Solid Colors to hunt in

[Bmoore]

Looking for some cheap gear to outfit myself for a DIY rifle hunt next October in Colorado. I’m trying to piece together gear on a tight budget and have heard about just buying non hunting style cloths at a cheaper price. My question is what colors do you buy? I’m not opposed to solids but some of the items I’m looking at come in fancy colors like maroon and orange. If I can’t get Camo, is black a good option? What about grey colors? Olive green seems like a good option but not always available from non hunting lineups.

Just curious what solid colors you guys prefer.

 

[5MilesBack]

Well, you have to wear at least 500 sq inches of bright fluorescent orange or pink up top + a hat anyway, so does it really matter what color the rest of your clothes are?

I've worn blue jeans and a plaid lumberjack shirt many times on rifle elk hunts.

 

[tracker12]

I’m with 5milesback. I wear grey black or brown all the time. Camo is way overrated

 

[justin84]

I've done lots of archery hunting in the dry earth (brown) first lite gear and haven't had any problems.

 

[Bmoore]

Haha

Well, you have to wear at least 500 sq inches of bright fluorescent orange or pink up top + a hat anyway, so does it really matter what color the rest of your clothes are?

I've worn blue jeans and a plaid lumberjack shirt many times on rifle elk hunts.

Haha. That’s a very good point. I suppose I’m overthinking. Was thinking I’d like to be able to use in a tree stand hunt at home during archery seasons as well. But movement and smell are more important.

 

[toadmeister]

I mix and match everything, many camo patterns and solids. I figure just one of them might be perfect in my setting and break up my outline best.

Generally I prefer lighter tan/khaki for solids. Light Olive is good too. I can find all sorts of pants in those shades from dozens of brands and don't feel out of place in public going to run domestic errands next to the pretty ladies in Yoga pants

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[Luckyrxc]

Well, you have to wear at least 500 sq inches of bright fluorescent orange or pink up top + a hat anyway, so does it really matter what color the rest of your clothes are?

I've worn blue jeans and a plaid lumberjack shirt many times on rifle elk hunts.

I think every photo I’ve seen taken of hunters before the mid 1980’s, they were all wearing plaid Elmer Fudd hats, red plaid jackets or shirts, wool or blue jean trousers, or Army surplus wool or cotton in green, grey, or circa Vietnam camo. If they were really cool they were smoking a pipe.

Suddenly, in recent years all the animals have had a genetic mutation, are smarter, faster, can leap higher, see farther, and decipher camo patterns. Big and medium game animals refuse to get shot by any hunter who commits crimes of fashion by wearing an outfit that cost less than $800. It is imperative that hunters not only wear camo, but all that camo must match and be of the proper brand. Welcome to the fashion race. The genius of the digital marketing age.
More and more I am purchasing green, gray, and brown instead of camo, because I want to be able to wear my clothing year round and would rather not wear camo to my kids soccer game or to family outings. Earth tone colors can also be less expensive as they are available in many stores. There’s huge cost savings in being able to wear your outdoor gear all year instead of one week out of every 52. And being able to wear gear al year helps justify buying the more expensive stuff if that’s what you like.
Yes, I still often wear camo but I don’t worry about whether it‘s all ’matchy matchy’.
I’m in the same place with other gear; I try to stick with gray, brown, and green for packs, bino harness, etc.

If you know what fits, don’t be afraid to buy gently used gear from the classified section of this forum.

Get some good clothing that fits your budget that will last you awhile, and go have fun!

 

[Vek]

Wool dress slacks. Read the label, many are 100% wool and will perform about like any other softshell. If you pay more than $5 at the thrift store, you paid too much...

 

[JG358]

Browns and greys. But like Mike said.... half of you is bright orange so its not like it really matters. I've killed more things in blue jeans and a t-shirt than I have in hunting clothes.

 

[Goatie]

I tend to buy hunting clothes that I can wear on a daily basis that aren’t camo. It seems like a waste to spend hundreds of dollars on clothes for two three weeks of use per year.

