Wow, hunting season is upon us already. I was out shopping with my wife on Sunday for my birthday, and she was wanting to get me some hunting rain gear. This is gear for deer hunting, I have plenty of duck stuff.

I just couldn't justify the prices for the "quiet" rain gear, because even though they were "quiet" they weren't as quiet as the fleece, wool, or microtex I usually wear. Didn't pass the fingernail test.

On a typical wet day, I just bring 2 sets of clothes. I go out knowing that I'll get damp but the fleece will keep me warm enough. If I make it back to the rig before dark, I might change and go out again. It sucks to get wet through your shoulders, but I don't want to overheat.

On cold and wet days I have a River's West jacket. It is quiet and waterproof, but it is also heavy and you sweat bad if you aren't layered perfect for what you are doing.

The problem with not wearing waterproof gear, is sitting on stand. I typically carry a folded 18x18 chunk of camp pad to keep my rump dry, but this limits me to sitting when it is wet out. Sometimes you can just park on a hill side laying on your back, and that is when I wish I was wearing rain gear.

What do you all suggest? Stick to wool/fleece or buy expensive raingear?

Hunting got a whole lot more fun for me when I bought some mid weight quiet rain gear. I got a jacket and pair of pants and in the fall there is no layering required. Just a decent pair of socks, skivvies, a long sleeved tech shirt and the camo coat/pants.

Hike up the ridges, lay down in the brush, quietly walk through the timber, whatever. Now I can do this without getting wet, cold, or overheating for the most part.

This gear doubles as my cold/wet weather fishing clothes in the boat so it was worth it to me.

Cabelas MT050 packable rain gear or insulated for the cold stuff.

YOU CAN'T BEAT IT..... I have taken it through down pours and wet brush and you stay bone dry. It breaths like no other.

Personally I wear the packable MT050 raingear and on the colder days 35 and under I'll toss on some light long jons underneath.... I've hunted in this same raingear on 80 degree days and it works wonders...

Keith

My friends wear the MT050.

Stuff ain't cheap!

BDU pants, gore-tex boots, layers up top starting with poly pro, a wool shirt, topped off with a heavy wool insulated shirt, and I'll bring a rain jacket that I'll keep in my backpack but usually I won't pull it ou I always have a spare set of clothes in the truck for me and the boys.

I just know I'm going to get wet hunting if it is raining, so with the wool and the polypro, I stay warm even when wet.

That's generally how I roll. I have gore-tex boots, but I find myself wearing rubber boots most of the time.

I've also got the MT050 and it's pretty good stuff. I do find it a wee bit noisy though. It passes the fingernail test fine but since it's a layered fabric I find the goretex layer "crinkles" against the MT050 layer. So it stays in the backpack until it gets stormy or I'm going to be sitting for a while. When it's stormy out the woods are plenty loud enough that it covers the "crinkle" noise. Even the ambiant noise in the store is enough to cover the "crinkle noise but I do notice it on the real calm misty days though which is when I just stay with layers.

Having said that it's still the best hunting raingear I've found and I sure as hell aint spending $300 on the Sitka stuff.

Well depends on how you look at it... I've had the same set for 5 years now so cost of ownership isn't that bad considering most other brands of raingear I've bought started leaking after a year or two and became worthless in the rain...

I just bought a second set this year for a 9 day hunt I'll be on...

Keith

I know what you mean about cost/year. It is easy to justify, but I really don't have any plans for even an overnight hunt let alone driving an hour away. If I were going on a 9 day expedition, I probably would have sprung for the MT or the Sitka already.

I'm going to go in and compare the UA, against the MT050 packables tomorrow. The UA is on sale.

Okay, so I stopped at Cabela's today after some inspections up north. They were having some kind of sidewalk sale. O/T I got an Under Armor raincoat 50% off! Then I went into the Bargain Barn and they had a set of MT050 pants in Mossy Oak Treestand, which is a good color for my area. They were XL, I bought them. At the checkstand they took another 15% off for some reason, and I got them for $66. Regular price is about $180. This is the packable raingear, not insulated.

Anyways at home I tried them on over my boots. And wandered around the house. They seem a little loud (swishy) compared to what I normally wear. The XL is a little loose around my waist, and I normally like rain-gear to be on the short side (raised in a logger family).

Thinking about e-bay for the pants now. . .

Grundens Suund pants if you want true waterproofness. Layer with UA bottoms and fleece wader pants.

Just goes to show you that my hearing sucks.... I didn't think the MT050's were that noisy...

Keith

They probably aren't that noisy in the rain. I don't figure to be using them when it is dry out, so as I type this they are packed in my daypack ready for a day with some weather.

Exactly.........Wind and rain are enough noise to cover any crinkle sound. It's the calm, misty, foggy days that you have to watch out for. But fleece usualy excels on those days anyways.

I do love their outfitters camo pattern.

Is it Friday yet?????????????