BGbasbhat
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Well, my Dad and I just got back from the Kilbuck Mountains in Alaska for 2 weeks of black/brown bear hunting. It was an awesome trip, and we both filled our tags! Check out the Alaska forum for the writeup.
I had alot of recommendations from alot of people, regarding gear, so here is what worked, what didn't, and what I wished I had.
Conditions: Windy and rainy, high 30s-low 50s.
Environment: Tundra, alder patches, beaver creeks, and 2k ft mountains.
Activity: Glassing with tough/quick 2-3 mile stalks through all of the environment mentioned above.
Camp: Pole tents
WHAT WORKED:
Outdoor Research Gaitors - Worked great, dried quick, and saved my boots a number of times when crossing creeks. Velcro sucks; but just wear them all the time, and you'll be good.
Cabela's Alaskan Guide Rainwear - Has GoreTex PacLite, which was light and packable. I ripped the crotch a bit when fighting with alders; but it held up very well, dried very quickly, and kept me dry.
Cabela's Microtex - A great mid-layer that dries quickly and breathes well. I wore 2 sets for 13 days and they dried great, and didn't stink much.
REI MTS Base Layer - (Mid weight shirt and lightweight pants). These worked awesome. They dried quick, were warm when they needed to be and cool otherwise. The also didn't stink very bad after 2 weeks of no showering. Awesome stuff.
Patagonia Mid-weight Base Layer - Seemed a little thicker than the REI MTS mid-weight; but pretty awesome stuff. It dried quickly and kept the stink off.
Helly Hanson - The guides wore this stuff. It was heavy, didn't breathe; but was indestructable and dry. If I go back, I'd probably get some Impertech as a backup.
Havalon Knives - We utilized these for our skinning, and it almost made the job easy!
Bomb Shelter - We stayed in these for the entire hunt, from Barney's in Anchorage. They had tons of tiedowns for the high winds; but weren't really light or portable. Great for a base camp, never leaked and well made.
WHAT DIDN'T WORK:
Cabela's Dry Plus - My Dad had this raingear. It was a softshell, so after a couple a couple days it was soaked and not worth much. It dried fairly quickly; but when it's non-stop raining, nothing much dries.
Camp Dry/Kiwi Boot DWR spray: You need something stronger for up there. It's fine for a little dew or something; but dew+rain+creeks+sinkholes and my boot leather was saturated for days. I'd recommend snow-seal or something.
WHAT I WISHED I'D BROUGHT:
Propane Boot Dryer - The first day, my soaked pants seeped into my boots and they were soaked for a couple days. I think there is a small one out on the market, so if you aren't limited to space/weight it might be a good idea.
Scope Caps - I should have brought these for the non-stop rain and trudging through the thick stuff.
"...I'd rather be tried by twelve than carried by six..."
I had alot of recommendations from alot of people, regarding gear, so here is what worked, what didn't, and what I wished I had.
Conditions: Windy and rainy, high 30s-low 50s.
Environment: Tundra, alder patches, beaver creeks, and 2k ft mountains.
Activity: Glassing with tough/quick 2-3 mile stalks through all of the environment mentioned above.
Camp: Pole tents
WHAT WORKED:
Outdoor Research Gaitors - Worked great, dried quick, and saved my boots a number of times when crossing creeks. Velcro sucks; but just wear them all the time, and you'll be good.
Cabela's Alaskan Guide Rainwear - Has GoreTex PacLite, which was light and packable. I ripped the crotch a bit when fighting with alders; but it held up very well, dried very quickly, and kept me dry.
Cabela's Microtex - A great mid-layer that dries quickly and breathes well. I wore 2 sets for 13 days and they dried great, and didn't stink much.
REI MTS Base Layer - (Mid weight shirt and lightweight pants). These worked awesome. They dried quick, were warm when they needed to be and cool otherwise. The also didn't stink very bad after 2 weeks of no showering. Awesome stuff.
Patagonia Mid-weight Base Layer - Seemed a little thicker than the REI MTS mid-weight; but pretty awesome stuff. It dried quickly and kept the stink off.
Helly Hanson - The guides wore this stuff. It was heavy, didn't breathe; but was indestructable and dry. If I go back, I'd probably get some Impertech as a backup.
Havalon Knives - We utilized these for our skinning, and it almost made the job easy!
Bomb Shelter - We stayed in these for the entire hunt, from Barney's in Anchorage. They had tons of tiedowns for the high winds; but weren't really light or portable. Great for a base camp, never leaked and well made.
WHAT DIDN'T WORK:
Cabela's Dry Plus - My Dad had this raingear. It was a softshell, so after a couple a couple days it was soaked and not worth much. It dried fairly quickly; but when it's non-stop raining, nothing much dries.
Camp Dry/Kiwi Boot DWR spray: You need something stronger for up there. It's fine for a little dew or something; but dew+rain+creeks+sinkholes and my boot leather was saturated for days. I'd recommend snow-seal or something.
WHAT I WISHED I'D BROUGHT:
Propane Boot Dryer - The first day, my soaked pants seeped into my boots and they were soaked for a couple days. I think there is a small one out on the market, so if you aren't limited to space/weight it might be a good idea.
Scope Caps - I should have brought these for the non-stop rain and trudging through the thick stuff.
"...I'd rather be tried by twelve than carried by six..."