I buy quite a bit of outdoor research on sales and I can justify spending more on something I’ll wear daily. I’ve also found that wearing things daily can help you realize what clothes work well in different conditions versus in the woods when you may realize it doesn’t work for the task you’re forced into.

Coyote brown, greys, and blacks are great but like many have said here orange is needed anyway. Plus, cervids see orange on the grey spectrum anyway.

 

[Bmoore]

Good points all around. I’m mainly in need of a puffy jacket for insulation and some rain gear/ wind breaking outer wear. My plan is to look for something like the Eddie Bauer cirruslite puffy which seems like a great deal for a puffy and is rated on their site to -10 f. Don’t know I believe that but it still should work well for glassing. I’m gonna run through all my local military surplus shops looking for rain gear. I guess I’ll stop just try to stay with grey, black, or brown where available.

 

[5MilesBack]

I've shot elk with my bow wearing a solid black long sleeve microfleece mock-T before. Last year after setting up base camp that afternoon, I wanted to go up just a bit above camp to get a lay of the land and check things out. I had talked to a few of the guys camped around that area and none of them had heard or seen an elk that week. They were all old and ML hunters. So I took off with no pack, wearing blue jeans, wearing a bright t-shirt, and just my bow. I figured I better at least have it in hand.

I only went up about 1/2 mile and suddenly there's this bull screaming maybe 200 yards in front of me in the timber. I didn't even have my bugle tube or any reeds. THAT was stupid. I should have left the bow in camp and brought the tube with reeds. I had nothing, except a stick to rake trees with. I got really close but couldn't get a clean shot. But the bright shirt and blue jeans definitely didn't hinder my attempts.

 

[jb1316]

Good points all around. I’m mainly in need of a puffy jacket for insulation and some rain gear/ wind breaking outer wear. My plan is to look for something like the Eddie Bauer cirruslite puffy which seems like a great deal for a puffy and is rated on their site to -10 f. Don’t know I believe that but it still should work well for glassing. I’m gonna run through all my local military surplus shops looking for rain gear. I guess I’ll stop just try to stay with grey, black, or brown where available.

I wore this exact puffy last week in Colorado. Got down into the single digits several nights and I loved it. Great puffy for cheap.

 

[Block]

I wear the Under Armour Tactical long sleeve shirts in Federal Tan. It’s a 100% polyester super breathable shirt. They are like $20-$25 on a EBay/Amazon

 

[Parube]

I wish I had all the money I've spent on "high-end" camo over the years! I could now be using Swaro glass vs second tier glass! I now invest in good boots and socks. As far as clothing I prefer layering with good wicking base layers, and soft/quiet outer layers. I rock clearance flannel and make my own homemade ghillie jackets. I get way closer to game than I ever did with expensive camo! Play the wind and move slowly and quietly, period. Spend your cash on glass, practice shooting, and most importantly learn animal behavior.

 

[wisco_archer]

Wrangler outdoor pants. Under armour heat gear long and short sleeves for archery, think I paid $15 on sale. I do still wear my sitka ascent pants and long sleeve that I found in the cabelas bargain cave for 50% off 6 years ago. Still going strong but I won't be replacing them when they wear out.

Watch the classifieds, you can get practically new gear for at least half off. Got a skre Hardscrabble jacket for 80 earlier this year and you would have thought it was new without tags.

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[rustyN]

You can get good gear from Eddie Bauer for cheap. Seems like every fall I can pick up stuff at 50% off retail. Got some guide pants and an evertherm down jacket last year all for 50% off. Great gear!

 

[5MilesBack]

My camo hunting clothes are the cheapest clothes I've got. One merino base layer top at MSRP costs more than both my normal camo button up shirt and pants together.

 

[VernAK]

Costco has some NorthFace and Marmot brand at very affordable prices. Earth tones that will suffice for hunting.

 

[Newtosavage]

No reason IMO to go with non-hunting solids when there are pants as good and inexpensive as these in camo already -

https://www.kingscamo.com/collections/pants/products/hunter-series-pant

I can't say enough good things about these pants.