Hunting Washington Forum
Equipment & Gear => All Other Gear => Topic started by: SteelheadTed on October 08, 2016, 06:01:59 PM
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There are lots of rain jackets available to hunters. What I've found harder to determine is what is best suited to withstanding the abuse of crashing thick brush in Western WA forests. Based on online research I've found a few that look promising but I haven't found very many of these available locally (south sound) for me to try in person. The selection of Sitka and First Lite gear at Cabella's and Bass Pro isn't great. Sportco has a better selection of Sitka gear but little First Lite.
Sitka Downpour (no pit zips is a con) - is there a better Sitka option that this?
Kryptek Koldo (don't know much about this brand)
Kuiu Yukon (not available in the color/size combo I need)
First Lite SEAK Stormtight (no one has it locally and it's spendy!)
I've also thought of going wool (I wear wool bottoms primarily) and not worrying about ripping a $400 jacket. Wet wool is heavy and not as comfortable but it stays warm.
What do you all use for crashing brush in the rain?
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The Downpour jacket looks and feels great, but I've been told it's designed for stand hunting and not beating the brush. Might be worth a call to them. It sure looks and feels a lot more rugged than the others.
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I've had really good luck with the under armor stuff and so has my girlfriend. I'm a brush hunter so I put them to the test. And they hold up well against sticker bushes and other thorn like shrubs and trees. This will be the 4th year with my same stuff. But the Sitka stuff is very good as well as the Kuiu stuff. That will be my next buy it think.
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I just wear tin pants and a grundens raincoat if it's raining hard I can still walk right in on them.
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https://www.hunterselement.com/
not made in china
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If you don't mind sweating a little, Rivers West has been good for brush busting in the rain for me. It doesn't breath well, but is tough.
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are any of the pants actually "breathable" ? i know its probably TMI but i get a real bad case of swamp crotch wearing water proof pants...sorry for the crude description but i don't know a better way of putting it. just got back from a 3 day muzzie hunt in the pe ell south area and it was terrible...i think hurricane Michael hit that area thursday afternoon and not sure if it was worth it wearing water proof pants
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are any of the pants actually "breathable" ? i know its probable TMI but i get a real bad case of swamp crotch wearing water proof pants...sorry for the crude description but i don't know a better way of putting it. just got back from a 3 day muzzie hunt in the pe ell south area and it was terrible...i think hurricane Michael hit that area thursday afternoon and not sure if it was worth it wearing water proof pants
I wear wool pants. Even when wet they are warm and I don't mind being a little wet in my legs but I hate that same damp feeling in my upper body, hence the search for the unicorn waterproof/breathable/quiet/durable jacket.
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https://www.hunterselement.com/
not made in china
Thanks for the link. I have not heard of this company but I'm impressed so far reading their website.
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I've been using Gamehide, not anywhere near your high end stuff but it's been working fine. I like to wear it over thin merino wool.
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Absolutely love my sitka downpour and dewpoint gear. Don't worry about noise.....if it is raining the noisy gear doesn't get noticed by animals in the thick rainforest. Snuck up on multiple elk in rainstorms wearing loud goretex gear.
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The PVC fishing stuff. When you get to pushing through reprod and forcing your way through fallen branches, the pressure against the material seems to be enough to force water through the breathable stuff.
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I really like my kuiu chugach
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You need to wear what the loggers wear, and others who work in the woods every day. Three stores in Chehalis, that are worth checking, are Sunbirds, Madsens, and Service Saw. They all have good quality rain gear that's made for people who work in the woods. The brand I really like is Watershed. Great quality and best of all- it's made in the USA.
https://www.wearewatershed.com/jackets/ruggedwear-200-jacket/
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Ive been wearing watershed for over 20 years. Excellent raingear. Sure beats the heck out of the rubberized stuff. And at least as tough!
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You mentioned the fl seak stormtight. Mine arrived today. Im going to take it with me for early rifle deer, im thinking ill get rained on a lot. Ill let you know what i think of it after a bit of use.
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My buddy has the Sitka stormtight from head to toe. He stayed dry during a weekend of rain in the Olympics this year
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Filson.
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I have been wearing wool for many years if it is not hard rain. If raining hard I wear Grundens rain jacket and rain pants. You will sweat some if you walk to fast. I have killed many deer and elk wearing my grundens
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Sitka and Kuiu are just ok if you like to pay that price for things made in china :bdid:
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My buddy has the Sitka stormtight from head to toe. He stayed dry during a weekend of rain in the Olympics this year
Sitka Stormtight? You mean Kuiu?
