New to hunting and looking for a full system.

[Indeepship]

Well, I caught the hunting bug and after my first trip scouting, I'm going fully in.

Im looking to get a full system for coues deer. The average temps in the spots id hunt are 32-60f so nothing too Cold. Ive been looking a lot at the kuiu systems but am open to other companies. Im new to this so Im looking for all the guidance and wisdom I can get.

Any brands or specific pieces you guys would recommend. Right now, for the most part, I'm just rocking hiking gear but most of my hiking gear is set more for the summer months and not really those lower temps.

 

[Knoxp]

Interested in this as well. Especially in value options.

 

[AZ_Hunter_2000]

Here is a starting point…

Kuiu (my go to for Coues)
Kutana pants (gun metal or ash)
Ultra Merino 125 SS (khaki, ash, or loden)
Peloton 118 LS Zip-T (Valo)
StrongFleece 260 (Valo)
Super Down Ultra (bourbon)
Axis hybrid jacket (ash) OR Peloton 240 (Valo or olive)

If you need more warmth, grab the Peloton 97 bottoms.

This will cover you from early season (all AZ species) till the late hunt for a lot of Coues country.

To save some coin…
Run Wrangler Outdoor pants, clearance down jacket (no super bright colors), clearance soft shell (ex: Kryptek Dalibor), any short sleeve merino shirt in a “flat” color, etc.

Look at CamoFire, Hunt of the Day, and any other sales).

 

[Indeepship]

Here is a starting point…

Kuiu (my go to for Coues)
Kutana pants (gun metal or ash)
Ultra Merino 125 SS (khaki, ash, or loden)
Peloton 118 LS Zip-T (Valo)
StrongFleece 260 (Valo)
Super Down Ultra (bourbon)
Axis hybrid jacket (ash) OR Peloton 240 (Valo or olive)

If you need more warmth, grab the Peloton 97 bottoms.

This will cover you from early season (all AZ species) till the late hunt for a lot of Coues country.

To save some coin…
Run Wrangler Outdoor pants, clearance down jacket (no super bright colors), clearance soft shell (ex: Kryptek Dalibor), any short sleeve merino shirt in a “flat” color, etc.

Look at CamoFire, Hunt of the Day, and any other sales).

Yea I've been trying to do double duty for alot of these where some are for backpacking with the gf and then hunting. What's your take on the camo? Is it actually functional or is it mainly for catching the hunter not the actual animal if you will. Thanks for your list it's getting directly posted into my Excel sheet for stuff to get.

 

[Wapiti151]

My two cents, spend your money on other quality gear before camo. You don’t need camo to hunt, especially at rifle distances. Go with earth tone solids if you have them and you will be fine. The purpose of camo is to break up your outline. Game can’t see most colors as long as you don’t wear blues, blacks, etc. I’d spend my money on quality glass, quality rifle, sleep system, etc before I purchased anything camo. With that being said, I have a closet full of Sitka gear, but I’m starting to transition to all solids so I can pull double duty with my gear around town.
If you’re gonna get new gear anyway, it wouldn’t hurt to go with some Sitka, Kuiu or Stone Glacier Pieces, but don’t waste your money on a new system if you already have some pieces that’ll work. You probably have a good base layer already, and you probably already have some sort of active insulation piece and you probably have a decent shell. Get some durable pants, a good puffy for glassing. The rest, spend on a good pack, glass, rifle, all the other essentials.

 

[Indeepship]

My two cents, spend your money on other quality gear before camo. You don’t need camo to hunt, especially at rifle distances. Go with earth tone solids if you have them and you will be fine. The purpose of camo is to break up your outline. Game can’t see most colors as long as you don’t wear blues, blacks, etc. I’d spend my money on quality glass, quality rifle, sleep system, etc before I purchased anything camo. With that being said, I have a closet full of Sitka gear, but I’m starting to transition to all solids so I can pull double duty with my gear around town.
If you’re gonna get new gear anyway, it wouldn’t hurt to go with some Sitka, Kuiu or Stone Glacier Pieces, but don’t waste your money on a new system if you already have some pieces that’ll work. You probably have a good base layer already, and you probably already have some sort of active insulation piece and you probably have a decent shell. Get some durable pants, a good puffy for glassing. The rest, spend on a good pack, glass, rifle, all the other essentials.

I got the optics and rifle and the sleep system setup. My clothing system is kinda thrown together. I'm just going to slowly accumulate stuff starting with a good jacket. I'm a fan of the solid colors too. I just need some good quality stuff that packs down unlike my current setup.

 

[Wapiti151]

I got the optics and rifle and the sleep system setup. My clothing system is kinda thrown together. I'm just going to slowly accumulate stuff starting with a good jacket. I'm a fan of the solid colors too. I just need some good quality stuff that packs down unlike my current setup.

