Home Forums Hunting & Shooting General Big Game Sitka or other expensive clothes - are they worth the $?

I went through your experience which prompted me to spend some money on better gear, like clothing and boots.

I have been using the Core4element line. It has certainly kept me dry and is a little cheaper compared to others.

I would do it all over again as it has certainly been worth it.

I've got almost everything listed in this thread and most of it is really good.

I've had great success with Sitka and layering different materials, but it's pricey. I think it's been worth it though and it's held iPad really well for me.

Denim has got to go for you amigo

I'm trying to work out your requirements from your posts and get the following:
1) You get by wearing denim right now, but its not ideal.
2) Your looking for something for "average" temps and something none water proof
3) You prefer not to spend a fortune and are not interested in "designer" gear"

In New Zealand, and I believe Oz, a lot of hunters wear what we would term "track suit" bottoms..they are sports pants somewhere in between the really tight running pants like Ron Hills and baggy "jogging bottoms"..

They are light, and being synthetic, dry easily, and are generally quiet. They don't have lots of pockets and are not overly hard wearing, but they cheap, so it not a major concern.

I wore some on and off for a season or two over here and after adding a few buttons to enable them to be held up with braces/suspenders, they worked fine..

In the end the local store stopped carrying them in OG, so I moved onto something else...

I tried several brands, and the First Lite is the only thing that fits me. I gave up on checking the normal backpacking stores and thrift shops. Nothing would fit. I still have some Cabela's Microtex, but now use it as a backup. The Kanab pants are definitely a step above my Microtex pants. I had a little customer service issue with First Lite, but that seems to be resolved after a little stern cuss talk with the customer service rep. Yes, I can see how the price is a deal breaker with some. They do run some clearances on their website, which is how I picked up some stuff. The rest I bought a little at a time. The First Lite stuff fits, is geared for hunting, and is good quality gear. Three pluses. Price is a possible negative.

Steve

If Cabelas made microtec in something other than camo, I'd jump on it. Had some Sitka pants I got rid of after two wearings. Couldn't stand only one rear pocket and dinky cargo pockets for that price. LOVE the fit and comfort of my Kuiu Attack pants but I think they are overpriced. They are also badly picked from a few briers in only their second season. Doubt I'd spend the money again.

I'm getting pretty well sold on all wool.

I have owned several pieces of Sitka gear. What I've found is that it's very specialized stuff. One piece may be great for you and another suck.

The 90% pants are a great piece of gear for me, and it sounds like what you need. I literally wear them every time I hunt. They are the only pair of pants I own. They are pricey, but I bought mine secondhand, and have hunted hard in them for 4 years and you can't tell them from new. I will be shocked if they don't last me 10 years. As a matter of fact, I may buy another pair just to put back in case they stop making them.

Another piece of their clothing I love is the kelvin vest, and the traverse 1/4 zip shirt. I hated the stratus line fwiw.

Love my Sitka and base layers. My favorite pc of clothing this year was my gaiters. Kept snow at bay and my pants legs clean and dry.

Thanks guys for the comments thus far - let me elaborate a bit on how I hunt. I usually start out in early September archery hunting. Weather is typically cold in the mornings ~30 degrees and warms to 60 or 70 in the afternoons. A typical elk jaunt consists of a 5-6 mile hike with 2K vertical. I sometimes bivy for a night or two. The weather is typically dry with an occasional rain shower. I usually go from the warmish bowhunting to cooler deer rifle or if I can draw a tag rifle elk hunts that are in mid to late October. This is where things get cold and wet at time. As was suggested above I've made due with denim, poly long johns and gaiters when wet. Chances of an unplanned overnighter are there but not too likely. I carry enough stuff in my pack to survive and it is rarely too wet to get a fire going. I was kind of wondering if some of these 'wonder' materials could be used for all that, still be quiet, dry and not feel like wet burlap bags draped off my legs when climbing. Sound like I'm asking an awful lot from a pair of pants, but for $200 I'd expect a lot. Thanks. I should add that I have and wear when it's really cold, old military surplus wool and or fleece pants. They work but are heavy and really suck to climb in. I do nearly all my hunting on foot and almost all requires a pretty big climb to get up where the critters are. Makes for a very difficult clothing solution to not get sweaty on the way up, yet stay warm once you get there and slow down. Layers work on the top half but are much more difficult to deal with on the lower half.

