few years to become a halfway decent hunter but hearing from experienced folks is what will really make the difference.

Anyway, thanks again.. And good luck this season
 
Prariehopper said:
Awesome response I really appreciate that, thank you! I didn't realize the reason Cabellas was so short on stuff was due having not yet recieved the 2021 inventory. Great Intel, again thank you very much!

I looked at some of the Under Armor offerings and I was tempted but some of the reviews made me reconsider. The chief complaint I see coming up is a lack of ergonomic design.... The pants don't flex where they should etc. Still not ruling then out though.

Again, thanks for your response! I will try and be patient and wait for Cabellas to get re-supplied. Truth be told that is where I do the majority of my shopping anyway.

All the best!
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Anytime! I can definitely understand the gripes with Under Armor, the cuts they use either fit you well or they are off enough where the articulated areas don't line up with someone's physiology. 10 pounds ago the compression fit stuff was nice, now I feel a bit like a sausage in a casing :) but the athletic and loose fits are bang on for me.

And I do use it for getting close, my last camo was alright (bought used) and I managed to get a turkey at 7 yards. Any closer and I would have had to use my knife! Really the only other thing I can recommend is wash cold with like colors, tumble dry low with no fabric softeners (or line dry).

There was a good dozen of us going through the camo section at Cabela's last weekend trying to find something that wasn't waterfowl-specific, they have lots of Realtree Max-5 on the shelves but nothing in a forest pattern at all. I found one pair of pants that were my size (medium) and the price tag was almost $500. Those went back on the rack real quick! Finally an associate came into the area to help everyone out and mentioned most brands fall orders are still out a few weeks at least, so they'll be cutting it closer than normal to most rifle deer seasons, I imagine.
 
Well I am not going to be any help with camo but I often work on the coast (Kitimat last year, north of Stewart now) and hunt occasionally on the coast. To keep dry all day your going to want pvc or rubber rain gear with welded seams. Other rain gear even sprayed with DWR will sometimes last hours maybe all day depending, usually hours. The more brush you walk through brushing up against branches etc the faster you get wet with it. If there is something comfortable that I don’t know about that will keep me dry I would be pleased to hear. Coastal rain is a beast in itself. I would not worry about camo when it’s raining just keeping dry. Sound is also diminished so you do not have to be as quiet.

Best of luck on your hunt.

SCG
 
Southcountryguy said:
Well I am not going to be any help with camo but I often work on the coast (Kitimat last year, north of Stewart now) and hunt occasionally on the coast. To keep dry all day your going to want pvc or rubber rain gear with welded seams. Other rain gear even sprayed with DWR will sometimes last hours maybe all day depending, usually hours. The more brush you walk through brushing up against branches etc the faster you get wet with it. If there is something comfortable that I don’t know about that will keep me dry I would be pleased to hear. Coastal rain is a beast in itself. I would not worry about camo when it’s raining just keeping dry. Sound is also diminished so you do not have to be as quiet.

Best of luck on your hunt.

SCG
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This is true, DWR fabrics and sprays work great at getting water to bead off the fabric and not get absorbed - but when you brush up against "stuff" in the field it can definitely push the water droplets through. That's the difference between water repellent and waterproof. Also, coastal rain is a different beast - usually there is so much moisture in the air that it can build up against the skin, around cuffs and zips and will find its way through the smallest gaps, effectively soaking you from the inside. Here in the prairies it hoses rain, big drops that can bring visibility down to a few yards, but as long as you have a DWR layer over you it will mostly roll off.

GORE-TEX is pretty awesome, I have an Arc'teryx shell that cost me like a million dollars and it plain works. Amazing even when it seems to be "snow-raining" with almost slush-like consistency. But it outrageously priced, and I only have it because 90% of my outdoors activities in the winter aren't putting it through the ringer, just weather extremes.
 
mikeyb said:
This is true, DWR fabrics and sprays work great at getting water to bead off the fabric and not get absorbed - but when you brush up against "stuff" in the field it can definitely push the water droplets through. That's the difference between water repellent and waterproof. Also, coastal rain is a different beast - usually there is so much moisture in the air that it can build up against the skin, around cuffs and zips and will find its way through the smallest gaps, effectively soaking you from the inside. Here in the prairies it hoses rain, big drops that can bring visibility down to a few yards, but as long as you have a DWR layer over you it will mostly roll off.

GORE-TEX is pretty awesome, I have an Arc'teryx shell that cost me like a million dollars and it plain works. Amazing even when it seems to be "snow-raining" with almost slush-like consistency. But it outrageously priced, and I only have it because 90% of my outdoors activities in the winter aren't putting it through the ringer, just weather extremes.
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It would be a big mistake to underestimate the coastal rain.. I am sold on spending the money on gortex, I just need to find something that won't bankrupt me.

I'm leaning toward getting redhead gear once Cabelas restock. I just hope it's soon....
 
I wouldn't be holding my breath, if it's stuff that would normally arrive in a Sea Can. The whole covid thing has put a right screw to the supply chain.
 
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