Raingear for PNW?

[rootacres]

Hey all,

So I have a blacktail hunt booked for the last 2 weeks of October in northwest OR in 2023. All of my hunting thus far has been either in the midwest or in high desert type terrain in NM, AZ, WY etc. What kind of rain should I expect and what gear do you all use? Ive been happy with Kuiu's outer layers and rock mostly firstlite for base layers. I just haven't really been concerned with rain thus far.

EDIT: I will have a camp that I am going back to everyday that will have the ability to dry things out. Campfires, shelters, stoves etc won't be an issue.

 

[IowaNative]

I have the Yukon set... Loved it out west and like it especially for rainy tree stand days here in Iowa. Mid-November rains get chilly if your damp.

 

[roosiebull]

The 2 that hold up for me are the Yukon and kutana from kuiu. I am hoping the first lite omen is on that list too, but only time will tell

 

[Coxen02]

Be ready for anything. It can be nice out slightly brisk weather, or it can be terribly rainy and cold. I've been very happy with my kuiu chugach. I see two other kuiu jackets mentioned, hopefully they still make the one i'm suggesting. Anyways, it's light for packing when it's not raining and has always kept me dry.

 

[fisherman983]

Yukon and chugach have worked for me.. Yukon being the one I've spent most time in. First time using the chugach this year. So far I like it

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[Hoh Down]

I use two setups:
1 - while busting through reprod I'd use heavy grunden type rain gear. Heavy and durable.
2 - not in reprod I use Sitka cloud burst

 

[The Ri Guy]

Wetside WA resident.

Actually Waterproof but not breathable: Grundens or HH
Good enough for most hunting conditions: Kuiu Yukon

I disagree with the Chugach. I've had 2 Chugach coats and neither lasted a season in Eastern WA, which is substantially drier than Western WA. Zero durability, I tore one simply brushing Sagebrush.

 

[chizelhead]

You can expect many inches of soaking rain over your two weeks next October. Even when it isn't raining, everything tends to stay soaked after rain and you still need to wear raingear. What works depends on your setup, and if you can dry out every evening. The heavy waterproof (HH, Grundens) are great if you aren't moving much, otherwise, you can get soaked from sweating in them while hiking. I have Kuiu Katana, but I haven't really tested it in PNW coastal rain. It's medium weight and would likely hold up if you can dry it out in the evening. I would try it, but I'm local and can adjust if it doesn't. I think Yukon would be better, but I can't speak to the breathability. Growing up, we day hunted a lot so I just wore wool, got soaked, and dried out at home at night and repeated the next day. It wasn't merino wool, but heavy and durable. We still hunted, so the setup was warm and quiet.

 

[A.hol1]

I hunt Oregon coast and in the Willamette Valley a lot. I get the cheap gortex army surplus rain pants off Amazon if I know it’s going to have a lot of blackberries. They are loud but bullet proof so far.

Normal coast hunting I have the Pnuma selkirk set and love it so far, just one season though.


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[PredatorSlayer]

I have used about all of the big name brands. Under Armour Goretex Pro set is the best out there IMO. Spendy, but worth it.

 

[RadDad]

So, I’ll come at this from another angle that others touched on but didn’t really mention. When they say to prepare for rain, they’re really saying that you need to prepare for being wet. Even with the best rain gear, things (not just clothes) get wet. Do you have a shelter for a heater to dry things off? What are you going to use to cook? Definitely don’t count on a campfire since most fuel will be soaked. Are you using wool or synthetic base? Try as you may, it’s still going to get somewhat wet - especially around the wrists and neck. Do you have gold bond? Bring it. Everything chafes when wet.

You get the idea here. Hard to know exactly how to prepare for that much (potential) rain until you’re in it. I lived in Western OR for years so I learned the hard way after many brutal steelhead trips. Happy to help if you have any specific questions!

Edit: Forgot to mention in my ramble the gear I actually use. First Lite Seak Stormtight. I’ve found it to be bombproof but heavy. Not sure they make it any more though?

-RadDad

 

[Nosferatu]

I've used Kuiu Yukon jacket and Cabelas MT050 pants with good success for several years.

 

[DakotaBPNW]

Stone Glacier M5 here the last two years. Has held up very well. This includes a lot of brush busting. I’d also agree with the poster above, make sure you have a good pack cover and understand that at some point everything just becomes damp out here

 

[DakotaBPNW]

You can expect many inches of soaking rain over your two weeks next October. Even when it isn't raining, everything tends to stay soaked after rain and you still need to wear raingear. What works depends on your setup, and if you can dry out every evening. The heavy waterproof (HH, Grundens) are great if you aren't moving much, otherwise, you can get soaked from sweating in them while hiking. I have Kuiu Katana, but I haven't really tested it in PNW coastal rain. It's medium weight and would likely hold up if you can dry it out in the evening. I would try it, but I'm local and can adjust if it doesn't. I think Yukon would be better, but I can't speak to the breathability. Growing up, we day hunted a lot so I just wore wool, got soaked, and dried out at home at night and repeated the next day. It wasn't merino wool, but heavy and durable. We still hunted, so the setup was warm and quiet.

Unless it’s like this year was!

 

[just.mark]

I take a different approach to hunting and wear soft shells with fleece and or flannels unless im stationary. Your going to get wet either way so wear things that will dry and keep you warm. I save the rain gear for when I'm stationary to dry out the other layers. Flannel is by far the the best thing I've found in the intermediate rain.

 

[TuckTruck]

I live and hunt in NW MT. I’ve been running the chugach jacket this year and I have no complaints. It packs small and light and it’s kept me dry when it rains. But, for anything PNW in October, I would get something designed for Alaska. I’ve have the best luck with durability and performance from Sitka and kuiu. I also wouldn’t be afraid of stone glacier. From talking to several buddies, I would stay away from first lite… everyone that I know that runs FL complains about durability. Good luck on your hunt!

 

[Glory]

Your best move is two gore Tex style jackets. Works well

 

[Oregon]

I live about as far west as you can in Oregon. It is blacktail season right now. It is raining out like a cow pissing on a flat rock currently.
I'm drinking coffee deciding which rain gear will be best today. I've got 2 options. A Toyota Tundra or Toyota 4 runner.

 

[Jr4]

Yukon, have treated me well

 

[roosiebull]

Your best move is two gore Tex style jackets. Works well

That’s kind of an interesting concept

I remember a steelhead season I was wearing Sitka downpour pants over my waders when I planned on plowing through salmonberry all day, those pants sucked so bad for hunting and pinholed out in a long weekend, so I decided to use them to protect my waders in real brushy areas… worked well, kinda like chaps but not too restrictive

A wore out goretex jacket over a good goretex jacket is a pretty solid idea on those days when busting brush all day