Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Elk Hunting Cost Effective Rain Gear???

I need some recommendations, please. I'm going buy new rain gear for an elk and mule deer hunt I'm going on in September. I need it to be un-insulated and not too hot, plus it's got to be pretty quiet. When I say quiet, I mean that I don't want it to be crinkling and crackling (like Frog-Togs) when I move and I don't want it making a bunch of noise when it rubs against some brush or I walk through sage or high grass. And I don't want to spend over about 300 bucks total for a parka or jacket, plus pants or bibs. What do y'all recommend?

I don't really like rain gear with Gore-Tex because I've always sweated like a whore in church wearing anything with Gore-Tex and in less than an hour I'm just as wet as if I didn't have on ANY rain gear.

I'm headed to northwest Wyoming the last week of September for a combo elk and mule deer hunt. We'll be packing in on horses and hunting in Areas 84 and 86 on a general tag. I'm not very familiar with this area, but have been told to bring some decent rain gear.

Thanks in advance.

Tim

Try kuiu.com. Very high quality.

I've been using Mad Dog rain gear for several years and it has proven to be waterproof and quiet. I found mine at one of the big outdoors stores on a clearance rack and paid around $40-$45 for both the pants and jacket. It has been money well spent.

Gore-Tex is used in some of the best gear. There are many price points. Don't cheap out.

And what you wear for underwear and under layers is just as important as the outer shell. Once you have sweat-soaked cotton jeans you're finished.

One of my favorites is a Patagonia wading shell.

Not recommended for long wear but I carry a heavy-duty trash bag in my pack. With judicial use of a blade it serves as emergency wet weather gear, shelter, ground cover when taking an animal apart and other purposes.

While the original poster was probably not thinking about a trash bag for emergency use, this is a really good idea. Cheap, light, multi-purpose..... I shall carry one henceforth.

Peter Kummerfeldt has pro creditials for recommending survival gear. His choice for quick shelter from the rain is a heavy-duty trash bag.

Look for a 4 mil or thicker, 38"x65" bag. Make it blue or orange color (both colors are easy to find by searchers).

IMPORTANT TIP: DON'T cut a hole in the top of the bag for your head - that will leave your head unprotected and leak water down your back. Make your hole in the side near the top, so when you put it on it's like a hoodie, with only your face exposed. Arms are inside the bag, and if you need your legs covered, just sit down. They are also generally large enough to cover your backpack, also.

Good tip on placement of the hole. Have never actually used it for rain gear..Also excellent tip on color - I've just grabbed whatever we had on hand, will make sure to get some of the orange ones.

Cabelas has these on sale for under $40 (depending on color): COLUMBIA RAIN JACKET Does anyone know if they're worth anything?

We have several Columbia rain jackets of different vintages, and all of them would make too much noise to hunt in. If that one is really made with a breathable fabric, it may be a different breed of cat.

I'd agree on the Columbia, way more noise than you want. Columbia is generally tourist gear, lightweight, and better suited in the park than woods.

Pretty sure I have that same jacket in the pocket behind the seat in the truck, it would not make a good hunting jacket, unless it was a dire emergency.

They've done some good progress on their outdoor hunting line, but it's still pretty basic and the fabrics seem to come from the commercial side. JMHO.

I've had good results with the Kings Outdoor XKG line, their rain set is reasonably quiet, I stayed mostly dry, and didn't seen too bad for the price.

How much could it possibly rain in September in NE Wyo? Lightweight wool or cheap Wally World fleece would work fine.

I prefer wool. Layer.

Two feet? (But they don't call it rain.)

A little warmer would be maybe 2 inches.

+1 wool

Seriously, what will he save by wearing a trash bag? Those must make a racket in the rain. Come on you guys!

If you can't afford new, buy used. If you can't afford used, buy stained used. Most of my gear I purchase pre-owned/like new.

Trash bags are well known as survival gear but not for hunting or general wear. 2 of them can save your life. Use one over the head as noted and pull the other over your legs. Staying dry is a major part of survival.

I'd look at Helly Hansen impertech.

Not sure I'd recommend Impertech if one of the main requirements is "not too hot".

Cabelas's Rain Suede wouldn't get an A rating from me but it's a reasonably affordable option to staying reasonably dry.

Top of the line " Frog Toggs". Several price points but the top line will give you 4-5 years use for about 45-50$ ea per top & bottom.

Camp Dry or 3M silicone spray

It flat turns anything into a rain proof garment

I spray my chore clothing 2X a year and my Cotton Carharts will shed water like a duck

Unless 'cost effective' equates to 'cheap', I highly recommend Cabela's MT050 jacket and pants. Waterproof, quiet, comfortable, and wear like iron. Mine have been on countless hunts- deer, elk, sheep, moose, international hunts, waterfowl and upland birds. Initial cost is not cheap, but you will get 20-30 years of use out of this gear.

