Ultimate SKRE Gear Review

[realunlucky]

I'm frantically trying to dig out the rifle while the sheep are still low on the mountain. I run back and make a wide turn returning back to the pervious glassing spot and use the same terrian feature that hid the ewes from us to shield my approach to them. It works perfectly and soon I'm within 150 yards of them undetected.

I was surprised how tough these sheep were she sucked up a couple rounds of 7mm/08 before succumbing.

 

[realunlucky]

It's was a surreal moment walking up on my first sheep.

This wasn't just a "EWE" to me it was most likely my only opportunity to hunt these amazing animals in this crazy harsh environment that they call home. This is my Neilson Desert Sheep.

 

[realunlucky]

My little buddy took this picture love the view.

Here we are all are just before the work begins.

 

[realunlucky]

What an awesome experience thanks for sharing it with me.

In the end I saw 24 rams and just this single bunch of 3 ewes.

 

[realunlucky]

Weather rolled in shortly afterwards and winds picked up over 30+ and the temps dropped. Lucky to have been tagged out as the dust swirled and visibility dropped.

Shelter held together but had to reenforce the center pole when the wind gusts really picked up.

It was bitter sweet leaving Nevada but I was rolling straight into Utah and my families deer camp.

 

[realunlucky]

 

[realunlucky]

Leaving the desert in Nevada only to find this on the way up the mountain in Utah

Snow

 

[realunlucky]

Pulled into camp thankfully the snow didn't collapse anything as I had set up camp enroute to hunt sheep.

Got the sheep hanging in tree should be plenty cool enough to keep for a week

 

[Scoony]

I just got back from my 1st Rifle Colorado Elk hunt

I wore the Skre Summit pattern in the Hardscrabble pants and jacket as well as the trapper hoodie and Wasatch crew top. I will be honest that I really picked the summit pattern based on looks rather then the environment to be hunted. Turns out, it actually blends in well in the dark timber on overcast days.

Weather was in the teens up to mid 50’s. I normally don’t like to wear a base layer for my lower body and found that the hardscrabble pants worked out perfectly without a base layer. I was also able to stay comfortable with only the three layers for the upper body.

I had a pair of Kuiu Attack pants that I wore a few of the days. Some pants comparisions:
1. The Skre pants have a smoother finish. The Kuiu started to show some wear on the knees from moving through scrub pine and aspen. The Skre didn’t show any
2. The pockets on the Skre have no flaps which I preferred as it allows quicker easier access.
3. The cargo pockets on the Skre pants are located on the front which I found easier to access. I kept a elk cow call and a squeeze bottle of wind indicator. It was easier to retrieve them from the Skre then the Kuiu.
4. My only complaint for the Skre pants are the lower leg “boot cut” is too generous. I would preferer them to be a little snugger over the boot tops.

I loved the crew top. Nice and soft, and seems to warmer than it really should be based on its lightness. I need to get a few more of these. The jacket was also very nice and kept me comfortable throughout the week-long excursion.

The jack also looked and worked great on horseback. I was wearing rain pants overtop of jeans, and the Skre jacket over a Kuiu puffy jacket. Kept me very warm on a cold horseback ride.

 

[robby denning]

A big congrats on your sheep Sam. That is just great

Scoony, thanks for your feedback in this thread too


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[realunlucky]

I just got back from my 1st Rifle Colorado Elk hunt

I wore the Skre Summit pattern in the Hardscrabble pants and jacket as well as the trapper hoodie and Wasatch crew top. I will be honest that I really picked the summit pattern based on looks rather then the environment to be hunted. Turns out, it actually blends in well in the dark timber on overcast days.

Weather was in the teens up to mid 50’s. I normally don’t like to wear a base layer for my lower body and found that the hardscrabble pants worked out perfectly without a base layer. I was also able to stay comfortable with only the three layers for the upper body.

I had a pair of Kuiu Attack pants that I wore a few of the days. Some pants comparisions:
1. The Skre pants have a smoother finish. The Kuiu started to show some wear on the knees from moving through scrub pine and aspen. The Skre didn’t show any
2. The pockets on the Skre have no flaps which I preferred as it allows quicker easier access.
3. The cargo pockets on the Skre pants are located on the front which I found easier to access. I kept a elk cow call and a squeeze bottle of wind indicator. It was easier to retrieve them from the Skre then the Kuiu.
4. My only complaint for the Skre pants are the lower leg “boot cut” is too generous. I would preferer them to be a little snugger over the boot tops.

I loved the crew top. Nice and soft, and seems to warmer than it really should be based on its lightness. I need to get a few more of these. The jacket was also very nice and kept me comfortable throughout the week-long excursion.

The jack also looked and worked great on horseback. I was wearing rain pants overtop of jeans, and the Skre jacket over a Kuiu puffy jacket. Kept me very warm on a cold horseback ride.

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Scoony some great feedback thanks for sharing. Funny you mention how well it blended in with the dark timber because my buddy told he could only see the stainless rifle barrel when I was stalking that sheep in the wide open dessert.
Looks that summit pattern gives good breakup in a wide range of terrain.

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[MallardMaster]

I am in receipt of my merino wool base layer. Pretty excited to give this a try over the weekend. Hope that I am not disappointed!

 

[realunlucky]

I am in receipt of my merino wool base layer. Pretty excited to give this a try over the weekend. Hope that I am not disappointed!

Looking forward to reading your thoughts after you get to use them a bit. I've been impressed with my set so far. First time merino wool user so nothing to compare them to apples to apples.

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[silverbullet555]

Used my puffy a few times. Like the lightness and how it fits.

