Get your license to kill with the best hunting clothing on the market
Hunting depends vastly on experience and luck, but having good, solid equipment is another significant factor. The prey you’re after is an expert when it comes to the stalking and hiding game, using their instincts as well as their senses to detect your presence.
That’s why you need to remain stealth for as long as possible and jump on the unsuspecting prey when they least expect you. For this, you need the
best hunting clothing that will obscure you but also give you freedom of movement and comfort.
Why you actually need this equipment
Top-notch clothes used for hunting purposes have many characteristics that ordinary clothes don’t have, even if they present a sort of camouflage pattern. For instance, they’re:
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Light - You don’t want something to hinder your movements or weigh very heavily on your body when you’re already carrying a lot of equipment and stalking for hours at a time.
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Waterproof - Animals don’t care if it’s raining or not. In fact, the best hunts happen during bad weather, with a lot of rain, wind, and fog so you definitely need adequate protection.
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Fire-retardant - Accidents happen a lot and wildfires aren’t uncommon at all. Having a good fire-retardant ghillie suit on is definitely something to consider.
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Non-allergenic - Good equipment always entails high-quality materials. Especially during the hunting season your allergies may act up, or get triggered by a lot of factors, which is why good hunting equipment is non-allergenic.
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Scent-free - You don’t want wildlife smelling you from miles away, which is why you need the proper odorless clothing to camouflage you.
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Rot proof - Storing your hunting gear is extremely important, but if you’re wearing your hunting clothes frequently in moist conditions and humid weather, they might get damaged; unless they’re root proof (like a ghillie suit).
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Mold resistant - Hunting clothes should not be affected by mildew either, which is another thing that can occur when exposed to damp conditions for long.
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No UV brighteners – For instance, ghillie suits have no UV brighteners, which is what would otherwise ruin your cover and make you more visible to the trained animal eyes.
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IR refracting - Since some wildlife can perceive infrared, you need adequate clothing that will not reflect IR (again, ghillie suits are some of your best choices here).
Camouflage
There are a lot of camouflage patterns to choose from, and the military pattern is not your sole option. In fact, blending in with the environment means selecting the colors and materials that mimic the ones found in the area where you’re hunting.
Ghillie suits come in a variety of clothing items that are made from lightweight synthetic threads which reproduce the color, design, and fabric of natural elements like straws, branches, moss, and so forth.
What equipment you need
That being said, let’s see what equipment you should actually consider in order to boost your hunting chances. Basically, the golden rule for every outdoor trip, whether it’s hiking, trekking or hunting, is the
three layers rule.
Even though your choice of layers is influenced by the weather and the season, there are some fundamental guidelines you need to follow.
The base layer
Think of:
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Briefs.
- Socks.
- Tank-tops
- Tights.
- T-shirts.
Items like long or short-sleeved T-shirts and base layer pants made from polyester or fleece are the best to choose. This layer is the closest one to your skin, and its purpose is to keep you warm. That can be done by cooling your body’s temperature when it’s hot and keeping you warm in cold weather. That means not letting your sweat imbibe in this base layer, by choosing the proper materials which are never cotton or cotton-based. Cotton absorbs moisture and that can make you hot during summer, or worse – raise your chances for hypothermia in the winter. Choose moisture-wicking materials that don’t retain perspiration, but rather let it spread and evaporate on their surface.
Most commonly used materials are:
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Merino wool.
- Silk.
- Synthetic polyesters.
The middle layer
Think of:
… or anything else you may wear on top of your base layer. The purpose of this layer is to keep you warm. For that, you need insulating materials, that don’t let heat escape your body. The problem is that many classic insulating materials also feel pretty heavy on your body, or don’t let it breathe at all. Besides, if they get wet, you can say good riddance to your warmth.
However, hunting isn’t a very high cardio activity, so a middleweight or expedition weight middle layer can actually be beneficial, especially in colder climates. Basically, the middle layer should also provide increased comfort, being:
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Breathable.
- Fast drying.
- Soft.
- Warm.
- Water-resistant.
- Weight-appropriate.
The materials that generally meet most of these conditions are:
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Wool.
- Goose down.
- Merino wool.
- Fleece.
- Polyester.
- Most synthetic materials.
- Wind fleece.
The outer layer
This layer is comprised of items such as:
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Jackets.
- Pant sets.
- Ponchos.
- Whole body suits.
There are some other compulsory pieces of equipment that can be included here, even though some people don’t consider them actual outer layer clothes:
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Face masks.
- Hats.
- Gloves.
- Shoes.
The purpose of this layer is to give you appropriate protection in case of bad weather. That means being breathable, fit, insulating, snowproof, water-repellent, or windproof.
But on hunting expeditions, the outer layer should also camouflage you, which is why you can find a lot of choices among the ghillie products that cover your whole body.
So what should you choose?
While ghillie items are the perfect choice when it comes to hunting-appropriate clothing seeing as they’re high-quality camouflage items, you should remember that not all products on the market are as good. So it’s wise to plan your budget carefully and consider acquiring durable, comfortable clothing, that allows you to move uninhibited and actually increase your chances for a good hunt. Otherwise, you’ll end up investing more in the long-run, while also getting less enjoyment out of your hunting expeditions.