What does a poor guy wear to hunt the mountains?

[JWP58]

Goodwill? Surely in CO you can find some north face, marmot, mountain hardwear.

 

[Big Nasty]

The elk don't care what you wear. Back in the day all they wore was jeans/carharts and cotton button up shirts and killed elk. Might not be as comfortable as the fancy new gear but it all will work. As I say this I have all kuiu and Sitka gear but I'm not nearly as tough as the men from the early days. There's deals everywhere, you'll be fine with whatever you have as long as your hunting. IMO.

 

[Felix1776]

Thanks for the responses everybody. Lots of great ideas. I'll start doing some homework.

By the way, I'll mostly be doing 2-4 day hunts during the early season. No 7-10 day excursions this year.

 

[wyosteve]

Army surplus store. All I wore for 25 yrs. were surplus pants and a m-65 field jacket. Critters never complained!

 

[excaliber]

I would hit STP up for base layers. I bought some really cheap long john base layers that are a silk type (very light and perfect for early and mid season hunts) for 11.00 each. They have worked as well as my Sitka base layer bottoms. I would buy these again in a heartbeat.

Look at Cabelas and get some Microtex Pants. They are usually on sale and are super comfortable, dry quickly , block the wind super well are not made of cotton and are tough as nails. These can be had for around 50.00 each. I have two pair and I really like them allot along with my Microtex button up shirts.

Find a Russell outdoors APX Gale Jacket for cheap. Depending on your size and searching ability they can be had really cheap. I have one in Max4 and it's my go to softshell.

Look for sales on Mtn clothing. Down jackets can be purchased cheap on Ebay. Eddie Bauer has their down jackets 50% off all the time.

These are just some ideas but I hunt with all the above gear except the down jacket and they were cheap and work really well for me.

It depends on what you are looking for but spend some time looking around and I'm sure you'll find some stuff dirt cheap.

 

[JWP58]

Thanks for the responses everybody. Lots of great ideas. I'll start doing some homework.

By the way, I'll mostly be doing 2-4 day hunts during the early season. No 7-10 day excursions this year.

Like already stated sierratradingpost is a great place to start. I've scored fleece pullovers for 10 bucks, Sitka stuff for over 50% off, boots for 50% off (lowa, asolo) and cheap camping gear (cooksets, etc.). If you have an outlet near by stop in often and checkout their tent sales. Its not as good as it used to be, but deals are still there.

 

[mattstanton]

blackovis.com, camofire.com, sierra trading post. these sites will have the best deals on the higher end stuff but honestly, buy the best gear that your budget will allow and go hunt. your clothing wont make or break your hunt.

 

[5MilesBack]

For "most" Colorado archery seasons I never need more than my merino base layers, Microtex Lite shirt and pants, and a microfleece mock-T......and the most expensive items in that list are the merino base layers.......but they also keep me the most comfortable. Last year Cabela's had their Cabela's/Icebreaker branded short sleeve merino shirts on clearance for $17.99 and their long sleeve for $20.99. I picked up 2 of each and they're actually more comfortable than my First Lite Llano's. I only use solid color merino. STP usually has some good deals on merino as well, just make sure it's a lightweight merino made for wicking.......i.e. sub 200-weight.

You can also check Sportsman's as they have Kryptek on sale a lot, as well as King's Camo and a few others. I like putting hands on stuff to get a feel for it and to see how comfortable it will be, and you can try them on there. You just want a lightweight synthetic that's soft (quiet), comfortable, not restricting, fits, doesn't make you overheat, and dries quickly. I compare everything to my Microtex Lite because it works so well for warm archery weather.

Pick up a cheap camo fleece jacket (I actually did get mine at Goodwill several years ago), and a rain jacket, and you're golden. I had a FL rain jacket and sold it because my Walls 10x $35 jacket works just as well for our rain.