Any of the big hunting gear companies are pretty equivalent in my opinion. Sitka, first lite, kuiu, SG. Kind of a ford vs Chevy situation with folks. I have gear from them all and have my preferences as well. I’m not brand loyal at all. My do-all kit for anything from 80° to 0° is pretty similar. I just add/subtract/sub based on conditions. Play around, try stuff on, take everyone’s preferences into consideration and build what works for YOU. My favorite base layers are hands down Sitka’s core system, light, medium and heavy. I’d suggest getting a light and a heavy to cover everything. In really cold temps, I wear the light and the heavy together. The light NEVER comes off. This will cover you for anything base layer. Base layer bottoms, I go with wool so it doesn’t stink on a long hunt. I run the FL game bag underwear (most comfortable underwear I’ve ever had), and for cold temps I’ll wear the kiln long underwear over those. For pants, I have some from every company and my favorites are the stone glacier de haviland. They are a little bit louder than others, but the adjustable fit design, pocket locations and toughness set them apart from my mountain or timberline pants. For active insulation I run a Patagonia nano-air over my base layer(s). Keeps me warm but also doesn’t sweat out on chilled hikes with a pack, and it balls up super small if i want to stick it in my pants pocket during long hikes. Over that I’ll run my shell, I love my Sitka jet stream, but any of the companies make an excellent shell. The most important thing for me in a shell is it has to be wind proof. This allows me to skip a wind layer, and the Jetstream has some good insulation and DWR to boot. For cool, not cold temps I run FL brooks down sweater over my shell for glassing, colder temps down to freezing I go with Sitka Kelvin down hoodie (SG Grumman down jacket would be comparable), for below freezing I go with a sleeping bag with arms…my go to is the Sitka kelvin WS hoodie. For even a little warmer you could go FL chamberlain. The WS doesn’t come in a solid but it has a wind proof layer built in which I love. Over everything, if it rains I bring Sitka’s dew point rain gear. It’s been bomb proof in Alaska so far and is the most packable 3 layer rain gear I’ve found. I don’t have a ton of experience with Kuiu but have buddies that love it. But, most have gotten away from their puffies. From what I’ve seen, they lack the warmth for really cold temps…and I’ve seen them rip more than the other big brands.

That’s my system in a nut shell not going into gloves and all that. A shell with WS is the Swiss Army knife for any kit I think. I’ve had great luck with the jet stream and it comes in all kinds of solids. All my shit is mixed camo patterns, with a lot of solids. I think this just helps break up my outline even more, and if you go all solids…I think having different earth tones and greys help break it up as well. It’s all just different shades of grey to the critters. I’d rather wear the gear I think is best (for me) than look pretty with all one camo pattern.

My system isn’t perfect, and I’m always trying new shit to improve it. Hope you can take something out if it though. Again, ANY of the big companies are going to make comparable gear that works really well. Don’t be afraid to get out of the hunting box either. I haven’t found a piece from a hunting brand that touches my Patagonia active insulation…nano-air, R1, etc.

 

[Indeepship]

Any of the big hunting gear companies are pretty equivalent in my opinion. Sitka, first lite, kuiu, SG. Kind of a ford vs Chevy situation with folks. I have gear from them all and have my preferences as well. I’m not brand loyal at all. My do-all kit for anything from 80° to 0° is pretty similar. I just add/subtract/sub based on conditions. Play around, try stuff on, take everyone’s preferences into consideration and build what works for YOU. My favorite base layers are hands down Sitka’s core system, light, medium and heavy. I’d suggest getting a light and a heavy to cover everything. In really cold temps, I wear the light and the heavy together. The light NEVER comes off. This will cover you for anything base layer. Base layer bottoms, I go with wool so it doesn’t stink on a long hunt. I run the FL game bag underwear (most comfortable underwear I’ve ever had), and for cold temps I’ll wear the kiln long underwear over those. For pants, I have some from every company and my favorites are the stone glacier de haviland. They are a little bit louder than others, but the adjustable fit design, pocket locations and toughness set them apart from my mountain or timberline pants. For active insulation I run a Patagonia nano-air over my base layer(s). Keeps me warm but also doesn’t sweat out on chilled hikes with a pack, and it balls up super small if i want to stick it in my pants pocket during long hikes. Over that I’ll run my shell, I love my Sitka jet stream, but any of the companies make an excellent shell. The most important thing for me in a shell is it has to be wind proof. This allows me to skip a wind layer, and the Jetstream has some good insulation and DWR to boot. For cool, not cold temps I run FL brooks down sweater over my shell for glassing, colder temps down to freezing I go with Sitka Kelvin down hoodie (SG Grumman down jacket would be comparable), for below freezing I go with a sleeping bag with arms…my go to is the Sitka kelvin WS hoodie. For even a little warmer you could go FL chamberlain. The WS doesn’t come in a solid but it has a wind proof layer built in which I love. Over everything, if it rains I bring Sitka’s dew point rain gear. It’s been bomb proof in Alaska so far and is the most packable 3 layer rain gear I’ve found. I don’t have a ton of experience with Kuiu but have buddies that love it. But, most have gotten away from their puffies. From what I’ve seen, they lack the warmth for really cold temps…and I’ve seen them rip more than the other big brands.

