Going back to the island: What to wear for a week of hunting in the cold rain?

Macchina

Macchina

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Apr 7, 2006
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About 15 years ago I was invited to hunt North Manitou island during the November deer season on the island. The island is rather small (about 8x4 miles) but once held a huge deer herd of 2000 deer! The annual hunt was started in 1981 to prevent the deer from eating all of the vegetation (the island was picked bare that year). That week we hunted the island was incredibly fun but we went incredibly ill-prepared. I had a single pair of waterproof pants that happed to also be heavily insulated and a jacket that lost it's water-proofness on the first day. We were close to dangerously under-prepared: The four of us brought about enough food for two people and we s Because the island in out on the big lake, it tends to get a lot of rain (sometimes every day of the hunt).

I have hiked and hunted a lot (close to a year of combined time spent on the trail since that last trip to the island) and have the backpacking/camp side of this trip down pat. We actually backpacked to island loop twice last year during the spring and summer. I have hunted in the rain however I only do it for a single day and it's OK if my Filson tin cloth soaks through by the end of the day... however it's not quite the same when you have to put the same clothes back on for a week. The temperature is usually between 20° and 40° this week on the island. While I love the robustness of Tin Cloth, it's definitely only water resistant. I'm tempted to really load it up on wax and use it anyway but I fear it will soak through if it does rain every day again.

I have a Gen III ECWCS Level 6 Gore-tex Parka that I think will do just fine on the top (any advice there would be appreciated) but I usually only wear waxed Tin Cloth pants while still hunting and don't know how they would fair in constant rain. I have several Tilley (cotton and hemp) and Filson (waxed cotton) full-brimmed hats that should keep the rain off my head for a day, but again they usually soak through after a day of rain.

For boots I think I'll be bringing 2 pairs of Gore-tex hiking boots to let one dry a bit each day. I usually live in my OR gaiters during winter hikes but they can be pretty loud when walking through brush so I may not wear them this trip...

My underlayers are always merino wool (Smartwool midweight bottoms and top) and I don't see any reason to change that for this trip. I can usually get a good week out of them without any smell and they remain very serviceable even when they're wet. My mid layers on the top in the winter is an assortment of 100% wool sweaters (add/subtract depending on activity) and again I don't see any reason to change that either.

For knives, I'm thinking a stainless Mora for around camp and a Falkniven H1 for hunting. I dressed and butchered a buck this year with the H1 and couldn't have been happier. If I wasn't so anal I could have easily not sharpened it when I was finished (this is after chopping though several bones).

My rifle will be my new stainless Ruger 77/357. The only deer I shot with it was DRT and the XTP bullet I loaded up was picture perfectly expanded and sitting just under the far-side hide.

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Backpacking the island last spring:
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Well, its a bit of a conundrum because of being in the wet possibly for the entire hunt. Your choices also depend a bit on your hunting method (sitting a blind or still-hunting). All fabrics are gonna get soaked - choosing which is the best compromise is the challenge.

I grab my G-Tex pants for every hunt knowing full well that I risk getting soaked/cold and possibly have to pay more attention to staying warm/dry than on hunting. Unfortunately, G-Tex is loud as you note with your OR gators (I also wear my 'Crocs non-stop in the back country unless it's not precipitating).

There are some water-resistant fleece pants, but I have zero experience with them. I suspect they would fail in long downpours.

Also, there are soft-shell pants though my experience with soft-shell jackets has not been positive (like wearing a fuzzy garbage bag that leaves you soaked no matter if it's raining/snowing). I suspect soft-shell pants would be an even greater failure than the jacket.
 
Fellow hammocker here.
I live in wisconsin and spend a alot of time in the upper 10% of the state. I find the condition you are describing the toughest. It is harder to regulate core then much colder temps. This fall I was at a hang and the weather was sleet/snow/wind.
Since I was 20ish (31now) I have saved money when I had extra and found the basic setup that works for me.
I have had Arcteryx hardshells and pants and STAND behind them and have braved some shitty weather comfortably when others were sweating from non breathable gear or wet from leakage.
Bad thing is they can be prcieved as loud but when it is raining that is covered. I use Pantagonia long under wear and typicall either Mountian hardware puff pants or soft shells which are full zip. If it is rainy, snowing or windy I cover with hardshell pants.
I highly recommend Arcteryx or Outdoor Research for thr extreme waterproofness, breathable, wear resistence, warranty, and packability.
The advantage of having full zip insulation layers is you can easily vent under a waterproof layer.
Socks socks socks.
My 2cents



 
I also have Asolo full leather goretex boots that are the BOMB and are 2 years old have hundreds of hard miles and look and act brand new.
If money is not a issue check out LEAF products.
 
For prolonged rain you pretty much want an airy full rubber shell. The goal is to have a shell that retains zero moisture. Hang it up for 5 minutes under a tarp and it is dry.

1) Rubber boots and a rubber poncho. Hood mandatory
or
1) Rubber boots and rubber pants + jacket combo. Hood mandatory

Make sure your rubber boots pair with the socks you are bringing.

2) A pile of head-to-toe base and mid layer gear that you can rotate.
- 3 sets of temperature appropriate base layers. bottom and top
- 2 sets of temperature appropriate mid layers. bottom and top
- 3 sets of warm socks (these will be soaked and unusable at the end of the day so bring 1 pair / day or do laundry... 3 sets is enough if you are doing laundry. 1 to wear, 1 drying, 1 spare)
- 3 pairs of non-chafing underpants

3) Hat with some sort of brim to keep the rain off your face. Watch cap for base camp.