Not Sitka gear, but I do own a Rivers West jacket. It should be re-named Rivers WET! If you are stationary, it will keep you warm, HOWEVER, it holds sooo much water on the outside. If you move around and perspire, it will hold that on the inside.

Once when I was out moose hunting and returned to camp, my jacket was extremely heavy and took a long while to dry. This is one brand name I will never buy again.

I started hunting with pretty basic stuff. Do you remember cotton thermal underwear? I spent many miserable hours just trying to stay warm - back in the late 60's.
As I got smarter and had a little money, I upgraded. My cousins took me to a store called Eddie Bauer. Wow! To a 20 something, that was a world changing experience.

Now with all the new miracle fibers, 850 down and such, there is no reason to have "bad clothes". I have a set of Sleeping Indian wools (now out of biz due to death) that will last me the rest of my career - because I take care of them. I have some Kuiu stuff too. These are specialized items that cost quite a bit but if you look around, you can find great stuff on sale or clearance.

Its just me, but I have been shying away from all the camo stuff and sticking with earth tones.

Technology has been our friend here - allowing us to enjoy outdoor pursuits to the fullest.

Lotta good info posted.

The wear and tear on pants (brush, thorns, rock ledges in our steep hunting) gives them a beating compared to upper body clothing. So... I may spend a bundle on a jacket and wear pants from thrift stores and clearance sales.

For an expedition in the Arctic, I'd buy better pants...

My grandsons hunt in the jogging pants Pete mentioned. One killed a 5x6 Roosevelt with a bow in steep rain forest this Fall, the other stalked and killed a coastal blacktail buck with his recurve while wearing such. It works.

Will ditto that the soft peach finish on nylon pants from REI are super comfortable and dry instantly if given a chance. Don't know if anyone has mentioned my staple of light weight wool dress pants from thrift stores. Water resistant, lighter weight and vastly more comfortable cut than denim jeans - and no cotton to kill you!

For pure trail hiking on a cleared trail in cool weather, a pair of light nylon shorts over silk weight (or real silk) long johns is a super comfortable ensemble. I wore that while packing out a buck, sans the shorts, longies only-- and met some granola hikers on the trail of course. I said nothing and let them think I was trendier than they were.

Okanagan;
Thanks for the chuckle this evening sir - I can just picture the granola hiker's reaction.

A few years ago here on the 'Fire when the subject of lightweight pants came up, I believe it was you who suggested to me to try 100% wool dress pants picked up at a thrift store.

So when the local Value Village opened up I combed the racks and came up with a pair of Canadian Armed Forces dress pants -100% wool and a tight, tough weave - for $6.

I liked them so much I picked up another pair of pants labeled from a men's shop in Edmonton and again Canadian made - for another $6.

So help me until the snow hits and it freezes hard up on the mountain behind the house I hunt in those thrift store pants - in combination with Stanfield's lightweight wool underwear when it gets cooler.

Now admittedly it's fairly dry here - most years not this one as mentioned - but so far I'm more than satisfied with the light wool pants in warmer weather. If they rip in half I'm out $6 and so far I've not managed to tear a single hole in them.

For the record and Okanagan can verify this, I'm all of 5'6" with my arms waving in the air - so when someone who can double as a lawn gnome has to traverse BC mountain shin tangle its not unusual for clothing (pants) to suffer.

Oh, the one thing I would say is it might be a good idea to take a belt of the same width used hunting along to the thrift store as some dress pants have a thin belt loops.

Hopefully that was some use to someone out there Okanagan. All the best to you and yours in the upcoming week.

