Thinking about ditching my puffy pants

[mtwarden]

I mean if you've got your sleeping bag in your pack I dont think you would need puffy pants too. I havent, however, ever heard of anybody carrying their sleeping bag with them on day hunts...

If it were me I'd keep the puffy layers and ditch the bag.

Now you have

It's a 50 degree Apex quilt- weighs 12 oz and packs small. It also comes with a "poncho hole" so I can use it as a final layer when glassing when it's really cold. Obviously with an unexpected night out it would be most welcomed.

I don't use my puffy pants a ton, but mid-season on (earlier this year!) they go in my pack. 7-8 oz and pack small, so worth it for me. When I do need them, seems like a I really need them

 

[*zap*]

I have wm down pants and they weigh very little and take up almost no space....depends on how much I compress them.

 

[Seeknelk]

I can't stand any bulk around my legs, merino layers are barely tolerable for me. We hunted 3rd season in CO this year with some days being in the negative temps and the rest low single digits with highs in the teens and I got along fine with Kuiu Axis pants or Sitka Timberline pants with a good set of merino legs. Obviously I can't sit terribly long, sat for a little over an hour here and there without issue though.

Puffy pants are only for zipping on and glassing or whatever, then take them off when done. If it's 10 degrees and your trying to glass for mulies after sweating up the mountain for 3 hours, they are worth having so you can stay where you need to stay and watch. Yeah, take em off to walk again.

 

[EdP]

I don't have any puffy pants yet but have been considering them. As I have gotten older I have found it increasingly important to keep my legs warm. It used to be that once I had gotten too cold to continue a sit (shaking too badly to shoot) that I could climb out of the stand, start moving, and soon be warmed up. For the past 15 yrs or so (I'm 68) I find that once I start moving I get even colder and it takes a long time to get warm again. Its a matter of circulation and cold blood pooling in my legs while sitting. Once I'm on my feet that cold blood is swept to my core lowering my overall body temp and it is tough to overcome. For hunts where weight doesn't matter much I carry a small wool blanket to go over my legs. I call it my "old man blanket" and it makes a huge difference, but is too heavy and bulky for backpack hunts. I think puffy's would serve me well or maybe a woobie.

 

[Seeknelk]

And also, what I put in my pack varies with my planned hunt. Doesn't yours. Like other said, if I'm going to go track bulls or bucks cuz snow is right and it's funnest hunt ever, I'm definitely NOT bringing puffy pants, spotter or tripod that day.

I WILL put the puffy coat in as #1 survival gear,#2 lunch eating gear, can't stop moving sometimes without it, once your damp and hungry and you just want a nice shelter for a quick bit , puffy time
. Can always build a giant fire if it needed...some vantage points are perfect for big fire. Done it for years. Fun too!
Puffy pants are LIGHTER than hauling a couple extra base layer ,or thick fleece pants or something. They also help keep feet warmer also, keeping the blood from dropping temp as fast.
So they wi be in my pile of chit forever, sometimes they are with, sometimes not, and sometimes I really wish they were.
As I've gotten older(seasoned?), I've gotten better about actually using the dang stuff I pack with, only takes seconds to zip on the pants, or set up the tripod, or pull out the big spotter cuz you see a thing you think may be a tine or ear. USE IT! You haul the dang chit around forever, dragging you down, use it! It's why your there! (Dialog in my head)

 

[Blowdowner]

Sounds smart to me.

 

[EdP]

I've been looking at the Kifaru Weebie. Just under a pound, DWR finish, 44"x64", Apex insulation. It looks more versitile than puffy pants (which I could not wear for long when up and moving). It's 64" long and I'm only 68" fully stretched out so it would cover me nicely tucked up a bit in a pinch. Anybody use one of these?

 

[Fjellvei]

I'm weird and pack down puffy pants to supplement a 25° sleeping bag. I like the form factor and weight of a super lightweight/warmer weather bag, even when I really should just have a 10° bag. In a recent hunt in full snow I liked to leave the puffy pants on in the AM for more sedentary activity like glassing or slow moving to nearby vantages.

This works for me but I realize it's strange and maybe I should be more open minded

 

[mtwarden]

Enlightened Equipment used to sell "snow skirts" that were just small Apex blankets with snaps- the Weebie looks similarly fashioned, I think it would great for keeping the legs warm.

 

[jasonhul]

I've been looking at the Kifaru Weebie. Just under a pound, DWR finish, 44"x64", Apex insulation. It looks more versitile than puffy pants (which I could not wear for long when up and moving). It's 64" long and I'm only 68" fully stretched out so it would cover me nicely tucked up a bit in a pinch. Anybody use one of these?

Yep. We use the woobie and Doobie while deer hunting here in ND. Great added layer when it's cold and windy, which seems like every day during rifle. Used it the other night in the blind archery hunting. Very versatile and easy to strap to the pack.


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[Azhun]

I don’t do the puffy pants. I’d ditch them and have that comfy jacket on hand in the pack.

 

[thinhorn_AK]

I have the kifaru ones, I want to sell them and get some lighter down ones.

 

[Rifleman86]

Perhaps the thread title was a bit misleading… Should’ve been “Do those of you who either spike or backpack hunt still carry puffy pants?”

If it’s a cold day and I’m hunting from the truck they are definitely going with me. But when I’m packed in it seems like just carrying my sleeping bag around and pulling it out to use as a blanket makes more sense. I’m always looking at ways to lighten my pack and get multiple uses out of one item.

 

[mtwarden]

if I was totally hunting out of my full pack on a multi-day trip, there might weather where I leave them behind.

But most of my backpack hunts are usually (but not always) where I'm setting up a camp and then hunting out of it (leaving shelter/sleep system/cooking stuff/etc behind). I often move my camp if I'm not seeing much, but then usually spike out again somewhere else.

 

[sneaky]

Everything depends on how cold it is going to be. Hard to give you an answer when it's situationally dependent.

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[S.Clancy]

I only bring them if temps are going to be in the mid-teens or below. They only weigh 16 oz, and they are the best 16oz on earth when I need them.

 

[wind gypsy]

Late season hunts where any appreciable glassing is needed I’m bringing my apex puffy pants and probably boot blankets/ hand warmers too.

 

[Mannsbuick]

I have the kifaru ones, I want to sell them and get some lighter down ones.

Do you have the older Kifaru Packlock Pack lock set with apex climashield? If so what size? Again only interested in the Pack Lock not the Lost Park version. Thanks