4) Multiple pairs of gloves

5) Extra tarp for base camp to keep your stuff dry. Make sure it is waterproof before you head out.

6) Double your food and water supply for the allotted time.

7) Waterproofed backpack. You'll want to put a dry bag in there or a rain cover over the top. Or both.

8) Bonus: Hot tents are awesome in the rain.
 
Macchina said:
For knives, I'm thinking a stainless Mora for around camp and a Falkniven H1 for hunting. I dressed and butchered a buck this year with the H1 and couldn't have been happier. If I wasn't so anal I could have easily not sharpened it when I was finished (this is after chopping though several bones).
Click to expand...

Can't comment on the gear, since I do more camping and hiking than hunting (working on it!), but the H1 is an often overlooked knife.
 
Backpacker Magazine tested four top-of-the-line "waterproof 'breathable'" parkas a couple of years ago, and two of them leaked when brand new. That suggests stern testing when failure is not a serious issue.

"Breathable" breathes a little - or not at all. (Nice that you need "durable" [that is, needs to be renewed regularly] water repellant treatment on the outside 'cause if the outside gets wet there is no breathing - in "rain gear.") Again, test to see what your $$$ got you.
 
Oh you and don't set up camp in such a way that pooled or running rainwater gets into your tents, shoes, bags and miscellaneous kit.

Thomas Linton is correct about the gore-tex stuff... it is great for a day outing or intermittent rain. I would not want it for prolonged heavy rain though. It will get wet and uncomfortable. Not something you'll want to put on on the third day.

Rubber is awkward, heavy and loud. But it works. Nothing gets through and it will be hole and dry when you head out on the third and fourth day.
 
You're going to get wet 'n soaked! If not from the environment then from perspiration. So while a hammock is a great sleep system you need a way to dry clothes and re-warm yourself before crawling in. So having a large tarp covering near or close to a fire is a great way to get under, set up a camp chair, cook and warm oneself up and stockpile wood. We suspend a large tarp up high enough people can walk under and then build the fire under it or near the edge. This is our many rally point and "hang-out." You can build natural or manmade sides to block the wind - suggested.

All this high tech gear is nice but there is a reason why loggers, old timers, and crabbers in this area wear Helly Hansen and other all rubber gear. They also used Filson but as you can see from your past experience in this environment even top-line Filson can't keep up with the intense internal and external moisture. Many of the folks making recommendations have no idea of the 24/7 high humidity, bone chilling freezing or just above freezing temps, and continuous penetrating rain environment you're hunting it. It is brutal! Again, Lewis 'n Clark wintered comfortably with the Mandan Indians in N. Dakota, but darn near died wintering with the Chinooks in Oregon. Therefore, look to those who work and live in this ecosystem for ideas on what to wear.

You might consider investing in some Mucks boots (or two) which are rubber and neoprene. I tossed my rubber boots once I bought the Mucks. They are comfortable, and more like a real boot rather than a loosely fitted dime store rubber boot. Invest in several pairs of neoprene insulated gloves which the crabbers use, wool or poly gloves when it isn't wet and a couple HH rain suits (in the event one rips). I've hunted elk n' deer in a frozen then turned rain-fest - then mud hole with my Mucks and an HH Rain Suit. Socks are critical - zero cotton but all wool or similar materials.

I just put on fleece sweat pants and then covered them up with a rain suit. The fleece is warm, quiet, and easy to move around in and the rain suit protected me from the wind/rain. It is important to not to over dress when wearing a real rain suit as you'll build up perspiration and condensation and you're still wet but from the inside. If the weather breaks, you can remove the rain suit and have some warm quiet walking/stalking/hunting. If the fleece get's soaked, you can take them off, twirl them over your head and a large percentage of the moisture is flung out of them. They're still wet but not soaked.

In your day pack it is paramount you carry a 10' x 10' tarp shelter and a reflective ground cloth (space blanket) and not the cheap kind. Then if you're in trouble you can set up the tarp, lay or wrap up in the space blanket and dry out near the fire you just built outside the tarp shelter which is now reflecting into the shelter.

Or I've worn nylon or poly pants with a rain poncho over my core/upper body. Yes, my pants get wet but they do not soak up like cotton. Zero cotton unless waxed like Filson BTW.

Take a day pack with a change of clothes, at least two ways to start a quick/fast fire, some pitch wood shavings in a tin, and a couple tools to process wood easily (saw, hatchet, large knife etc).
 
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You might consider sharing a larger oversized tent with your hunting buddies. The reason is you can share the costs of a propane tent heater or rotate someone to tend to a tent wood stove. Having a heater to dry out gear is VERY nice in the rain. So is having cots or pallets to keep you up off the ground. A heated tent with your sleeping base up off the cold wet ground... Now that is heaven. :D The big tents also give you hot & dry space to mess around with your gear out of the rain, set up clothes lines for drying and allow you to get dressed out of the rain.
 
I have hiked the British Hills, which are cold (5 C) and driving rain for days at a time (storm fronts from the Atlantic)

We used long Helly Hansen jackets or cagoules and waterproof chaps and one set of spare dry clothing

Then is was only wool, but now there is fleece
We hiked wet and got to camp and changed into dry, and slept in the dry
In the morning, after breakfast, we changed back into the wet clothes
Either they dried on our body or they got wetter again
But we always had one dry set in out pack
 
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