Dwayne

Hi Dwayne,

Always enjoy your style, plus you always have something worthwhile to add.

Disclosure: the reason I was hiking sans outer pants and only in long johns was that I tore my thrift store pants badly enough to leave them on the mountain. That's the only time that happened, but when they don't cost much there is little downside to burning your pants in the last campfire.

Partly what has shaped my thinking is a time when a good friend tore his $200 pants as we richochetted down a snowfield pinballing off of boulders. My $6.00 pants fared about the same. It was a controlled sliding descent, not a fall. That's a fast way to descend off the mountain but rough on pants.

I bought a pair of Sporthill 3SP pants and returned them. They felt too much like wearing sweat pants.

I tried KUIU attack pants. I wasn't impressed.

The pants I use the most are Cabelas Microtec, military BDUs and surplus military wool pants. BDUs are the most comfortable but are 50/50 cotton/poly. I won't wear them if I'm expecting wet weather. Microtecs are great pants and dry quickly. The wool pants are worn when the highs are below 40 degrees.

The Sporthill 3SP clothing is designed for colder weather, that stuff is way too warm for hunting in Aug-Sept. I've got a pair of the original camo (looks like they spray painted them) Sporthill pants and the only time I wear them is when it's 20� or colder outside. This is where these pants really shine. I wore them on a mid Oct moose hunt, there was over 2 feet of snow on the ground and the temps never got about 25�. I never once got cold and I stayed dry even while hiking through all that snow.

For early season hunting, the Core4 stuff is hard to beat but after reading some reviews on the Kryptek gear I think that is next on the list. Not too sure about their new camo pattern but i've heard good things about the clothing.

Rattler, I use Sitka Mountain pants with fleece and wool base layers and I'm very impressed with them. I'm in pretty dang dry country, and while they certainly aren't the end all of hunting pants, I'm fairly convinced that I'm getting my money's worth out of them even though they are pricey.

Mainly, they fit me great, they are good for a lot of movement, as mentioned they repel water really well, and they are tougher than they get credit for.

I have been climbing and hunting the mountains for 50 years now in many countries. IME gear built for alpinists has led the way for many years.Just got back from wolf hunting in the Sawtooths. Temps ranged from mid 60's in late Oct. to 0 last week. I used a pair of North Face "schoeller" [sp] climbing pants for everything. I added light weight synthetic long johns when it got colder and layered marmot gtx side zipped pants when it was blowing and snowing. I really like the gusset crotch, stretchy material and zippered pocets on theTNF pants. Everything was purchased on sale at REI. Good Gear is always worth the money but getting it in camo is, IMO a waste of money.

mike r

I like the cabelas microtex for the basic hunting clothing in tops and bottoms. Also run the polyester kings shirts and pants.

For waterproof shells top and bottom I have been using products from the Browning line for the last 3 years. Browning has really upped its game recently and I think its the best buy out there.

I like heavy fleece or 800 fill power down for insulating layers as well as poly base layers.

I've just tried the Microtex shirts and am favourably impressed so far. It is getting to the point where I have to replace my Walls Bibs. I love the pattern, but when it is wet, the cotton sucks, but is moderated by layers of synthetic underwear.

I am interested in the Microtex pants, but wish they made bibs as I've become attached to them.

This is what I've worn for more than 10 years (2 pair).

http://www.walls.com/mossy-oak-non-insulated-bib

Would love that pattern in a better material.

I've got KUIU, Microtex, and various cotton varieties of pants. Any ol pair of cotton pants will put the KUIU Attack pants to shame if there are thorns around and its dry. They do snag and pull way too easy. They are nice if its a bit rainy or windy and there are no thorns to stick on. They have the best cut of any pants but the material is really no better than Microtex in my experience.

For synthetic pants without the camo, look at Arborwear Tech Pants.

If you can find a pair of Microtex pants in the Bargain Cave at Cabela's that fit you well, I would say they are the best bet for your money, by far!