Early November in Colorado gear!

[Aventus]

This is my first big game hunting trip. I will be up in the northern part of colorado for the first week of November. I was thinking about getting the First Lite merino wool layers and then top it off with the Kuiu Guide pants and jacket. Is that too much? Too little? I hear it can be in the 20's one day and the 50's the next day. And, if it is in the 50's along with our all day hiking, it is going to feel like summer. Any suggestions/advice? If I didn't provide enough detail, then feel free to ask specific questions and I will do my best to address them. This is my first big game hunt, so I am coming into this a bit blind and basing it off of what my friends have told me. Thanks!

 

[fngTony]

What region or game unit? Just asking because the weather scenario will very with the terrain.

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[fngTony]

If was starting my clothes from scratch with that hunt....
thin poly socks
wool socks (2-3 pair)
light insulated boots
You can layer the footwear as needed
Poly base layer for legs
attack or guide or corrugate guide pants
upsize insulated pants to fit over the others. or snow board pants.

Upper body
thin poly shirt
mid weight wool or fleece ( kuiu 210 or FL equivalent)
Puffy, First light unpronounceable or kifaru lost park parka
rain shell ( skip the softshell guide jacket unless you're in sage brush then the guide will hold up better)
My reason for using poly as your next to skin is it will wick moisture well but dry faster than wool. If you get a cold rain staying dry is key. Both of the puffy jackets I mentioned pull double duty for insulation and outer coat unless you get heavy precipitation. Both are also synthetic so if wet they dry quicker and retain heat better than wet down.
If you want a real good perspective on down, synthetic, water resistant down Aron Snyder goes into detail on a gritty bowmen podcast, I think its the one about sleeping bags or sleep systems.

You should feal slightly cool when you begin hiking.

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[COlineman78]

Depends on altitude, but yes you can even see 55 and sunny and 20 and a blizzard in the same day. I haven't tried any of the Kuiu pants other than the Tiburon which fit me so bad that I didn't bother trying any of the others. It kinda really depends on your hunting style. If you are a still hunt, blind/stand hunt or glass then you will want to have some very warm options. I love my North Branch pants for late season, but I think you'd be just as happy with Guide pants. As far as tops go, I have settled on a combination of Llano, Halstead and Uncompaghre.

 

[5MilesBack]

I'm going to laugh one of these years when we get a hunting season more like the ones in the 80's. All those guys sporting their logo'd camo base layers and lightweight jackets will be in for a rude awakening.

Ya, you can experience those 20 and 50 degree temps in Nov (seems more common these days anyway), but don't forget about the possibility of those -25 temps too. And I would say that we were pushing snow with our bumpers coming out more years than not. There were days when I was hunting with a full heavy parka, pac boots, and wearing ski goggles. Good times........back then. But these days I sure don't miss them hunting 70 degree temps in September.

Make sure you've got heavy chains for all 4 wheels.

 

[mcseal2]

How are you hunting? Are you hunting from a base camp, staying in town, backpack hunting? How far will you be from camp or town? What are the chances of heavy snow where you hunt? What you need to have changes with how far you are from civilization and other shelter.

 

[Aventus]

How are you hunting? Are you hunting from a base camp, staying in town, backpack hunting? How far will you be from camp or town? What are the chances of heavy snow where you hunt? What you need to have changes with how far you are from civilization and other shelter.

No clue about the chances of heavy snow. That is why I am up in the air on things. If I knew the forecast of that week, its hi's and low's, this would all be easy and I wouldn't be making this thread.

We will not be backpacking in, meaning, we have a town to stay in, where we will be renting a house. Each morning we will hike out, and then come back in the evening. So, if a bad storm comes, we will be heading back to town. But, that would be for a bad storm, not light to average rain/snow.

Also, we will not be hunting in trees/blinds. We will be hiking and glassing the entire time.

To be honest, I don't care about the name brand. Of course those top of the line company make exceptional products, so I probably would be buying between them. But, I am not going to looks over performance. But, I do like the Kuiu and First Lite products. I think with the proper layers underneath plus the Kuiu Guide jacket and pants, it will be warm. I am more worried about those warm days. Will I be burning up with a FL Allegheny + Kuiu Guide Pant if it were to hit the 50's while hiking and spiking the body heat?

 

[Aventus]

What region or game unit? Just asking because the weather scenario will very with the terrain.

