Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Elk Hunting Wool or Sitka Gear Quandary

Against the skin merino wool.

Everything else is synthetic.

If you sweat a lot (I do) the DWR from Grainger are great. Check out Cabelas for the treatments.

I like the -33's against the skin, wear the Sitka Ascent pants over them and love the way they stretch/freedom of movement and light. I also have a pair of 90% pants that are great too when the temps drop around 10 or I plan on sitting and glassing a lot. Up top I wear the Minus 33's under, Sitka Jetstream jacket when still hunting and hiking. If it is down under 10 I have a super thin Bratwear fleece jacket I put on under the jacket. If I am sitting I have a Swanndri wool coat that I put on. It is an "anorak" style coat and I can tuck the back of the coat/parka under my butt and helps keep me warm there too.
I think this is one of those things that each person needs to find what keeps them comfortable at different temps. I have had some people with me who say they would freeze if they wore what I have on and others say that I have too much on... so definately need to fine tune what works for you.
I will say the Optifade is a fantastic camo and have really liked how light the fabrics are, windproof and the way it doesn't sop up water. I highly recommend making it part of your "system".

Exactly! Being from the South, I find that I need a little more than you guys up North to stay comfortable.

I have always been a warmer fella. Running around down here in the Houston area in shorts and a t-shirt when it's 50 degrees outside gets me some strange looks. My wife calls me her personal heater.

Tight-weave wool is pretty good but any of the less expensive, lose-weave, wool will let the wind blow through like a screen door. I've heard that the Johnson Mills wool with some percentage of poly weaved right into the fabric is good stuff but I've never tried it. I hunted in North Idaho for 20+ years wearing wool hunting clothes and it kept me warm 98% of the time, even though I was sopping wet. The one exception was 7 years ago when I was in a mixed rain and snow downpour. I could literally feel streams of water running down my legs (yes it was WATER), I froze my butt off that day. The next year, with the adjustments of my suspenders adjusted so high that they were behind my shoulder blades and the crotch of my pants was 1/2-way to my knees because the pants were holding about a gallon of water, I found myself baby-stepping 2 miles out of a hell-hole in the dark, I vowed I was done with wool. Go with something waterproof by Sitka or something with Gore-tex.

You might find some gore-tex that fits over or under your wool and you'll be both dry and warm...........................DJ

Have used both King of the Mountain wool (for 20+ years) and also have the Sitka. Both work well, but for different applications. If it's nasty out, there's no question and wool is the way I roll. If I'm going to be doing a lot of hiking and less standing, Sitka gets the nod. It doesn't keep me warm for extended sits, particularly after hiking a few miles in despite my trying to not get sweated up. Last week while elk hunting, the weather turned sour and I wore wool for a few days, then it broke and I went back to the Sitka. The advantage in mobility it gave me was incredible to say the least due to the lighter weight and stretch in the fabric. Frankly, I was blown away and felt as if I had way more energy while humping the mountains in the Sitka. I haven't tried their colder weather gear yet, but am thinking it might be a good investment, though I'd go with the GTX brand over Sitka...Sitka is way overpriced IMO, though their Ascent pant is, without a doubt, my favorite hunting pant. That being said, for Montana at least, there's nothing like my KOTM wools for the weather we get here in the mountains and I'd not be without it.

+1
Typically, I wear one synthetic layer next to my skin, then either wool pants or bibs and a wool shirt or jacket. That's kept me comfortable in temps from the high 60's, down into the single digits. If the weather takes a foul turn, then I have a set of military surplus goretex outerwear that I put on over everything. I've always been dry and comfortable.

HTH,
- Randy

Another member mentioned the Icebreaker brand. I've found the GT series to be more durable in all weights with 'expedition weights' being most impressive. The GT's also have deep zippers helping to vent as the days warm (we can go from 20 degrees to 70 here in AZ in a matter of hours) as well as the inside of the sleeves being 'perforated' in effect. I wish the website pictures were more illustrative in this aspect.

I wear them year-round in different weights and layer them on occasion. They fit close to the body and have narrower contour fitting sleeves compared to much of what you'll experience elsewhere. Generally simple black or somewhat odd color styling though. The (under) pants of Icebreaker in the heavier weights are fine but when snug and you're huffing it, you notice them a bit though not like nearly as irratating as traditional wool. They are not quick to take on an oder (unless smelling like wet wool makes you smell more like the wet deer!)

I've also recently had a Rivers West underlayer shirt which is more traditionally cut, and comfortable with a henley collar.

Just a word of caution, be very careful with wool and hot water.
You can easily lose a size. I kink of look at wool and Sitka gear on opposite ends of a hunting season. Wool for very cold conditions such as stand hunting and minimal hiking. Sitka Gear for early season weather. I stilll like polar fleece when you can find it for in between weather. With layering you can extend it pretty good. You really need options if you hunt a variety of seasons in different states - this isn't a "one gun for everything" analogy.
Good luck.