One gripe is the zipper. It's the loudest zipper I've ever heard. Not sure why it is so loud as I believe they are using ykk. The zippers on my kuiu stuff are way quieter.

Since it is something that is often put on in the field, noise does matter.

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[realunlucky]

Used my puffy a few times. Like the lightness and how it fits.

One gripe is the zipper. It's the loudest zipper I've ever heard. Not sure why it is so loud as I believe they are using ykk. The zippers on my kuiu stuff are way quieter.

Since it is something that is often put on in the field, noise does matter.

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I never noticed this detail about the zipper I'll dig mine out tomorrow and check it out.

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[realunlucky]

I never noticed this detail about the zipper I'll dig mine out tomorrow and check it out.

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Ok so the wife and I ran the zippers on all four puffy jackets I have here at the house. Yes compared to a standard jacket zipper they all seem loud. Not sure maybe the shell fabric amplifies the noise. The Cabela's puffy has less teeth on the zipper and was the quietest. There was no noticable difference in noise level between the skre ptarmigan or the stika kelvin lite for either of us.

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[MallardMaster]

I am in receipt of my merino wool base layer. Pretty excited to give this a try over the weekend. Hope that I am not disappointed!

I think I am going to need something else to keep me warm. I was hopeful that the merino wool would keep me a little warm, but I was actually pretty chilly the better part of the weekend sitting in the deer stand. Perhaps this material is best used when you are walking around and the temps are not in the 30's. I was a little bummed about this, but what do you do. I suppose that it will work out great next year when I am in wyoming.

 

[realunlucky]

I used the kaibab this year in utah with a week of temps 18* to 34* it was chilly. I wore the kanati over the kaibab top and the kaibab bottoms. I did wear two pairs of bottoms on the 18* morning. I was good once I got moving.
I sat a tree stand in Missouri a couple days last week and low 30s I was chilled. I only bought a single set with me. I hope SKRE expands their bottom insulation layers next year for a set more suited for more warmth while doing dormant activities.

I'll be trying a set of Wasatch as more of a insulation piece as the weather turns colder and see how that works for me for now.

 

[realunlucky]

I haven't had a truly family hunt in a very long time. When my 86 year old grandfather mentioned that he wanted to go hunting this year I knew it was going to be a special year. I had enough general points to draw us a couple deer tags in about any unit in the state. We applied for a new early general hunt because old folks hate cold weather and waited for draw results.
We finally had tags in hand. My daughter didn't draw a single tag this year so I planned to mentor her my tag and find a deer for grandpa. The weather threw a real wrench in our plans by bringing out some early snow and dang cold weather a few days before the opener.
Now days kids can't really miss school so with a Weds opening day kids would have to wait until Friday night to make it to deer camp. I knew I'd see a giant while my daughter was still at school since I vowed to wait.
I had a heck of a time finding deer let alone bucks we put a bunch of miles on and hours behind the glass with few sightings to show for it.
We found an awesome buck in the last bit of shooting light on day one. Grandfather had a rough time trying to identify which was which and the opportunity was lost. Everyone was bummed out but I noticed this buck really lit a fire in Gramps about shooting a good buck.
Day two was similar with hardly any deer spotted. That evening we headed down the mountain and ran into a group bucks with a couple nice bucks in it. Again with the sun in our face we had a hard time trying to get everyone on the bucks. Frustrated I got my daughters rifle out. I guess karma is a bitch because I emptied that gun but hit nothing. Everyone got a good laugh at my expense and I doubt I'll live it down anytime soon. Just like ol times and really lightened the mood of seeing few deer.
Day three was Friday. I needed to drive a couple hours to pick my kids up so it'll be a short morning hunt. We decided to head back to where we saw the deer the night before. My grandpa said he was going to shoot a buck today. He has a hand tremble sometimes it's hardly noticable and other times he can't drink a glass of water without using both hands. He said if he could see the deer and just sit down he would be able kill it. I told him I would glass him up a buck. Just has the first rays of light hit the sage brush I spotted a buck. I said there's a buck! All he said was " I see it" quickly sat down and smoked him at 289 yards with the first shell.

It was one of my most cherished memories of all time. Going to be a tough trip to top for sure. Hope I'm still getting it done at 86. Hopefully I got him talked into an antelope hunt next year.

 

[realunlucky]

Well we got the buck broke down and loaded up. By the time we got back to camp and got it hanging in a tree it was time to head back home and get my kids. No hunting done that evening kids way to excited to hang out with great grandma. I was actually pretty excited to have all 4 generations in camp few families get to experience that and I wanted to enjoy it to the fullest .
Day 4 was Saturday. It was cold in the morning and kids weren't excited to start the day. Again we didn't see many deer we did see a group of elk and searched for a spike but it was all cows and a decent bull. Didn't see a single buck all day. My grandparents left that evening.
Day 5 Sunday was the last day. We were only hunting till about 1 so we could make it back home at decent time. I really wanted my daughter to get an opportunity so we headed to a spot I knew would hold a bunch of does. We ended up seeing about 60 does and two spikes. She passed on shooting both spikes. It was a bummer I couldn't turn her a good buck or even a small forkie. I have a Doe tag for December so hopefully she'll bag her first deer yet.
My phone took a swim so most of my photos were lost. I wore the kaibab and kanati everyday for over eleven days with no noticeable to me stink. That's pretty impressive and I'm sold on merino for that reason. I also wore the hardscrabble vest over the kanati hoody that's awesome mid temps combo. I did wear the hardscrabble jacket a ton to cut the wind and blowing snow. I got to test the gaiters out in snow covered sage brush I'll be doing a separate write up on them shortly.