Clothing system recs for FNG from northeast

[truckdriver20]

Hey yall - I’m a late-onset hunter looking to take part in my first fall hunting season in the woods of upstate NY (I’ve hog hunted in Texas a few times but nothing else). I’m somewhat lost trying to figure out a clothing system (specifically tops) that will work for me and be high quality but not break the bank. Here are some details to explain my situation:

- I want something to work from September through February (deer in Nov/Dec and squirrel the rest) without needing to buy too many pieces

- I’m gonna be doing a combination of still hunting and just ground hunting from a spot for deer (rifle/slug only for now), and probably same for squirrel.

- I’m 6’2 190lbs with semi-athletic build

- I have a bulky Carhartt Detroit jacket in a gray/green I use in general day-to-day in the winter that I can use (with a cotton hoodie underneath sometimes), but it doesn’t seem ideal. Maybe it could be for casual squirrel hunting, but not for deer?

- I also have a gray/green goretex rain shell I can use for the rain, but it’s a bit loud.

I just got a camo Kuiu peloton 240 (haven’t taken the tags off so I could return it) and I’m planning on getting some black ovis merino baselayers, but im sort of at a loss for what I need as a warmer layer on top of that. Will my carhartt work? Can I layer enough to make the Kuiu Peloton 240 work? Or do I need some other hunting jacket?

Thanks in advance for all the recs - can’t wait to get out there!

 

[Mojave]

I would call Kuiu or Black Ovis and talk to them about what you can do.

They will best know their systems.

I didn't understand the point of some Kuiu lines and called them and they were more than helpful.

 

[truckdriver20]

I also just saw the FL Source Jacket is 20% off. Would baselayers, Kuiu 240, and FL source all together get me warm about for late season?

 

[truckdriver20]

And the Catalyst soft shell is 30% off! Would that work for me?

I personally don’t love the idea of buying a whole “system” from one of the brands, maybe just because I’m stubborn and think it’s a bit of marketing to get me to buy more, but I guess that’s why I’m lost and here asking y’all haha. I‘d like to mix and match what works best and be flexible, but I can be convinced otherwise

 

[Mojave]

There is some Merino wool in the Kuiu outlet for cheap. I would start with that.

 

[Wolfshead]

I’m also a late onset hunter from N.Y.
When I first started about eleven years ago, I bought a parka and bibs from Gander Mountain, which I still use today. They are wearing out so that is something I’ll have to visit at a future date, but for now they work for what I need them to.

With that said, I do a lot of still hunting (no squirrel, just deer).
This is what I’m wearing after a few years of dialing in my clothes that works for me.
I have a wool Jac-shirt from Johnson woolen mills.
A pair of wool pants from Big Bills.
Kuiu merino base layers, top, and bottom. On top I have a short sleeve, and wear a long sleeve over the top of that.
I just purchased the PRO Merino 200 Zip-T, to go over that and also the Wind Pro Fleece Full Zip for a warmer weather outer layer of a mid layer on cold days under my wool Jac-shirt.
I also wear the Kuiu attack pants early season, but once it gets cold I go to my wool pants.
If I’m sitting on the field edge I wear my wool under my parka, and bibs.
I try to wear as much wool as I can, but sometimes the synthetic stuff is very good too.

What you have I think will work (carhart, peloton, etc….) but I would try to stay away from cotton as much as you can.
I don’t know about the orvis merino, but I can tell you the Kuiu is very good and I’ve got some that I’ve had since 2012, that is in great condition still.
I have the peloton 240 vest that is good so I feel that your jacket would be good early season outer layer and a good mid layer underneath your carhart? Especially rather than a cotton hoody.
This is my opinion, and others may vary, but I have been trying to perfect my “kit” for N.Y., for the last ten years, and this is where I’m at now, and very happy with it.
I’ve added pieces over the years and it doesn’t take long to get it to where you want it.
I’m 5’7” and 190 lbs and I wear mostly XL with Kuiu.
Hope this helps.

 

[hoosierhunter11]

I would take advantage of the current First Lite sale. First Lite's merino is pretty solid it's 30-40% right now. I have the Catalyst jacket and it is just ok. I don't find it to be exceptionally warm.

A lot folks are selling their Solitude set ups right now because of the new FL whitetail offerings. It's a solid kit - especially at > 50% off retail. I bought the original Solitude back in 2020 and it's still running strong for me here in Indiana. I beat the heck out of that kit come November/rut.

 

[yfarm]

Read about the army's ECWCS system, buy a set of Level 1 top and bottom, Level 4 or 5 top and bottom. Pick up a 1/4 zip fleece in 100 wt, 100 wt fleece pants and a down puffy from Eddie Bauer or the like. All off ebay for maybe $150-200. Then spend some $ on quality quiet rain gear for those bad days, and a pr of Hoffman 400 thinsulate/wool pacs. Avoid cotton like the plague. While I prefer the ACU camo for western and SW hunting, multicam may be better for eastern forest.

