Debating on getting some hunting clothing/apparel this year due it to being my first year bow hunting and wondering if y'all had any recommendations as far as brand?

Congratulations on getting into bow hunting!

Can you define what type of bow hunting you'll be doing? I.e, sitting in a tree stand or spot and stalk for elk.

While it would certainly be very OB of me to recommend Kuiu or Sitka, it is serious overkill if you're just sitting in a blind or stand.

Tree stand. But I eventually want to get into spot and stalk, whether it's bow hunting or rifle hunting.

I just can't bring myself to go for the really expensive hunting clothes(Kuiu, Sitka etc). I've been pretty happy with most of the Blocker Outdoors hunting clothing that I use. They have a lot of sales so you can get big discounts off their regular prices if you buy direct from their website. I have pants, shirts, gloves, jacket, rain gear and snake gaiters from them and feel like it's a pretty good value. I only bowhunt fwiw. I saddle hunt and still hunt when possible.

For starters, do you have a safety system for your tree stand? If not, please look into one - accidents happen regularly and it can save your life. I think I'm still running my hunter safety system harness but not sure if that's the right brand or not.

Second, are you familiar with scent control and how to properly mitigate it?

So now into clothing - I honestly do use mostly Kuiu or Sitka but that's because they make the best stuff for Western hunts (add First Lite and maybe a few others on here). I wouldn't buy them for your hunt unless you just love spending money.

The main thing I prioritize with my bow hunting clothes is material/fabric type. This is a direct impact on noise which is critical when you're 20 yards away from a deer. Hard to draw back on a deer when the slightest movement of your pants sets off a 80DB screech. Most of the stuff that's cotton or fleece is quiet. The nylon/poly blend stuff can get really loud.

I'd focus on material type and research if you're buying online, I'd also recommend going to a bass pro or cable as or Academy and testing the noise of the shirt/pants. Run your fingers across it to see how loud it is.

Browning makes decent stuff
Under Armour has decent stuff
Candelas brand stuff can be good and is probably made by one of the big dogs behind the scenes
Magellan stuff isn't bad either

I'd also recommend getting tighter fitting clothes for bow hunting. I don't like having a bunch of b**** clothes on when I draw back but maybe that's just me.

I'm sure you'll get plenty of advice on here from others but hopefully the info above helps a little bit.

https://www.kuiu.com/

and

https://snugpak.com/

Is what I've been looking at.

Also like Icebreaker merino wool for base layer.

Also the merino wool socks that Simms sells are tip-top. Maybe the best you can get as far as hunting socks goes. They are worth what you pay. I will tell you that.

https://www.simmsfishing.com/collections/mens-fishing-socks

I bit the bullet over the last few years when I started focusing on western elk bow hunting. I bought comparable shirts and pants from Sitka, kuiu and first lite to compare. For me the first lite won and most of the other stuff went back. Not that Sitka and kuiu aren't great, I really like the ultra lite Sitka long-sleeved hoodie and got a second one for warm weather waterfowl and picked up kuiu rain gear this year. However, in my opinion, for the majority of needs first lites wool and other layers are better

I really wanted to like kuius pants, but their pocket openings are tiny and I couldn't get my very average sized hand into them

get something that is quiet.......some of the crap out there sounds like you are break dancing when you move ever so slightly.

I have the overpriced KUIU stuff now as well but it's all made for millennial snug fit and buy all oversized stuff and use mostly for stalking hunts.
My favorite overall is my Cabelas Guidewear fleece. Better for sit hunts. I've been complimented on that pattern in west Texas, Colorado, Sonora, Mx for how well it blends in. Far less expensive than the designer hunting apparel

Thank you all for your recommendations

I'm not sure I can ever buy camo again after seeing pics in Japantiger's thread of the guide getting within feet of massive African game in a veritable construction site safety vest.

ttha_aggie_09 said:

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For starters, do you have a safety system for your tree stand? If not, please look into one - accidents happen regularly and it can save your life. I think I'm still running my hunter safety system harness but not sure if that's the right brand or not.

