Alaska Moose Trip

[fellerr]

Got an Alaskan moose tripped planned for this September. Been doing lots of reading and searching on the forums for clothing tips and what to and not to wear. What is the best packable outer layer? I like the sitka kelvin windstopper hoody. Seems like it would be a good option? Or should I bet searching for something else?

Plans now are a merino wool base layer. Sitka fanatic hoody. Then have a sitka merino 1/4 zip (not sure what one, tag is washed off), pnuma vest, sitka jetsteam jacket, then sitka kelvin WS hoody.

Still working on rain gear and pants. Hard when nobody around you carries anything to look at or try on.

 

[Yukon Cornelius]

Technical gear is great, but sometimes it ain’t needed.

I wear a wicking type under shirt. A wool pullover sweater and a vest. Or something like that.

That rain gear is important. I’m a helly Hanson fan.
Depending on where you’re going would also matter as well as how late in the season.
Look into rain bibs vs pants. I am not a rain pant fan.

 

[fellerr]

Mid to end of September Guide recommended chest high waders to have, but said most times any water to cross or anything wouldnt be over knee high.

Got a rivers west 40/40 rain jacket and bib ordered. Will see how it is.

Trying to balance not breaking the bank on gear, but at the same time just want something of quality that we know we can depend on and always use on future hunts.

 

[KChunter71]

Moose hunt for me next to water will be Simms waders and HH guide jacket.

Your guide knows there area and follow their recommendations.

The bibs HH workwear sells are good too if you’re not taking waders

IMPERTECH LONG COAT

<p>This Helly Hansen Impertech Guide Coat is a comfortable rain coat made of knit polyester with a stretch polyurethane coating to flex with you as you move.</p>

www.hhworkwear.com

the guide jacket poly fabric will stretch and move with you.

Have a good hunt

 

[Gunnersdad49]

You can save on rain pants if you bring waders. I prefer to use a raincoat as a wind stopper rather than a separate soft shell or wind barrier.

 

[fellerr]

Might have found a good deal on a Sitka cloudburst jacket, otherwise will try the helley hansen too. Rain gear and waders would be the item we use the least of an the future.

Thank you for the input so far!

 

[Wapiti1]

I took 3 merino t-shirts, 2 light merino long sleeve baselayers, black diamond zip hoodie, kuiu superdown hooded jacket (older version), and simms rain jacket. Also had one pair of medium longies just in case, but never put them on. My pants were icebreaker that aren't made anymore, but are comparable to a softshell pant.

I also had a light icebreaker jacket, but it was really not needed. I never took off a t-shirt, baselayer long sleeve, and the hoodie for the most part. When needed would put on the rain jacket if it was a little chilly, or the down if it was cold. With all of it on, you are very warm. You don't need much if you understand layering.

I had waist high waders, but also took light Rab rain pants since we didn't know if wading was really needed.

Helly is solid rain gear and if you want to stay dry at the lowest cost is the way to go. Grundens is also good. This is, IMO, the most important piece of gear you will take.

Jeremy

 

[fellerr]

Thanks for the info Jeremy!

 

[duckcarver]

Test your rain gear well before your hunt. I invested in Rivers West clothing about 3 years ago. Sat one afternoon in a treestand through an unexpected downpour and came home so wet, cold and aggravated that I threw it away rather deal with the manufacturer on an exchange/return.

 

[fellerr]

Good idea. I ordered a rivers west jacket....will see what it is like and definitely test it. Thanks!

 

[duckcarver]

The fabric was waterproof, but seams leaked a LOT.

 

[AKBorn]

Mid to end of September Guide recommended chest high waders to have, but said most times any water to cross or anything wouldnt be over knee high.

Got a rivers west 40/40 rain jacket and bib ordered. Will see how it is.

Trying to balance not breaking the bank on gear, but at the same time just want something of quality that we know we can depend on and always use on future hunts.

OK, I gotta give you a hard time just a little, in a friendly fashion...

