Bob Marshall, September Clothing Feedback

[junitas03]

Assuming draw, I'm heading to the Bob first week of September.
It'll be my first time in Montana, usually hunt CO, but taking a year off due to changes in the draw / OTC.
Proactively getting my gear list setup, and would love some feedback on layering / overall kit as I know MT is a different beast.

Tops:
Base: Stone Glacier Chinook SS & LS
Mid-Layer: Stone Glacier Helio & Sitka Ambient 75
Active Jacket for Mornings / Evenings: Stone Glacier Cirque Lite

Bottoms:
Fjallraven Keb or Keb Agile or KUIU Attack

Boots:
Crispi Altitude or Briksdal MTN

In Pack:
Stone Glacier M5 & Grumman Lite

Accessories / Misc.:
Stone Glacier Graupel Fleece Gloves & Mirka Gloves (will be riding horses) & Beanie

I plan on leaving 1 base-layer and 1 mid-layer at camp each morning. But, want a couple options depending on weather - I would wear the Ambient 75 if it was a little cooler vs. the Helio. And, I'd keep some puffy pants and M5 bottoms at camp too, but likely not pack them daily unless forecast looks hairy.

My biggest questions are: 1) am I under-gunned in mid-layers? 2) is the SG Cirque Lite substantial enough for temp swings in morning and evening? 3) are the Keb Agiles too lightweight? 4) Altitudes or Briksdal MTN? 5) Gaiters?

All feedback welcome. Thank you in advance!

 

[jjohnsonElknewbie]

I hunted the Bob from 9/19/21-9/26/21. The weather was typically 40s during the day and 20s at night. There was one day that we experienced every type of precipitation including snow in the morning, ice by noon, rain and hail by late afternoon, and snow again that night. Layers are key, and the one day it was wet, I was very glad to have a XL poncho with a hood for a couple long sits.

I'm not sure how far you plan to hike or what your sleeping arrangements are, and if you have means to dry out your gear, I would recommend rotating pairs of merino socks and base layers. If you won't have a woodstove or other effective way to dry out your gear, you may want to consider more sythetic blends.

@mtwarden has spent more time in the Bob across the seasons than probably anybody on Rokslide or in the area. He'd be a great resource for questions.

 

[junitas03]

I hunted the Bob from 9/19/21-9/26/21. The weather was typically 40s during the day and 20s at night. There was one day that we experienced every type of precipitation including snow in the morning, ice by noon, rain and hail by late afternoon, and snow again that night. Layers are key, and the one day it was wet, I was very glad to have a XL poncho with a hood for a couple long sits.

I'm not sure how far you plan to hike or what your sleeping arrangements are, and if you have means to dry out your gear, I would recommend rotating pairs of merino socks and base layers. If you won't have a woodstove or other effective way to dry out your gear, you may want to consider more sythetic blends.

@mtwarden has spent more time in the Bob across the seasons than probably anybody on Rokslide or in the area. He'd be a great resource for questions.

Great context.

Will be there 9/05 - 9/11.
Sleeping accommodations will be solid, access to wood stove and space to dry gear out.

I was planning on bringing extra socks and 2's of most thing in the event of wetting out. Based on your feedback, I'd probably swap out the Grumman Lite for Grumman. And, leave the Keb Agiles at home in favor of a mid weight bottom.

 

[jjohnsonElknewbie]

I brought 2 pairs of boots and rotated a few pairs of Darn Tough full cushion hunting socks. A lighter cheap pair of well worn uninsulated hikers from Redhead with GTX did fine every day except when it got wet. That day I wore a well broken in pair of Crispi West River with GTX (Scheels exclusive with 400g). That being said, we rode out of camp every day on horses, so our hiking was less than 5 miles per day.

Depending on where your camp is, the terrain can be tough to extremely rugged. We camped 18 miles in from the Swift Dam trail head. It was the steepest and nastiest ground I've ever hunted with tons of deadfall, scree slopes, black timber, and bald peaks that looked like the surface of the moon. The horses did most of the heavy lifting, but the hiking we did was what I would call "advanced". The outfitter we went with didn't recommend trekking poles because we were riding most of the time, but if your hiking 100% I would absolutely get a light and reliable pair.

