Going on a SE Alaksa spring black bear hunt next June.
What rain jacket and lightweight hunting waders?
I had some HH impertech that worked great in 01 and 02 on Caribou hunts, but it is trashed now. Time to replace/upgrade.
What does everyone think. Kuiu, Arc'teryx, Marmot, HH for the jacket?
Zero experience with the lightweight breathable hunting waders.
any input appreciated.
I would get new HH,, but many here will label me as an old throwback!
I would get new HH,, but many here will label me as an old throwback!
LOL!
Was going to post the same thing, but didn’t want to be ‘that guy’.
HH impertech ain't that old...
HH rubber rain gear is a bit older, but its the only way to stay for sure dry on the outside, while soaked inside from sweat. LOL
These upper 70s need to go away already. I'm sweating now days
I once had a guy give me a hard time on a caribou hunt we were guiding for getting out my HH guide coat and putting it on over my Wranglers and Value Village Pendelton wool shirt. He was getting dressed in the same tent in one of the $1200 super fabric camo suits and assured me that I’d be miserable while his state of the art gear would see him dry and refreshed at the day’s end.
It was pretty hilarious when we came back to camp after a full day of hunting, butchering, and packing meat in a steady drizzle. I was dry and pretty comfortable and guess who was soaked. The icing on the cake was when he decided to dry his wonder suit on a clothesline over the fire, gust of wind sent them into the blaze and they were gone forever.
For all the obvious reasons, I have gone with Sitka Gear and been hugely impressed. Others I have hunted with use Kuiu and it works as advertised, also. I used old school HH for decades and it is a good, viable option... Impertech at its best is a joke to me
I would get new HH,, but many here will label me as an old throwback!
Have you ever been accused of having a nerve ending?
For all the obvious reasons, I have gone with Sitka Gear and been hugely impressed. Others I have hunted with use Kuiu and it works as advertised, also. I used old school HH for decades and it is a good, viable option... Impertech at its best is a joke to me
Interesting statement about the impertech, the set I had worked great for two trips to AK and many days of rain in the lower 48. I have just flat wore it out.
Please keep the comments coming.
Well, I may get laughed at for this, but I've had decent luck with the old military Gore-Tex rain wear. I had a friend that his wife was supply, and I mentioned I needed to get my son some rain gear before our caribou hunt in 2013. Buddy told me to say my money. The next week, he gave me a brand new set of desert camo Gore-Tex gear for the son. My son moaned and groaned that I should have bought him x brand, etc., but at the end of a rainy day of hunting, the only thing wet on him was his feet, and that was his own fault.
I've hunted with guys that have used all kinds of rain gear, but those that sued HH were probably the driest of all of us.
ECWCS Gen II...yes it is Gore-Tex and not as breathable as some of the fabrics Sidewalk Rangers wear in the cities, BUT is durable...doesn't fray or tear and can function as a mobile tent in harsh weather.
TruSpec tops/bottoms or equivalent in colors or camos.
I would get new HH,, but many here will label me as an old throwback!
That is because are ! 😁
But some of the better goretex gear, like Simms, works pretty well. Even the cheaper Frogg Toggs don't do too bad for a few hours of working or hunting in the rain.
But when you really want to stay dry carry a set of HH or Guy Cotton rain gear like the commercial fishermen wear to wear over the gortex
For all the obvious reasons, I have gone with Sitka Gear and been hugely impressed. Others I have hunted with use Kuiu and it works as advertised, also. I used old school HH for decades and it is a good, viable option... Impertech at its best is a joke to me
Big money hustla! Tossing C notes out the car window on the Glenn hwy and lighting Cuban cigars with $20 dollar bills!
For all the obvious reasons, I have gone with Sitka Gear and been hugely impressed. Others I have hunted with use Kuiu and it works as advertised, also. I used old school HH for decades and it is a good, viable option... Impertech at its best is a joke to me
Big money hustla! Tossing C notes out the car window on the Glenn hwy and lighting Cuban cigars with $20 dollar bills!
Where you getting cubans?
For all the obvious reasons, I have gone with Sitka Gear and been hugely impressed. Others I have hunted with use Kuiu and it works as advertised, also. I used old school HH for decades and it is a good, viable option... Impertech at its best is a joke to me
Big money hustla! Tossing C notes out the car window on the Glenn hwy and lighting Cuban cigars with $20 dollar bills!
Where you getting cubans?
Ask Sitka deer he's lighting them with $20 dollar bills..