That’s my system in a nut shell not going into gloves and all that. A shell with WS is the Swiss Army knife for any kit I think. I’ve had great luck with the jet stream and it comes in all kinds of solids. All my shit is mixed camo patterns, with a lot of solids. I think this just helps break up my outline even more, and if you go all solids…I think having different earth tones and greys help break it up as well. It’s all just different shades of grey to the critters. I’d rather wear the gear I think is best (for me) than look pretty with all one camo pattern.

My system isn’t perfect, and I’m always trying new shit to improve it. Hope you can take something out if it though. Again, ANY of the big companies are going to make comparable gear that works really well. Don’t be afraid to get out of the hunting box either. I haven’t found a piece from a hunting brand that touches my Patagonia active insulation…nano-air, R1, etc.

Yea my thought on your last comment is pretty true. Hunting is just hiking with a gun so most of it is pretty similar. I think I'm just going to keep a eye out for deals and slowly piece together stuff that's solid colors

 

[BadDogPSD]

I have KUIU, Sitka, and SKRE clothing. SKRE seems to fit (me) the best and is a bit less expensive than the other brands. It's also functional & durable.

 

[Venom One]

Interested in this as well. Especially in value options.

Some value options you might try are:

Nomad
Kings XKG line is very good for the money
Black Ovis

 

[Wapiti151]

Interested in this as well. Especially in value options.

also, look at the REI outlet or similar stores…Patagonia, north face outlets are in some bigger metro areas. I’ve found some killer solids over the years in the outlet stores from the above brands as well as OR, arcterix, marmot, etc. The mountaineering brands like that are what all this technical hunting gear is modeled after. Granted, the hunting brands obviously have some minor advantages for the trade. Do some research on what through hikers for the 3 big trails will run, if you’re a backpack hunter or want to be…those through hikers have certain things dialed.

 

[AZ_Hunter_2000]

Yea I've been trying to do double duty for alot of these where some are for backpacking with the gf and then hunting. What's your take on the camo? Is it actually functional or is it mainly for catching the hunter not the actual animal if you will. Thanks for your list it's getting directly posted into my Excel sheet for stuff to get.

Sorry for the delay.

Not seen a degradation in ability to kill animals in AZ while wearing solid bottoms and a solid or camo top (shirt, hoodie, puffy, soft shell). This is with a rifle. I don’t wear the same solid head to toe. No offense to UPS, but I’m not a fan of their look.

Camo head to toe can be helpful (personal belief). It can give you a bit more confidence to “push the envelope” a bit. Not saying “I’m a killer cause I wearing X”. I also believe that it can buy you a bit more time (favorable wind) before the animal bolts (think archery).

 

[strattonje2020]

New 2022 gear coming soon, just wait and research each piece. It’s more fun than to throw a cart of matching sitka in 1 buy.

 

[AZ_Hunter_2000]

New 2022 gear coming soon, just wait and research each piece. It’s more fun than to throw a cart of matching sitka in 1 buy.

It’s the time to start looking for close out deals.

 

[quaggy25]

It’s the time to start looking for close out deals.

I’ll throw out Kryptek. Quality gear at a decent price and they have some sales going on right now. And just came out with a few bundle packages. The Vellus bundle might be a little too warm tho. Personally like the highlander pattern. If you sign up for their mailing list they are having a 20% off site wide sale with a code.

 

[Bump79]

Get on camofire.com

For just getting into hunting I recommend getting good bang for you buck and upgrade from there and fill weak points over the years.

Pants: Wrangler ATG for early/mid. OR Ferrosi for early season.
Base layer: 150 Black Ovis
Fleece: Kuiu 200 or 240
Down: Eddie Bauer Cirruslite or others
Shell: Depends on location

 

[RCB]

IMO, Don’t buy into this idea that you need a cohesive “clothing system” from a single hunting brand. Just buy well-made durable outdoor clothing that fits you. That will probably mean getting a mix of brands (hunting or not) accumulated over time. I’ve never worn camo so I can’t say whether it helps - but as a rifle hunter I have to wear blaze orange over it anyway.

 

[quaggy25]

This makes sense. I have some UA cold gear I got on sale and some Scheels brand merino wool on sale as well.

For the past 6 years I basically only layered the UA stuff with sweat pants, sweat shirts and other layers and topped it with cheap Walmart Jacket and pants for camo. I was able to layer enough to bow hunt in -14F in Northern MN.

Only now have I started to try to build a “system”. Even now I have a mix.

I say a quality base layer is important IMO for moisture wicking.

 

[Wapiti151]

Just make sure you stay away from cotton, whatever you do. Get good wools/synthetics/etc throughout.