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New Hunting Wardrobe Advice

Up until this year Ive always worn Cabelas Red head brand stuff. Its the devil I know. It's cheap and I can count on it for 1-2 seasons before it tears up too bad. My mother in law is always sowing patches etc. Its fine. Well this year someone gifted me one of those 50% off sitka pro coupons. So I bought the Timberline pants (in subalpine cam0- wished I has just bought the gray one instead, but ok) and a Grindstone work jacket (just brown color). All im saying is- how the heck have I been wearing red head all these years. The pants actually protect me from briars (important here in the southern TN thickets) and the jacket is totally windproof yet breathable and water resistant for several hours of rain. don't know what magic they used but it freaking works. Hasn't gotten super cold yet here, but ive done several sits in high winds with wind chills in 30s and have been snug as a bug vs the red head stuff Id be up in my tree trying to control shivers as prime time arrived. Im not saying Sitka is it- more so just saying paying the price for high end clothing has turned out to be 100% worth it! And ive been using merino wool base layers for years. have not changed that. still the best. good luck in your search NB!
 
Scentloc. Has been quality clothes. Whether you believe all the scent crap or not when they have sale’s they’re hard to beat. Real hard.
If your starting to travel out of state it might take more into consideration.
I use a lot of artificial heat so I can dress lighter. I’ll burn up walking in if I don’t.


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I can’t get behind a fashionable camo Nutterbuster , it’s off brand.
Browns and Greys - you can pay a little more if you buy from hunting companies that call these colors Ash, Dirt, Earth Smoke, you get the idea.
lighter merino would probably be most versatile for Alabama 145ish and then throw your above layers over it.
The zip off long John bottoms are pretty clever , zip em off for hikes / zip on for a bucket sit.
I prefer rei / ems to pick up pieces after season around 40% off.
The Asbell pathfinder has that “wool trad” look but is a great piece for the price , for the temps above and long lasting
Rain gear/ outer shell I haven’t found anything better than Beyond / NorthFace / Patagonia
I’ve been meaning to try rivers west
I really like the Asbell Wool quality and look. I wish they were Full Zip. I get too hot and no way to ventilate them. I think they look way better than camo too.
 
I think this video from Clay Hayes on his clothing choices when he survived Alone Season 8 is a great starting point. He's a bowhunter first and a survivalist second but the clothing he chose was all purposeful and durable and is based on what he uses for both pursuits weighted to some extent for durability in a survival situation first, and bowhunting effectiveness slightly second. Since you want to use it for many different activities, I think his template is a great one for you to consider. Perhaps adding pieces over time as the season or season(s) progress if you're not into dumping a bunch of cash-ola in all at once.
 
I really like the Asbell Wool quality and look. I wish they were Full Zip. I get too hot and no way to ventilate them. I think they look way better than camo too.
I agree. I have their Brown Tweed color pullover "Anorak" and that thing is so quiet and awesome for bowhunting. I pretty much use it all season long. For early season Its my topover early or late as the temps drop. Later, it's a mid-layer. Very warm, very quiet and very durable. Love the quietness of wool.
 
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I mentioned I had a pair of German surplus wool pants but they are actually Swiss. Either way I’ve had them for 24-25 years and they’re still like new.
 
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I mentioned I had a pair of German surplus wool pants but they are actually Swiss. Either way I’ve had them for 24-25 years and they’re still like new.
Same!!! Durable, warm and quiet.
 
I can’t get behind a fashionable camo Nutterbuster , it’s off brand.
Browns and Greys - you can pay a little more if you buy from hunting companies that call these colors Ash, Dirt, Earth Smoke, you get the idea.
lighter merino would probably be most versatile for Alabama 145ish and then throw your above layers over it.
The zip off long John bottoms are pretty clever , zip em off for hikes / zip on for a bucket sit.
I prefer rei / ems to pick up pieces after season around 40% off.
The Asbell pathfinder has that “wool trad” look but is a great piece for the price , for the temps above and long lasting
Rain gear/ outer shell I haven’t found anything better than Beyond / NorthFace / Patagonia
I’ve been meaning to try rivers west

I’m in the camp that every single work and hunting pant should have an option to zip completely open. And if they did all of mine would have it.

Being able to walk in a single layer to a set, then get dressed, without taking off muddy frozen boots, is a real key to hunting effectively.
 
I also have a wool US army shirt from the 1950’s that I wear quite a bit both deer and duck hunting. I believe it’s an OG108 or something like that.
 
I also have a wool US army shirt from the 1950’s that I wear quite a bit both deer and duck hunting. I believe it’s an OG108 or something like that.
I would like to try the wool outer layer but we have so much weedy stickers and such. I spent an hr. yesterday picking one eve worth out of a flannel shirt, inside and out.
 