For all the obvious reasons, I have gone with Sitka Gear and been hugely impressed. Others I have hunted with use Kuiu and it works as advertised, also. I used old school HH for decades and it is a good, viable option... Impertech at its best is a joke to me
Big money hustla! Tossing C notes out the car window on the Glenn hwy and lighting Cuban cigars with $20 dollar bills!
Where you getting cubans?
Ask Sitka deer he's lighting them with $20 dollar bills..
I know where artsy gets his Cubans.
Used 1st generation Goretex and got pneumonia. Used HH the boating kind and stayed dry. Impertech works but is not very durable. German surplus flectarn double layer goretex seems to work but have not put it to a very severe test yet. If I was going to spend some bucks I would get ventile waxed cotton. I use regular waxed cotton and it is the most comfortable of them all. If you really need it like SE Alaska get a Jacket that has a cape or triple layer in the hood and shoulders which will not wet through,
Grundens were bomb proof but heavy, newer ones may not be. If you get Goretex or any other breathable membrane type get at least double layer or two ply types. The single layer is only good for short periods. Get pit zips or other ventilation too. Barneys in Anchorage sells HH & Sitka so that may tell you whats popular.
Hip boots are critical. They should be ankle fit types like LaCrosse. Lately I prefer the breathable hip boots with hiking boots big enough to fit over the neoprene booty. It doesn't eliminate the trench foot and swamp rot of the hip boots entirely but helps a lot and easier to walk in.
I've used the HH Impertech for years and it's fantastic rain gear BUT, you don't want to have to hike longs slogs in that stuff, it doesn't breath at all and you will sweat like a hog in it. That said, I have a set of the bibs and a guide jacket and use them whenever it rains. If your planning on doing a lot of moving I would suggest the something that utilizes either Gore-Tex of eVent. Westcomb is damn good stuff but it is not cheap.
unless things have changed, gore tex is forever off my list as real rain gear.
It simply wets out eventually, and especially with any hard contact, like sit down to watch a meadow or rest etc...
We have not bought military goretex since about early 2000s and had both new and used, same same at that point.
Marmot precip is our light rain gear. It won't hold up in heavy bush for that long though, it will tear and wear etc...
Normal fishing type rain gear if one needs to stay dry period.
I like the HH Impertech,very lite, very quit.
I once had a guy give me a hard time on a caribou hunt we were guiding for getting out my HH guide coat and putting it on over my Wranglers and Value Village Pendelton wool shirt. He was getting dressed in the same tent in one of the $1200 super fabric camo suits and assured me that I’d be miserable while his state of the art gear would see him dry and refreshed at the day’s end.
It was pretty hilarious when we came back to camp after a full day of hunting, butchering, and packing meat in a steady drizzle. I was dry and pretty comfortable and guess who was soaked. The icing on the cake was when he decided to dry his wonder suit on a clothesline over the fire, gust of wind sent them into the blaze and they were gone forever.
I had kind of the same thing happen on a fishing trip. It was a rainy day, and an open bat.
One of the guys was bragging about his fancy Simms wading coat and Waders, and how it was the greatest thing ever.
Guess who was soaked thru and almost hypothermic by lunch?
I was perfectly dry in my Grundens.
What I have learned over the past 40 years of guiding is that IF YOU ARE GOING TO BE WORKING OUTSIDE IN THE RAIN ALL DAY YOU ARE GOING TO GET WET.
Either from sweat or rain.
The best compromise I have found for when you are working outside and hiking a lot is the top of the line Simms gear.
There is a reason the top fishing guides were it as they are literally standing in water, often in the rain, all day, every day.
And the reason commercial fishermen use HH, Grundens or Guy Cotton on fishing boats is because it sheds water.
Im getting a good education on heavy duty rain wear,I never heard of some of these names.Thanks
What I have learned over the past 40 years of guiding is that IF YOU ARE GOING TO BE WORKING OUTSIDE IN THE RAIN ALL DAY YOU ARE GOING TO GET WET.
Either from sweat or rain.
The best compromise I have found for when you are working outside and hiking a lot is the top of the line Simms gear.
There is a reason the top fishing guides were it as they are literally standing in water, often in the rain, all day, every day.
And the reason commercial fishermen use HH, Grundens or Guy Cotton on fishing boats is because it sheds water.
I'd take sweating to get wet inside rather than leaking gore tex. The sweat I produce is closer to body temp and easier for my body to deal with, vs cold rain soaking through... at least thats how it is for me anyway.
And I'm always reading and listening, we do change our direction time to time.
Great conversation, thank you for all the input. Busy researching all the suggestions.