Gear
Review
Oct, 2023
Slamon-Chalis National Forest
I just returned home from a 6 day Mule Deer Hunt in the
Salmon-Challis National Forest. We rode horseback
8 miles into the backcountry with Big Timber Outfitters out of Leadore Idaho to
our camp from which we hunted on foot for 6 days. Our camp was set at 7816 foot elevation at
the side of a beautiful high mountain meadow of sage brush on the edge of the timber. The mountains surrounding us climbed to over
10,000 feet rocky peaks dusted with snow.
Our average temperature during the hunt was 34 degrees, with the nights
dropping into the 20’s and some sunny days into the 40’s. The wind came up in the mornings and evenings
adding a wind chill factor. We had drizzles
of rain on the ride in, and a dusting of snow in camp on the first and second
day, with accumulations of snow at slightly higher elevations that we hunted
into, but it did not last for more than a day or so.
There were a few times
in the evenings when sitting and glassing that I did become cold, but that was
due in large part to me not properly managing my layering fast enough to accommodate
for the dropping temps and wind chill. Once
you get cold, it can be difficult to warm back up by simply layering, you need
to move to generate heat, and I easily warmed back up as soon as I was on my
way hiking.. I never felt cold enough to
be afraid I must say.
I also want to point out that I am not sponsored by any
manufacturer, so these are my honest and unpaid for opinions on the gear I was
using and how it performed. I will work
from the bottom to the top, and if I had an influence in my purchase, I will talk
a bit about that as well. That being said, if anyone wants to sponsor me, lets
talk!
Boots. I wore
Danner Element uninsulated boots. I
bought these boots much earlier in the summer, partly because they were on
sale, partly because I have hunted in Danner boots since I was a kid, and
mostly because they fit me well. I have a
wide foot, and these boots seemed to have the best toe box area fit for my
feet. I normally hunt in California and
often in the Coastal Foothills during warm weather, so they are a very good fit
for that environment. I was concerned
about the lack of insulation, in the past I have always had boots with 400
grams of Thinsulate insulation and have hunted in some really cold weather with
those, along with good wool socks and been perfectly comfortable. For this adventure, these boots met the
minimum of functionality. I was able to
hike and climb the steep slopes with them, but a stiffer sole and insulation
would have made them more comfortable. I
wore thin merino wool socks and a pair of regular boot socks over those, which
made the boots a little tight, but it was functional, and while my feet were
never hot, they weren’t overly cold either.
The last few days, I wore the merino wool socks doubled and that seemed
to work fairly well also. For my next
adventure, I will spend a little more and get some higher quality and thicker
Merino wool socks. My right boot did loose
a little of its waterproofing over the toes, but the merino wool socks kept my
feet comfortable even with a little moisture.
So for high mountain excursions, I would recommend a better boot and
better socks, but all in all, I was pleased with the performance of my slightly
inadequate footwear.
Pants. I wore
Kuiu Attack Hunting pants in the Vias camo pattern. I must say, I have always liked certain
camouflage patterns just based on their look.
I also acknowledge that more deer have been killed by guys in red wool
jackets and blue jeans than anything else.
So I don’t actually wear camouflage that often while deer hunting, I
prefer to wear simple earth tones. That
being said, I went to the Kuiu Mountain Academy day this last year in Dixon, CA,
and they had these pants and matching
jacket on the clearance rack for more than 50% off, so I bought them. The pants were about an inch too small for me
in the waist, but they were close enough I could button them, I was worried
that I might not be able to tuck a shirt in when I first got them home, but
they were the closest to my size they had on the sale rack (I began dieting and
increased my exercise). I was immediately impressed with the quality of
workmanship in their construction, and the feel and fit other wise was
fantastic. Multiple pockets, well
located helped out as well. The pants
are a treated fabric which makes them highly water resistant, but not
waterproof according to their website. I
wore these pants every single day of the trip, the cuffs got wet and muddy in
the slushy snow and mud, but dried quickly, and did not wick up moisture to where
I ever felt wet like I would have with a pair of jeans. The stretch of the material makes them very
comfortable to climb in and the durability of them against the abrasive rocks
and sage brush is fantastic. They have
no real insulation, in them so I wore an older pair of Rocky long johns
underneath and was comfortable without any problems of my legs feeling
cold. I could tell it was cold, but my
legs were not cold. I was very impressed
with the performance of the pants. I
would highly recommend them to anyone looking for a pant that meets or exceeds
expectations of a hunting pant. In my
Hunter Education Classes, I often talk about clothing being the first part of
any survival situation, and how cotton is not a good pant for cold or wet
weather, these pants really do fit the bill for mountain hunting over anything I
have owned before.
Upper Layers.
I had a couple of base layers that I brought along. Base layers being what is next to skin
underneath anything else. I had a Kings
Camo merino XKG 150 merino ¼ zip top and a Russel Athletic Base layer top ( I have owned this for several years, bought it at Walmart). The Kings 150 was a little light weight for
this trip, so I actually used that to sleep in, and wore the Russel top to hunt
in. It performed well for warmth, but
its moisture wicking was not as good as I would have liked. While climbing the steep slopes I would get
warm and begin to sweat and could feel the moisture. If I stopped and took off my jacket, it did
evaporate fairly quickly, so it did wick moisture away, but I feel that possibly
a better base layer may have worked better at that. All in all, my base layer system did work
adequately. I wore a Kings Camo long
sleeve 100% Polyester shirt that was fairly thick and soft. It worked well for moisture wicking and had
some insulative factor in the layering.
