Budget Minded Layering

[idahohikker]

Well I know 100% of my money is not going to hunting when I buy from a non-hunting company.

A quick google search finds Sitka is doing at least 2% more than the non-hunting companies. Then 20,000 more to the RMEF a year for the past 3 years. they are also the title sponsor at the wild sheep foundation. I would bet more than that if I cared to look...Oh, they also support the site you are looking at right now.

EB Ascent pants suck IME, on the other hand, I am on year six with my $110 Attack pants(bought them on sale)

Arcteryx high-end stuff has never impressed me for the price neither has North Face for that matter.

Rab makes some truly innovative products but spendy.

OR makes some good products for a very good price.

My favorite piece of non-hunting clothing is the MH GhostWhisper jacket.

I will admit there are some very crappy clothing being sold in the Hunting market. but there is also crap being sold on the mountaineering side as well.

I still don't get why people buy full price. PLAN AHEAD and buy it on sale.

Happy to agree to disagree on this. The thread is taking a turn into hunting versus nonhunting companies. It would be great if it went back to good, cost efficient clothes options for budget minded guys.

 

[Vandy321]

I guess I dont chose my clothing brands based on the notion that overpaying is somehow saving the environment...but whatever floats your boat.

And if the arguement is their quality, it's pretty clear that can be beat with non-hunting clothes.

From there, we're left buying based on percieved value, which is going to be different for everyone, which was the entire point of the OPs post. He was simply offering alterative to the higher priced gear.

 

[Ryan Avery]

I'm going to get seven-plus years on a pair of pants that I wear a least once a week, that's very good for the budget

To get back on track. You can find some serious deals on baselayers at TJ MAXX. I had never been in one till last year. My wife made me go into one and I was shocked at some of the prices they had on brand name clothing.

 

[ljalberta]

Costco is the dream for a budget hunter. 100% Merino long sleeves for under $20. Down puffy jackets for under 40$. Fantastic merino trail socks for 3$ a pair. Decent pant options, although if you keep on eye out for sales you can get some better OR pants for 40-50% off. Cheap and effective rain gear as well, but again, Marmot Precip goes on sale so often for 40-50% off I'd go that direction. They also sell fleeces every year for under $20 that I continue to use.

 

[Farmingdale's Finest]

What has Costco done to support hunting?

With a $20 pair of pants that are as good quality as a $180 hunting brand what they did is allow me to spend my money and support several brands of hunting products while allowing me to purchase more tags which means I then spend my money in several states supporting multiple economies.


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[TxxAgg]

Costco is the dream for a budget hunter. 100% Merino long sleeves for under $20. Down puffy jackets for under 40$. Fantastic merino trail socks for 3$ a pair. Decent pant options, although if you keep on eye out for sales you can get some better OR pants for 40-50% off. Cheap and effective rain gear as well, but again, Marmot Precip goes on sale so often for 40-50% off I'd go that direction. They also sell fleeces every year for under $20 that I continue to use.

agreed. Love me some costco clothes

 

[Farmingdale's Finest]

FYI Costco has a Kryptek soft shell jacket online.


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[BackcountryBloodline]

I don’t think if hunting privileges are taken away that the mountaineering companies will have any sway either way in that. They just want to sell clothes.

Hmm I can point to very prominent "top tier" mountaineering companies that have most definitely fought tooth and nail to have hunting rights stripped away. Patagonia for example was a big player in having the grizzly hunt in BC banned, wolves are next on their docket. There are plenty of other examples out there, they most certainly aren't all bad and as I always say, first and foremost wear whatever keeps you warm and dry. That said voting with your dollar is more important now than ever and if you think mountaineering companies just want to sell clothes unfortunately that's not always the case, the profit they make off you may very well be used to take your own rights away down the road. A bit off topic as far as budget layering goes but since it was brought up I had to drop my $0.02.

To contribute to the discussion at hand, assuming those base layers are synthetic...in my experience remote country and synthetic base layers don't mix, I've found decent 100% merino base layers at costco for $20cdn before, just be careful because they also sell 11% merino blends with the word merino all over the package and very little merino in the blend

 

[idahohikker]

Hmm I can point to very prominent "top tier" mountaineering companies that have most definitely fought tooth and nail to have hunting rights stripped away. Patagonia for example was a big player in having the grizzly hunt in BC banned, wolves are next on their docket. There are plenty of other examples out there, they most certainly aren't all bad and as I always say, first and foremost wear whatever keeps you warm and dry. That said voting with your dollar is more important now than ever and if you think mountaineering companies just want to sell clothes unfortunately that's not always the case, the profit they make off you may very well be used to take your own rights away down the road. A bit off topic as far as budget layering goes but since it was brought up I had to drop my $0.02.

To contribute to the discussion at hand, assuming those base layers are synthetic...in my experience remote country and synthetic base layers don't mix, I've found decent 100% merino base layers at costco for $20cdn before, just be careful because they also sell 11% merino blends with the word merino all over the package and very little merino in the blend

What’s your issue with the synthetic base layers? Mine have been decent.

