Hunting Clothes - Starting from Scratch on a Budget

[Saddler]

If you were building a hunting clothing system from scratch, what would you buy — or where would you start? The boots are covered, but you need the rest: base and mid-layers, pants, jacket, rain gear. Say you have a $500 budget.

I realize it depends on where you’ll hunt and how, but assume variable weather (temps from 60s to low teens) and styles (from active hiking / camping to sitting a short walk from the truck). The goal is to be well-rounded — and to buy quality, durable stuff.

If you can’t do it all on that budget, what’s the priority? Are you just looking to build slowly over time?

Thanks for any advice.

 

[Vtbow]

Spend your money on good fitting, quality boots and socks. Head to goodwill, salvation army, thrift stores for the rest. I often find decent camo, and regularly high quality wool (pendleton, woolrich, johnson woolen mills etc) button ups. Polypropylene base layers are a dime a dozen there.

 

[Twenty Up]

I wear Carhartt work pants and whatever shirt I feel like. I’ve given up on buying “hunting systems”. I have a black Gore Tex rain suit for work that gets brought out for rainy days, heavy Carhartt jackets for our “Winter” here in GA.

If I hunted colder climates or did a lot of backpacking trips I’d invest in quality merino gear. If you’re on a slim budget like I am, save/spend that money on gas to hunt more often and different places. Camouflage is overrated brother

 

[Anobody]

A lot of mil spec base layers are cheap and easy to get
Outerlayers can older camo/goretex clothes and can be found on eBay super cheap. They will be heavier but keep u warm

If u have to have brand name. Companies like camo fire sell older models clothes for fractions

 

[Wyatt_burp]

Warm weather clothes are cheap, it's cold gear you need. $30 for camo pants and shirt.

You can go 2 directions for cold gear, layers or fortress. My rec. Is to find an old pair of cheap wool pants you can throw sweats and long John's under, and get a solid jacket for cold weather hunting, you could even use an old BDU style coat as an overcoat and put your normal winter coat underneath it. Check out camofire.com for sales.

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[alpaca jeff]

Go to sportsman's guide and check wool every week!

 

[BOWHUNTER14]

I just was introduced to natural gear. I revamped my hunting clothes from early to late season and with the sale they have going on got a lot of new camo for not much more than your budget. The coupon code is KZONE for 20% off

 

[cb750]

Lots of good advice above. Best quality gear your budget will allow is the easy answer. Fibres that insulate while wet like merino. That being said if it's being marketed as a merino base layer find out how much merino is in it. I bought a couple shirts cheap at Costco. They're only 25%merino I believe. Not quite what I was looking for. Not terrible just not great.

Anyway, we have a chain here called Winners. They sell end of run type stuff but name brand and new. They semi-regularly have Under Armour camo, at least base layers and pants, at around half price.

My priority would be a good high quality base layer then outerlayer/shell and last the mid layer. Typically you can find thicker neutral or camo fleeces for dirt cheap to fill that void.

My current set is a hodge podge of gear accumulated over the last 25 years. It's got it's fair share of mil-surplus stuff. Slowly I'm acquiring high quality gear that can/will be used outside of hunting applications as well. I'm starting with merino base layers.

 

[Saddler]

Great advice all around. Thanks, everyone.

 

[Cbinderjr]

Don't be afraid to purchase used, there are a lot of hunters that hunt maybe 1 week a year.. you can usually get a great deal on gear with little to no signs of wear.
For outer layers.
I have always liked scentlok, whether or not the scent control factor works is up in the air and you will have to form your own opinions but 1 thing that everyone agrees on its decent quality hunting gear with a great price tag especially bought used...
Base layers
There is a lot of "budget" merino wool products out there and I dont think any of them are horrible, I bought some merino wool base layers at Costco's I dont remember the brand but it is just as nice as my smart wool.
Headgear
Masks and hats are 1 thing that I would not buy used along with socks, just funny bout socks and anything that goes on my face or head even after washing and I am sock snobb I prolly own 100 pairs of socks because I buy new packs monthly lol.

