Do I need more clothing items? Sept CO Elk hunt

[bz_711]

You have plenty...90+% of Sept elk I have pants, merino tshirt, thin poly long sleeve on...and that's what I wear for most of daylight hours. I'll have a zip up fleece for first and last light when it's cooler. Only other piece I'd carry is good lightweight rain gear. I got the Cabelas space rain gear in 2010...and it's been amazing, probably only average barely 1 wear per season (several seasons I've never gotten it out, others I've worn a couple days)...but when you need it, it's amazing how dry you stay underneath with being breathable and how warm you can stay with minimal clothing underneath during heavy rain or wet snow. I just had to re-seam seal a couple areas around shoulders this summer - it's really held up.

Throw heaving jacket in truck for camp. Thin base layer underwear if it's cooler than normal. Otherwise I was totally over geared on my first trip and that first day I packed around way too many layers...you learn a lot in your first full day in the mountains.

Good Luck!

 

[Jaquomo]

haha thats funny. that 6'3" 195 fits just right hahaha.. What's your go to big game september setup?

I hunt between 8,000-10,000 feet and am in the woods hunting or helping the whole month of September. My everyday elk outfit is a thin synthetic base impregnated with silver, another thin base, either poly or merino, a camo flannel shirt, and a Cabelas zip-front hoodie in either a light or dark camo pattern depending on whether I'm hunting heavy timber or open stuff. My go-to pants are Duluth Trading Company Firehose Flex cargo pants. Boots of choice are either Crispi Thor or Salomon Ultra GTX.

I sometimes wear a Sitka ball cap that the Sitka people gave me so I couldn't say I don't wear any Sitka. Nice cap, but I wouldn't pay retail for it. Otherwise a fleece boonie if it's chilly.

I can wear whatever brand/style I want. This is what works for me. YMMV.

 

[mcseal2]

You've got answers from guys with more experience than me on that particular hunt, but here is what I do for warmer, drier hunts

I like to have a tote of options in the truck. This is where all the "just in case" things stay. Before each day's hunt I can check the forecast and add them if I think I need them.

I'm not stuck on brands, I like items from a lot of different ones. I mix and match depending on what's on sale, what I need, etc. They don't have to be hunting brands either.

My normal layers to start out the day wearing are:

FL Wick hoody OR FL Aerowool T shirt (often this is all I wear until I'm done hiking and stopped)
FL or Black Ovis merino boxers
Kuiu Attack or Kutana pants
Darn Tough tall socks
Kennetrek boots
Mesh backed ball cap
Gaiters (if I have to have them, left in the truck if not)

I'll also have either a Sitka Mountain Vest or a Kryptek Dalibor 2 jacket either worn or loose in the top of my pack.

The taller socks and longer boxers eliminate my need for a merino long jon layer on a warmer hunt. This set-up dries quick if I sweat walking in without being to warm or bulky. The jacket or vest is often in my pack and not worn, but if I'm not gaining a lot of elevation or moving fast I may wear one in. If I use a jacket I'll always have one with pit zips to dump heat. I have bigger calves than normal people apparently, and the gaiters I found to fit them are a little louder to walk in than I'd like. I'll wear them if I need to, but if I can leave them at the truck I will.

Clothes in my pack:

REI down vest OR Kuiu Superdown Pro jacket
Kuiu Superdown Ultra OR Pro pants
FL merino wool baklava
thin merino or synthetic gloves
Kuiu Kutana gloves OR Superdown mittens
FL Ridgeline wind breaker (if I choose the Sitka vest and not Kryptek jacket from the top list)
Wilderness Innovations UL XXL poncho (Onewind XL poncho is similar and way cheaper)

I always have a bug head net in my pack too. I seldom use it except to pre-filter water, but it weighs almost nothing and every once in a while, it's priceless.

Warm hunts the down vest and Ultra pants are over kill, but they are really light and pack small. If things take an unexpected turn and I spend a night out in poor weather, I can make a decent shelter with the big poncho and hole up in the warmer layers. I can also use the poncho as an outer layer to block wind and create a dead air space around me to help stay warm while stopped glassing if needed. I can sit on it or wrap it around my legs if it's wet or windy glassing. I like a poncho as a multipurpose way to have rain gear, emergency shelter, and a glassing layer in one. It's not good to move in a lot, if I'm expecting longer periods of rain and plan to actively hunt in rain rather than wait it out, I'll take normal rain gear instead. The merino baklava works well for me glassing with a cold wind in my face to cut the bite a bit. My hands will be the first thing to get cold if I'm holed up glassing like described, so I take a warmer glove.

That's my set up to keep layers I carry somewhat minimal. I really like a lot of the fleece mid layers like the Kuiu Peloton 200 or 240, but for warmer hunts I find they just stay in my pack to often and don't get worn enough to justify. Same with any vest that isn't a puffy vest if I take the Dalibor 2 jacket. I can squish the puffy pants and vest mentioned into a small space and they weigh about the same as one heavier fleece or merino mid layer jacket combined.

Stuff in the tote in the truck:
Good rain gear, lighter or heavier set depending on the hunt and forecast
Superdown Pro jacket and pants if not in my pack
Old warm jacket and puffy pants for hanging around camp at night cooking etc
The fleece mid layers I don't want to carry or wear for a warmer hunt
FL Trace quarter zip shirt to go over my merino base layers if the brush might shred them
Beanie cap
Camp shoes to get out of my hunting boots (let my boots and feet both dry)
Extra socks, gloves, cap, etc
Extra sets of the base layers and pants I'll be wearing
merino base bottoms of a couple weights in case temps drop
Kuiu synthetic zip off base bottoms
Gaiters (I like to have 2 pairs in the tote so I can alternate days and let them dry longer)