ordered some First Lite Llano and Chama tops Kuiu 250 bottom. kuiu Guide Vest and Attack pants and the Chugach jacket and pant. This was the one place I felt I was lacking in my setup. May go ahead and get a Spindrift jacket as well.
was mostly all sythetics before unless it was colder as my Merino stuff was all heavier weight.
Mixture of both. Merinos for my base layers for sure. Swapping my guide jacket for a chugach and grabbing a spindrift jacket and chugach pants as well.
I'll be using merino this season if I can get my hands on some Kuiu if not then I'll prolly get the first lite. After using the Sitka synthetic last season it stunk after just a days use. It had a smell I don't even know how to explain, but somewhere along the lines of a dirty wet rag. Maybe I'm just a smelly guy but either way I'll be running merino this season...
I'm a synthetic fan. I know I'm in the minority but I find them warmer, lighter and faster drying than wool. They can make a stink but my body chemistry seems to work well with the treated synthetics. I've worn my base layers for over a week with no major problems. Yes, I've owned hign quality merino (Icebreaker, Smartwool) for years, and I do love merino sox, but I'll hang on to my synthetic base layers which are basically dry when they come out of the spin cycle in my washing machine.
After wearing my KUIU merino base layers last season I am not going back to synthetics. I didn't mind the synthetic performance but I did mind the smell after 3 days. Merino has much less funk and just as much warmth. It does take a bit longer to dry but not much.
I forgot to add that I mostly use my synthetics for training now or a backpacking scout trip.
+1 on merino. I also use synthetics for training, but if it's more than 1 night hunting trip I wear my merino because of the funk I get with synthetic.
I tried merino for the first time this past year. I don't use my synthetics very much anymore. I've found I prefer my KUIU merino shirts to the sitka shirts for fit also. The sleeves are longer on the KUIU and are able to cover my watch better. The sitka shirt sleeves ride up exposing my watch which can cast a glare and be annoying while hunting.