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Definitely want to be safe here. There is a young man here locally that fell out of his treestand last year and now a quadriplegic

This gave me a flashback of a dude from HS that said bow hunting was impossible b/c he couldnt get within 200 yards of a deer.......realized why when I went with him once. Dont think he made it longer than 15 minutes without lighting up a cig.

tk111 said:

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I'm not sure I can ever buy camo again after seeing pics in Japantiger's thread of the guide getting within feet of massive African game in a veritable construction site safety vest.

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This is where I'm at. My first "round" of nicer camo all came from Camofire/Black Ovis sales. I stuck with Badlands in a traditional mossy oak pattern because of availability and sizing.

Lately I've learned you 'need' camo hunting birds (turkey & waterfowl) and we "like" to wear it hunting ungulates - so all my new gear are various shades of solids that I can also wear hiking, outdoors, etc.

What size? I have some Under Armour bibs and matching jacket that I used in Texas for bowhunting on the cold days. Merino liner and camo pattern outer. I can get pics and info tonight when I get home. I can also see what else I have that is lightly used I want to get rid of.

Where and how are you hunting? In Texas and in a stand/blind for the most part it really doesn't matter. Stalking it depends where you are at and a few other factors. Several have named great brands to start with

Large in shirts/jacket and 34 regular in pants

Texas in a tree stand. And I'm just trying to be extra cautious because I have some very nice bucks in the area and I'd hate to accidentally scare them off lol

I do not have a safety system yet, I don't even have to tree stand yet. I decided like a week ago I'm going to start bow hunting so I have yet to get everything that I need. Any recommendations as far as the safety system?

We are about same size, I will go through my gear tonight and tomorrow and let you know. Second hand might be a good route to see what you like and dont, then invest in something else later.

Awesome. I appreciate it man. Just let me know and we can figure something out $ wise.

BigTShirtAg said:

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I do not have a safety system yet, I don't even have to tree stand yet. I decided like a week ago I'm going to start bow hunting so I have yet to get everything that I need. Any recommendations as far as the safety system?

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I don't have any recommendations, but I'm sure there are plenty on here that would

before switching to saddle hunting I first started out using a rock climbing harness instead of one of those hunting harnesses when using a tree stand. It gives you some of the shot flexibility that you have with a saddle allowing more shot angles and more ways to stand, lean, sit etc if you're in the stand for long periods of time. I absolutely cannot sit still in a tree stand. It drives me nuts.

I think we over think the camo clothing thing. Remember, Chuck Adams probably did most of his hunting in a flannel shirt and jeans. I pretty much buy all my camo at either Walmart or Academy (I am frugal- cheap is such an awful word) and will generally be in Realtree or Mossy Oak. Remember, the purpose is to break up your outline. Many times I would mix my camo- pants of one brand and shirt of another. Even if you don't quite match your background, deer will spook at a human outline so even if they see a "blob" that doesn't look like the surroundings they will spook if that "blob" looks like a human. Just my opinion...

In a tree stand, your ability to remain still and quiet, and your ability to play the wind are far more important than camo.

I think the advantages of Camo varies widely on the type of game you're chasing. Yes, you can absolutely kill animals not in camp clothing out of a tree stand.

However, most of the camo clothes - particularly the higher end stuff - is designed with that specific activity in mind. They stretch differently, can have vents in jackets/pants/etc, have strategic pockets, and have things like a built in access point for a safety system.

Not saying you HAVE to have camoflauge clothing but that it's often more than just the camo that makes it advantageous. For the record, I'd rather wear black sitting in a pop up or stand than camo.

I buy clothing for the activity. I bought clothes for the 90 degree elk hunts along with the needed items for the -10 4th season hunts. I dont really care about patterns, as long as it is a brown or dark color. Half my clothes for hunting are solids. Lord knows I have burned a lot of money on gear that didnt work and had to sell it on FB marketplace for pennies on the dollar.