 

[Macintosh]

think about
1) different activity-levels doing different things (getting to a stand versus sitting once you are at the stand) and how much insulation you need for both; anything you arent wearing you will need to carry (ie giant heavy insulated jackets)
2) your clothing needs are *baselayer to deal with moisture agsint your body from sweat, *insulation, and *breatheability versus weather protection (wind and water), and *what will your needs be MOST of the time?

Merino baselayers are a good start that you cant go wrong with.

A rain jacket is good to have, and that "loud" fabirc will shed water better than a quieter fabric. I dont love my loud rain jacket, but I still use mine and just replaced it with another loud rain jacket. When it's raining, it's nice to be dry. nuff said. dont worry much about the color, that's overrated. But I dont end up using my rain jacket that much becasue most of the time when I hunt its not raining much or at all.

I have a catalyst jacket that I really like--its not really warm, nor is it meant to be "warm", but its a good versatile outer layer that protects a bit from wind, a bit from light drizzle, adds some warmth in early season, and works great over an insulating layer such as that source jacket, a grid fleece, or similar. It's the jacket I reach for 99% of the time, and I adjust what's underneath it to match conditions. There are plenty of other jackets like it, it just happens to be one I know. I also have a source jacket that I like. There's probably better jackets, but its a nice quiet fabric, simple warmer jacket that is also versatile as an outer layer on a cool evening, or as a midlayer in cold weather. Any puffy jacket wil work for this, this one just happened to be a very quiet fabric and not super $$. It's a decent value that I'd buy again. I dont know the kuiu piece you got, but it might be a decent stand-in for the source...my $ says if you get a source jacket plan to keep one of those two so you arent duplicating.

between a baselayer, 1 midweight fleece or sweater, a Source jacket or similar (maybe your kuiu), a catalyst or a similar non-insulated or extremely lightly-insulated softshell that has a hood and some weather protection, a warm hat and neck gaiter, and the rain jacket you already have...you can likely hunt september into december and be comfortable in almost any weather, in almost any activity level.

 

[Beagle1]

NY upstate hunter. For still hunting and squirrel hunting what you have could be ok but as has been mentioned ditch the cotton. It’s really not that hard to stay warm when you’re moving. For stationary deer hunting after an hour you are going to feel the cold seeping in. I would add a down puffy and vest for that along with a good bomber type hat. Also good rain gear is a must. Nothing sucks the heat out of you like being wet.

 

[truckdriver20]

A rain jacket is good to have, and that "loud" fabirc will shed water better than a quieter fabric. I dont love my loud rain jacket, but I still use mine and just replaced it with another loud rain jacket. When it's raining, it's nice to be dry. nuff said.

I also think if it's raining hard enough to need the jacket, the noise of the rain will cover whatever noise the jacket makes (plus I'm not bowhunting.... yet...)

 

[Macintosh]

often, yes. On the other hand, the day after a soaking all-night rain its silent in the woods and you can sneak around quietly, so its a great time for still hunting...but the brush and any undergrowth is still drenched so rain gear can be nice. In this case its loud and you can hear it from quite a ways away. It's always kind of a tossup in conditions like that whether you make noise and stay dry, or stay quiet and get wet, or take advantage of deer getting up to feed after hunkering down through a storm by finding a good spot to sit and wait. Dont be surprised if you walk up on a deer at 15 yards when still hunting in good conditions though.

 

[dan33]

I used wool pants and the cabelas wooltimate jacket and was pretty decent until the bitter cold days but I stayed warm when I started moving around.

 

[Desk Jockey]

Welcome. I love and hunt NY and PA when I am not hunting elsewhere.

TBH some of the western hunting gear that people use here will work just fine in the eastern woods but it isn’t necessary. Carhartt and Cabela’s stuff will keep you warm and last for years.

Hunt what you have and add a few pieces. Get a bottle of hunting scent free detergent and some totes to store your clothes in during deer season to keep them scent free.

For early season and moving around I really like wool or fleece. Sitka stratus is top of the line and has a price to match. Cabelas is just fine too.

Merino or synthetic base layers would be good. The hunting brands have scent control of sorts. Carhartt or something works fine.

For stand and blind sitting in rifle seasons, bibs and insulated coats are awesome. I have a set of first light solitudes that keep me toasty on long sits from 15-40* They were pricey, but they are 6 years old and going strong since they only get used a few days a year.

