I am taking my wife the week of September 19-26. Our GMU is about 9,000-11,000 feet. We are fairly far south, about even with Colorado Springs.
On all the videos I've seen, most of the guys are just wearing a base layer or a tee shirt. Is that realistic?
Here are my thoughts so far:
Pants: Merino base layer and lightweight "hiking pants" I thought we could add or remove the base layer as the particular day dictated.
Top base layer: under armor t-shirt or merino long sleeve base layer. I think this area is good.
Top above base layer: This is my big question. For Alaska, I wore an army surplus thick wool shirt. This worked great but I expect that this is too heavy for Colorado.
Top jacket: I have a 90% Jacket for me. I love it but I wonder if it is too heavy. If you guys like this level of jacket, I'll buy something similar for her.
Hats/Gloves: Selection of light merino gloves, neck gaitors, and hats
Rain gear: Lightweight, noncamo gear. I think she might stay in camp if we expect a lot of rain on a particular day.
Anything else?
2012 it rained every day for two weeks. And I'm not talking a Lil sprinkle. Torrential downpours. I hope you are luckier than that.
Be prepared for snow and cold as well.
Good luck.
I always wear the Merino Wool Base layers, so a Cabela's Space Rain Jacket, Gaiters, and a 600 weight down vest can get me through most any Weather. And, all that stuff packs down very compact and light in my Daypack.
I can add or shed these layers according to what Mother Nature decides to throw at me.
Best of Luck, Jeff
Layers, 4 layers. Base, mid(fleece or puff jacket), thin jacket (90% is good) and rain gear. Every time you leave camp. You may need all of it on at once or just the base layer. Bottoms I have base layer, regular pants and rain gear. Gloves that don't soak up water and a beanie that will come down over the ears. I also have a camo face mask, its really good to have when the wind is getting up.
This pic was 9-17 when the sun came up and it was around 30 deg. The day before was bad. I wished I had more but I made it. Right on the edge of comfort and misery. 8 hrs later I was back down to base layer top and just pants on bottom.
Honestly, the "anything and everything" guidance is not a cliche. It is very real and more the norm during a ten day span in CO in September than an anomaly. The long term forecast calls for cooler and wetter than normal. Prepare accordingly and hope for the best.
I always have a rain jacket in my pack along with with my Badlands Inferno jacket.
Layer, layer. layer,
I will never forget 2013
Expect anything, prepare for everything. Especially that time of year. The mantra in Colorado is "if you don't like the weather, wait 5 minutes, it will change".
Some years it is bone dry and hot during archery season. Others, it rains the entire time, or on those rare occassions it snows at 8500 feet during archery.
Obviously moisture is dependent upon elevation. There are days on 14,000 ft. peaks in Colorado where it can snow any day of the year-- heck today it could.
In 2013 we had one of the wettest months in September in decades. I was trying to kill a moose- sat in rain for a week straight.
The next week it was warm and dry, and then the moring of September 10th we awoke to 10" of snow. Luckily we came across a large Bull and cow and things shifted for my hunt. The bull was all rutted up in his rut pit and he had the cow with him.
No need to add the "But". As many others have already stated, follow your own advice and expect anything.
I don't hunt CO, but I've spent the past 4 decades hunting a stone's throw north of there. I've seen highs anywhere from the 40's to the upper 90's every week of the season, and highs in the 20's later on. I've seen constant rain, and I've also seen it dry as the proverbial popcorn fart. Any of this can happen at anytime during the season. As far as lows, I've seen them range from the upper 40's to single digits.
I've experienced snow, at least once, at least a dozen years. Most times it's 6" or less, and is gone in 2-3 days. HOWEVER, one year it started raining the morning of the 21st. That evening it turned to snow, and didn't stop until Wed night. We were camped at 8000' and got 14". 10,000' had a couple feet. Although that's the exception, you never know when the exception is going to hit. As the saying goes, "hope for the best, prepare for the worst".
Remember, you're not camped out in a WalMart parking lot. Mother Nature has no sympathy for those that are foolish.
Note the broken aspen limbs still on the wall tent. They were breaking everywhere, whole trees falling over, blocking roads, A few minutes after that photo was taken, another limb broke off and plunged through my Alaskan guide tent.
I've only been going out west for about 5 years, but in that short time I've had snow and 80 degree weather in September. Ironically, when I was in Colorado at the highest elevation (11-12k) the weather consisted of mostly warm bluebird days and I got one heck of a sun tan (read burn), but bad weather can certainly be around the corner too.