 

[pwsINC]

Yeah the above pretty much covers it for you. But merino cost structure you'll see better printing on the high-end and better stitching.... neither will matter on 2-4 days especially to get through a season. Kings camo has good sales and good prices for an outer wear or rain wear piece if you must have camo...Or poncho it and hide from rain your first season.

Location and set up will fool more animals that any camo will.

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G891A using Tapatalk

 

[ChrisS]

For a down jacket either costco or one of these from Amazon and elsewhere. I use it and you can usually find it less than $40 on sale. Weighs less than 11 oz and packs up into its own pocket and doesn't leak a ton of feathers (mainly because its mostly duck down and not goose down). Probably 85% as warm as a $250 800fp jacket, but for early seasons, it's plenty warm.

Ideally, you're just looking for base layers, pants, shirt/fleece, a puffy, and rain gear that are not cotton and breathable. You can put that all together for well south of $250. The eddie bauer microfleeces are comfy and they're usually running some kind of sale or another. Keep an eye out for Prana stretch zions on sale (REI) or EB guide pants.

All the expensive stuff just has a couple of different bells and whistles and might be a touch more durable or a little lighter. Like anything, once you get past functional, you can pay a lot to just get incrementally better here or there.

 

[fngTony]

Felix, if I read this right, you still need a pack and boots? If so get them first that may change your clothing budget +/-. For boots I'd go to a STP store and see what's on clearance. Obviously no guarantee but several times I've seen $300-$400 boots for around $150. I really like my Cabela's roughneck boots about $120.

Clothing, I see nice stuff at Goodwill too. Don't waste too much time there as it's a total crap shoot.

I think we talked awhile back and you are hunting archery? If so this is what I wore my first two years.

Scentblocker poly cotton blend cargos $35

Realtree poly 1/4 zip from Walmart $20

Scentlok fleece jacket $50 on clearance

Cheap light gloves and neck gaiter from bass pro $20 total

Poly baselayers from Walmart $20 total.

Socks, liner $1, wool blend $10 all Walmart.

Rain jacket, work issued black coated nylon with mesh liner. Easy to find similar for about $30.

Heavy fleece 1/4 zip $7 Walmart

Rain pants, full leg zip gortex (some uniform company no name brand) $13 at Goodwill.

Boots, leather uninsulated hi-tech brand from big5sporting goods $55. Those were a unicorn as they fit great and held up for years hunting and casual wear. Not the best elk boots but it's what I had and they were broke in.

Downfalls and reasons I upgraded. Some material was too shiny. Restrictive when layered up. Notice I didn't have an actual puffy insulation, that would be my top priority for you for clothes. I wouldn't seek out rain pants, rather a decent tarp to hide out from a short downpour or hail storm. Maybe some gaiters if budget allows.

 

[boom]

OP. first..congrats on your new house..which appreciates..or should appreciate.

your hunt gear, not so much

are you gear-less? i would buy some merino from costco and wear it under what i already have. boots. yikes. i have feet that require decent boots.

 

[Felix1776]

Thanks for all of the replies! There are some great suggestions here. I'll definitely get this whole deal figured out soon.

Felix, if I read this right, you still need a pack and boots? If so get them first that may change your clothing budget +/-. For boots I'd go to a STP store and see what's on clearance. Obviously no guarantee but several times I've seen $300-$400 boots for around $150. I really like my Cabela's roughneck boots about $120.

Clothing, I see nice stuff at Goodwill too. Don't waste too much time there as it's a total crap shoot.

I think we talked awhile back and you are hunting archery? If so this is what I wore my first two years.

Scentblocker poly cotton blend cargos $35

Realtree poly 1/4 zip from Walmart $20

Scentlok fleece jacket $50 on clearance

Cheap light gloves and neck gaiter from bass pro $20 total

Poly baselayers from Walmart $20 total.

Socks, liner $1, wool blend $10 all Walmart.

Rain jacket, work issued black coated nylon with mesh liner. Easy to find similar for about $30.

