Layering System Audit/Suggestions - WY Wilderness Elk Hunt

[armiller1991]

Hello!

I live in Southern Oregon. I mostly hunt local blacktail (temps in 30-80s, light rain) and elk in Eastern Oregon(Temp 5-50s, up to snow). I have been building points out of state and have an awesome outfitted hunt in the WY Thorofare Wildness this year. Its last week of Sept/first week of OCT, 30(ish) miles horseback into the wildness area, 8000-12000 feet, and living in wall tents.

Below is my current gear inventory, which I feel good about how it has suited me thus far. I generally "run hot" You will notice a lot of first lite. FL offers a very generous veteran discount that truly magnifies the value.
Due to maximizing value, I try to stick with the brands that offer great discounts, unless there is a product that warrants the full price. So les stick to: Firstlite, Sitka, GoHunt, BlackOvis. I am open to other like SG. Kuiu as well but they veteran discount isn't as generous (not complaining or feeling entitled! I am thankful for anything, but it is what it is).

I was wondering any input on what to add for this upcoming hunt?
Specially for the long rides in/out? Should I consider more active or static insulation for horseback riding? Weather can be unpredictable this time of year and I fear what I am missing is something for the true COLD.. if its snowing and blizzardy for a 8-10hour horseback ride or glassing sessions?
Also, I have a 40lb limit for gear, which is fine, but gear "on hand" while riding will be limited, so having that consideration.

I was thinking:
a soft shell?- The Corrugated Guide is alright, but adding a softshell would be nice - Branch New FL Suppressor ($192)
a heavier puffy? - something 200ish GSM like the FL Whitecloud ($280), Sitka Hyperdown ($300), Black Ovis Recon ($209)
a puffy vest? - something 100ish gsm that I can layer under a softshell or uncompahgre 2.0 - Sitka Kelvin Aerolite ($140)
Heavier/Waterproof Gloves? - I have midweight gloves and "glassing" mittens, but something warmer that retains glove dexterity - BlackOvis Tiaga Softshell WP Gloves ($50), FL Apline Cold Weather ($96), Sitka Blizzard GTX ($102)

Thanks for your insights and suggestions!

 

[Ralphie]

I guided in there from 05-19. The amount of times I rode in and out of there with more than a rain slicker and whatever jacket (not a puffy) I can count on one hand. Usually had some light gloves in the pockets of the jacket. I’d have a rain coat and your soft shell tied on your riding saddle. Super light weight rain gear and puffys can be a little delicate for that kind of hunting so be careful.

If you do get cold walking a ways will warm you up and isn’t a bad idea anyway.

stick your lunch in the saddle bags tie a jacket and maybe a rain jacket behind the cantle and let them put everything else of yours on the mules. They’ll probably have your rifle in a scabbard on your horse too. Take a minute to get it and your stirrups adjusted and don’t be afraid to ask for them to be readjusted. Sunglasses phone pocket knife and maybe a few ibuprofen are nice to have for the ride too.

 

[Oakman]

What do you think of KUIU Super Down PRO Hooded Jacket and Giver Frontier Mittens? past winter I walked about 3 miles in freezing 15°F weather, right after a snowstorm, and stayed totally comfortable. My hands never got cold, actually, I ended up taking the mittens off and switching to wool gloves to avoid overheating and sweating.
If you’re looking for reliable cold weather gear, I highly recommend these:

• Super Down PRO Hooded Jacket: link
• Frontier Mittens: link

They performed great in harsh conditions!

 

[P Carter]

I always like to have a super warm “portable survival sleeping bag” puffy just in case. Something like the new outdoor vitals puffy, rab electron pro (which I have) or similar. Something you know will get you through whatever bad weather may come. And it’s a heckuva pillow in the wall tent if nothing else. Probably won’t need it, but I’d do something like that instead of the uncompaghre puffy. Uncompaghre isn’t warm enough for truly cold weather but is too warm to walk in. I’d have a polartech alpha piece (Sitka ambient, rab evolute, first lite…navigator I think) as a mid layer instead of the kiln and the grid fleece and a bomber puffy over that. Just my two cents.

 

[armiller1991]

Thanks everyone for the replies!

I did email First Lite with a modified copy of my original post. Out of respect, I did remove the competitor suggestions and, instead, included the following:

"​

I was looking at:​

• The Whitecloud Puffy for a warmer/static insulation piece
• The Uncompadgre Foundry for the ride in/out, but do fear it may be redundant?
• The Brooks Down Vest to layer under other outer layers to add insulation (running the Uncompadgre 2.0 under anything but my rain gear is pretty tight in the sleeves)
• The brand new suppressor softshell, the Corrugated Guide is fine, but would be a nice improvement
• The Alpine Gloves as a warmer, waterproof glove. The Shale are good and I have thick snow Mittens but they lack the dexterity I would need while riding.

