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New Hunting Clothes?

I'm looking at getting some new clothes for mid to late season here in Pa. I hear a lot about the Sitka gear, KUIU, etc but not sure what is best suited for the wilds of Pa. I'm looking for lightweight and warm, not bulky so I can still use my bow with string clearance. Any opinion or experience is welcome. Thx

Wool is hard to beat for warmth.

I don't have any Sitka, KUIU or the like but I do use synthetics and wool as layers, usually with a wool outerlayer. Under Armour makes a base layer that is so warm I cannot walk with it on or I break out in a sweat. Ibex makes wool base layers that are everything from lightweight to heavyweight. I use their lightweight wool base layer with a zip neck all the time when the temp gets below 50 and their mid weight vest is my constant companion. I also like Patagonia base layers. Most of the items I use are ten or more years old and still look new. Never had the bug to buy the newest stuff.

Start with good base layers that will wick away sweat. I hear great things about merino wool but don't own any. I do have my go to grey 100% wool sweater though. Wool socks are a must and I like to wear a hand muff around my waist with my normal thin october gloves that way when I grab my bow and use my release I am not taking off bulky gloves. My winter bow hunting wear is really about layering differently around my core chest area, head, hands and feet. My outer shell hunting cloths are basically the same all year.

Check out cabelas berber fleece vest. I have one and use it quite often. I like the vest for a number of reasons. It's warm, it's quiet, and it allows me more freedom of movement with my arms for shooting. I layer with good wicking, lighter weight base layers, then don a thin fleece pullover then the vest. The berber material of the vest is superb at keeping my core warm. Plus it's windproof and has a nice collar that keeps the draft off of your neck. Runs 80 bux.

With any of the fleece or synthetic fibers: remember to keep your distance from open flames, as in campfires or cooking fires. All those synthetics are made from petroleum. I've had fleece and Helly Hanson layers melt to my wrists when I got to close to a cooking fire. Just something to consider....

Don't waste your money or time...King of the Mountain. Buy once, cry once.

I have several KOM items that I bought in 1990. Still works great. But if I had it to do over I’d probably buy Sleeping Indian wool. Either brand is ridiculously expensive but Sleeping Indian is a tighter weave.

I wore Sleeping Indian for almost 20 years but it has pretty much stayed in the closet since upgrading to Sitka and KUIU. The traditionalists are going to try to argue but you won't find anything better than Sitka Fanatic for Whitetail bowhunting. Bite the bullet and get the bibs and jacket and you'll never look back.

X2 for the Sitka Fanatic. Best I have found after trying most of the offerings including Sleeping Indian and KOM.

The Sitka stratus line is also good for mid-season.

Thanks for the input. Think I'm gonna go with the Sitka Fanatic set.

Scratch that, after researching each product and reviews from customers I'm gonna get a set of the Stratus jacket and pants along with the merino core crew and bottoms.

Stratus is great but it's not warm. It's really just a windstopper shell. If you're only going to hunt the regular archery season it's a good choice but make sure you have some good insulating layers for those days when it dips down into the thirties. Not just a heavy base layer but an insulating layer like the Celsius shacket or Jacket. If by late season you mean the last couple weeks of the regular archery season Stratus will be fine but if you're talking the late archery season, as in January, it's not going to cut it.

Steke yes I plan on getting the Celsius Shacket long sleeve, as well as the Merino Core bottom & top. Is the Core Heavyweight Zip-T & Core heavyweight bottom a better choice for layering to stay warm? Also, that being said, for colder weather is the Fanatic a better choice than the Stratus setup? If I'm gonna pay this much I want to get the correct stuff for situation. It's a little confusing bc I read in the reviews that some people were saying they were fine and warm with the stratus setup in the upper 20's into the 30's with layering. I'd like this to be an all purpose setup that I can layer for cold and strip it down for warmer temps into the 50's to low 60's like it currently is. I like the windstopper barrier both setups contain. Any input is greatly appreciated. Thanks

Fanatic is best if you are going to need it for cold weather. I also have the kelvin jacket and pants and kelvin lite jacket,on moderate days i will use kelvin under a light jacket and pants then remove if it warms up as the day goes on. I have merino base layers and they are not close to the warmth of the kelvin series.

Here is the dilemma. Stratus is perfect for the mid range of the temps you mentioned but not the greatest for the upper and lower end. I found the windstopper to be too warm and clammy when walking to and from the stand or dragging a deer on a warm day. On cold days, it took so many layers to stay warm that movement was restricted due to the bulkiness. If you really want just one system, Stratus is probably the best option since Fanatic is WAY too warm to wear in the 50's and 60's, but it's far from the perfect solution. I tried to go that route and ended up ditching the Stratus for the Fanatic and eventually added the Fanatic Lite to wear during the early season.

