The perfect whitetail clothing system?

[AlwaysChasinTailNHorns]

I’ve been through a lot of gear, I've had pretty much every Sitka piece and it was great stuff truly but I didn’t find much breathability specifically in the stratus and fanatic series gear for super long treks into public mountains and swamps I hunt and even when putting them on after the hikes when I’m in the stand I just didn’t find the breathed well for my specific applications, I ran FL before that and it was solid but I wasn’t too crazy about some of their late season stuff and struggled to find good insulation pieces back in the day that weren’t too noisy (I ran this gear about 7 years ago I know they’ve come a long way with other pieces) I will say I was a huge fan of their outer shells like the catalyst jacket and pants and still run some of their pieces along with corrugate pants for specific applications, I now after years of going through certain pieces have found what I think is the best early (October) to late season system for the three states I hunt (Alabama, Illinois, and Wisconsin) and it’s a mix of everything and I just wanted to share and see what you guys think and are running.
This system is pretty simple and straight forward:
Early season:
Stone glacier Helio Hoodie
Stone Glacier Lariat beanie
FL corrugate pants
FL kiln zip on long johns for cooler evening hunts (especially if I’m back up in the Midwest hunting early season in Illinois or Wisconsin)
Hanwag Alverstone boots (when hunting the mountains of north alabama)
Lacrosse rubber boots or hip waders when hunting swamps
Mid season:
Stone Glacier Helio hoodie
Stone Glacier Lariat beanie
Kuiu encounter pant (IMO the best mid to early late season pant and can get away with running it early season as well with no layering and side vents)
Filson fingerless wool gloves
FL kiln zip off long john bottoms for cooler days that require layering (amazing to store in my pack and put on when I get up in the stand to prevent too much sweat on long hikes in)
I will run an outer shell over my SG hoodie like the FL catalyst or my Asio mid weight Vest on more mild days that I feel only my core needs the added insulation
Late season:
I will run my SG hoodie as a base along with the kiln long johns
Asio late season prima loft jacket
Asio late season bibs (stow on my lonewolf .5 seat/shelf and hike in wearing my kiln base layer pants and will put them on at the stand)
Filson wool beanie
Filson fingerless wool gloves (I always keep my hands in my pockets and like to feel the release or my muzzys trigger)
Rare but sometimes I’ll add in the Asio vest to this but I don’t ever see or feel the need even when im bow hunting up in Illinois or Wisconsin in November on really cold days I rarely add the Asio vest but it’s there if I need it.

 

[dallas.kc]

How you like that Asio gear late season? I have the Sitka stratus and as dumb as this sounds (and I guess some research on deer vision backs me up), I hate the elevated pattern. Thinking about trying something new. Or going to solids


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[AlwaysChasinTailNHorns]

How you like that Asio gear late season? I have the Sitka stratus and as dumb as this sounds (and I guess some research on deer vision backs me up), I hate the elevated pattern. Thinking about trying something new. Or going to solids


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The studies they did actually played a pretty big part in me parting ways with the elevated pattern and first hand experience of being 20+ ft up in a tree running ozinics (I know it’s not gonna solve 100% of the equation) with a great wind and deer noticing my smallest movements left me wondering what was getting me busted when I never had that with my FL gear and especially not the Asio. I’ll say the Asio insulation wise and durability wise is just as good as the Sitka gear I had. The vest is comparable to the stratus vest (touch thicker) and the late season gear is comparable to the fanatic series jacket and bibs and it is DEAD quiet and has some nice bow hunting features which I love and oddly enough even though it may seem lighter colored in photos it blends really well even when things are still greened up a bit you really do “disappear” been a few times I’ve had my brother walk to the base of my tree to meet me before we switch spots midday and he’s had a hard time seeing me he would always say “I just look for your sticks” give it a try I don’t know anyone who has regretted it! Just don’t try to hike in any spots with it on it is extremely warm and only way to dump heat is unzipping the jacket and bibs but the zippers are really quiet which is nice if you need to dump heat in the stand.

 

[VuduDoc]

Sounds like you've done most of the fun parts; experimenting with new things and finding what works best for you.

