Clothes and rain gear suggestions for first western hunt

[JLS]

How does the Marmot Precip stack up against The Stormtight or Chugach?

The Marmot Precip is great value, but does not breathe all that great and has no stretch. It's damned hard to beat it for a shell to keep in your pack, but won't IMO compare to the higher (and more expensive) performance pieces.

 

[Flatland Crusoe]

I wore the Precip on an Ontario Fishing Trip last August and it rained every day. The jacket only soaked through once after a 30 minute boat ride in a driving rain storm. They aren't really quiet, but its hard to beat the fact you can buy the pants and jacket for under $100 and they are pretty waterproof under 90% of the conditions. I have the packable cabelas dry plus stuff and the precip has now overtaken the dry plus as the just in case light kit while the Kuiu Yukon is my I know its gonna rain all day jacket.

If you don't spend Kuiu/Sitka/First Lite money the precip is the only thing on the market worth considering to me. For me since I tend to wear Sitka Timberline pants much of the year with gaiters I rarely need rain pants and a lot of DWR coated stuff works well in a drizzle/mist/occasional rain situation.

 

[Titan_Bow]

I bowhunt for elk and mule deer at and above treeline, in north-central Colorado. In the 10 years since I have lived here, I have only been rained on a couple of times, but those times, I was glad I had some decent rain gear. However, I find myself using my outer layer as wind protection more than anything, probably 90%.

 

[MinnesotaHunter]

The Marmot Precip is great value, but does not breathe all that great and has no stretch. It's damned hard to beat it for a shell to keep in your pack, but won't IMO compare to the higher (and more expensive) performance pieces.

Agreed, This is what I pack. I rarely use it, and if you are going to put a stalk on in the rain, take it off. I only really wear it when I am sitting glassing, as if I wore it while moving I would get just as wet from sweating.

 

[MinnesotaHunter]

If I were in your shoes, I would be trying to hunt down deals on good mountaineering clothes. Don't worry about camo patterns. Your money will go much farther. If you find the right deals you can have all the same quality of fabrics of the Sitka, Kuiu, Firstlite; for a fraction of the cost. Then you can start adding the high quality hunting specific clothes as your budget allows.

Also, skip the military surplus if possible. I have more than enough time in that stuff to be confident in telling you there are much better options.

Keep your eyes open on steepandcheap.com, the REI outlet, sierra trading post, etc. Duluth Trading Company also makes some great early season pants (Duluthflex Dry-on-the-fly). I own Kanabs and Sitka Ascents, and I wear the Duluth pants over both while the weather is warm.

 

[Schaaf]

Agreed, This is what I pack. I rarely use it, and if you are going to put a stalk on in the rain, take it off. I only really wear it when I am sitting glassing, as if I wore it while moving I would get just as wet from sweating.

That's kinda why I'm thinking about getting a Precip. When I have rain gear on while hunting I am very rarely moving at all. Usually just try to weather the storm in one place. How does it cut the wind?

 

[MinnesotaHunter]

That's kinda why I'm thinking about getting a Precip. When I have rain gear on while hunting I am very rarely moving at all. Usually just try to weather the storm in one place. How does it cut the wind?

Pretty good. I have probably used it more to break the wind early in the morning or late in the evening, than to keep water off. It is nice to be able to not drag another layer up the hill.

 

[andyrowland]

I feel kind of foolish for not telling everone when and where we will be hunting. We will be in SW Montana near the continental divide and it will be in the first two weeks of rifle season. I guess precipitation would most likely be snow in late October/early November.

Edit: Also, we will be sleeping at a friend's house that lives in a fairly remote area. We don't plan on spending the night outside.

 

[JLS]

That's kinda why I'm thinking about getting a Precip. When I have rain gear on while hunting I am very rarely moving at all. Usually just try to weather the storm in one place. How does it cut the wind?

All hard shells are going to cut the wind. What sets them apart is being able to cut the wind but not feel like your wrapped in visqueen when you are up and moving.

 

[sagebrush]

TOT - Yes, Stormtight.