You mention that you don't want to break the bank on gear, but already mention above that you have Sitka gear that you're bringing. To me that already qualifies as breaking the bank, I don't think I own any single item of hunting clothes (other than my boots) that cost over $50.

Helly Hansen is not expensive, and the first pair of HH pants and coat that I owned lasted me about a dozen remote Alaska trips.

I know it's sacrilege to say it, but some guys still get it done on AK moose with jeans and cotton t shirts...

Good luck on your hunt!

 

[fellerr]

Haha...you have a point.

I probably read way to much into peoples opinions and get stuck on everyone recommending sitka or kuiu this or that, dont buy cheap stuff. Weve killed plenty of whitetail here with "cheap stuff", we dont own anything expensive really.

Just dont want to be up there and have gear fail the 1st couple days.

I like all the input though, thank you!

 

[Robinhood21]

Got an Alaskan moose tripped planned for this September. Been doing lots of reading and searching on the forums for clothing tips and what to and not to wear. What is the best packable outer layer? I like the sitka kelvin windstopper hoody. Seems like it would be a good option? Or should I bet searching for something else?

Plans now are a merino wool base layer. Sitka fanatic hoody. Then have a sitka merino 1/4 zip (not sure what one, tag is washed off), pnuma vest, sitka jetsteam jacket, then sitka kelvin WS hoody.

Still working on rain gear and pants. Hard when nobody around you carries anything to look at or try on.

Looks like you’re on rthe right track as I had a similar setup.

My main 3 pieces were:
Blackovis 150 Hoodie
Kuiu Peloton 240
Kuiu Super Down Ultra hooded

I also had a guide vest and guide jacket that I would wear once in a while.

For rain Gear I wore:
Kuiu Chugach Jacket
Kuiu Kutana pants or wading pants depending where we were headed for the day.

Thinking I’m going to sell the Chugach jacket and get the Kutana jacket as well. It worked just fine for me but I spoke with a guy that lives up there and he said the Kutana is the most impervious of all the KUIU rain gear, even the Yukon.


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[AKDoc]

You're on it...asking really good questions and getting great help from others here.

I appreciate your pause to focus on a rain layer...good thinking...and easy for all of us to over-think! Regardless of our zipcodes, wx is always the wildcard when we hunt...but especially up here because of the extremes and the remoteness.

On my moose drop-hunts when I'm living in a tent in the middle of nowhere for two-weeks, rain gear is my most important clothing item, and it is an excellent wind layer, so I'm reaching for it on a cold and breezy day as well. Bottom line for all of us on a sustained, remote Alaska hunt...we want to be absolutely sure that our rain layer does the job and will keep us dry when we need it...period, no doubts...especially of it's day after day of sustained wet wx...which Alaska can do to us. We sometimes hit the wx jack-pot, and experience clear and cold days with very little or no rain...it does happen up here...just don't count on it!

My moose hunt rain layer for years was HH Impertech (bibs and jacket). They were a good price performer, did the job keeping the rain out, and they were great as long as I wasn't doing a lot of physical exertion, which tended to build-up moisture from the inside. That said, I'd still recommend them on a moose hunt for someone coming from an environment where they will likely not need a rain layer in the future after this hunt. My personal moose hunt choice for the past half-dozen years has been (and still is) KUIU Yukon jacket and pants...they are the best I've every had for moose camp.

Sorry to be long-winded...really. You are going to have a great adventure for sure! BTW, If you find yourself on day two, three or four of blowing rain, and you start thinking that Mother Nature wasn't kind on your hunt, just keep telling yourself that when this sh-t wx breaks, the animals are going to pop-out and start moving...it's really true and they do. They've got to move after being hunkered down in the combined wind and rain...and when that happens you'll thank Mother Nature for your harvest opportunity that the crappy wx created!