For base layers, I rotated a couple pairs of 200 weight merino bottoms and 250 merino quarter zip tops. My mid-layers were a mishmash of fleece hoodies and synthetic zip ups, and my heavy outer layer was an old, heavy, hunting parka with GTX. On bottom I rotated a couple pairs of Kuhl Ryders and they articulated well and are just really tough and comfortable pants. The poncho was a Mil-Tech, and it packed very tightly into a small bag. It saved my bacon the day it got wet.

You mentioned gaitors, and I wore a pair of Kennetreks every day. They've held up extremely well over 3 Western hunts now, and I recommend them.

 

[mtwarden]

Where are you heading? The west side of the Bob is typically wetter than the east side, the northwest corner being the wettest.

"Normal" weather the first week of September is usually warm, but obviously can be just about anything. As things get closer, pay close attention to meteoblue.com — you can put in the location and get a pretty good idea what the weather is going to look like. It's generally pretty accurate and should help dial in what clothing to bring. Err on the cautious side, as the Bob weather can be a little fickle.

See if the outfitter has propane boot driers, if he does one pair of boots will suffice. If not, and there is room I'd consider two pairs of boots (or invest in a propane boot drier yourself)

I think the Briksdal Mtns might be a bit of overkill, more designed for goat/sheep hunting in the rock.

The Cirque Lite will be more than enough jacket for moving; it's the warmest active layer I've reviewed.

Take full advantage of going in on horseback (within reason), bringing extra base layers and socks.

Enjoy—it's a beautiful place to hang out

 

[Jason Snyder]

Mid September usually brings the first good winter storm of the year. One year we woke up to 12+ inches of snow on 9/15. Another year we rode in to bluebird skies and shirt sleeve weather. 48 hours later we were borderline hypothermic packing out a sheep.

 

[OutHeavy]

5) Gaiters - Yes. If it snows these are a must have

 

[jjohnsonElknewbie]

5) Gaiters - Yes. If it snows these are a must have

If riding horses, the gaiters are also nice for keeping sharp branches from snagging your pants.

 

[jjohnsonElknewbie]

Enjoy—it's a beautiful place to hang out

absoutely stunning.

 

[junitas03]

Where are you heading? The west side of the Bob is typically wetter than the east side, the northwest corner being the wettest.

"Normal" weather the first week of September is usually warm, but obviously can be just about anything. As things get closer, pay close attention to meteoblue.com — you can put in the location and get a pretty good idea what the weather is going to look like. It's generally pretty accurate and should help dial in what clothing to bring. Err on the cautious side, as the Bob weather can be a little fickle.

See if the outfitter has propane boot driers, if he does one pair of boots will suffice. If not, and there is room I'd consider two pairs of boots (or invest in a propane boot drier yourself)

I think the Briksdal Mtns might be a bit of overkill, more designed for goat/sheep hunting in the rock.

The Cirque Lite will be more than enough jacket for moving; it's the warmest active layer I've reviewed.

Take full advantage of going in on horseback (within reason), bringing extra base layers and socks.

Enjoy—it's a beautiful place to hang out

Appreciate the thoughtful reply!

Will have wood stove, and own a set of Grakksaw Boot Dryers, which have worked well in the past without a wood stove (added a couple hand warmers in the boots thanks to a fella on Rokslide's reccomendation, great tip btw).

The outfitter is located, and pardon the non-Montana resident geographic location (so, I could be off here/there), Northwest of Augusta, hunting West of Saypo in Lewis and Clark County. I could be off a little there but generally that location.

Absolutely bringing extra underwear, base-layers and socks - taking all the advantage of not needing to travel ultralight.

I'm excited - this will be the first non DIY hunt I've been on. Will absolutely be tracking meteoblue.com, and my wife (through work) has access to advanced weather forecasting tools - will be using those as well ahead of the trip.

 

[mtwarden]

You’re in for a great trip! The East Front is fantastic. You’ll drive in from the east (prairie) to some of the most gorgeous mountains in the lower 48