Most days I could deal with the temperature with just the base layer,
the shirt and the jacket. In the early
morning and late evening I also added a puffer jacket underneath. The puffer Jacket I wore was an Eddie Bauer
down jacket that was packable. It is not
a durable piece of outerwear, but for an under layer in the system it worked
perfectly. It is thin, but had just
enough down to really make it warm under the outer jacket. It was also on sale at Sam's club for about 37
dollars which is a bonus in my book. It
was lightweight enough to stuff down into my pack and not take up too much
space when I didn’t need it during mid day.
Jacket. I wore
a Kuiu Guide DCS Jacket. Again, I purchased
this at the Mountain Academy at the main store at a great discount. The fit was perfect, and as with the pants,
the functionality of the design was fantastic.
The jacket, like the pants, is a treated stretch fabric, which is highly
water resistant, but not waterproof.
However, in the little rain and snow we had on the trip, I never got out
my rain gear as the Jacket and pants were more than sufficient to resist the
weather we encountered. The wind resistance
was also excellent. Multiple pockets
allowed me to carry my phone, GPS, eye drops for my contacts, and my blood
glucose meter (I am a type II diabetic) and still be able to put my hands in
the pockets. The slightly longer back on
the jacket is something that most people don’t think about until they sit down
and realize that a breeze is coming up their back, that doesn’t happen with this
jacket. The stretch and durability of
the material like that pants is phenomenal.
I have hunted in the snow and been caught in blizzards in Wyoming
chasing antelope while wearing a ¾ length wool lined Carhart, which did its job
and kept me warm, but this jacket from Kuiu way outperformed my expectations
again and will now be my primary hunting jacket. I stayed dry and warm with the layering system
I had, and more than enough storage pockets for what I needed. The adjustable hood was also great for when
the wind or rain came up as well to protect my head and neck from the cold and
wet.
Head. I often
wear a felt cowboy hat when hunting and I had it with me on this trip as well,
but I didn’t wear it while hunting, just during the ride in and out and around
camp. When I was hunting I wore a
FirstLite Catalyst Brim Beanie in Dry Earth color. This is one of my favorite pieces of gear I
bought for this trip. The beanie is
waterproof, warm and soft so it was easy to stuff into my pack or pocket, and
did a great job of keeping my head warm.
Since I have virtually no hair on top of my head, my heat loss is rapid
without a head cover, and this hat did a great job. The brim is just right to keep your eyes
shielded from the sun or excess light even from a cloudy sky and flips up
easily to allow for the use of binoculars. I
could easily pull it off and stuff it into a pocket when I got hot climbing for
a few minutes to help cool down and then put it back on. It has low sides so it covers your ears, but
can also be folded up to expose them when warm.
Only once did I get hot enough to actually sweat and get it wet from the
inside, and it dried pretty quickly compared to other hats I have worn in the
past. I picked this hat specifically because
it had a brim, and it was a fantastic choice. I first saw this hat on an episode
of Meateater with Steve Rinella, and I do trust his opinion on many
things. Even tho he is endorsed and
advertises for FirstLite, I believe him to be a person of integrity and not
driven by his checkbook.
Other Clothing Gear.
Gloves, I had a pair of gloves I had bought a couple years ago and they
have been okay, but for this trip, they pretty much sucked. My hands got cold! I don’t know the brand name, if I did I would
tell you not to buy them. I will be
investing in a new pair of gloves before I head into the mountains again. I will look at the Kuiu gloves, possibly the
Kenai Packables or the Yukon Pro’s, they
aren’t cheap, however judging from the quality of their other gear, are
probably worth it. Another item I always have with me hunting is a silk scarf,
or wild rag. I have found them to be
very good at helping to contain body heat. I had an Alps back pack, I don’t know the model
as it is older, but it is close to the Alps Falcon, it has an internal frame,
good shoulder straps and a padded waist belt.
The pack was comfortable and carried what I needed it to carry for
hunting, but I could have used more storage space and will be looking for a new
pack before my next hunt. It would have been insufficient for packing out quarters
of deer in a decent fashion. . Fortunately I wasn’t worried about that
because the outfitter was available to bring pack horses to close proximity for
anything we shot.
Binos/Spotter/Tripod.
I have Vortex Diamondback 10x50HD binoculars and they have always served me
well. They are not the best binoculars on the
market, but they work well even in low light, are bright and clear. I can see better with them than the naked eye
as far as low light conditions. I have a
Maven CS1.A 15x45 angled spotting scope.