Heavy fleece 1/4 zip $7 Walmart

Rain pants, full leg zip gortex (some uniform company no name brand) $13 at Goodwill.

Boots, leather uninsulated hi-tech brand from big5sporting goods $55. Those were a unicorn as they fit great and held up for years hunting and casual wear. Not the best elk boots but it's what I had and they were broke in.

Downfalls and reasons I upgraded. Some material was too shiny. Restrictive when layered up. Notice I didn't have an actual puffy insulation, that would be my top priority for you for clothes. I wouldn't seek out rain pants, rather a decent tarp to hide out from a short downpour or hail storm. Maybe some gaiters if budget allows.

Unfortunately I still gotta get a pack and boots. And yes I'm primarily archery hunting. I'm probably picking up my pack in a week or so that way I can still putting in some miles. Boots will come a little later. Your list is pretty solid. When I first started hunting, I was decked out head to toe in Walmart gear and I still got it done. I've found some great stuff at Walmart over the years.

OP. first..congrats on your new house..which appreciates..or should appreciate.

your hunt gear, not so much

are you gear-less? i would buy some merino from costco and wear it under what i already have. boots. yikes. i have feet that require decent boots.

Thank you. It's be real nice getting out of my crappy apartment. I'm not totally gear-less. I've got a hodge podge of leftover whitetail gear that I'll put to use where I can. My early season stuff has pretty much had it. Aside from upgrading to a heavier merino base, I'm probably good to go for the later season.

 

[fngTony]

Felix are going with the sjk bounty pack?

 

[ssssnake529]

Go on ebay and do a search for "army ecwcs" You will find tons of high quality army surplus gear.

You can supplement this will wool. (Regular wool sweaters are fine.)
General rule: Don't wear anything made from cotton.

Also, check out Sierra Trading Post. They have great prices, especially their clearance items.

 

[Jimss]

I always search the internet for deals on high quality clothing, boots, and gear. I can usually get them for around 50% off. As mentioned above Sierra Trading is a great place to look. I just bought a pair of $250 Lowa boots for $107. I've bought several pairs of Marmot Precip raingear that are almost as good as my Sitka for around $50 each. Cabelas microtex are my go to shirts. They are relatively cheap, dry fast, and wear like iron.

I've also bought a bunch of stuff on Craigslist and Ebay. Keep an eye out and you'll find bargains on nearly new stuff. I bought my Kifaru frame and packs on the classified section of this website.

I've been doing a lot of Alaska trips the past 10 years and had to pretty much buy new, lighter gear for those trips. I live on a tight budget. I figured out that if I sold a bunch of stuff I normally don't use on Craigslist that I could put it towards stuff I actually use on a regular basis. You might consider going through your garage and storage area.

Good luck!

 

[mcseal2]

Camofire as was mentioned, eBay, forums. Core 4 Element is cheaper and pretty decent stuff.

 

[ColoradoHunterHiker]

I like that you have you're priorities straight as far as gear to spend money on and gear to skimp on. As for clothing, with the exception of your very outermost layer, if that, there truly isn't a need for camo. Camp under ware isn't going to make or break you. As others have said on here, look at more mountaineering type stuff rather than just hunting specific stuff. If you're in colorado, I'd imagine you have some "ski" gear that you could dual purpose...

What size/body measurements are you?

For pants, check out the prana zions. You can usually find them on sale pretty cheap depending on size. Camofire is a great place to stock up, and core4element gear is a good option. The classifieds on here help too...

 

[Murdy]

Go to Amazon, search by brand name, scroll down, toward the bottom left of the page, you can select items at least X% off, I just checked, Sitka Core bottoms, $30 -- certain sizes only, just keep checking. (and check non-hunting brands too, Minus 33, Smartwool, Icebreaker, etc.)

 

[Gunnersdad49]

There are some awesome packs out there that you can get when your budget allows. In the meantime, you can get an ALICE pack with frame for under $50. They aren't super light or comfy, but you can haul half an elk in one.