How does the modern military clothing compare with hunting clothing?

[Davyalabama]

Oh yeah, EdP, woodland digital camo is a great pattern.

 

[EdP]

Oh yeah, EdP, woodland digital camo is a great pattern.

OK, if you say so. I've never seen woodland digital. I like OCP for woodlands and UCP for sage/grasslands.

 

[Hondo]

I have a Patagonia R2 MARS fleece jacket and some Beyond Clothing Polartec Powerwool base layers that I'm very pleased with. My son likes the surplus Polartec grid fleece base layers.

I recently picked up a pair of Beyond Clothing A5 Rig pants that show some promise. Well made and comfortable for certain.

 

[Dobermann]

Here's my experience:

Grew up hiking with ex and current mil surplus all-cotton pants and button-up shirts: cold, wet, heavy, chafing. The boots were heavy, blister-forming, and like casts that induced tripping and sprained ankles.

UF-Pro: I have some of their pants; robust but probably too heavy for backcountry applications. I mainly just use them at the range/IPSC (internal kneepads are useful for stages that involve kneeling on gravel), and use Fjallraven Kebs for hiking.

Patagonia pants: Were a bit billowy on me and not a pocket layout I found useful. Also shiny and oddly silky ... felt like I was MC Hammer, and not in a good way.

Varusteleka have some interesting pieces - namely the Sarma TST wool pants and jacket, which @Formidilosus has posted about. These are fairly heavy and likely for specialised uses. My experience in the snow all day is that I was toasty. They also have a synthetic puffy overpant which is fairly cheap compared with the hunting brands.

Lots of us here use Aclima Woolnet base layers (look for the dedicated fishnet base layers thread). I've heard that some militaries use them, but can't confirm. The Exo guys mentioned on a podcast that DFND also do a wool net, but I'm not sure anyone here has tested them yet.

Arc'teryx Leaf: I have one of their jackets (forget the model) that has mesh sides and an insulated front. I'm not sure it's the right compromise solution for everyone: I found under exertion, the insulated panels are too warm, but with wind, the mesh panels allow for too much cold. My personal use case is now relegated to 3D field shoots in winter where we're not moving too quickly - and in that case, far simpler and cheaper items would probably do just as well.

Sitka Arrowhead line: A few of us have their jacket that has Polartec Alpha. I like it, but have found it to be affected by wind. Here's @mtwarden's review: https://www.rokslide.com/sitka-arrowhead-equipment-mdwi-hoody-review/ and Q&A: https://rokslide.com/forums/threads...pment-mdwi-hoody-review-by-mike-moore.253383/

These last two are a good example of the .mil vs civilian question - I found an Outdoor Research mid-layer jacket that works better (for me) than the Arc'teryx or Sitka .. I think this issue overall is really piece-specific, and use-specific.

 

[eltorro]

Thank you @Dobermann , you saved me a lot of trying.
Hunted with the TST from Varusteleka this year and found them to be a bit constricting… but maybe they need a bit of breaking in. Form seems to like them, so I’ll try again, with different long johns.

 

[Dobermann]

Thank you @Dobermann , you saved me a lot of trying.
Hunted with the TST from Varusteleka this year and found them to be a bit constricting… but maybe they need a bit of breaking in. Form seems to like them, so I’ll try again, with different long johns.

Glad to be of help.

For the Sarma TST gear - I haven't worn it a lot, but I found the little wearing and washing I've done made them softer.

Just make sure you follow the best practices for washing and drying woolens: use a woolens or delicates setting on your washing machine, and use gentle (ideally, wool-specific) washing liquid.

Wash separately from other items, put in delicates bags (eg lingerie bags) if possible - people often think holes in woolens are caused by moths or usage when they're actually caused by tears from zippers, studs, etc on other washing items.

Don't use clothes drier, don't hang in sun, don't hang vertical - lay out horizontal.

I think I also posted some suggestions for @fwafow about woolens care - the best info I found was on baby overnappy sites (don't ask) ... so search here for that info.

Short version is:

• you can use lanolin to make wool waterproof (it's easy to get this wrong - good online tutorials are on natural baby nappy / overnap sites; use the keyword 'lanolizing')
• one good wool wash recommendation was Seventh Generation, but there are others
• you can get wool-specific stain removers, such as Oxgall soap from Disana.

Enjoy!

 

[eltorro]

Thanks again. If I can, I’ll go old school on them and see if it works. That means as little washing - if any - if I can, hang them for airing and smoking them before next season.
Never used lanolin on clothes… other than the wax on Fjallraven.
It will be very cold when I’d be using them, and snowy … things don’t get that dirty in the north cold.

 

[medvedyt]

for those that recommend lanolin make sure you check the smell some are really stronger than others. i do recall one kind from europe that was great but not to be used for hunters ...