Puffy pants and over booties for glassing / hunting

[Desk Jockey]

I was listening to the gritty bowmen talk about using puffy overpants and down over booties while stationary and glassing. As a mostly eastern guy I don't know how much I could use the idea but I am intrigued. Seems like they were stopping to glass and bundling up in puffy jackets, puffy pants over other pants, booties, woobies, etc. and then stripping it off to move.

I have seen similar types of gear for stand and blind sitting but nothing you would want to haul around on a backpack hunt.

Who uses a similar rig? What brands do you use or like?

I have some Sitka puffy pants but they are too skinny jeans for use as over pants. I had thought about artic boot covers for stand hunting but don't know if they would be too heavy for packing.

What say ye?

 

[Phillip Hathaway]

Hey I use the arctic shield boot covers and dont notice any difference with them at all. I just did a search for down boot covers there a ton of different ones out there just have to figure it out. I just put the covers in my pack they dont weigh barely anything.

 

[Clinch]

Military field pant liners big enough to go over the top of my pants ($10), and a HPG Mountain Serape.


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[Lukeyn]

Found a set of pant liners on ebay, thanks. $8

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[Backpack Hunter]

I typically use a blanket/quilt and a pair of the Arctic Shield booties.

 

[Travis Bertrand]

I have a pair of thick primaloft pants, if I'm not packed in, they go with me for sure! Patagonia makes a pair as well that is fairly light weight. I like those as well and could see me using them more next season

 

[Snipershirt]

MH Compressor pant and the lighter weight Arctic Shield booties. I always keep the pants in my bag as they serve multiple uses from glassing for long periods to an added layer in my sleep system.

 

[wind gypsy]

aecteryx makes the atom lt pant too. Full side zip and 12 ounces.

 

[d90rick]

I use the setup for treestand hunts too, works great. the last 2 years I used the fanatic series, but I would get overheated walking in even if I stripped down - it seemed the stratus pants etc. did not breathe well. so this year I tried using my timberline pants, Jetstream jacket and then when I got close or at the base of my stand I slipped on the puffy pants and jacket and it worked awesome. I wore first lite merino base and heavy weight core shirt as well. I liked it so much I sold all of my fanatic series items. I liked the simplicity of the layers b/c it allowed me to adjust for temps and the puffy items packed so well.

 

[Where's Bruce?]

I hiked (hard push) for miles in the dark to set up just below a ridgeline where my partner and I sat for an entire day glassing. Puffy layer fan all the way! Never bother with overboots, I just wear the right boot for the hunt (insulated for cold, noninsulated for warm weather). Sitting still in one place for 10 hrs and not finding a suitable target is brutal (look at my face), it is impossible if your are cold.

 

[rodney482]

The guy behind you is like "come on Bruce"

I hiked (hard push) for miles in the dark to set up just below a ridgeline where my partner and I sat for an entire day glassing. Puffy layer fan all the way! Never bother with overboots, I just wear the right boot for the hunt (insulated for cold, noninsulated for warm weather). Sitting still in one place for 10 hrs and not finding a suitable target is brutal (look at my face), it is impossible if your are cold.

 

[frankrb3]

I have a "happy suit" from my time in the military. It's our insulation suit that we get issued when operating in a cold weather/mountainous environment.

I believe it's made by Wild Things Gear and we call it the happy suit because you are usually pretty unhappy before putting it on. Both the Parka and Trousers together can be very bulky when compared to something like the first lite puffy, but it's like wearing a cold weather sleeping bag.

I usually wear the top underneath some kind of gortex shell jacket, while I use the trousers as an over pant like mentioned above. Do a quick ebay search for "happy suit" and you can find some decently priced military surplus out there.

If you're toying with the idea of using overpants it may be a good place to shop for what is normally expensive gear that doesn't get used all year long. Couple links below.

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Mission (MSN)






– Wild Things

 

[Ryan R]

On my late season sheep hunt this year I had toe warmers in my boots first thing in the morning before I went anywhere. When glassing I had atom lt pants over my timberlines and rain pants over them. I was doing fine in some cold temps. I get cold cold toes and the warmers keep me out there. Don't even notice them in my boots.

 

[Where's Bruce?]

The guy behind you is like "come on Bruce"

That exactly right. He's much more the hunter than I will ever be. I learn from him every trip. Amazing guy.

 

[mcseal2]

I haven't owned some of it for that long, but this season I was very happy with the Kuiu Kenai insulated pants and Sitka Celcius waterfowl camo jacket. I used them under my Kryptek Dalibor II pants and jacket for mornings and evenings glassing on my muley hunt, threw them in my pack the rest of the day. The zip off pants that are easy to add or remove are awesome to me, having to take my boots off and on is a pain when regulating temp. I used the same set-up whitetail hunting at the beginning of this month in temps in the teens and below. I have the HPG mountain serape mentioned earlier and used it over the top of everything when sitting for whitetail. I love that thing too. If its warm enough I skip the Sitka and Kuiu puffys and just use it. Middle temps or if I'm saving weight big time I skip the serape. If it's really cold I put it over the top of everything and count it as part of my emergency gear too.

I've had my original serape for years and used it as a sleeping bag. I was comfortable sleeping in damp upper 30's with it and my jacket zipped over the footbox. That's the lower limit though. I just bought a new one so my wife can use my old one deer hunting, she used it after I tagged out last year and loves it too.

 

[lkwoolsey]

I always pack a puffy coat to wear when stationary for a while, but when I'll be glassing for extended periods, I just pull out my Kifaru Doobie. I use that now instead of a sleeping bag, and its great to use while glassing too. That way I'm not taking up extra space and weight on things that don't have more than just the one use.