I am heading west...CO to be specific...to do some late season elk hunting.

Last time I was out there it was cold....COLD!! I wore layers and Carhart Bibs and a decent weight hunting coat...nothing really "great" quality. I did ok for staying warm and considered my clothing choices as good...but bulky. Well...six years later I'm having another go at it and thought maybe I would upgrade to better under and outer wear to reduce the bulk and ease moving though deep snow.

Went the Gander Mountain yesterday just to nose around and see what's out there. Heck...last time I bought a hunting coat was about 8 years ago. I spied a Woolrich pants/coat combo that I liked. It is light weight and will allow for layers underneath...my concern is that it does not say anything about being waterproof.

Anyhoo...that's just what interested me. What I'm more interested in right now...is what do you fellas rocommend that hunt out there all the time...under wear and outer wear ideas please! I'm from PA and it can get COLD but the snow is usually only a foot or so deep. Thanks!

Dan,
My cold weather clothing consists of thermax long underwear. I have a couple of regular weight and a couple of expidition weights, depending on the weather. Then I put on a layer of polartec top and bottoms. I finish with thinsulate gortex bibs and parka. Medium to light weight gloves and a hand muff that goes around the waist. I always have a dickie for my neck for sitting. Boots are Cabela's 12" guide boots with a thin liner sock then a wool thermax blend heavy sock. If I'm going to do a lot of sitting the boot blankets are on my pack. I hope this helps
Ed

Dan, I bought some of that H-H Cold-Gear underwear this year and have never been warmer in the late season here in New York. I highly recommend trying it.

Second the thermax underwear. have several sets of thinsulate/gortex pants and jackets as well. The best late season boot I have used is the Schnee's pack boot. I also bought extra liners.
nmhhunter

Dan--After 30 years of hunting I finally invested in some Browning Gortex Hunting Garb. I purchased the 4 in 1 Parka and Bibs. I also invested in the Underarmour thermal underwear. I hunt early season and late, late season here in New York, Ohio, Nebraska and any place else I can scrape up the cash to go. I have never been more comfortable. I can dress in layers under the Browning garb and Its not real thick and bulky like other cold weather clothing so I can easily roll it up and stuff it in my pack or tie it to the outside of the pack. I also wear fleece shirts rather than cotton. I also bought the Wigwam gortex socks which really to keep your feet warm and there is no need for that wick liner sock that tends to bunch up in your boots. As for boots, I wear the 1200 gram Rocky Deer tracker. Very comfortable,warm, great sole for traction and good ankle support. Gloves are also gortex for the really cold days and I carry at least 3 spares of different warmth ratings including the military inserts for gloves that you can pick up at any gunshow. And you can never go wrong with a Balaclava for your neck,face,head or however you want to wear it. There, You got the contents of one closet. Good Luck and Good Huntin.

Good advice so far, but you all missed one fact. Gore-Tex outer wear, noisy as a 3 piece band. Wanna stay warm AND quiet? Get out your Cabela's catalog and look at the fleece outer gear with WindShear. On some lines it's called Wind Stopper. Pick a camo pattern, you'll find one or the other. I got some last summer, tested it on my Gold Wing in rain and cold and it works. Not as good as a gore-tex outer layer, but OK in a light rain. Coldest it got was 24 degree's, then add in the wind chill at 70 mph. I was warm without having to break out the gore-tex for a couple hours till the sun went down. If it works on the Wing, it'll work in the elk mts. By all means, stuff your gore-tex in your day pack for downpours and emergencies, dumb not to. Best part about fleece is the whisper quiet. Good luck in CO.

Keyman (non sibi sed patriae, Not Self But Country)

Dan, I went through the same thing. My issues were the same as listed above, cold, waterproof, quiet and roomy enough for layers. At zero dark thirty it gets pretty cold in the Mtns. I bought the Cabela's Dry Plus insulated anorak and pants. I really like them. It is warm, dry and quiet. I like it so much a I bought an uninsulated jacket too.

Remember: Travel light, freeze at night.

Dan, I'm a dyed in the wool type of guy. I have been wearing the new fangled wool-gore tex from Cabela's and I even have a Weatherby wool jacket. Expensive, but worth every penny at 10K in teh snow and wind. Gore tex can be noisy, but not in wool or fleece. I have it all. If like teh warmth of wool and want good, warn affordable, check out the Columbia line. Hang on till the April shoot and I'll bring various pieces out for you to look at and I'll show you what I wear. I dress a little different now that I don't have to carry it all on my back.

There's really not a single answer to this question. Everyone has a different tollerance for cold and activity level has a huge impact on what works. Stand hunting requires vastly different clothing from still hunting or hiking, glassing, and stalking.

The most important thing, I think, are to have versatile clothing combos that stay dry, permit easy ventilation, and easy removal (or addition) of layers. The key is to be able to quickly ventilate and stay dry when you're active, but then quickly add layers when you're still.

I like wool for cold weather trousers because it's silent, warm and keeps me dry in the snow. For a coat I like the quad-type parkas.

BTW, Gore-tex in itself doesn't make noise. It's the outer fabric that makes noise. Most big game quad parkas use a silent outler layer material like Gamehide. Try before you buy.

I find the most valuable accessory in cold weather is a backpack. If I'm on the move, I take off layers and put them in the pack. Sit for a while? Put layers on.

Grouse

Dan - After a lotta years being various degrees of cold and after spending $$s on all sorts of outer gear, I spent the bucks and bought WOOL. Wish I had done it years ago. You can layer what you want under it, but it is warm. Wool by it's nature, if it gets wet, still keeps you warm. It is also quiet in the woods and comfortable. Do you get the feeling that my recommendation is for WOOL ?

Rupe

Can't argue with your "wooly" logic. Just one caveat, get treated wool. Ever wonder why it is that sheep don't shrink when it rains? (God I love this forum!!!)

Da Keyman!