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What you are looking for does not exist. Hiking in the nw rain and wet brush you either get wet from the outside in or the inside out. I have the FL stormtite pants and the new lw vapor stormtite jacket. They are very comfortable but you will get wet eventually on a real wet day in wet brush. I would like to try the heavier stormtite jacket to see how it does. I have a friend with the heavier kuiu gear and he likes it quite a bit but its not very packable. There are tradeoffs with it all. :twocents:
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are any of the pants actually "breathable" ? i know its probable TMI but i get a real bad case of swamp crotch wearing water proof pants...sorry for the crude description but i don't know a better way of putting it. just got back from a 3 day muzzie hunt in the pe ell south area and it was terrible...i think hurricane Michael hit that area thursday afternoon and not sure if it was worth it wearing water proof pants
I wear wool pants. Even when wet they are warm and I don't mind being a little wet in my legs but I hate that same damp feeling in my upper body, hence the search for the unicorn waterproof/breathable/quiet/durable jacket.
I still wear a wool coat but agree it would be awesome to find something that is quiet and waterproof.
:yeah:
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What you are looking for does not exist. Hiking in the nw rain and wet brush you either get wet from the outside in or the inside out. I have the FL stormtite pants and the new lw vapor stormtite jacket. They are very comfortable but you will get wet eventually on a real wet day in wet brush. I would like to try the heavier stormtite jacket to see how it does. I have a friend with the heavier kuiu gear and he likes it quite a bit but its not very packable. There are tradeoffs with it all. :twocents:
:yeah:
I like Grundens for when it is pouring, but if you are moving too fast, you'll be wet with sweat.
I also use a milsurp poncho for the unexpected heavy rain. But otherwise, I just use poly/wool layers and gamehide and try to keep the wet brush from soaking it too thoroughly.
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Call camofire they should have core4element rain gear. Hands down the best in my opinion especially if you are beating the bush, super quiet.
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The military BDU pattern goretex rain jacket and matching pants. You'll pay half what everyone else is paying. They are loud but sounds like that's not an issue for what you are doing. Grundens is pretty much rain proof. I've been wearing them for 20 years but if you are very active they get hot. You will be wet anyway. I can't believe what guys are paying for some of the raingear they use unless they are just buying it for the pattern.
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https://www.hunterselement.com/
not made in china
Thanks for the link. I have not heard of this company but I'm impressed so far reading their website.
This company and camo pattern look very impressive
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I have Kryptek Vellus. Light to mid weight jacket. Been in the rain kept warmamd dry also wear River West pants. You sweat in those. Kryptek made by veterans here in America is what i read.
Sent from my super duper thingamajig
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looks like a good review here, most reviews though are of the "stand under a shower for 10 minutes" variety and don't hold true to contact wet with rain soaked brush. I think that water shedding ability and wet contact with brush or sitting on wet surfaces are two different things. Not many test show the latter and this one isn't much better of a test.
http://www.rokslide.com/gear/clothing/269-let-it-rain-light-weight-rain-jacket-shootout
I've been eyeballin' the first lite stuff but due to the boxers wearing out so soon I've held off. I sure loved those boxers until a hole developed.
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I don't think any of the extreme mountain hunting raingear is worth the money if you are a W. Washington brush beater. Those lightweight packables just aren't made for briars, devils club and clearcuts. Unless you like buying new $300 rain pants every year or two, which I do not!
I use waterproof bird pants and have enjoyed them. Just now starting to see some wetness around the crotch after ten years. And the ones I have are soft and quiet. No packable rainwear can compete for durability. Their only draw back is they did start to get heavy once the repellant treatments wore off.
Tin and slicker bibs like the old commercial fishing Hell Hansens are hard to beat for toughness. Though they are tough to get used to if you are accustom to premium mountain gear fit and movement. While guiding in Oregon I used my fishing bibs anytime we would drop into the nasties to recover bear. Our water proof boots would fail before those things would! And best of all they were devils club resistant!!
For reasonably lightweight performance rainwear that can withstand W. WA clearcuts and deep hole nasties I have only found one that holds up. That being the coastal Canadian company Arc'teryx. Their top end hardwearing shell bibs are crazy good! But they come with an insane/crazy price too. But if you don't mind paying $600 for the best range of motion in a tough as nails rain bib they would be the ones to have IMO.
But, I'll probably continue to beat the wetside brush during October and November in my Gore-Tex birding pants. Though I do need to find a new supplier as Cabela's replaced my favorites with a cheap copy that doesn't work.
