Dumb clothing questions about packing in.

[croben]

Don’t pack your fears. If you pack so you’re ready for ALL possibilities, your pack will be stupid heavy. I do keep extra stuff at my truck and will make game time decisions based on what the weather is supposed to be, but I still try to be very deliberate with my decisions. I still have my Columbia wools from 2006’ish. I love them, but they’re heavy to haul around. Rain gear and puffys are lighter and store much better in a pack.

 

[Pilsner]

I have a puffy coat already but since you mentioned that.....at the prices I'm seeing, yeah, I might do that. I don't expect either of us to really need the puffys but I may do exactly that.

I don't mind hunting in light rain but if it's heavy we are likely to stay in camp, or even move camp beforehand. It honestly depends on a lot of factors but I'd almost rather have snow than rain. Rain can be absolutely miserable. I'm glad I have an inreach so I can get wx updates on the mountains to help make those tough decisions. If it's gonna be really wet I'd rather car-camp and just walk in every morning. I don't really want to do that but camping in the rain doesn't sound terribly fun. At least at the car we can actually sleep in the dry. In my past experiences, tents don't stay very dry for very long in hard rains.

If that is the case then you need to upgrade your tent and tarp set ups. Tents and tarps SHOULD be 100% waterproof if they are of quality construction.
Have you actually tested your current gear in the rain? or are you assuming that it will fail?
Elk and deer can't stay in camp when it rains, and you shouldn't either! It allows you to move silently for spot and stalk, and it minimizes your scent dispersion, so rain is prime time to hunt.

 

[Pilsner]

Weather forecast depending. I can tough out some discomfort, even if it comes down to using my sleeping bag lol. I would pack for your anticipated weather ahead of time, and maybe take stuff out of my pack at the truck, but I don't pack stuff in AT the truck lol.

I ALWAYS bring a sun hoodie, Brynje Super-Thermo base layers, rain jacket, wool beanie, puffy hooded jacket, and a set of knee-high gaiters. Most of my pants are fast-drying DWR treated, so unless rain is in the forcast, I usually don't pack rain pants. Same with puffy pants, unless the forecast is cold, I usually don't pack them. The rest of the stuff packed is tailored to the specific hunt. Learning to layer is an art perfected by knowing what your body can handle!

+ 1 for good gaiters!

 

[joerotter]

With the exception of raingear/gaiters, I plan to wear everything I bring every day. If you get to the end of the hunt and didn't wear it, probably overkill. But every night from September on I'll likely have a puffy and stocking cap on, sleep in long underwear. 3 days + I'll bring xtra socks and undies, less than 3 days I'll grind it out. The only way I've found to get clothes dry... is wear 'em until they are dry. I hate packing wet socks around in my pack. I would rather wear 'em than haul 'em.

 

[Chris in TN]

If that is the case then you need to upgrade your tent and tarp set ups. Tents and tarps SHOULD be 100% waterproof if they are of quality construction.
Have you actually tested your current gear in the rain? or are you assuming that it will fail?
Elk and deer can't stay in camp when it rains, and you shouldn't either! It allows you to move silently for spot and stalk, and it minimizes your scent dispersion, so rain is prime time to hunt.

I don't mean they leak just sitting there - I mean if you're in and out of them you eventually tromp in water.

I'll hunt in a light rain. Not a downpour. Remember, I have a 13 year old girl with me. We'll sit in camp and read a book if it's raining hard. Or go find a hill overlooking a meadow and set up a rain fly and sit there and take turns reading and glassing. There are worse ways to spend a day.

 

[Pilsner]

I hunt with a 115# lab service dog who goes literally everywhere with me. I guarantee he brings in more water than any three daughters lol. But your point is well taken. Not all water that gets into a tent is from a leak.
The struggle is real.

 

[Chris in TN]

With the exception of raingear/gaiters, I plan to wear everything I bring every day. If you get to the end of the hunt and didn't wear it, probably overkill. But every night from September on I'll likely have a puffy and stocking cap on, sleep in long underwear. 3 days + I'll bring xtra socks and undies, less than 3 days I'll grind it out. The only way I've found to get clothes dry... is wear 'em until they are dry. I hate packing wet socks around in my pack. I would rather wear 'em than haul 'em.

We do have gaiters for snow and raingear for both camp and hunting (unless it's a downpour). I hate packing wet clothes too.

I'll have plenty of sleeping clothes or a second set of long underwear and socks if needed to keep warm.

I honestly don't really intend to have a campfire in camp, because I don't want to smell like a campfire for five days in a row - but if it rains, my fears of setting the mountain on fire go way down, and if we need a fire to stay warm or get dry, that won't be a problem. Wherever we camp I'll have a fire 'built' even if I never light it, and enough wood stuck somewhere dry to use in an emergency to keep warm. I'm guessing that with millions of acres of beetle kill, dry spruce limbs are pretty easy to come by in most places.

I think the thing I'm going to miss the most is having a shower.