Boxerboxer
WKR
I am going to the Badlands in ND with my dad this coming September and have most of the gear figured out, but I'm interested in input as to what materials or types of clothing/gear to avoid once committed to a stalk. Most of the time we should have enough wind to help with noise, but it's not something I want to count on.
I've done some reading about this and have summarized what I'll have along and my thoughts about keeping it quiet. Would welcome your thoughts.
1. Footwear. My understanding is that a lot of folks get down to just socks, sometimes adding a thicker pair of socks over the ones they wore in their boots. I'd prefer that to buying something specialized. Dad has a pair of leather hikers, and I almost certainly will be in Salomon Quests/X Ultra Mids or Crispi Thors, so I imagine we'd both be dropping boots to stalk. I don't think either of us has the stomach to buy specialized stalking footwear - Dad probably won't get out west too many more times, and I inherited a cheap streak from him.
2. Pants. We'll likely be there first or second week of September, which means anywhere from mild to hot as balls during the day. I have a pair of the Wrangler nylon pants that are great in hot weather, but I'm worried they're too noisy. If so, what are some options, preferably on the inexpensive side, that would be quieter? I would imagine something like first lite's Obsidian would be quiet, but at least for my dad it fails the cheap test big time.
3. Shirts - I'm not too worried here. I have a Sitka core LW top and can find my dad something similar. Noise-wise I don't think it's hard to find a quiet shirt. I also have merino hoody and qz for cooler temps, and a puffy that's probably too noisy if it's unusually cold. I do also have a heavier high-pile fleece (albeit in Realtree Max-1) that would be relatively warm and quiet, if annoyingly heavy (43oz vs my 12oz puffy).
4. Pack/etc. How many guys drop a pack? I will be running my Kifaru duplex frame with an argali bag and guide lid (Argali might turn into cargo panel if Christmas goes well), whereas dad will probably run a small daypack of some sort. I keep straps locked down with little double sided velcro strips, but stuff might move around in the pack and make noise. Dad's pack may not even have compression straps, depending on what he brings, although he did say he had a backpacking pack that somebody gave him when they moved. Seems like dropping the pack makes it way easier, and risk is low if you drop the pack with your partner who is keeping eyeballs on you and the quarry. What about bino-harness? I have the AGC Kodiak Cub MAX and keep a rangefinder pouch on one of the straps. Even if it didn't include the range finder, it's where my wind checker, kill kit, headlamp, tag, first aid live normally so I would lean toward not dropping it. Extra strappage locked down and lid is adjusted to be nice and secure. Nothing rattles inside it.
5. Stuff I forgot?
I've done some reading about this and have summarized what I'll have along and my thoughts about keeping it quiet. Would welcome your thoughts.
1. Footwear. My understanding is that a lot of folks get down to just socks, sometimes adding a thicker pair of socks over the ones they wore in their boots. I'd prefer that to buying something specialized. Dad has a pair of leather hikers, and I almost certainly will be in Salomon Quests/X Ultra Mids or Crispi Thors, so I imagine we'd both be dropping boots to stalk. I don't think either of us has the stomach to buy specialized stalking footwear - Dad probably won't get out west too many more times, and I inherited a cheap streak from him.
2. Pants. We'll likely be there first or second week of September, which means anywhere from mild to hot as balls during the day. I have a pair of the Wrangler nylon pants that are great in hot weather, but I'm worried they're too noisy. If so, what are some options, preferably on the inexpensive side, that would be quieter? I would imagine something like first lite's Obsidian would be quiet, but at least for my dad it fails the cheap test big time.
3. Shirts - I'm not too worried here. I have a Sitka core LW top and can find my dad something similar. Noise-wise I don't think it's hard to find a quiet shirt. I also have merino hoody and qz for cooler temps, and a puffy that's probably too noisy if it's unusually cold. I do also have a heavier high-pile fleece (albeit in Realtree Max-1) that would be relatively warm and quiet, if annoyingly heavy (43oz vs my 12oz puffy).
4. Pack/etc. How many guys drop a pack? I will be running my Kifaru duplex frame with an argali bag and guide lid (Argali might turn into cargo panel if Christmas goes well), whereas dad will probably run a small daypack of some sort. I keep straps locked down with little double sided velcro strips, but stuff might move around in the pack and make noise. Dad's pack may not even have compression straps, depending on what he brings, although he did say he had a backpacking pack that somebody gave him when they moved. Seems like dropping the pack makes it way easier, and risk is low if you drop the pack with your partner who is keeping eyeballs on you and the quarry. What about bino-harness? I have the AGC Kodiak Cub MAX and keep a rangefinder pouch on one of the straps. Even if it didn't include the range finder, it's where my wind checker, kill kit, headlamp, tag, first aid live normally so I would lean toward not dropping it. Extra strappage locked down and lid is adjusted to be nice and secure. Nothing rattles inside it.
5. Stuff I forgot?