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North West Colorado. And I believe the town we are staying in is just under 6,000 elevation. From camp I think we will be driving up to a spot to then begin our hike. So, we definitely will be in much higher elevation than base camp.

 

[fngTony]

North West Colorado. And I believe the town we are staying in is just under 6,000 elevation. From camp I think we will be driving up to a spot to then begin our hike. So, we definitely will be in much higher elevation than base camp.

Probably craig, steamboat, meeker, hayden then going up high. 5milesback made a good point about extreme cold. A few years back a big cold front with snow came in and hundreds of hunters got stuck in camp. Honestly the the sanctuary series from FL would be good in the cold. Find the nearest town and Google search the weather history for nov. You may get caught in a white out and not be able to bail back to town so be prepared for unexpected nights out.

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[5MilesBack]

We will not be backpacking in, meaning, we have a town to stay in, where we will be renting a house. Each morning we will hike out, and then come back in the evening. So, if a bad storm comes, we will be heading back to town.

That makes it fairly easy. Camping in the extreme cold blows.

In '84 we got almost 4 feet of snow in one night in the middle of October. It was the Monday after opening weekend. They came in with snowmobiles to take hunters out. We stayed. They thought we were crazy. Maybe we were. It's not like we could actually hunt with that much snow on the ground. And it pushed all the elk and deer down so we were all alone up there. But it was fun........and beautiful! Trump would have loved it. LOL.

 

[mcseal2]

Like others said, research the history of the area online. Also call the game warden for the area for information on both hunting and weather.

Day hunting you can limit the amount of stuff you carry by layering as others have discussed here. The post I put on your earlier thread describes what I do. What I would darn sure recommend is having plenty of extra stuff in the vehicle or ATV you take in in case you get snowed in or have trouble. Extra food, warm clothes and blankets or sleeping bag, water, stove and container to melt snow, plus a vehicle kit with a chain, tow rope, tire chains, 12V air compressor, oil, tranny fluid, antifreeze, serpentine belt and tools, jumper pack, shovel, saw, stuff that can get you out of a bad situation or help you wait it out. If you have to use the vehicle's heater for warmth in deep snow be sure the exhaust is free of snow so you don't gas yourself out in the vehicle.

Also a GPS with extra batteries and mark the vehicle as a waypoint before leaving it. It's a good idea to actually turn around and look at your back trail too so you can recognize landmarks when returning. It has surprised me how lost some people I've hunted with can get by not doing this. Make sure the vehicle always has lots more fuel than you need for the trip to and from the hunting area, same with ATV or UTV's if you use them. Where I hunt we can take an ATV to the trailhead and save some miles of climbing before beginning our hunt. I started with a full tank in the old Yamaha 450 ATV I used to have one morning and between the snow and having 2 of us riding on the ATV we had to switch to the reserve tank a long way from the truck coming out late in the dark. We made it but I never cut it close since, always have more fuel along. Research the filling stations nearest to your hotel too, some little mountain towns don't have a pay at the pump system so you have to get fuel during business hours. Taking gas cans along can make this fit a hunting schedule better.

What I do is probably overkill but I drove older vehicles most of my life and it's all come in handy at one time or another.

 

[COlineman78]

A pair of chains is a minimum, especially if you are relying on your truck to get you to/from the trailhead daily. Last year during 3rd season it dropped 2 feet on us opening morning.

I don't think you'll like the sanctuary jacket; it is way too heavy and too warm for the style you are going to be hunting. I have one for stand hunting, but it weighs like 5lbs. The Unpernouncable or Kifaru LPP are your best choices IMO for a puffy. I have tried and disliked soft shell jackets as the performance falls way short. I do however like soft shell pants, so Guide or NB pants will do fairly well. You may also consider Corrugates or Attacks for those warm days. I would save your money on rain gear unless you have it to spend. It is unlikely that you'll need it especially that time of year, so if you bring any you'll be fine with whatever you already have. The DWR on FL gear is very impressive.

 

[Aventus]

A pair of chains is a minimum, especially if you are relying on your truck to get you to/from the trailhead daily. Last year during 3rd season it dropped 2 feet on us opening morning.

I don't think you'll like the sanctuary jacket; it is way too heavy and too warm for the style you are going to be hunting. I have one for stand hunting, but it weighs like 5lbs. The Unpernouncable or Kifaru LPP are your best choices IMO for a puffy. I have tried and disliked soft shell jackets as the performance falls way short. I do however like soft shell pants, so Guide or NB pants will do fairly well. You may also consider Corrugates or Attacks for those warm days. I would save your money on rain gear unless you have it to spend. It is unlikely that you'll need it especially that time of year, so if you bring any you'll be fine with whatever you already have. The DWR on FL gear is very impressive.