Like you, I'm always adding and subtracting pieces. I'll describe what worked last year and some changes for this year. Here it is:

Use case: Iowa archery whitetail (Oct. 1-Jan. 10) and late muzzleloader (~Christmas-Jan. 10) tree saddle, ladder stand, or ground sits​

Early Season​

Tops​

Cabela's LW synthetic LS crew shirt in TrueTimber Strata​

Sitka Traverse Cold Weather Hoody in subalpine​

Bottoms​

Sitka Traverse pants in subalpine​

Accessories​

FL Wick 150 Liner glove in spectre​

Misc. camo baseball cap​

Footwear​

Darn Tough or Smartwool LW merino socks​

Rocky 8" leather work boot or Keen Targhee II​

---

Mid Season​

Tops​

Cabela's LW synthetic LS crew shirt in TruTimber Strata or FL Kiln 1/4 zip in spectre​

Sitka Traverse Cold Weather Hoody in subalpine or Under Armour Cold Gear 1/4 zip (HW fleece) in green or Patagonia Nano Puff in black​

Black Diamond Alpine Start windshirt in green (if its really windy)​

Bottoms​

Sitka Traverse pants in subalpine or Cabela's Instinct Glassing Pant in TrueTimber VSX​

Accessories​

FL Talus touch merino gloves in green​

Kuiu Axis gloves in verde​

Kuiu Peleton 97 neck gaiter in green​

FL Kiln beanie in spectre​

Footwear​

Misc. mid-weight merino socks (Cabela's Instinct, Vortex, Under Armour)​

Rocky 8" leather work boot or Keen Targhee II​

---

Late Season​

Tops​

FL Kiln 1/4 zip in spectre​

Under Armour Cold Gear 1/4 zip (HW fleece) in green​

Patagonia Down Sweater in grey​

Black Diamond Alpine Start windshirt in green​

Bottoms​

FL Kiln zip-offs​

Cabela's Instinct Glassing Pant in TrueTimber VSX​

Accessories​

FL Talus touch merino gloves in green​

Kuiu Axis gloves in verde​

FL Kiln beanie in spectre​

FL Tundra Cold Weather balaclava in specre​

Hot hand packs (lol)​

Footwear​

Darn Tough or SmartWool LW merino socks​

Rocky Sport Pro 1000g Thinsulate boots in Mossy Oak break up country​

---

Late Season when it's hella cold (<15*f)​

Tops​

Cabela's Instinct Stand Hunter Parka in TrueTimber VSX​

Bottoms​

Cabela's Instinct Stand Hunter Bibs in TrueTimber VSX​

Accessories​

More hot hands packs lol​

---

Changes for this coming season:

• Sitka Core Merino 120 LS crew in subalpine as next-to-skin for the entire season. Stand alone early season and as base layer mid and late seasons.
• Kuiu Attack pant in gunmetal grey for mid season. The Sitka Traverse can be too light and the Cabela's Instinct Glassing pant can be too heavy sometimes.
• FL Talus fingerless merino glove on my right hand for shooting.
• Potentially adding a Kuiu Proximity hand muff for late season.
• Currently changing up some layers for walking into my saddle/stand late season. I was wearing bibs fully unzipped and tying parka on waist but was getting too sweaty. Potential plan is to add tie down points on bottom of pack to strap bibs and parka to when walking in. Then potentially getting a PrimaLoft Evolve active insulation piece to wear up top and just my long johns on the bottom or if it is too cold for that one of my LW softshell pants over them (like the Costco ones, similar to Wrangler ATGs). Change at tree base before climb.

Biggest problems I've found personal solutions to thus far (the past ~3 years):

• Feet would get cold late season. I was overinsulated and feet were sweating on walk in. Dropped from a mid or heavyweight merino sock with my insulated boots to a lightweight merino sock in the same boots and I stopped getting cold feet. I don't change socks ever. (I do bring a backup pair though)
• Preparing for wind. Even on mild days I would find myself getting cold in 2-3 hours from wind. Adding a synthetic or down static insulation or windshirt layer depending on the temps has fixed that for me.

I don't really have the budget for all this technical clothing that I want. I find I'm able to add about 2 pieces per year to try out and tend to ask for accessories from loved ones on special occasions like my birthday and Christmas. So far it's been a fun journey and gives me something to nerd out on when it's not season.

 

[AlwaysChasinTailNHorns]

Sounds like you've done most of the fun parts; experimenting with new things and finding what works best for you.