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Filson Tin pants. Don't really have a jacket recommendation, but looks like plenty of good ones listed already.
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Filson tin pants, Watershed rain coat and a well oiled Filson wide brim hat.
If your sweating in your rain gear hunting Blacktails you need to slow down and hunt.
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Cabela's Dry Plus has worked for me for about 10 years now. They broke down once in a squall 5 years ago so I just retreated them with a kit I bought at Cabela's and they're still going strong. I thought they were a little loud but once they get wet they really quiet down.
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Cabela's Dry Plus has worked for me for about 10 years now. They broke down once in a squall 5 years ago so I just retreated them with a kit I bought at Cabela's and they're still going strong. I thought they were a little loud but once they get wet they really quiet down.
I am about to return/exchange my dryplus the bibs worked ok. The jacket soaks through anywhere there is aany pressure and the pockets. My problem is finding something that doesn't burn you up on the bike.
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My girlfriend and I use Kryptek Koldo, tough stuff, used to have First Lite Stormtight, really liked it but was a little fearful of tearing it due to the lightweight material.
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I cant find nothing better that Helly Hansen Impertech for waterproof, but its too sweaty. So I stop on REI talusphere for light/moderate rain but for heavy I wear Coghlan's rain poncho on top of Talusphere.
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I have been using Army issue Gortex for 9 years, and they do the trick for westside bush pushing through just about anything. I have the same pairs I bought originally which I have treated once or twice when needed. They are a little loud, but honestly the rain is much louder so I have never given it much thought. I have walked up on plenty of deer and elk wearing them in the rain so :dunno:
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What do you treat your goretex with, krout81?
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FILSON
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+1 for Filson Double tin pants!
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Filson tin pants, Watershed rain coat and a well oiled Filson wide brim hat.
If your sweating in your rain gear hunting Blacktails you need to slow down and hunt.
how bout if you sweat out your pants by putting up your cabela's waterproof tent in a downpour...it don't take much to get me overheated
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I have been using Army issue Gortex for 9 years,
:yeah:
I like the "Fleck" German surplus camo bibs & jackets from Sportsmans Guide.
Waterproof
Durable in the thick brush
Surprisingly quiet
And cheap! :llam:
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I got a pair of filson field pants on clearance a few years ago. I wear muck boots and have worn my wool pants under them in the cold. Super comfortable and fairly quiet. They are made from breathable wader material.
Best rain pants short of PVC I've ever owned.
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I just wear tin pants and a grundens raincoat if it's raining hard I can still walk right in on them.
Hahaa, glad I'm not the only one. I still wear corks, and I don't slip on those wet walk logs in the timber. Old habits...
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I have been using Army issue Gortex for 9 years, and they do the trick for westside bush pushing through just about anything. I have the same pairs I bought originally which I have treated once or twice when needed. They are a little loud, but honestly the rain is much louder so I have never given it much thought. I have walked up on plenty of deer and elk wearing them in the rain so :dunno:
I was in my today for 4 hours solid down pour and stayed almost completely dry besides a little wet on the front of my neck and the very bottom of my sleeves. Pretty amazing. I think that was from water blowing in though
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Buy a pair of leaking breathable waders on Craigslist and cut the booties off. You wont be disappointed. Best rainpants ever for brush beating.
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Buy a pair of leaking breathable waders on Craigslist and cut the booties off. You wont be disappointed. Best rainpants ever for brush beating.
That's a good idea actually I like that
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So, I too am looking for new rain/camo hunting wear. I have heard a lot of hype about Sitka. I have yet to try on the Cloudburst or Downpour. I like the price point of the Cloudburst better. However, spending $500-$1500 on a set seems scary. The last three years I have worn Cabelas dry plus pants, xtratuff boots, and grundens gage rain jacket in black. I always just throw on a long sleeve 1/4 zip shirt in real tree pattern underneath; so if the rain stops; I just take the jacket off and pack it on my back. I would like to invest in some nicer gear. I feel like spending more money on durable attire is appropriate for where we live. Hunting coastal areas here in late October and through November = wet wet wet. It is hard to decide about going with a gortex style jacket that is "loud"; vs a "hush hide" style jacket. When it's down pouring and blowing; I don't think its going to matter how loud the material is.
Any other suggestions for a pair of pants and a jacket would be great. Why did Sitka stop making the forest print? I haven't seen that pattern available online?
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Wool. Wool socks, pants and shirt. Does it have to be Filson. No. Did I mention Wool.
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I would definitely go first lite SEAK if you aren't worried about packing in for multiple days. :twocents: