Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Elk Hunting Northwest guys: clothing recommendations for the rainforest?

Hi, Guys,

I've sort of been waiting to see if the weather is going to break or not, since we've had really weird, warm sunny weather this fall. Not sure exactly what's going to happen by October 7th near Forks (Olympic Peninsula) where I'm going to hunt, but I need to finalize my hunting clothes.

I've had my boots for a while, of course, wearing them a ton to break them in. I was sad that my old Danners just don't fit anymore: my feet have grown a half size somehow since the last time I wore them. But anyway, I love the new boots, and they're nicely broken in now, lots of miles and hours in them.

But ... I realize that I really have no idea what other sort of clothing to get. I haven't hunted in years, so I need to put together a good, versatile bunch of hunting clothes, everything from pants, long underwear, shirts, jackets, gloves, etc. I have the socks I like (I'm partial to Thorlo, but also am liking the REI wool hiking socks), but need to assemble basically everything else over the next week and a half.

Any advice is very much appreciated!

Liam

If your going hunting around Forks in october bring good raingear. I've seen frost on the ground in the am. rifle hunting deer on the Clearwater and the Hoh but thats not very common.
Figure mid. 40's and alot of rain most years. The temps useally arent that cold around there and I can handel wet pretty well as long as I have a good camp so I can get warm and dry at night. Good luck on the upcomeing hunt .

Jamie

Gotta agree with Good Raingear recomendation. I Hunt western OR and WA and I like the Cabelas MT050. Used to hunt in wool and just deal with the wet. It rains a lot out in the forks area so staying dry will be the tough part. SOme guys will hunt in the heavy rubber raingear but I don't like teh noise and I sweat so much in it I am jsut as wet as without it.

Poly Pro long johns are always good, they wick so help keep you dry. Shouldn't have a lot of real cold temps unless you have a spot to get up real high. Good luck great country up there, my folks live out at Diamond point just east of Sequim and I enjoy the area. Don't get out to Forks often though.

Good Raingear is a must. If you have the coin go with the Rivers West. Cabelas also makes some good stuff. If you have the all leather danners, put some good goop(and alot of it) on them. They don't call it a rain forest for the heck of it. A side note on the Rivers West-- It doest "breath" real well so go easy on the layering. A fleece sweatshirt is worth its weight in gold.

I like Cabelas Revolution Fleece. Windproof,waterproof,breathable,and quiet.

I've been wearing the RF for a couple years now.

I�m a still-hunter, so bear in mind that I�m moving almost constantly when I hunt.

It probably won�t be too cold, but moving on steep, brushy hills is hard work so dress in light layers starting with lightweight poly pro long handles. If you�re a bit chilly when you leave in the morning, that�s about right � you�ll warm up fast. I get lightweight BDU pants used from the Goodwill because they dry quickly. I don�t buy anything nicer since the brush destroys them.

In bitter cold, I add a very light fleece before I leave camp. A heavy fleece becomes a sauna if you move much. If it�s not bitterly cold, the fleece goes in my pack. I rarely wear another shirt over the poly pro, since once I add an orange vest and all my gear, I�m warm. What I do wear is a North Face Guide Jacket. Unlike most GoreTex jackets, it�s quiet. If it warms up I put it in my pack, and hunt in my orange vest and the polypro.

Once I find socks I like, I buy 6-8 identical pairs so my footing doesn�t change during the trip. I wear leather work gloves since it seems like I�m always grabbing something covered in thorns. Some day I�ll try a nice pair of SWAT gloves, but I haven�t gotten the scratch together for that yet. And keep plenty of dry clothes back in camp.

But whatever you do, keep good rain gear in your pack. You�re so close to the coast that a squall could blow at any moment, any day of the year.

Good luck, and keep us posted.


Okie John

okie john

I noticed you mentioned SWAT gloves. there are many nice ones out there but IIRC mine are southern machine and tool.. they make many kinds with the kevlar and i have several sets but rely on my SMT's most of the time, they are the cats meow, good feel and super dexterity in a pretty thin glove. i do not recall the model of mine but if interested can dig them out fo my bag and look. they were about $50

Thanks for the recommendations, guys!

You know, I also realized that I haven't shot with gloves on since I got out of the army ... should probably give that a try at the range this weekend, if I can pick some gloves before then. I can envision snap shots that wouldn't allow me time to remove the glove from my shooting hand (left, in my case).

Got some shopping to do ...

Thanks again,
Liam

I spend a bit of time in the area and my recommendation is for clothing that is warm and light when wet (layers) and to have good boot dryers and a way to dry your gear at night. I would plan on being wet. good luck with your hunt. denny

I know I recomended good raingear and allways do for folks that ask but I dont useally wear any myself on the coast.

Back in 1987 we had a warm/dry year much like this year and the dry weather lasted well into rifle deer season. Most of the woods were closed due to fire danger so deer season was extended into elk season, it rained but we didnt see very cool temps even at night that year. I was hunting elk on the clearwater that year and it was too warm to wear any raingear so I just got wet every day until I got a bull. It wasnt bad beeing wet all day hunting, I changed at my truck every evening. I still sometimes hunt rainy days without raingear if its not very cold out. Hunting along the coast I useualy wear hikeing boots, jeans, a tee shirt ,and a warm shirt over that and thats it.

Jamie

Jamie

Tin pants and leather boots soaked with beeswax will cure all your ills from the waist down. The top half is far more subjective about comfort.
art

I have worked, hunted, backpacked and lived on the BC Coast from Vancouver to well north the Portland Canal, this is the "wettest" part of North America. Working in various aspects of forestry, primarily silviculture, from March to May and hunting in the fall can get you really soaked.

For most backpacking, I prefer synthetic, very loose pants, worn with synthetic boxers or longjohns according to temperature. I am currently using lightweight Mountain Equipment Coop undies and Cabela's MTP plus older Bass Pro sets with total satisfaction; this is the only place where I prefer synthetic to merino wool baselayer.

In the colder situations, I use Filson's whipcord and I rub this with lanolin obtainable from your pharmacy; you get the wool slightly greasy and it is amazing how much H20 it will shed. I find this more comfortable than my old Pioneer "tin" pants or any raingear I have tried, from the heavyduty loggers type to Gore-Tex and even eVENT.

I have found my Gore-Tex clothing next to useless in rainforest conditons, have tried a partner's eVENT Montane parka, which is better, but, it is too noisy and it also will eventually "wetout" and not keep you warm. I have planted trees in March, all day long, on the northern tip of Vancouver Island, out of Holberg, in gale force winds and driving rain, wearing synthetic baselayer, an old Peter Storm oiled wool sweater and wool pants much like Filson's. I was wet, BUT, I was warm and could move more freely than in my "tin" pants.

I would and do avoid cotton or "poly-cotton" like death, I will not wear jeans in the bush due to a couple unpleasant experiences long ago. I notice that Cabela's currently has some inexpensive wool whipcord pants and shirts, might be worth a try.