Like many have said here I went synthetic for a couple of years for the waterproof features but wasn't really comfortable in a broad range of temperatures like I had been with wool. I have the cabelas, Codet, Columbia, and LLBean pants or jackets most were gift card eBay or thrift store purchases and there is a pretty good variety of weights. I treat the seat and knees every year with camp dry spray from Walmart and that helps sitting in the snow .
Layering is important if you plan to hike 2 miles and gain 1000 feet in the dark then have to sit for an hour pre-dawn in 0 degrees. I try to go with wicking polyester and wool with light rain gear and some fleece, the Cabelas parka and a vacuum packed synthetic down vest get dragged along of it could be very cold and windy. Old Pendleton shirts are a great layer as are light merino sweaters. Medium heavy wool pants poly or wool base layer wool shirt and light waterproof wind breaker covers a lot of temperature variation. I like the light frog togs if all I'm doing is sitting in the rain and not hiking through thick brush.
If there is any place you can cut costs hunting in the mountains it is in the area of clothing. Good boots and expensive optics have a lot better payback than fancy name brand clothes. As long as you stay away from cotton you can be comfortable on days that change from 20 to 55 degrees and then drop to 0. Besides the idea is to get them a little bloody after all.
Last edited by specneeds; 09/18/14.
