Put myself in a potentially bad spot-looking for input

[cameronwe]

I'm not sure if this is the best place to post this, so move if need be. While I signed up for this site years ago I am pretty much brand new to hunting and am going to try and make a big push to work the woods this year and will no doubt be asking a ton of stupid questions across several topics, so please bear with me.

    Long story short, went on a day hike a couple of weekends ago and put myself in the position where I could have been in a great deal of trouble. Poor clothing choice, lack of information and not doing the basics.Hard hike uphill in the rain with a significant temperature drop at the top. My Primary question is: What do you wear when you know it's going to be an ass kicker, wet and cold? How do manage layers when you would be sweating  in a t-shirt and getting rained on in 45 and below temps, let alone wearing some sort of base layer?

Here is the long story. I'm 44, 5'4" not in the best shape but not horrible compared to some. Have some outdoor experience from boy scouts 30 + yrs ago, Army infantry in my early 20's and have been cold, wet, tired etc. So I think I know what to watch out for.  Decided to go on a hike and find Lost Lake on Sumas Mt. Just outside of Bellingham. The trail head is actually Gold Mine Trail if anyone is familiar. Round trip was a shade over 8 miles with about 3'000 vertical ft. change, so pretty straight up and down. Weather upon leaving the house was mid to low 40s. I wore synthetic pants (think costco old man travel pants), capilene base layer on top and a Frog Toggs rain jacket I had lying around that I wanted to test. Wool socks  and Asolo gortex boots.  I didn't tell anyone where I was going, as I have done the short version of the hike several times and it's a piece of cake and well traveled. Turned off the main trail to start looking for lost lake. Almost immediately going straight up, I'm sweating pretty quickly thereafter and examining the ground about four feet in front of me while I huff and puff up the trail. It's raining intermittently and I'm having to walk through brush so my pants are getting damp. Get towards the top of the ridge line and start getting short bouts of sleet. I continue on for a bit  until I realize the last turn I took has led me down another ridge that is not going to take me to the lake (Looking at maps on phone). I'm getting a little chilly and my right hand is very cold and almost numb (I have previous minor cold injury from motorcycling and working in cold storage and that hand seems to get cold much faster than anything else). These trails have not been well maintained, are steep and I have had to climb over, around and through the occasional blow down. At this point I decide to turn back as I realized 1. No one knows where I am 2. If I slip and break or injure myself I could be in real trouble. 3. I have seen not a soul and no one is going to be able to reach me quickly unless it's a helo. and 4. I don't have much in the way of other gear. As soon as I drop a thousand feet or so things start to warm up and I make it back ok. Total trip time about 4 hours. Dumb things I did: Didn't tell anyone where I went, didn't put on my wool hat as soon as things flattened out, I waited until I was cold already to do that and put to on gloves. I had a really crap rain jacket that I will never use again as it had zero breathing ability and might as well have been a plastic bag. The pants actually surprised me as they shed water ok and dried fairly quickly and I never felt like the contributed to my being cold. The whole thing was pretty much a non issue, but any sort of serious injury could have been really bad news.
 How do you manage your clothing and temperature when you have a hard hike in which you are sweating, it's raining and of course the temp drops as you get higher? I have some old "gortex" pants from the army, but frankly they are super heavy weight and I think they would have been way to hot and I would have been worse off with them..unless I forced to hunker down.

If you made it through my ramblings I'd appreciate any input on the situation, gear etc.

Cameron

[Magnum_Willys]

I wear merino wool baselayer with Kuiu Chugach rain gear and that works for hi exertion for me.  Be prepared to put on another underlayer when stopping in cold conditions.   If you are a heavy sweat person your best bet may be full wool though best if possible for me is to slow down enough not to sweat. 

[mjustice79]

Typically when I go out in the winter, I’m usually wearing just a base layer top. Sometimes just a moisture wicking T-shirt and an OR Jacket, Ferossi summit hoodie. The rest of my layers are in my pack, so when I stop, I’ll throw them on. My hard shell is also from OR, has the pit zips as well. My trousers are either Kuehl  for lowland hikes, and my OR soft shell pants I use for climbing. My backpacking stove is always with me in the winter, with a couple packs of hot chocolate, and my mug. I would also say, be sure you always carry the 10 essentials and know how to make a fire in wet weather. I’m a retired Infantryman, so you already know how to suffer lol! Hope this helps.


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[7mmfan]

If you know for sure you're going to be sweating s bunch in cold nasty weather, it may not be a bad idea to bring a 2nd set of dry base layers with you to change into. I know synthetic base layers are worthy, but I am sold on good merino wool base layers. They dry quickly and insulate while wet. If you can, invest in good light weight rain gear. I have the Kuiu Chugach stuff. Its fantastic.

[NW SURVEYOR]

Cameron,
We have all been there, the good news is that you learned a lesson with no cost or loss other than a little discomfort.

Having hunted elk and deer on the wetside for 45 years and worked as a surveyor for 35, I can honestly say that I have seen just about everything.
The hikes into good hunting often require long hikes/climbs in the morning with 5-6 hours of hunting a then a hike back to the rig.
Staying dry is practically impossible, but here's what I try to do.....

I goes without saying that we all need to be in shape, which is a constant struggle for me at 61, but I try.
Most important, carry a daypack with plenty of water and grub, the calories are important, also flashlight, compass, etc.
First of all, dress in layers with a good Poly Pro type long underpants and shirt.
Invest in a good pair of waterproof/resistant outerlayer pants or at a minimum, rain pants.
For work or scouting trips, try the Filson chaps, they are great.
When leaving the rig, I try to wear the minimum on my uppers as I will soon be sweating.

Pace yourself on the hike in, as this is what typically ruins the day.
Stop often enough to cool off, remove your jacket if possible to allow any sweat to evaporate and leave your hat in the pack.
I have actually stopped and removed my shirt trying to keep cool/dry.
Leave plenty early and travel with a flashlight in order to minimize hurried travel.
I have never done it, but if I have considered using an umbrella on a major trail to avoid needing rain gear.
All rain gear that I have used, including Kiuiu (sp) gear, which I have, collects condensation, figure out how to minimize this and your golden.

I have only recently started wearing gators and kick myself in the as# for not buying them sooner, dry feet, happy trip.

When I get to my hunting area, (I still hunt a lot) I cool off, redress in layers, which I carried in my daypack, and hunt at a pace which is slow enough to avoid overheating.  If I get to warm, I make adjustments.

When working in the woods, we typically dress a little lighter and wear a heavier rain jacket which is left somewhat open to allow heat/vapor to escape.
Being that we are working, it is added incentive to keep busy in order to keep warm.  Just remember to replenish water and calories, and don't forget as#wipe.

I hope some of this helps.

Good Luck,
Rob.
 

[pianoman9701]

The above recommendations on clothing will keep you warm and dry. There's no need to suffer wet and cold with modern clothing technology. Get a SPOT or a Garmin InReach if you're going to hunt alone. Make sure your boots are every bit as good as the rest of your clothing will be.

[trophyhunt]

I’m a sweater, i like to bring an extra shirt, Merlino wool, and change when I’m done sweating.  In hunting mode you shouldn’t be sweating. Layering up and down is the best way to stay comfortable.

[JeffRaines]

I’m a sweater, i like to bring an extra shirt, Merlino wool, and change when I’m done sweating.  In hunting mode you shouldn’t be sweating. Layering up and down is the best way to stay comfortable.

I'm the same way - I laugh when some of these folks say to just slow down... sometimes I sweat sitting still!

If I was hiking into an area to hunt I may consider bringing extra clothing and relayering upon arrival.

If I'm just hiking, I have a puffy I throw on when I'm going to take an extended break. Down when the weather is good, synthetic when it aint. The key for me is putting that jacket on as soon as I stop... if you wait to "cool off" for a few minutes you may end up too cold.

[Humptulips]

Two things that have been mentioned.
A pack: Put some extra clothes in your pack. You won't want a lot of clothes when you are exerting yourself but you need to carry them with you when you slow down and start to cool out plus when you gain a lot of altitude you have to figure you will need more clothes as it gets colder.

Rain clothes: I have to say I am not a fan of the so called breathable rain gear. They always are damp inside in my experience. I prefer the non-breathable stuff but they need to be big enough to allow air circulation. Skin tight rain clothes are a no-no. Bib rain pants with your coat always unbuttoned and a size bigger then you probably think you need gives you enough air circulation to get rid of perspiration.

[ian_padron]

If you're running just 1 baselayer (I always bring an extra to switch out once I stop moving), use a merino quarter zip and open that zipper to your belly button to dump heat. I never wear rain gear on the hike up for a day trip, you'll wet it out with sweat even with the high tech gear. Once that happens, you're screwed.

Save your shell for if *censored* hits the fan or once you get up top and need a windbreaker. A windshirt would excel in the conditions you described. Patagonia makes a 3 oz. one called the Houdini. Very nice piece of gear. Basically waterproof, very breathable, cuts the wind.

ALWAYS pack a puffy jacket. DWR treated down or synthetic for the PNW. Slap that puppy on once you're up to your destination and you're going to be snug as a bug. A good synthetic fill like Climashield or Primaloft will actually dry out your baselayer too!

Puffy pants are the most underrated piece in my opinion. They have saved my A$$ on more than one occasion in the backcountry and weigh about a half pound.

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[JimmyHoffa]

I take extra stuff in my pack.  Then I do all the moving in the minimum amount needed, a shirt and the raincoat.  When stopping, throw on the long sleeves, the fleece, vest, etc.

[Magnum_Willys]

Puffy pants are the most underrated piece in my opinion.

Thats the one piece I don't carry yet but thinking that and top puffy with survival bivy may be the ticket to getting caught out overnight.   My down top puffy fits in a sandwich bag and weighs ounces. 

[Alchase]

When I am hiking in, I usually only wear a wicking t-shirt (Dry-fit) and my fleece jacket. And Columbia ripstop pants.
Once I get to my location I change out my shirt and my socks if need be. If needed throw on a poly-pro second layer.
Rain gear (Grundens Petrus pullover and Columbia packable water proof pants) if needed  in pack. Marino wool shirts if expecting snow.

[trophyhunt]

I’m a sweater, i like to bring an extra shirt, Merlino wool, and change when I’m done sweating.  In hunting mode you shouldn’t be sweating. Layering up and down is the best way to stay comfortable.

I'm the same way - I laugh when some of these folks say to just slow down... sometimes I sweat sitting still!

If I was hiking into an area to hunt I may consider bringing extra clothing and relayering upon arrival.

If I'm just hiking, I have a puffy I throw on when I'm going to take an extended break. Down when the weather is good, synthetic when it aint. The key for me is putting that jacket on as soon as I stop... if you wait to "cool off" for a few minutes you may end up too cold.

One time in Idaho we had a lot of elevation to gain in a short time, I just took my shirt and jacket off, naked from waist up. Lol   It was about 20 degrees out!

[Magnum_Willys]

My puffy weighs ounces, I carry it with a spare merino base layer.   Sure nice when you get to the top to throw that on with a Chugach shell and ready to hunt.