For the money, I think it is about the best out there. It seems heavy, but for its size I believe it
is comparable in weight to other spotting scopes. I was able to find bedded deer and see them clearly
at over 1000 yards distance. I have
liked Maven optics for sometime and got these off Amazon during a prime sale
and they were $200 off the regular price so I couldn’t pass that up. They do out perform my much larger and higher
magnification Vortex spotting scope, the Mavin also weights half as much as my Vortex
spotter. For a Tripod I have a Vortex Mountain
Pass Tripod. It is aluminum and a very
good versatile tripod. I found it to be
easy to pack and set up. I think I will
upgrade to the carbon fiber tripod simply to save weight on my back
however. I will say having a tripod
along for glassing is such an advantage.
I got a generic Binocular adapter thru Amazon for under $20.00, so I use
my Binoculars on the tripod until I find something I want a better look at, then switch
to the spotter. Using Binoculars on a tripod,
is light years ahead of hand holding them, you really do see a great deal more
and clearer when they are on a tripod.
Connectivity.
I used a Garmin InReach Messenger Bluetoothed to my Samsung cell
phone. Once I got it set up, the ease of
communicating was amazing. I was able to
send text messages to my family and friends back home, as well as communicate
with outfitter when away from camp thru her Garmin. I could also get weather reports and had the
ability to send an SOS incase of emergency which would begin a rescue. Garmin also offers an emergency insurance policy
which I recommend as a helicopter ride from the back country can be 60-100,000
dollars to get you to an ER. I also
found the battery life of the Messenger unit to be very good, I did charge it
on the second day, but it was only down to 93%, and even two days after I got
home (10 days after initial charge), it still had a charge on it. I had set up
tracking on it and my family was able to log into the Garmin map and see where
I was as I hunted. I also use OnX on my phone, which worked well
most of the time, except the one time in the dark I needed it to find my way
back to camp. It froze on my location
where I had been sitting an hour earlier.
I was able to find a trail marker and locate the trail on the map and
thus navigate my way back to camp, where it finally caught up with my location. Other than that, OnX has been a very good
piece of technology for me over the years. The other items I will mention are
battery packs. I had several, but I
found they did not like the cold. I had
two small solar ones that would give a small charge, but not fully charge
anything after a couple of days in the cold.
We did have a larger, fold out 4 panel solar charger that got enough
sunshine to pick up a charge and keep all our devices running.
Camp Gear. I
had two duffel bags with me, one for clothing and one for gear. I will say that I will be getting individual
small stuff type bags for my clothing for my next outing of this nature. After the first day of digging for underwear
and socks, the clothing was so mixed up that I practically had to empty the
duffel to find anything. Having smaller
bags for socks, underwear, shirts etc would have been very helpful. I purchased a Teton Sports 0 degree bag from
Sportsman's Warehouse for this trip, and was never cold in bed. It was a rectangular bag because I can’t handle
the confines of a mummy style bag, yet it still stuffed into a fairly small bag
and did not weight very much. I also
brought a small stuffable camping pillow, that was good purchase, my neck and
back were very thankful.
Overall, my gear performed well for this trip. Because of my gloves, my hands got cold,
which is not ideal. I was nowhere near
frostbite conditions, or that could have been a real issue. I cannot say that my lack of success at harvesting
a Mule Deer on this trip was due in any way to my gear not performing, but
rather to the harsh previous winter and its reduction of the deer herd in the
area we were hunting. If I had been in
possession of an Elk Tag, the trip would have been very different as we could
not hardly seem to get away from the elk!
I am putting in for an Elk Tag for next year early.
As an add-on, I was hunting with a Winchester Model 70
Featherweight rifle in 270 caliber with Hornady Superformance 130 Grain CX
ammunition, topped with an Athlon Neos 6-18x44 rifle scope.
Below I am listing several of the items I used on this trip
along with their suggested retail price.
Many of the items I purchased on sale, some items I purchased a while
ago and not specifically for this trip, but this is just a list of the items. Some items I have had and I could not find
pricing for either, so this is not a complete list. The Vortex Binoculars I won in a raffle and
the Alps back pack I was given by a friend.
Most of these I will be able to use for years to come, so I consider
them to be long term investments in my hunting.
|
ITEM |
COST |
|
KUIU GUIDE DCS JACKET |
$
249.00 |
|
KUIU ATTACK PANTS |
$
149.00 |
|
KINGS XKG 150 MERINO BASE LAYER |
$
109.99 |
|
FIRST LITE CATALYST BRIM BEANIE |
$
45.00 |
|
MAVIN CS.1A SPOTTING SCOPE |
$
800.00 |
|
VORTEX DIAMONBACK 10X50HD |
$
329.99 |
|
VORTEX MTN PASS TRIPOD |
$
224.99 |
|
ALPS OUTDOORZ FALCON BACKPACK |
$
149.99 |
|
TETON SPORTS CELCIUS 0 DEGREE
SLEEPING BAG |
$
89.99 |
|
RUSTIC RIDGE CAMPING PILLOW |
$
14.99 |
|
DANNER ELEMENT BOOTS |
$
169.95 |
|
GARMIN INREACH MESSENGER |
$
299.99 |
|
ONX ELITE ANNUAL MEMBERSHIP |
$
99.99 |
|
HILUCKEY SOLAR CHARGER |
$
37.59 |
|
$
2,770.46 |