That's the thing, I have NOTHING. I am new, not to just big game hunting, but any kind of hunting, unless you count clay pigeons

So, all I have is a rifle (.300 Weatherby) and a backpack (Exo)

So, I want my first round of purchases to be smart purchases and something that is well thought out and researched, so that I won't be back to square one this time next year.

Ya, my buddy was there last year when they woke up to the 2 feet of snow in Co. Even then, he said that they over dressed and ended up burning up.

I am hearing great things about the FL products. I would love to get some of their outerwear but they are extremely expensive. I can get a Kuiu Jacket and Pant set for the price of just one of the FL pieces. Right now, I am still leaning towards the Kuiu Guide Pants and Jacket (maybe attack pants) with a couple layers underneath the jacket, problem would keep the jacket in my pack until needed. I would think that would suffice barring a storm. But idk, I am new, I am absorbing everything that I am reading on here and also from what my buddies have been saying. What I am hearing from my buddies is to dress light, even in November.

So, I think some time of exterior pant (Kuiu Guide or attack) over the FL allegheny (or a similar product) with wool socks, boots and gaiters would suffice for my lower body. Agreed? I would also probably pack a cheap (<$100) snow type bib/suit for an emergency. And then for my upper body have a FL Llano long sleever (or short) as my first layer and then a FL Chama quarter zip, and then have a Kuiu Guide jacket over it and then have a neck gaiter or balaclava on hand. And then probable have another FL merino wool Llano in my pack just incase I need to add another layer. So what are you thoughts on that? What temps can I be comfortable in with:

Top:
-FL merino wool Llano long sleeve
-FL merino wool Chama long sleeve
-Kuiu Guide jacket
*With an extra merino wool Llano in my pack & a balaclava/neck gaiter
*We also have to wear an orange vest and beanie/hat in Colorado

Bottom
-FL Allegheny merino wool pants
-wool socks with uninsulated boots (my buddies told me to stay away from insulated boots)
-Kuiu Guide pants
*Gaiters and some type of cheap snow bib/pants/suit more so form dryness rather than warmth, but it will shield some in.

 

[fngTony]

Have you checked to see if there is a FL dealer near you? My local one still has some old stock on clearance. Gaiters are nice.
What are your buddies wearing? seems odd they didn't give you recommendations.

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[Aventus]

Have you checked to see if there is a FL dealer near you? My local one still has some old stock on clearance. Gaiters are nice.
What are your buddies wearing? seems odd they didn't give you recommendations.

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They did give me recommendations. That's how I got the idea of my gear that I listed above. Not quite sure exactly what they are wearing, but I am sure it is along the lines of what they recommended me...layers and light clothes and that they get hot, even in the cold from all the hiking and moving.

Top:
-FL merino wool Llano long sleeve
-FL merino wool Chama long sleeve
-Kuiu Guide jacket
*With an extra merino wool Llano in my pack & a balaclava/neck gaiter
*We also have to wear an orange vest and beanie/hat in Colorado

Bottom
-FL Allegheny merino wool pants
-wool socks with uninsulated boots (my buddies told me to stay away from insulated boots)
-Kuiu Guide pants
*Gaiters and some type of cheap snow bib/pants/suit more so form dryness rather than warmth, but it will shield some in.

***And again, it doesn't have to be FIRST LITE and/or KUIU. I am just trying to give people an idea of my layering system regardless of company name.

There are zero FL dealers around me unfortunately. I am near Kuiu headquarters though. Other than that, all I have is a Bass Pro. It is not really that I need to try on clothes. I just need to get an idea on a system of clothing and other people's experiences with certain products and if it would cause me to be underdressed or overdressed. Going and trying on clothes won't really tell me that, because I'd be in the store wearing FL/Kuiu gear where it is 65-70 degrees, I wouldn't be out in the elements in a November Colorado day. So as for fitting and sizing, I have not gotten that far the process. I first need to find the right products before worrying about fit. Now, if I have had experience in Colorado in November and had a pretty good Idea about the conditions, then ya, me going in and trying on a jacket will give me a good idea if it will work out in those conditions. But, I just don't have that understanding/experience yet. That is why i am relying on other's input. Both on here and with by buddies.