If you want new for a full season setup under 500 I hear natural gear is pretty good, I have never personally used it but like the patterns and it appears to be relatively good quality..
Buy some base layers and a few hundred bucks on their website and you would be set.
https://naturalgear.com/shop-by-activity/whitetail/

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[DelaWhere_Arrow]

Any time you can find military surplus clothing and a pair of boots that sing to you when you tie them, you can be sure to hunt comfortably pre-rut. Post-rut, you’ll be thankful for that great pair of boots, and also wicking base layers with fly openings and long sleeves, and a really nice jacket with quiet, waterproof material. My GameHide jacket was less than $150, it’s blaze orange predator camo, and it is basically a heater in the winter time. BONUS: top layers that allow you to access your linesman belt easily, and a good face mask.

 

[Red Beard]

@Vtbow has it right. Thrift store for most of your needs. Also, don't be afraid to go with a pair of regular Joe Shmoe pants in an earth tone color. Pick up a regular pair and a lined pair. Sometimes Wallyworld will have stuff like that on sale much cheaper than anything camo.

 

[JakeD]

I use prana hiking pants for early season. Got a couple pairs in green and brown. I also use wool quite a bit. You can get a lot of hunting clothes fairly cheap. I wouldn't rush into buying anything crazy. Deer don't care what you wear.

 

[elk yinzer]

Cheaper merino top baselayer, $75ish
Mid weight fleece jacket, $75ish
Raingear jacket double as windbreaker $100ish

Don't forget decent socks, gloves, hat, and the all-time underrated cold weather piece, the neck gaiter. Don't skimp on that stuff too much.

That's going to cover 90% of your bowhunting weather, down close to freezer with another layer or two. Everyone has an extra sweatshirt of fleece you can layer up. Pants are nothing, everyone already owns suitable pants for hunting. Heck blue jeans, but if you want to go a little more deluxe some polyester Pranas or Wranglers are an upgrade.

Cold down into the teens gets a little tougher, that's where investment in better insulating out layers becomes borderline necessary.

None of it has to be camo. You're going to pay a premium for it in relation to the quality of garments you buy. But if you are dead set on that philosophy it only needs to be outer layers obviously.

 

[Mag1]

merino wool - Camofire.com they will show up on there usually once a week. he sells black ovis and sitka gear and others.

 

[Allegheny Tom]

As an odor freak, I would want to spend more of my money on base layers so I can have a good rotation of freshly laundered bases.
You can get away with fewer outer layers, but bases absorb more odor simply because of skin contact and sweating.

Dark colored base layers dry faster than light colors when hung out in the sun after laundering.

I avoid cotton. It sucks as an insulator, but more importantly, it takes a longer time to dry after laundering.

And @Vtbow is right, go to Goodwill, or 2nd hand stores for inexpensive clothes.
When I worked in the steel mill, I needed non synthetic, insulating layers in there during the winter. The place was freezing, but we weren't allowed to wear flammable synthetics. I went to Goodwill and found wool sweaters very cheap.

 

[chenryiv]

Spend your money on good fitting, quality boots and socks. Head to goodwill, salvation army, thrift stores for the rest. I often find decent camo, and regularly high quality wool (pendleton, woolrich, johnson woolen mills etc) button ups. Polypropylene base layers are a dime a dozen there.

My exact sentiments The game you’re hunting doesn’t care how expensive your clothing is. Even though I do wear Firstlite, and it is great gear. I’ve had huge success wearing just wool plaid for years.

 

[EricS]

Warm weather option are cheap. I just wear fleece pajama pants under my pants when it’s cold. I could really do a lot with a 500 dollar budget. Last week I could have gotten a pair of muck boots and 3 sets of scentlok. I would be set for a couple years or longer. That’s new hi tech gear. Now if I really wanted to pinch penny’s I could do a lot with a lot less.

 

[hdbow17]

I will 2nd the campfire. The Black Ovis wool is good stuff. Wrangler makes a nice pair of four way stretch pants that come in earth tones $21 at Walmart. I would look at some reasonable grid fleece style tops, they don’t have to be camo. You can get a leafy suit on amazon for like 30 bucks and throw it over any layers that you already have if you’re worried about camo.


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