Two of my hunting buddies use the cabelas mt050. Both love it. They bought it maybe ten years ago.
Second also the Mad Dog gear if you can find it. I have it and It works great. I am a sweating fool as well and the mad dog gear wicks away the sweat and keeps you dry. Worn with a quality base layer it is a comfortable set up.
I tried the scent lock rain gear but it gets saturated and heavy when its raining. I threw it in the closet and I am back using my Mad Dog Gear. I dont recall it being all that expensive.

German goretex surplus is pretty damn nice for the money. I like the pattern, durability, and it is pretty damn quiet.

Those elk areas are actually close to NW Wyoming and it could rain/snow quite a bit. Not by Pacific NW standards, but last year there was at least several days of rain/snow the week of Sept 15th.

I guide in 60,70, and 64. 60 and 70 are pretty similar to where the OP is headed and I would have rain gear. But you could easily go and not need it.

I use the Marmot precip stuff. I think I got the pants from STP when they had them for $50-60. They've worked pretty well for me for Wyoming rain. No they aren't super quiet, but they shed rain pretty well, and are fairly light. Most guys probably are using equipment that is just as noisy, but for some reason folks get hung up on "loud" rain gear. Maybe worry about that more if you are bowhunting through thickets in the rain.

If you have to be walking around in the rain take everything else off underneath that you need to to keep from heating up and use the pit zips in the jacket.

I like the merino wool light weight stuff for a base layer for just about any conditions and they work great under rain gear.

Seems like most guys tend to hole up under a tree or something anyway while it's raining hard. And if it's raining bad the visibility usually is bad too.

Unfortunately,I don't remember the exact name, but I have been using Bass Pro's that sell for about $60 each pants or jacket.
I tried the more expensive Cabelas pack able ones and they are trash. Mine lasted one season. Anytime you kneel in the grass,you have a hole that leaks. Walk thru sage brush and you have strips of rags

The point isn't to wear the bag, it is to have something handy for an emergency. I carry a packable rain suit that compresses down to the size of a softball but have never worn it. The bags I've carried for many years but, like the rain suit, have never used them for rain gear. They have often, however, been employed to keep my butt dry or meat clean. Never needed a bag for emergency shelter, either, but would much rather devise such shelter using a bag than a rain suit.


Here's a pic from 2013 where a trach bag kept my butt dry. Even though I was wearing wool pants, the dry ws much appreciated. A short while after the picture was taken the bag was keeping meat of my cow clean.



Another from 2015 where my long time hunting buddy (in photo) and I both used the bags to keep our butts dry. Once again I was wearing wool pants. No elk that day but we returned the next day when the bags were used again to keep our clothes dry and free of mud. And to keep the meat from the 6x5 bull I shot clean.

I bought a set of Cabelas "Space Pants" rain gear after last years trip. my buddies both had them and swore by them. my frogg toggs, were pretty noisy by comparison.

very lightweight too.

I got mine in the Bargain Cave for around $50, IIRC.


that said.... I've not used them in the field yet.

I would check out KUIU.

This. I bought mine years ago when I was living in Alberta. It just works.

Two more options I have done a lot. If it is warm, wear nothing but synthetic shorts and synthetic T shirt under the rain gear. If you are hunting in continuous light rain and need to be quiet, put a fleece jacket or light wool shirt over the outside of your rain gear to keep quiet. Ditto for pants as needed.

Wife and I went took the Alpine loop (this weekend in a UTV. (For those that aren't familiar, Alpine loop is Silverton to Cinnamon Pass, Lake City, Engineer Pass and back to Silverton again.) Bought some Frogg Toggs before we left and are very glad we did. $19.99 at Wal-mart. Didn't bother wearing the bottoms but to do over we would.

Had intermittent drizzle mixed with sun. Enough drizzle to soak my left thigh at one point but enough sun to dry it back out. The biggest problem was the seats soaked out butts. The seat covers were dry but I think the padding was wet and moisture was seeping through the seams.

If the clouds had let loose, as they did after we got back to Silverton, we would have been very thankful the bottoms were in arm's reach.

The Frogg Toggs were not as quiet as some rain gear but quiet enough that I plan to replace the rain gear I've been carrying for years. And they were comfortable, light and relatively sturdy, which is more important to me than a little extra quiet.

For pants, I use my retired fabric chest waders. Just cut off the feet. If they can keep me dry standing in rib deep water for 8 hours, they can certainly do rain. A shorty Gortex shell to keep the upper 25% dry. Make sure it's roomy. Form fitting and it's tough for air to circulate.

Try some still hunting. One can rarely work up a sweat.

x2 on the MT050 I've had mine since 2005 and it's been great. Wash it in Nikwax techwash and retreatment.

In the arid west, a fall rain is seldom warm enough to wear shorts or a T-shirt. Usually a good wool shirt or sweatshirt is needed at the minimum. When it starts raining the temperature will normally drop 20F or more very quickly.

The worse the weather gets, the more I like the ECWCS (extended cold weather clothing system) military system.

The shell is not the quietest in brush, but possibly the most durable. Cost is relevant to use, something that gets a lot of use could be cheaper when compared to something disposable. If something limits your hunt, it cost you a lot of money if you think about it.