 

[fngTony]

pm sent

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[Pac8541]

I would look at the Kuiu Chinook pant and Peloton 200 zip on base layer over the guide pants. The temp swings you're describing are something I'm familiar with and the problem tends to be (for me, anyways) is too much focus on only worst case scenarios. I think more versatility equals better outfitting for every situation, even if it means stopping for 5 min and dropping your pants to put on another layer. I had great success with the Chinook and 145 merino zip ons last Nov here in central AZ. Now granted, it ain't CO and latitude was further south but I was over 6K and in some deep, cold canyons for much of the day. And I caught a 2 day storm that dumped 1.5" of rain all night with 50mph winds, then snowed all day on me the next morning. I never thought I'd need gaiters here but that storm changed my mind; I'm ordering some next week. Being in AZ though is why this year I'm going with the Alpine pant and peloton zip ons. I should get the same weather protection and warmth but the versatility for 60* days.

FL is gonna fill out the plan with an Uncompahgre vest, Chama hoody, and assorted base layer stuff. I don't have a lot of their stuff so for the time being I'm sticking mostly with what I know works. It's a difficult decision because we all work hard and cannot frivolously spend our money yet we NEED this stuff to work well in the field. And when it does and we're not suffering or simply "making do" it elevates our hunting experience. On the other hand, my best memories seem to come from suffering through something. Best of luck, man.

 

[LaHunter]

merino wool base layers for sure. I've used FL for the past 3-4 years and highly recommend them. No experience with other brands.
The Kuiu Attack pants are great for moderate temps and / or while hiking. These breath well. If it's in the 30's or colder and you are sitting still glassing for extended periods, you will probably get cold in the Attacks. Attacks are cut slim. Not sure how or when "Athletic Cut" started to mean "Slim Cut". They do have a fair amount of stretch, however. Most days I will either wear my Attacks or my FL Kanabs.
The Guide Pants are significantly warmer than the Attacks. These are better suited for colder weather, but you could heat up in these if you are working hard hiking up steep inclines or deep snow. The Guide Pants are cut fuller for more layering.
Gaiters will be very useful. I have Kenetrek Gaiters and they have done well. There are several good brands available.
A down vest / jacket would be good to have.
The Guide Jacket is pretty warm and is water resistant / wind proof. It is cut fairly slim, so if you get your normal size you won't be able to layer much underneath it. The Guide Jacket is a good item to have when it's cold and snowy.

Just make sure you can shed layers while hiking and put on layers when sitting. You don't want to heat up and get sweaty. That can ruin your day when its 10 degrees and snowing.

 

[mcseal2]

My camo certainly doesn't match. I picked most of it up used on EBay or from the Camofire website. On a budget and with patience, I was able to get well set-up at a big discount this way. I have some Sika, Core 4 Element, and other gear for much less than retail price. It might be worth looking at this if you are performance oriented rather than set on one brand. I never figured having a vest of one pattern, jacket of another, for example was a bad plan. If both match the terrain decently it should help break up a human outline. I have a lot of Russel APXG2 also from before they discontinued the line in Mossy Oak Brush which I really like and use a bunch. Great rain gear and the newer brands like Kryptek, Kuiu, and First Light this hasn't worked on FWIW.

 

[SHTF]

If it were me in your situation Here is what I would take to cover my basis. Especially since your not living out of your pack. This would cover all my ranges of temps from high 70 down to 0. Live in Colorado but this is subjective because everyone is different. When Im hiking its easy for me to get sweaty so I stick with base layers and maybe a hoodie, you could be different.

Merino Base layer Long sleeve Shirt and legs. (worn)
Midweight Merino Shirt
Sitka traverse tops and bottoms
Sitka Timberline Pants (worn)
Kifaru Lost Park Parka
Sitka Stormfront Pants and jacket.

Merino Beanie
Merino Gloves
Jetstream beanie
Stratus Gloves.
Traverse Balaclava (face)
Gaiters

If its warm out then the Merino base layers with the traverse hoody with the Timberline pants would be sufficient. If temps drop Id throw on the Mid weight Merino and Traverse legs. If the temps drop more throw on the Kifaru LPP and if winds are kicking and Im glassing throw on the storm front or if Im getting snowed on Stormfront would get added to keep everything dry and trap heat along with the LPP.
my 2 cents..

FYI you can substitute any manufacturers brand in place. I have a lot of sitka. But also use some firstlite and Kryptek also. Id feel confident in this setup for myself in November.