 

[BackcountryBloodline]

What’s your issue with the synthetic base layers? Mine have been decent.

My main issue has been stink, I'm not an overly stinky guy by any means but for me poly base layers smell awful after a day of hiking steep and deep with a pack on...I really don't mind the smell of my armpits themselves at the end of a hard day (at least it doesn't knock me out) but poly shirts seem to take it and make it 10x funkier than it ever is on my body. I could bring a clean synthetic shirt for every day I'm out there or just bring one merino shirt. The moisture content in the air here is also so high that it doesn't have to be raining to feel somewhat saturated, synthetics have had me shivering in those situations. If it works for you though that's awesome because they're much cheaper and dry much faster, also more durable.

 

[sneaky]

I can wash a synthetic base layer in a creek and it'll be dry in about 10 minutes. Merino isn't the wonder material, that stuff gets funky on extended trips too, and takes way longer to dry than synthetic does. There's always a tradeoff. The synthetic/ merino blends are a step in the right direction. Dry much quicker than merino, don't get funky as fast as synthetic. Where merino loses points with me is the durability flat out sucks compared to synthetic or a blend.

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[idahohikker]

My main issue has been stink, I'm not an overly stinky guy by any means but for me poly base layers smell awful after a day of hiking steep and deep with a pack on...I really don't mind the smell of my armpits themselves at the end of a hard day (at least it doesn't knock me out) but poly shirts seem to take it and make it 10x funkier than it ever is on my body. I could bring a clean synthetic shirt for every day I'm out there or just bring one merino shirt. The moisture content in the air here is also so high that it doesn't have to be raining to feel somewhat saturated, synthetics have had me shivering in those situations. If it works for you though that's awesome because they're much cheaper and dry much faster, also more durable.

Great to hear it’s just stink. I have the same problem but agree synethic is otherwise better in most every way, most importantly drying.

 

[BackcountryBloodline]

I can wash a synthetic base layer in a creek and it'll be dry in about 10 minutes. Merino isn't the wonder material, that stuff gets funky on extended trips too, and takes way longer to dry than synthetic does. There's always a tradeoff. The synthetic/ merino blends are a step in the right direction. Dry much quicker than merino, don't get funky as fast as synthetic. Where merino loses points with me is the durability flat out sucks compared to synthetic or a blend.

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You have some good creek water sir, sometimes it takes a couple washes with mountain fresh gain or whatever detergent is on hand to get a good pack-in sweat smell out of poly in my house. My backcountry drying is generally done at night, either in the sleeping bag or by the fire and either way I'm in no rush to dry things out, by morning it's always dry. If I'm actually soaked through I much prefer thermal retention to wicking/drying, I can also wear the same merino socks for 4 days and shirt for 2+ weeks with literally no stink, my body and boots definitely stink but not the fabric. This is a prime example though of why the perfect kit for one guy is meh for the next, if synthetic works for your hunting style you're certainly winning in my opinion!

 

[fngTony]

Them wranglers are nice. They have become daily work attire as well as my go to outdoor pants. Ten pairs over 3 years with one pocket stitch failure and one pair cut small, not bad imo.

For a budget down jacket it’s really hard to beat Eddie Bauer on their frequent sales.

 

[Joe_81]

Costco is the dream for a budget hunter. 100% Merino long sleeves for under $20. Down puffy jackets for under 40$. Fantastic merino trail socks for 3$ a pair. Decent pant options, although if you keep on eye out for sales you can get some better OR pants for 40-50% off. Cheap and effective rain gear as well, but again, Marmot Precip goes on sale so often for 40-50% off I'd go that direction. They also sell fleeces every year for under $20 that I continue to use.

I see this claim regularly and I’m happy to hear it but can’t find said merino long sleeves or down puffy jackets online. Are they only in store?

 

[Sturgeon]

I’ve never seen the 100% merino blends in store, just the 10% ones. They have Eddie Bauer and Gerri(sp) down coats in the stores for really good deals.

 

[ljalberta]

I see this claim regularly and I’m happy to hear it but can’t find said merino long sleeves or down puffy jackets online. Are they only in store?

I’ve only ever seen both in store here in Canada. It’s worth mentioning they’re also both seasonal items here as well. Appearing only in the late summer/early fall I believe. I could be wrong on that though.

 

[fngTony]

Paradox merino blend shirts (Costco seasonally, Amazon). Not much merino content but also has odor treatment to the synthetic fibers. I had a lightweight 1/4 zip that lasted a couple years. Think I paid $12 on sale.
Frog toggs rain jacket. Ya I said it. For day hunts in places that might get a brief shower. Surprisingly good at blocking wind.

 

[Pathfinder27]

I’d like to add that you can typically find the ECWCS military layering stuff at surplus stores at reasonable prices. I’ve been issued about 10-15 sets of that stuff in my career and it’s the best thing the Army has ever issued me and maybe the only Army issue item I have that actually works.

 

[Team4LongGun]

I agree the wranglers are slim cut. Good for yard duty, but no go in the mountains.