kuiu guide pant / layering for late season

[sk1]

wondering what you guys that own the guide pant think of it? i know it's essentially the same deal as a guide jacket....i am debating picking up a pair for late season.

i can archery hunt to december 15th and i have a late season rifle cow hunt that goes to january 31st.....i have yet to find the right combination for hiking hard in the late season and then sitting for a bit to glass....i always over dress in the morning because it's cold, then 30 minutes into it im stripping down....then i stop to glass and im frozen again. I guess i can handle that, but the worst part is when archery hunting in 10 to 20 inches of snow, finding elk, and feeling like the best thing to do is wait them out (usually because of loud crusty snow preventing a stalk), and i usually cant take the cold long enough to do so....have failed a few forced stalk attempts after realizing i could never wait for them to get up and start moving.

So i was thinking maybe the kuiu guide pants with no merino layers to start, and once i am more so where i want to be, layer up with some merino to be able to sit a bit longer. Also possibly with the guide pants now having hip zips, I feel like maybe i could get away with a merino layer to start with and the guide pants and hopefully call it good..

what do you guys do for layering when hunting november through january and not overheat but have the ability to stay warm? i feel like i need a better insulating pant with full length zips, i hate stripping down to do merino layers and such when i am standing in the snow

 

[Lawnboi]

Iv got a pair, and i think they will work good for when the temp allows a softshell pant. However i cant tell you wether or not they work good yet, still have to try them when it gets cold enough

When its really cold, i think them with a light baselayer would be good for all around hiking. Then ill carry a pair of sitka traverse bottoms to put on if it gets really cold. If i were doing alot of sitting id get puffy bottoms for underneath rather than the traverse.

 

[sk1]

yeah maybe i need to look into a packable puffy bottom for possible extended sits, if such a thing exists....ive done the pants and baselayer thing a million times im always sweating like crazy while hiking, but maybe that's just how the late season thing goes, just trying to find a better compromise i guess

 

[Lawnboi]

arcteryx makes some good puffy bottoms. I have one of thier puffy tops and plan on getting the bottoms. Really light, with no seams so you lose no loft.

Iv got thier atom lite pullover and it has got to be one of my favorite pieces. Its always with me.

 

[Nick Muche]

I will be wearing the Guide Pants, gaiters and the EXP Weight First Lite bottoms this December on my Deer, Elk and Lion hunts. Last year it was the Sitka Ascent pants with a base layer, worked just fine.

 

[>>Lefty>>]

I always have the same problem during rifle hunts in CO. Humping in to where I want to set up for the early morning 1st couple of hours then move out. I can keep the rest of my body warm, but my legs, particularly my thighs, freeze, as I tend to sweat like a fool. The solution I found is a small 3 x 4 piece of old army poncho, with poncho liner sewed to it. I even put some strings on it, so if I have to get up and move, it hangs like a skirt. Probably looks rather "gay" but it sure keeps the legs warm during glassing or stationary periods.

 

[garrenj]

I wore the guide pants for 8 days on my mule deer hunt last week. Temps ranged from low 20's in the am to mid 60's in the afternoon. Most mornings while glassing I wore my patagonia merino bottoms and if the wind was blowing my gaiters. The pants were very comfortable. Even while hiking in the afternoons they stayed cool enough as long as I took off the baselayer. I was disappointed though in their durability, at the end of the week I had three holes in them. Two in the legs one from some buck brush and the other from a piece of bark while stepping over some deadfall. The third was a seat puncture from a small not in a log I set on.

At first KUIU said it was not covered until I posted a review on their forum with pics. Within 30 minutes Amber had emailed me back with an RA #, and the mods removed my post. Seemed kinda weird.

Overall the material didn't seem very durable in brush, one hole I would have understood but three in a week makes me question the material some. Just my 2 cents.

 

[justin davis]

Merino wool layer under the pants if its cold out. My late season hunts "I'm always on the move" my legs don't get too cold

 

[Lawnboi]

The poncho thing is a good idea. May be a good idea to carry a kifaru woobie or doobie along for when you sit for a while. They make them in multicam now and you can just throw it on like a blanket when you sit, then stuff it in the pack when your on the move. Sounds like a good idea.

 

[tstowater]

I wore the guide pants on my Alaska Dall hunt. Hit a little of every kind of weather imaginable: snow, rain, sleet, wind, temperature fluctuations, etc. I started with a pair of Minus 33 merinos and should have taken them off as I got a little warm, not hot. I wore the KUIU gaiters also and got along fine. I don't think I would want to plant my butt on snow for a glassing period without something else underneath. I plan on using a similar setup on a Utah mountain lion hunt around the 1st of December. Overall, I was quite pleased but didn't give them the trial that others have. I also had Attack pants along and didn't put them on. Based on the snow you are talking about, I would definitely wear gaiters unless you are going to a hardshell.

 

[jherald]

One thought is to wear a hardshell over your pants and under layer. Get too hot, take the hardshell off so your legs can breath.

 

[Ross]

Wore my guide pants for the first time this last week in Montana. For weather in the 20/30's with snow and a mix of rain snow they will work well. Shed water well and will keep you warm if moving and sitting......if sitting for an extended period of time you may want some long johns depending on how hot you run..until the temps really plummet they will be my go to pant for much of Novemberr.