I have, in the past, splurged and bought some high end stuff used and found it doesn’t do any better than the cheap stuff. I now spend 40-50 bucks on leafy suits and wear whatever under it, I can layer up and down and it works for just about everything and I spend my money on good wool base layers and I have a few puffies to put on if I plan to sit in cold for late season. Here in PA, our woods and jaggers eat expensive clothing just as well as cheap stuff. I have two leafy suits, one with more green and one with more late fall brown.
 
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I also have a wool US army shirt from the 1950’s that I wear quite a bit both deer and duck hunting. I believe it’s an OG108 or something like that.
I’d love to find a shirt like that.
 
Up until this year Ive always worn Cabelas Red head brand stuff. Its the devil I know. It's cheap and I can count on it for 1-2 seasons before it tears up too bad. My mother in law is always sowing patches etc. Its fine. Well this year someone gifted me one of those 50% off sitka pro coupons. So I bought the Timberline pants (in subalpine cam0- wished I has just bought the gray one instead, but ok) and a Grindstone work jacket (just brown color). All im saying is- how the heck have I been wearing red head all these years. The pants actually protect me from briars (important here in the southern TN thickets) and the jacket is totally windproof yet breathable and water resistant for several hours of rain. don't know what magic they used but it freaking works. Hasn't gotten super cold yet here, but ive done several sits in high winds with wind chills in 30s and have been snug as a bug vs the red head stuff Id be up in my tree trying to control shivers as prime time arrived. Im not saying Sitka is it- more so just saying paying the price for high end clothing has turned out to be 100% worth it! And ive been using merino wool base layers for years. have not changed that. still the best. good luck in your search NB!
Cabelas gear used to be solid till bass pro bought em... I still have 2 pairs of cabellas brand waders and I JUST retired my cabelas duck jacket
 
I really like the Asbell Wool quality and look. I wish they were Full Zip. I get too hot and no way to ventilate them. I think they look way better than camo too.
The Asbell “Jacket” is a full zip , it’s currently 151.95 which is a slight increase, However there are not many pieces you can get from the “direct to consumer” popular brands for that price.

Good ol LL Bean wool flannel or commando sweater would be my cost effective suggestion
to try wool. both hold up well to hitchhikers and burrs but it’s relative to what your walking through. already some US made alternatives suggested above
 
Baselayers, merino something, shop around. You won't find super cheap merino and it's one thing I find worth paying a little more for. All the cheap stuff I've bought is scratchy. Synthetic baselayers have their place too and decent stuff can be found much cheap in synthetics.

Not sure if you've been turned onto the Wrangler Flex pants, but for the price they are legit for around $20. I have much nicer pants, maybe twice as nice but coming in at 5x more expensive. Only complaint is I've been through probably 5 pairs not and they all fit just a tad different, and I've had a couple in the same size also I had to send back. The sizing is not very well standardized.

My favorite non-hunting brand for outwear is Outdoor Research, they make a lot of nice technical outerwear in earth tones. Sitka quality at 1/2 the price or less.
 
Baselayers, merino something, shop around. You won't find super cheap merino and it's one thing I find worth paying a little more for. All the cheap stuff I've bought is scratchy. Synthetic baselayers have their place too and decent stuff can be found much cheap in synthetics.

Not sure if you've been turned onto the Wrangler Flex pants, but for the price they are legit for around $20. I have much nicer pants, maybe twice as nice but coming in at 5x more expensive. Only complaint is I've been through probably 5 pairs not and they all fit just a tad different, and I've had a couple in the same size also I had to send back. The sizing is not very well standardized.

My favorite non-hunting brand for outwear is Outdoor Research, they make a lot of nice technical outerwear in earth tones. Sitka quality at 1/2 the price or less.
I have been impressed with the stuff I have from OR too.
 
Merino wool is the way to go for base layers, I wear wool t shirts in the summer. I have a bunch of Minus 33 tshirts,1/4 zips, long underwear top/bottom and find that the durability is no the best. I only had Minus 33 brand merino for a long time so I thought the pulls and holes were due to the merino wool and not the construction of the garment itself. I put up with it as I mostly wore it as a base layer. Then I tried Firstlite's merino and found it to be very durable. I have been wearing a FL Kiln Hoody as my outer layer from 70's-40's with varying layers underneath since 2019 and I do not have any tears or pulls in it yet (probably just cursed myself). I bought is as an XL so I could layer under it as I normally wear a large and it expands and contracts just fine, overall it is super comfortable. When it gets cold it becomes a mid layer. The catalyst foundry pants are bomb proof and very functional. Most if not all of their gear is available in non-camo options. I like the way that they try to make the gear as functional and durable as possible. I find myself adding more FL than any other brand to my kit lately. Another thing to consider is that they are priced below Sitka and Kuiu and are a responsible company.
 
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