 

[Kevin Dill]

The simple fact is this: You can’t be a real moose hunter and Rokslide member without owning $2000 in clothing, plus countless more for a latest generation pack, $400+ boots, and so on. Then there’s your thousand dollar or more shelter. Don’t forget a Swarovski something or two, and a new rifle for the hunt. Anyone who says you don’t need all this pricey gear should be regarded as extremely suspect....maybe an influencer working for Bass Pro or Dick’s. Or they could just be a stubborn and knowledgeable hunter with tons of bush experience.

 

[VernAK]

The simple fact is this: You can’t be a real moose hunter and Rokslide member without owning $2000 in clothing, plus countless more for a latest generation pack, $400+ boots, and so on. Then there’s your thousand dollar or more shelter. Don’t forget a Swarovski something or two, and a new rifle for the hunt. Anyone who says you don’t need all this pricey gear should be regarded as extremely suspect....maybe an influencer working for Bass Pro or Dick’s. Or they could just be a stubborn and knowledgeable hunter with tons of bush experience.

And don't forget the ultralight carbon fiber rifle with a Hubble mounted on it.

Fast Eddie's in Tok is an absolute fashion show in the fall. Kuiu vs Sitka for the fly-in types while the ATV hunters come off the Taylor Highway with their Red Head and Cabelas gear covered in mud.

I've been tempted to set up a trail camera near the entrance.

 

[Kevin Dill]

Fast Eddie's in Tok is an absolute fashion show in the fall. Kuiu vs Sitka for the fly-in types while the ATV hunters come off the Taylor Highway with their Red Head and Cabelas gear covered in mud.

Ha! No doubt true. Having been there a few times I can confidently tell anyone that, for travelers, Fast Eddie’s is basically a toll booth disguised as a restaurant. Sitka and KUIU blend in perfectly at the salad bar.

But of course, this is going on at any hub airport in North America come September. I think some guys get almost-dressed for the hunt before they leave home. This happens when you’re excited and proud of your regulation AK uniform.

Ok, ok I confess......I own some uniform too.

 

[Beendare]

AK Doc is right on the money.

You probably already know this but a drop camp in Alaska can include a huge variety of different conditions.

Some pilots will drop you in a proven spot and the conditions are known.

Some will fly until you find what you are looking for- hint, hint- then drop you close by.

In either case you could have a mixture of:
dry ground
swampy tussocks
impossible Boggs
clothes shredding brush
Deceiving black water gulleys (that can be 5’ wide and over your head deep
Etc,etc

You get the idea. What compounds these problems you run into in Alaska is they limit you on your gear weight.

Example: So when deciding on gear choice I would pick an extra item , something like hip waders (or chest) over a couple extra pair of pants even if they say you probably won’t need them.

Other items many don’t consider is an inflatable raft or block and tackle. The more you know about the spot where you are going to be dropped the better. The problem is it doesn’t always work out that way.

—

 

[AKDoc]

Fast Eddie's in Tok is an absolute fashion show in the fall. Kuiu vs Sitka for the fly-in types while the ATV hunters come off the Taylor Highway with their Red Head and Cabelas gear covered in mud.

I've been tempted to set up a trail camera near the entrance.

You guys (KD and Vern) are funny, and good to see you back KD...a trail cam at Fast Eddy's is hilarious Vern.

I've been wearing KUIU stuff since it first came out...long before it was popular. I've never been a cool guy, so I'm been kind of feeling a reverse peer-pressure thing the past few years!

Been to Fast Eddy's many times...a friend and I went there one year after a very dry and buggy caribou hunt. He had an operator error when we got back to the truck at the trail-head, and he over-squeezed a small bottle of Ben's, causing it to blow bug-dope into his eyes. Water was real scarce on hand when he did that. Fortunately we had one can of beer that we were saving for the end of the trip to split, so I opened that and did the initial eye rinse with it, finishing with what little water we had on hand...it turned out well for him. Anyway, we stopped at Eddy's later that day on the drive home, looking and smelling pretty ratty after a week in the field, and my friend smelled like he had rinsed his hair in beer that morning (and had)...when we walked in they immediately stuck us in the back by ourselves!

Edit: My apologies to the OP for the thread topic drift.