A certain OB'er that came to hunt here last year showed up in all Verde Kuiu gear, minus his hip pocket pouches on his pack. I threw a f'ing fit for ten minutes with him and his buddies on how his hunt was ruined cause of those 4x6in pockets being another color. I laughed after, but it was funny to get him riled up thinking his hunt was over before it started.

I have had kuiu and it was great but overkill for what I do and not waterproof unless you have all the layers. I sold all my kuiu granted I got almost what I paid for it when I sold it.

I am huge fan of First Lite on all my underlayers and just go with cabelas/bass pro outer layer. So basically I think the under layers are worth spending the money on no matter what type of hunting you are doing. The outer layers I would match more to your needs, ie how pissed are you going to be when you snag your $300 kuiu jacket crossing a barb wire fence, it was made for being on a mountain somewhere.

Camo isn't a requirement. That said, there's no such thing as bad weather. There's only bad gear. As others have said, I'm willing to pay top dollar for the most technical and functional gear available because comfort equals time in the field, which breeds opportunity. The cold hard fact is companies like Sitka, First Lite, Kuiu, etc. make the best gear available. If I'm going to buy gear that's technically suited for hunting, then it might as well have a good camo pattern on it too. Why not optimize every possible advantage.

Bird93 said:

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Camo isn't a requirement. That said, there's no such thing as bad weather. There's only bad gear. As others have said, I'm willing to pay top dollar for the most technical and functional gear available because comfort equals time in the field, which breeds opportunity. The cold hard fact is companies like Sitka, First Lite, Kuiu, etc. make the best gear available. If I'm going to buy gear that's technically suited for hunting, then it might as well have a good camo pattern on it too. Why not optimize every possible advantage.

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I agree with this. I was duck hunting last year and it was pretty cold with a strong breeze. I was in Sitka, unphased, and pretty darn comfortable. My buddy was in a carhartt and a fleece and was miserable. Layering correctly goes a long way, but I don't regret paying top dollar.

OB answer: If it costs more, its better.

BlueSmoke said:

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tk111 said:

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I'm not sure I can ever buy camo again after seeing pics in Japantiger's thread of the guide getting within feet of massive African game in a veritable construction site safety vest.

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This is where I'm at. My first "round" of nicer camo all came from Camofire/Black Ovis sales. I stuck with Badlands in a traditional mossy oak pattern because of availability and sizing.

Lately I've learned you 'need' camo hunting birds (turkey & waterfowl) and we "like" to wear it hunting ungulates - so all my new gear are various shades of solids that I can also wear hiking, outdoors, etc.

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I'd even argue you don't need it for waterfowl for the most part. Just don't want to wear blaze orange or anything that really makes you stand out. Millions of ducks and geese were killed by guys wearing run of the mill old school hunting stuff - keep the colors earth tone and relatively subdued and you can be successful.

I bow hunt out of my tree stand in jeans, camo shirt and a boonie with a face net. I have a camo 3d netting type thing that hangs from the handrail/rest down that covers me from mid chest on down. Deer have walked under me more than one time like this.

Bird93 said:

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Camo isn't a requirement. That said, there's no such thing as bad weather. There's only bad gear. As others have said, I'm willing to pay top dollar for the most technical and functional gear available because comfort equals time in the field, which breeds opportunity. The cold hard fact is companies like Sitka, First Lite, Kuiu, etc. make the best gear available. If I'm going to buy gear that's technically suited for hunting, then it might as well have a good camo pattern on it too. Why not optimize every possible advantage.

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Yeah....no. There is absolutely such a thing as bad weather that no matter the gear you have, you are still having a bad day.

Good gear helps, 100% and makes being outdoors in less than ideal conditions far more tolerable. But bad weather trumps any gear you may have.

Agree with this. The major advantage of the high end stuff is quality of build and technical features. I'm probably 50/50 camo vs solids

BigTShirtAg said:

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I do not have a safety system yet, I don't even have to tree stand yet. I decided like a week ago I'm going to start bow hunting so I have yet to get everything that I need. Any recommendations as far as the safety system?

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any tree stand you buy will have a safety harness and belt included. You will want something lightweight and breathable early in season as it can be hit as hell hunting Oct 1.