"​

They responded with the following:

"​

Tops​

1. Unc 2.0 + Vapor is a great option if you don't want to spend more/add weight.​

2. Bring the Whitecloud instead of the Unc 2.0 for even more warmth. I don't bring the Unc 2.0 with me anymore because I like the Whitecloud better​

3. Wait a few more weeks for the new North Range Jacket. It's a big upgrade on the Unc 2.0 and is also windproof.​

​

Pants​

Consider some puffy pants like the Whitecloud Bibs or Uncompaghre Puffy Pants for those colder days. You'll be happy you have them when you're sitting still and it's below 20 degrees out.​

​

Gloves​

Definitely get the Alpine Gloves or Grizzly mittens. The Alpine Gloves give you good dexterity. They're a lot like a nice pair of ski gloves.​

"​

I would like to add, I emailed them yesterday (Sunday) at about 10am PT and they responded at about 2:30pm PT same day. I certainly wasn't expecting a response from a person over the weekend.


@Ralphie, Thanks for that insight! I am sure I am overthinking it. Being my first horseback/deep wilderness/outfitted hunt.. Its just such a departure from what I have done previously!

@Oakman, I will check those out.

@P Carter, Thanks for the info!
I generally go:

1. Next to Skin Merino (150gsm or 250gsm, depending on weather)
2. Grid Fleece
3. Jacket (Corrugated Guide, I think a softshell would be another good option here)
4. Puffy (Unc 2.0, but I agree, a thicker, better "outer layer" puffy is missing. I'm intrigued by this new "North Ridge" jacket and will see what that offering looks like.)
5. Wet Weather Jacket

I'll definitely check out the polartech alpha pieces you mentioned!

 

[mntnguide]

LIghtweight gear that can rip/tear easily such as their lightweight puffy series, is not what I would suggest. Horseback hunting can be rough on gear, you will be hitting trees, branches and plenty of other stuff. Very easy to tear puffy jackets. My uncompagre Foundry is tied on the back of my saddle at all times unless it is on me. I also would consider upgrading your wet pants from the lightweight style, to the more rugged version, and just tie those onto your saddle with a better rain jacket. IF you get hit with wet/cold weather, there is no place colder than the back of a horse for 8hrs sitting in the saddle. Dont worry about the weight of your rain gear, it just gets tied on the saddle and stays there unless you put it on. You will be riding out of camp long before daylight in the pitch dark, its not going to be warm, but the days could warm up substantially. Very common for us to get 40-50degree swings from morning to afternoon that time of year up there. . When i guided up in that country, i was taking clients sometimes 2+hrs before daylight to get to some of my best spots, and those days would easily be 10+hr in the saddle days, day after day. Your foundry pants will be fine for riding in, you could pick up some of the lined 308 pants as well for an extra set that would be nice for long rides. Ive seen it be 80 degrees on that hunt up there, Ive also seen 3ft+ of snow hit.

 

[armiller1991]

LIghtweight gear that can rip/tear easily such as their lightweight puffy series, is not what I would suggest. Horseback hunting can be rough on gear, you will be hitting trees, branches and plenty of other stuff. Very easy to tear puffy jackets. My uncompagre Foundry is tied on the back of my saddle at all times unless it is on me. I also would consider upgrading your wet pants from the lightweight style, to the more rugged version, and just tie those onto your saddle with a better rain jacket. IF you get hit with wet/cold weather, there is no place colder than the back of a horse for 8hrs sitting in the saddle. Dont worry about the weight of your rain gear, it just gets tied on the saddle and stays there unless you put it on. You will be riding out of camp long before daylight in the pitch dark, its not going to be warm, but the days could warm up substantially. Very common for us to get 40-50degree swings from morning to afternoon that time of year up there. . When i guided up in that country, i was taking clients sometimes 2+hrs before daylight to get to some of my best spots, and those days would easily be 10+hr in the saddle days, day after day. Your foundry pants will be fine for riding in, you could pick up some of the lined 308 pants as well for an extra set that would be nice for long rides. Ive seen it be 80 degrees on that hunt up there, Ive also seen 3ft+ of snow hit.

Thank you for the response, @mntnguide!

Great callout about the rain gear. I have the ultralight because its usually living in my pack. I actually have some Army issued Multicam Goretex top and bottoms from my not-so-distant time in the service. They aren't as light or breathable, but are thicker and a better fit for this task. I will bring these instead!

