New Camo

[Rippinlip]

OK, the wife and I have a ton of camo, but I am tired of having that much and never really knowing what to take with, bringing too much or not enough.

What I am looking for is recommendations on something that I can wear most of the year from early to late season, wind and water proof.

I am willing to spend the extra to get some quality, it could be a multiple piece where I can unzip layer. etc.

I am looking at some Scent-Loc, Cabelas brands and Under Armour.

Just would like some honest reviews from people on here I trust with knowledge.

Thanks

[Scoot]

Rip, my impression is that you want to be covered for whitetail hunting from early to late season. Is that correct? If the answer to that is yes, I've got one response. If you also want to be able to hunt for mulies or elk from warm to cold, I've got a somewhat different answer. What types of hunting do you want to be prepared for? Be warned, if you give a knee jerk response of "all types", the answer will get expensive...

There are some pretty decent "crescent wrench" items that will work for a lot of things, but IMO there are some pieces I wear that simply aren't made for some other purposes.

[Rippinlip]

Thanks Scoot, here is how I will try to narrow it down.

Main thing, wife and I mainly hunt around here, southern MN.

I bought the wife some pretty quality stuff when she got into hunting, I did not want to have her suffer and give up.

I seemed to always buy the middle of the line stuff and yes it does work, but we all talked about buying quality over quantity a while ago and as I get older, work more and am to handle the weather less.

So here is what I would like to purchase.

Something that breathes well, wind proof and rain proof.

I am really just trying to narrow down our closets full of camo and get to "go to" gear.

I would like to purchase something that would keep me comfortable from about 20-50 degrees, in rain and snow.

I do have some Light and Heavy clothes for the extremes, I do understand that it might be tough to find something for that big of a range.

I guess I am looking more for material types than camo pattern, Noeprene, Fleece, etc.

Hope that helps out.

[harvey lee]

A few pieces to cover it all would be nice, I am sure I have 1 closet totally for camo and orange.

[Scoot]

Yep, I'm in the same boat as harvey too- I've got a whole closet full of the stuff and I end up using the same few pieces over and over. 90% of all I own sits in rubbermaid containers and never gets used.

Rip, your answer is very helpful. If you are covered when it's pretty nice out and also covered when it's really cold and just need to get geared up with good stuff from 20-50, I can offer some (hopefully) helpful thoughts on that. Here are a few things I'd think about:

1) Cotton is bad. Don't get any cotton pieces of clothing. Some people will get their hackles up about this, and that's ok by me, but if you want to get a few pieces of quality gear, don't get any cotton.

2) Get a good base layer of merino wool. There are lots of good options for this- First Lite, Arcteryx, Core4Element, KUIU, etc. Don't be scared of the fact that it's wool- I wear a merino wool shirt when it's 90 and when it's -20. Merino wool is awesome!!!

3) Related to #2 above, get some good merino wool socks. Smartwool is one option, but there are tons of good merino wool socks in light, medium, and heavy weights for different temp ratings. For 20-50 you can probably use a medium weight just fine. If you were hunting actively, a light pair is better. Also, for me and for some, a super thin poly sock liner helps with warmth and prevention of blisters.

4) Think layers. I almost always wear multiple layers, unless it's really nice out. Also, it's not at all uncommon to hunt in one day the entire range of temps you're looking to cover (morning starts at 20 degrees and warms up to near 50 by mid afternoon). Sitka popularized the layering system for hunting apparel (not that they invented it by any means), but there are lots of companies that are doing it now. My suggestion to you is to not get caught up in any one company's brand, but to get the pieces you think you'll need and buy them at the best price you can get them at.

For that range of temps, I'd suggest a merino wool base, a long sleeve shirt, a vest over that, an insulation layer (either a puffy jacket or a fleece jacket), and a jacket.

Here's what I've been using for this and I've been really happy. A KUIU merino wool base shirt, a Sitka Merino Zip T, a Sitka Jetstream vest, a Cabela's puffy jacket (I use an inexpensive fleece jacket instead of this sometimes too, but the puffy jacket is warmer and cuts the wind better), and a Sitka 90% jacket.

I mix and match all of these things and they cover me very well through the temps you mentioned. The 90% jacket isn't rainproof, but it does well in a light rain. I add a Cabelas Space Rainsuit if it's going to really rain out (truth is, I don't hunt in the rain for whitetails much, but on some hunts it rains when I'm going to hunt, so I have the Cabela's Space Rainsuit. It's not the best by any means, but it's fairly light and reasonably priced. Sitka, KUIU, and a bunch of other companies make much better rain gear, but it's extremely expensive. Another cheaper, but totally functional option is Frog Toggs).

Now, before I get jumped all over for suggesting such expensive gear, I'll tell you two things: 1) when you add up the price of all the "inexpensive" gear I've got that I don't wear anymore, it's much more than the stuff I listed above totals, 2) I never, ever pay full price for any of the stuff I get. If you watch for closeouts, sales, used gear online, discount websites, bargain bin stuff, etc. you can get everything I said above for about 40-50% off retail price. The retail price of this stuff is ridiculous, but getting it at half price or better is totally worth it IMO. If you're interested in some suggestions on places to look for good deals on this stuff, PM me and I'll point you in the right direction.

Good luck and I hope that's helpful.

[harvey lee]

I will agree on the meriono wool 100%. Best set of socks I have ever owned and I own 1 base shirt that is merino also.

[mainbutter]

If you're able to spend more, don't limit yourself to "all seasons" wear.

I went the very cheap route with oversized camo outerwear that can be worn over layered clothing, or just over a pair of jeans and a t-shirt. It keeps me in the stand from overcast 55 and colder.

I don't sit in a stand when it's warmer than 55 degrees with my camo on, because I don't own any that won't let me overheat. I've had plenty of deer walk past me when I'm wearing a plaid flannel shirt and jeans for the few times that I sit when it's warm to be happy with the results.

The point is, you might consider getting a set for early and warmer sits, and bibs/jacket for when it's cold.

[mrklean]

Ive got the Under Armour scent camo bought it 2 years ago i like it. I have everything from the base layers to the heavy jacket works nice from early season/turkey hunting till later in the year when you have to layer up with everything.