 

[Ditt44]

Budget? That spread of time in NY means several pieces. I'm your size, 6'2 195 ish, athletic build. I got into Sitka because I was tired of mediocre mixed pieces and being cold and/or wet. I like the fit and 90% of the time a Large size upper and Large or 34/35 waist is perfect. You can often find great deals in the classifieds here. DeskJockey really summed it up well overall and even the 'western' gear is more than adequate, just different.

The base layers you're looking at are fine If you can swing a Stratus, with the right layers you can do all the seasons, especially if you stalk or move when chilly. Layers matter regardless of when and what you hunt. I do the same as you in PA, October to the end of February, deer then squirrel/rabbit.

The Cabela's Instinct line is pretty nice but still in an upper-middle price range. Overall, you get what you pay for and depending on how many hours/days you'll hunt, which sounds like a lot for you, pay once-cry once and get years of dependable service out of your choice.

 

[kyguylal]

What's your budget range? Kuiu makes a good product, but the pants tend to fit tight. More of a slim fit.

 

[truckdriver20]

I ended up ordering the First Lite Source jacket on sale. While I like the Peloton 240, I’ll probably end up returning it just because it serves more-or-less the same function as the Source but a bit less versatile and I like the lightweight puffy style more than a fleece overall. I do like that the dimensions on the Peloton are ‘longer’ overall (torso and back) vs the Source though.

It sounds like I just need an outer-layer softshell. I’m almost wishing I got the catalyst too while it was on sale to complete my kit, but I think this year I’ll give my wallet a break and either wear my Carhartt (super bulky, non-tech material, so not ideal) or try to squeeze by with enough baselayers under the Source and my hardshell rainjacket on top when it gets cold.

For pants I have the Kuiu Attack and some Fjallraven Keb. I think with a heavy baselayer underneath I’ll be fine, as my legs rarely get cold enough to bother me.

Since rifle deer season in New York (when I’ll be doing long sits the most) doesn’t go past mid-December I think I’ll be fine. I’ll be moving a bit more during the coldest days in January/February when hunting squirrel.

Thanks for the advice y’all, and happy hunting this fall

 

[Ditt44]

One thing to keep in mind that most of us do not think of due to 'camo-blindness', we'll call it... Typical non-hunting outer wear. You might find great deals on your standard soft shell jackets/street clothes. If you have going to wear an orange vest anyway, it really doesn't prohibit you from wearing a solid-ish colored outer from any rack in any store that is wind and water resistant. I would just stay away from yellows, blues and bright greens.

I have a couple black jackets for everyday wear that get washed and de-scented for pop-up blind use. Honestly just as good for the $40-60 I paid for them vs the hundreds I paid for other 'hunting' jackets. Thrift stores and places that specialize in seconds or clearance/buy-outs are great places to find supplemental hunting clothing.

 

[Wolfshead]

One thing to keep in mind that most of us do not think of due to 'camo-blindness', we'll call it... Typical non-hunting outer wear. You might find great deals on your standard soft shell jackets/street clothes. If you have going to wear an orange vest anyway, it really doesn't prohibit you from wearing a solid-ish colored outer from any rack in any store that is wind and water resistant. I would just stay away from yellows, blues and bright greens.

I have a couple black jackets for everyday wear that get washed and de-scented for pop-up blind use. Honestly just as good for the $40-60 I paid for them vs the hundreds I paid for other 'hunting' jackets. Thrift stores and places that specialize in seconds or clearance/buy-outs are great places to find supplemental hunting clothing.

I agree 100%
Camo is not necessary at all
In fact Carhart brown is about the same color as a whitetail any way.

 

[Northern-Nomad]

Read about the army's ECWCS system, buy a set of Level 1 top and bottom, Level 4 or 5 top and bottom. Pick up a 1/4 zip fleece in 100 wt, 100 wt fleece pants and a down puffy from Eddie Bauer or the like. All off ebay for maybe $150-200. Then spend some $ on quality quiet rain gear for those bad days, and a pr of Hoffman 400 thinsulate/wool pacs. Avoid cotton like the plague. While I prefer the ACU camo for western and SW hunting, multicam may be better for eastern forest.

I think yfarm hit the nail on the head here. In my opinion the best/first place to put good money into is quality rain gear and good footwear. Everything else is very situationally dependent so you’re just going to have to spend some time hunting to see what you really need.

I also really like the point about the ECWCS gear for two reasons. First is that it is good stuff that can be found for a really good price to at least get you into a system to find out what you like and what you need. Secondly though for a new hunter I think a lot can be learned from just looking at how the pieces are meant to work together and then applying that to your region and hunting style to find what gear will work best.

Lastly, as mentioned already, don’t underestimate the value you can get from non-hunting brands. Especially in the mid layer realm, the difference between a kuiu or first lite fleece and a decent quality Columbia or walmart brand fleece might not warrant the difference in price, especially if you are just trying to figure out your system and what pieces you need.