I really like the Corrugated Foundry Pants, they are my go-to unless its warm. Even in Nov Elk Hunts in Eastern Oregon, I rarely need to pair with baselayers.

 

[Erussell01]

Hello!

I live in Southern Oregon. I mostly hunt local blacktail (temps in 30-80s, light rain) and elk in Eastern Oregon(Temp 5-50s, up to snow). I have been building points out of state and have an awesome outfitted hunt in the WY Thorofare Wildness this year. Its last week of Sept/first week of OCT, 30(ish) miles horseback into the wildness area, 8000-12000 feet, and living in wall tents.

Below is my current gear inventory, which I feel good about how it has suited me thus far. I generally "run hot" You will notice a lot of first lite. FL offers a very generous veteran discount that truly magnifies the value.
Due to maximizing value, I try to stick with the brands that offer great discounts, unless there is a product that warrants the full price. So les stick to: Firstlite, Sitka, GoHunt, BlackOvis. I am open to other like SG. Kuiu as well but they veteran discount isn't as generous (not complaining or feeling entitled! I am thankful for anything, but it is what it is).

I was wondering any input on what to add for this upcoming hunt?
Specially for the long rides in/out? Should I consider more active or static insulation for horseback riding? Weather can be unpredictable this time of year and I fear what I am missing is something for the true COLD.. if its snowing and blizzardy for a 8-10hour horseback ride or glassing sessions?
Also, I have a 40lb limit for gear, which is fine, but gear "on hand" while riding will be limited, so having that consideration.

I was thinking:
a soft shell?- The Corrugated Guide is alright, but adding a softshell would be nice - Branch New FL Suppressor ($192)
a heavier puffy? - something 200ish GSM like the FL Whitecloud ($280), Sitka Hyperdown ($300), Black Ovis Recon ($209)
a puffy vest? - something 100ish gsm that I can layer under a softshell or uncompahgre 2.0 - Sitka Kelvin Aerolite ($140)
Heavier/Waterproof Gloves? - I have midweight gloves and "glassing" mittens, but something warmer that retains glove dexterity - BlackOvis Tiaga Softshell WP Gloves ($50), FL Apline Cold Weather ($96), Sitka Blizzard GTX ($102)

Thanks for your insights and suggestions!
View attachment 905845

Best shoft shell for the money is going to be past gen jetstreams. Can't beat them for the money and long term durability. If you were an XL i have a tan one I could sell but I see you're a large. Maybe consider the columbia ascender, it's very well recieved but in my personal experience its not quite as good as a jetstream. As a gear whore, I'll never not have a jetstream. You could take all my other hunting gear and if I could keep a core lightweight, an ambient 100 and a jetstream I would be just fine and not really lacking, and of those 3 the only one I'd fight to keep would be the jetstream. Its really that good. Kryptek also makes a pretty good soft shell if you need camo, and they're always on stupid good sale.

For a puffy- don't sleep on the black ovis, or some of the eddie bauers actually are great for the money too on sale.

For a puffy vest- find a kings xkg transition vest on sale. 80grams of primaloft aerogel (same as sitkas aerolite) and a perfect mid layer fit and comfortable to wear over a wide spectrum.

For gloves, I actually got leather palm goretex insulated ski gloves from Gordini on backcountry and they have been amazing. Really really similar to the sitka waterfowl gloves I lost on a hunt and a fraction of the price.

 

[armiller1991]

Thank you for the detailed and lengthy response!
I'll dig into your suggestions!

Best shoft shell for the money is going to be past gen jetstreams. Can't beat them for the money and long term durability. If you were an XL i have a tan one I could sell but I see you're a large. Maybe consider the columbia ascender, it's very well recieved but in my personal experience its not quite as good as a jetstream. As a gear whore, I'll never not have a jetstream. You could take all my other hunting gear and if I could keep a core lightweight, an ambient 100 and a jetstream I would be just fine and not really lacking, and of those 3 the only one I'd fight to keep would be the jetstream. Its really that good. Kryptek also makes a pretty good soft shell if you need camo, and they're always on stupid good sale.

For a puffy- don't sleep on the black ovis, or some of the eddie bauers actually are great for the money too on sale.

For a puffy vest- find a kings xkg transition vest on sale. 80grams of primaloft aerogel (same as sitkas aerolite) and a perfect mid layer fit and comfortable to wear over a wide spectrum.

For gloves, I actually got leather palm goretex insulated ski gloves from Gordini on backcountry and they have been amazing. Really really similar to the sitka waterfowl gloves I lost on a hunt and a fraction of the price.