Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Elk Hunting One Jacket for the Rest of Your Life

Absolutely! I picked up the Kuiu shell jacket during one of their sales, got it a size or two larger, and it is absolutely waterproof and extremely light weight. Beneath that I also can wear everything from a flannel or safari-type shirt to a sweat shirt to a full Filson wool jacket or even down if one prefers. The camp pattern is superb too.

The Filson jacket will last forever (assuming that you do not grow out of it) but the Kuiu stuff of special waterproof fabric will wear out. It is a relatively new proprietary fabric made by Toray in Japan. Nonetheless, it is worth every penny while it lasts even though it won't take really rough, Alaskan-type working through the alders and brambles.

I used the Kuiu jacket in three days of rain last weekend in New Mexico camping, and it was perfect for that even though I stayed mostly around the campfire trading stories. At my age, that was fine.

One jacket, that's tough for all conditions you might encounter in the next fifteen years. Also, if you think you will be the same size for the next 15-20, you might be in for a surprise .ebay is your friend, change as circumstances dictate.

Just my observations BUT most people can not fit in the jacket they bought at age 18 when they are 30, even my buddies that run and keep fit are bigger in the shoulders than at 18.

Some of us are bigger south of there.

If you want to be warm, check out the Filson Double Mac, there's nothing better, I cannot recommend it highly enough. If that is too warm for you, Filson has many other offerings.

Cabela's Wooltimate jacket with 4Most windshear lining is a favorite of mine. It handles light rain but I do carry a lightweight rain jacket for heavier rain. With merino wool base layer and a second layer, it keeps me warm. I have an old red and green plaid Woolrich jacket with sherpa lining that probably could be used for hunting, but it is a bit heavy.

So I finally pulled the trigger so I figured I'd fill you all in. I ended up buying a Browning Hells Canyon Parka. They were on Sierra Trading for $150 (normally $300) so I thought that was a good deal. It is a decent puffy on the inside and then a shell that zip together. I think this will do me ok for now and then in a couple years I can figure out what I need.
The day after I pulled the trigger I found a guy selling a bunch of filson gear on here, all in my size and while it killed me to spend that much money on stuff at once I knew is was going to be totally worth it so now I have the Browning Parka, a Tin Cloth Jacket, Tin Cloth Pants, Waterfowl Sweater and some other stuff so I think I'm set for a while as far as clothing goes now.

Good on you to pull the trigger and not agonize forever on what to buy.

A couple of accessories to consider...

Besides a fleece stocking cap (toque) the single item that will give you more warmth for its minimum bulk and weight ratio is a fleece neck gaiter with a flap down the front and back. I have cut the sides of a long tube neck gaiter to achieve the flaps, which came standard on my favorite Turtle Fur neck gaiter. You can pull it up over your ears to meet the toque, take it off when hiking and getting too warm, put it back on when you stop. It will allow you to wear your current system comfortably in considerably colder temps than you can without it. With the hood of your outer parka over neck gaiter and toque, you can handle some pretty deep cold. Loose clothes a little on the too big size are better than snug, and allow you to add additional layers.

Another item I LOVE is a pair of wristlets made of thin fleece Turtle fur. They are merely a tube with a thumb hole. The tube extends from the base of your fingers past your wrist and well up your forearm, and the fleece is thin enough to wear a mitten or glove over it. It leaves your fingers totally free. It would be easy to make this item though I never have.

If you can keep your wrists warm your hands stay warm much easier. Ditto for neck and top of head to keep your whole body warm, including feet, though that is old, old news I'm sure you know.

Five years is a long time for my outer shell to hold up well. I sleep in them in the bush, sometimes without sleeping bag, wad them into a day pack, chafe them with pack straps or a quarter of meat on my shoulder, bust brush while wearing them, sometimes bust brush loaded with snow, and often wear them through wet brush and wear them while they are drenched all day. My outer shell takes some abuse. About five years or so is when I buy new and relegate my experienced jacket to town use or give it to my daughter who loves it for suburban shopping and kid soccer games. The jacket usually still looks pretty good but is not up to wilderness performance.

If it's got to last than your tin cloth is about good as it gets. It doesn't do an lot of things well, but I consider my tin garments as an wearable shelter system that will take a beating and hold up to abrasion. All they need is an waxing from time to time. If you need insulation than underlayers can be worn.

My Filson tin jacket has an zippered wool vest in it that can be taken out if wanted

SwanDri, known as a "Swanny"

Aussies and Kiwi's have been using them in bad weather and snow for a very long time.
Mine are 30 years old and look like new.

Columbia Quad. Has a reflective heat layer in the waterproof, breathable shell and the synthetic down liner. Can also use a fleece liner with it too. It's been my "go to" for over 30 years. I broke down and bought the new technology 2 years ago and couldn't be happier. I duck and goose hunt a lot - late season here is cold and icy - I can honestly say I've never been cold or wet with that new system. Elk hunted last year in a near blizzard and -5* temps - I was good to go. Wear it in many different combinations depending on the weather. Plus, it's guaranteed for LIFE. I sent mine back after 20 years and they replaced it no questions asked. Good stuff.

I don't wear a jacket when hunting, beside the zip-up hoodie in hunter orange. Beneath that, I layer. Sometimes it has been so cold that I've had six layers on top and three on bottom. Jackets don't make sense. I traverse mountains, then sit there for hours. It can be 60 or -20 degrees, and sometimes those two extremes are a day apart.

This is the system my dad and uncle have that I was trying to emulate. I looked long and hard at it but figured it would end up being like $600 which is a lot for me right now. Maybe when I graduate from college and have some more money though.