September Elk Clothing

[walnutbottomout]

Making the trip out to Colorado 3rd week of September. Already have IMO 3 most important items being good boots, sleeping bag and pack. Need to figure out clothing. I plan on bringing set of kuiu merino 125 top and Sitka synthetic lightweight top and pair of wrangler outdoor cheap pants. Should I put the rest of my money into good rain gear/ gaiters or into midweight Merino top since it is getting into late September? Just not sure what is most important. Thank you for any advice/suggestions!


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[walnutbottomout]

Also have a Patagonia puffy I forgot to add


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[Vandy321]

My two cents...

When you say a set of the kuiu 125, is that top and bottom? I do like a light merino bottom for Sept also, but i run colder than most. A good mid layer fleece like the patagonia R1 or the Arcteryx Leaf Naga hoodie 1/2 zip, is even take a $30 military grid fleece if price is a concern...and some cheap OR rain gear, if it rains, it's typically a thunderstorm and passes..maybe a light puffy to be safe, 5oz of down or so. That said it was single digits and snow the first week of Sept last year.

 

[mlgc20]

I will be in Colorado in mid-September for archery and mid-October for first rifle. I will take the same clothing setup for both trips. I used the same setup the past two years for the same time periods. Not advocating for these particular brands. Just sharing by way of example.

• Merino bases (top and bottom)
• Sitka Equinox pants (basic lightweight pants)
• Sitka Core Lightweight Hoodie
• Kuiu Down puffy
• Kuiu Yukon jacket
• Kuiu Yukon gaiters

 

[walnutbottomout]

My two cents...

When you say a set of the kuiu 125, is that top and bottom? I do like a light merino bottom for Sept also, but i run colder than most. A good mid layer fleece like the patagonia R1 or the Arcteryx Leaf Naga hoodie 1/2 zip, is even take a $30 military grid fleece if price is a concern...and some cheap OR rain gear, if it rains, it's typically a thunderstorm and passes..maybe a light puffy to be safe, 5oz of down or so. That said it was single digits and snow the first week of Sept last year.

Yes both top and bottom. I was either looking at kuiu chugach or helly Hansen impertech for rain jacket (I know this is two different ends of the spectrum) and either kuiu merino 210 layer or mid weight Sitka layer


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[dtrkyman]

Only rain gear I bring on an elk hunt is ultra light packable stuff, only used it a couple times.

Mountain weather is crazy though!

 

[ndforbes]

I agree with most of the comments above. To specifically address your first post, I would invest in that midweight merino or fleece top. I use mine a lot that time of year in the morning and evening. For me personally, I only wear gaiters if the weather has been really nasty and there is going to be a lot of mud. Like Vandy321 said, most of our rain comes in short, intense thunderstorms, so you rarely need to spend prolonged time in your raingear or deal with excessively muddy conditions.

 

[Big Ern]

Kuiu Chugach rain gear (top and bottoms)
Kuiu attack pants
Light merino top and bottoms
Mid weight hooded fleece top. (I like the 240 peloton)
3.5-5oz puffer jacket (any brand will do)

that should have you covered for everything. Weather is variable as heck, but it makes it more interesting.

 

[lintond]

My first year hunting I didn’t have gaiters. We had some cold days with frost. After the sun turned that all to wet grass It soaked my feet and pants. I no longer hunt without them in my pack.

Also if you’re going to pack in I’d suggest bringing extra clothing at the truck. For example I don’t usually pack rain pants but I bring them with me in case the weather changes and I need to adjust. It sucks to pack out but sucks worse to be hundreds of miles from home and wishing you put a few extras in the truck.


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[Poser]

Shouldn’t raining during 3rd rifle -should only be snow. I’d definitely carry a shell to cut the wind and potentially deal with wet snow, but not sure you’ll find much use for rain shell pants . If anything, I’d prioritize some puffy pants or similar for glassing during 3rd rifle as it can get frigid sitting still.

 

[NCSU_Lewis]

Last time out there we got pretty lucky with minimal rain, but still agree that full rain gear is probably not most critical. I would definitely agree with the mid weight base top. I would also suggest a puffy of some sort. I wore mine pretty much every day getting ready in the mornings and in the evenings. And last year a foot of snow labor day would have sucked without one.

 

[ARK_Ginger]

The only thing I'll add is that if you're hunting flat tops you might want something to break the wind a bit like a soft shell. I used the first lite Corrugate Guide jacket last year and really liked it

 

[Titan_Bow]

I wouldn’t spend the money on high end rain gear. I would have rain gear with me, but it doesn’t need to be super expensive or technical stuff. Lightweight and packable is what you want, as any rain or snow you are likely to get will be sporadic. A decent lightweight goretex type outer shell does come in way more handy as a wind block than it does as rain protection in Colorado


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[1shotgear]

One thing to consider is your rain gear will also double as a windproof shell which can come in handy if the weather gets bad.

 

[FlyingDutchman]

While it may not rain much on a September Colorado trip, having a good set of rain gear is handy for all kinds of purposes besides the trip. A pair of Kuiu rain pants weighs about the same as a pair of gaiters, can keep you warmer, and is nice in wet grass and snow.

 

[MtnsCalling]

My first year hunting I didn’t have gaiters. We had some cold days with frost. After the sun turned that all to wet grass It soaked my feet and pants. I no longer hunt without them in my pack.

Also if you’re going to pack in I’d suggest bringing extra clothing at the truck. For example I don’t usually pack rain pants but I bring them with me in case the weather changes and I need to adjust. It sucks to pack out but sucks worse to be hundreds of miles from home and wishing you put a few extras in the truck.


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I second the gaiters. Must have as they make a ton of difference.