I got early archery covered with my predator spring green, usually a light set of Under Armor tops & bottoms underneath will do the trick till the temps get to below the 60's. I'm fine with that, so if I would want something to cover from that point down to 20's or 30's into gun season I would be better off with the Fanatic setup along with the Merino layers to stay warm? I also have a set of Hidden Wolf Woolen fall brown for when it's extremely cold out so I got that covered as well. Thanks for your input, it really is appreciated.

You don't need big name wool to keep warm. Our predecessors did very well with Woolrich, or other brands that don't need to be mortgaged. Now if you have more money than you know what to do with, have at it. I keep warm by layering with polyester under wool....mostly sweaters that work best for that purpose. I wear normal hiking boots that breathe versus hard leather or rubber that serve as freezers for your feet. Merino wool underwear is perfect also for layering, along with a pair of wool pants/trousers...mine are Woolrich Malone style that I got at Goodwill for $6.00. Some things to look at that you normally may not is a midrift wrap of some sort. I have a fleece fanny pack that adds warmth to that area. Also, a simple neck gator can keep heat from escaping from around the collar. You can always buy a camo shell of some sort if you think you need commercial camouflage. I have an old Fratzke camo sweater that I can pull on, along with a pair of unlined bibs to cover the wool. Now I likely don't look cool, and that may be important to some of you, but I am warm...which is damn important to me. And don't forget, part of staying warm in very cold weather is keeping calories up. It's no time for diet crap.

A lot of dealing with the cold is personal. I know guys that can wear half the amount of clothing I do in winter and stay warm. For me the reality is that as I age there is not much that will keep me warm sitting all day in 25-35 degree temps unless I dress so heavy I have a hard time moving or shooting a bow. I have lots of "warm" clothing. I have two complete sets of Woolrich red and black plaid that I used for decades. I have King of the Mountain wool shirts, jackets, pants and vest that I bought in 1990 for a trip to Canada ( I still use these items more than anything else). I have many different poly and wool base and middle layers, from surplus ECWS poly military stuff to the Under Amour, Ibex, Patagonia and other items I mentioned above. I can layer with some of the best clothing going, put on some vary good warm outer layers and still get cold or be like the Michelin man and hardly move.

The downside to wool outer layers for me is the bulk carrying them to my stand. Can't wear them or I'd break a sweat in 10 minutes. Need a huge backpack to carry a wool jacket and heavy shirt. Only in that regard would I consider newer materials but I'm past the point of buying more. Of course some guys only walk a couple of minutes or may even take a quad to the area they hunt. I'd be curious to know what the guys that hike in and hunt the mountains and stand all day wear, how they carry it, etc.

What does work for me is to put a chemical warmer in the breast pockets of my shirt, to wear a vest or underlayer that zips like a turtleneck, and to keep my head warm. I use a muff or Paul Brunner's Woolie Boogers to keep my hands toasty. Of course then there's the issue of keeping my feet warm. The boots I have that will keep my feet warm are impossible to walk far in.

I own both Sitka and KUIU and love them both. When you own it, and use it, you will see that it is money well spent. So many additional features not available in traditional hunting cloths, it truly is gear. I started purchasing it for my Western elk hunts, but now it is all I use for early to late season whitetails. Layering is the key, as mentioned above, and I too mix in a 100% wool sweater as a good mid insulating layer. Everyone mentioned wool socks, but there is a difference. I buy Smartwool or better yet Darn Tough. America made and lifetime garantee.

Thanks for the insight and thoughts, I'm def not made of money but have inherited a little from my grandmother passing recently so I do have some to use. They way I see it is this is an investment for now and the future as I'm gonna use it for the next decade or more so the the price isn't a deterrent when I look at it this way. If I can find what I'm looking for at a discount at an off web sight I will def jump on it, still in the gathering info phase at this point but ready to pull the trigger sooner than later.

Thanks

Thanks for the insight and thoughts, I'm def not made of money but have inherited a little from my grandmother passing recently so I do have some to use. They way I see it is this is an investment for now and the future as I'm gonna use it for the next decade or more so the the price isn't a deterrent when I look at it this way. If I can find what I'm looking for at a discount at an off web sight I will def jump on it, still in the gathering info phase at this point but ready to pull the trigger sooner than later.

Thanks

Well Phil, I have to say if I'm going to sit all day, I'm taking a propane heater with me. )) I'm too dang antsy to sit for more than an hour or two, probably why I'm not weighed down with deer meat every year. I do have a pretty high tolerance to cold, but not sitting in a freezer for hours untold.

Anyone can stay warm in a Heater Body Suit. Wear lighter layers walking in, and stay toasty warm during all-day sits even in single-digit temps. Best piece of gear I own for late season hunting.

I have heard so many good things about that heater suit. It's been around for quite a few years now, too. Maybe one day I'll get one. I currently use cabelas berber fleece extreme parka and pants. Serves me well.

I wear my stratus into the low 30's. I'll change to my fanatic jacket but keep the stratus pants if it gets below 30. I'll change to bibs if it gets into the teens. I will use different base layers with my favorite being merino.

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