Like you, I'm always adding and subtracting pieces. I'll describe what worked last year and some changes for this year. Here it is:

Use case: Iowa archery whitetail (Oct. 1-Jan. 10) and late muzzleloader (~Christmas-Jan. 10) tree saddle, ladder stand, or ground sits​

Early Season​

Tops​

Cabela's LW synthetic LS crew shirt in TrueTimber Strata​

Sitka Traverse Cold Weather Hoody in subalpine​

Bottoms​

Sitka Traverse pants in subalpine​

Accessories​

FL Wick 150 Liner glove in spectre​

Misc. camo baseball cap​

Footwear​

Darn Tough or Smartwool LW merino socks​

Rocky 8" leather work boot or Keen Targhee II​

---

Mid Season​

Tops​

Cabela's LW synthetic LS crew shirt in TruTimber Strata or FL Kiln 1/4 zip in spectre​

Sitka Traverse Cold Weather Hoody in subalpine or Under Armour Cold Gear 1/4 zip (HW fleece) in green or Patagonia Nano Puff in black​

Black Diamond Alpine Start windshirt in green (if its really windy)​

Bottoms​

Sitka Traverse pants in subalpine or Cabela's Instinct Glassing Pant in TrueTimber VSX​

Accessories​

FL Talus touch merino gloves in green​

Kuiu Axis gloves in verde​

Kuiu Peleton 97 neck gaiter in green​

FL Kiln beanie in spectre​

Footwear​

Misc. mid-weight merino socks (Cabela's Instinct, Vortex, Under Armour)​

Rocky 8" leather work boot or Keen Targhee II​

---

Late Season​

Tops​

FL Kiln 1/4 zip in spectre​

Under Armour Cold Gear 1/4 zip (HW fleece) in green​

Patagonia Down Sweater in grey​

Black Diamond Alpine Start windshirt in green​

Bottoms​

FL Kiln zip-offs​

Cabela's Instinct Glassing Pant in TrueTimber VSX​

Accessories​

FL Talus touch merino gloves in green​

Kuiu Axis gloves in verde​

FL Kiln beanie in spectre​

FL Tundra Cold Weather balaclava in specre​

Hot hand packs (lol)​

Footwear​

Darn Tough or SmartWool LW merino socks​

Rocky Sport Pro 1000g Thinsulate boots in Mossy Oak break up country​

---

​

Late Season when it's hella cold (<15*f)​

Tops​

Cabela's Instinct Stand Hunter Parka in TrueTimber VSX​

Bottoms​

Cabela's Instinct Stand Hunter Bibs in TrueTimber VSX​

Accessories​

More hot hands packs lol​

---

Changes for this coming season:

• Sitka Core Merino 120 LS crew in subalpine as next-to-skin for the entire season. Stand alone early season and as base layer mid and late seasons.
• Kuiu Attack pant in gunmetal grey for mid season. The Sitka Traverse can be too light and the Cabela's Instinct Glassing pant can be too heavy sometimes.
• FL Talus fingerless merino glove on my right hand for shooting.
• Potentially adding a Kuiu Proximity hand muff for late season.
• Currently changing up some layers for walking into my saddle/stand late season. I was wearing bibs fully unzipped and tying parka on waist but was getting too sweaty. Potential plan is to add tie down points on bottom of pack to strap bibs and parka to when walking in. Then potentially getting a PrimaLoft Evolve active insulation piece to wear up top and just my long johns on the bottom or if it is too cold for that one of my LW softshell pants over them (like the Costco ones, similar to Wrangler ATGs). Change at tree base before climb.

Biggest problems I've found personal solutions to thus far (the past ~3 years):

• Feet would get cold late season. I was overinsulated and feet were sweating on walk in. Dropped from a mid or heavyweight merino sock with my insulated boots to a lightweight merino sock in the same boots and I stopped getting cold feet. I don't change socks ever. (I do bring a backup pair though)
• Preparing for wind. Even on mild days I would find myself getting cold in 2-3 hours from wind. Adding a synthetic or down static insulation or windshirt layer depending on the temps has fixed that for me.

I don't really have the budget for all this technical clothing that I want. I find I'm able to add about 2 pieces per year to try out and tend to ask for accessories from loved ones on special occasions like my birthday and Christmas. So far it's been a fun journey and gives me something to nerd out on when it's not season.

Those are all really awesome pieces you have listed there! I have a good buddy who runs some of the cabelas pieces and absolutely loves them they make really solid gear at a great price point. Like you I dealt with cold feet and started running lighter merino socks I got on sale at rei for early to mid season and then I bought two pairs of hollow wool socks on a Black Friday sale and my cold feet troubles in the late season were gone! I also run chargeable hand warmers I bought off Amazon I keep in my pockets during late season which work great but if you use them for an all day sit they will need recharging after each one which sucks if you forget to charge them lol. I’m the same way though I add a new piece here and there because like most guys we work hard for our money and quality hunting clothing isn’t always cheap. Let me know throughout the season what pieces you like and why and the cons if any!

 

[Bhanks55]

I was gifted a pair of electric socks and my goodness I couldn't believe the difference. Helped me pack lighter and if my feet were warm I could dress much lighter.

I love my First liter sanctuary as well.