The Best Layering System for Hunting

The best layering system for hunting consists of apparel that is at the same time warm, breathable, packable, lightweight, and sweat wicking.

The Best Layering System for Hunting. Clothing alone makes up a huge part of hunting. And the outdoors in general. You may have the best optics, rifle, or skinning knife on the planet, but none of that matters if you’re unable to stay comfortable during your time in the woods. The best layering system for hunting consists of apparel that is at the same time warm, breathable, packable, lightweight, and sweat wicking.

It’s being able to quickly add or subtract layers with the varying temperatures of a mountain climate. When that big bull or buck steps into an opening, your mind should be solely focused on making a clean kill rather than how cold you are.

A Brief History of Layering for Hunting

Here’s a brief history of the layering system that hunters have adopted from the modern military. When the U.S. invaded Afghanistan, our forces were suffering from extreme cold weather conditions. Through a joint effort by the Army and a world-renowned mountaineer named Mark Twight, who helped Patagonia develop its super-popular Regulator series, a layering system called the Protective Combat Uniform (PCU) was born.

The PCU consists of seven levels of 16 different garments that are designed to compliment the type of climate and mission troops undertake. PCU has fundamentally changed the way U.S. forces operate and will enhance your overall experience as a hunter in even the most extreme conditions. The following are the necessary steps to determine the best layering system for hunting.

Determining Temperature

Before a hunt, you must determine the climate. So, if you’re heading to say western Colorado to hunt elk in mid November, what is the weather generally like that time of year? We know it varies up in the mountains, which makes layering even more important. But you can assume that it’s going to be pretty chilly with fair chances of snow.

Type of Hunting

Second, what type of hunting will you be doing? Long, sedentary sits? Or hiking up and down mountains? Determining your activity level will give you a better handle on what time of apparel you’ll need to acquire.

If you can, purchase your apparel way before the hunt and experiment with various combinations. Climate, altitude, and other factors are different if your home state of Kentucky versus Colorado. But you should get a good idea of the warmth, breathability, and sweat-wicking performance.

The Best Layering System for Hunting

Take Sitka, for example, a company that has revolutionized the hunter’s layering system. This company manufactures an array of pants, shirts, jackets, and undergarments that has changed the way we approach a hunt. You no longer have to sweat your tail off in the high heat or bundle up like a yeti in the extreme cold. Using a company like Sitka that makes all the necessary apparel for a hunt in the high mountains or the desert, we can now look at the various PCU levels based on the where and what of our hunt.

PCU Levels

Level 1 – lightweight, next to skin, like boxers and a t-shirt

Level 1A – pretty much the same as Level 1 except these next-to-skin garments are full length and thicker.

Level 2 – midlayers, pullovers and long pants that help usher sweat to the outer layer.

Level 3 – heavyweight fleece jacket that’s warm and dries quickly.

Level 4 – thin, windproof shirt, generally worn under the other layers

Level 5 – soft shell jacket and pants

Level 6 – Gore-Tex hard shell jacket and pants

Level 7 – jacket, vest, and pants to be worn on the outside because they’re extremely water resistant and breathable.

A Hunting Scenario

In western Colorado in mid November, the average highs are in the 50s and lows in the teens with strong chances of snow. You will likely spend the week with a mix of long hikes and sedentary glassing. So, that means you’ll need to mix and match garments that fit what PCU identifies as “Mission: Active” and “Mission: Static” that fall within the “cold” range of 0° to 30°.

One of the main goals of the PCU system is to stabilize your body temperature, which is accomplished through increased breathability and overall system enhancement.

Of course, the weather forecast is hardly ever correct, so to be able to thrive in mountain conditions, you’re going to need a base layer system that keeps us warm, and outer layers that breathe and dry well.

That said, your clothing set up, based on the levels above, will look like this.

For “Cold/Mission: Active” you’ll need:

Level 1 (long underwear base layer)
Level 2 (insulation base layer)
Level 5 (soft shell jacket)

For “Cold/Mission: Static” you’ll need

Level 2 (insulation base layer)
Level 3 (insulation layer)
Level 5 (soft shell jacket)
Level 7 (parka)

To give you an idea of the various options out there, here are some manufacturers worth checking out that can help provide the best layering system for hunting. Staying comfortable – warm and dry – throughout the hunt is priceless. But the apparel to reach that point sometimes cost a pretty penny. Here are two options for high quality, high dollar, and budget friendly yet super functional clothing.

High Quality – High Dollar

Level 1 Top – Smartwool

Level 1 Bottom – Smartwool

Level 2 Top – Sitka

Level 2 Bottom – Smartwool

Level 3 Top – Tactical Gear

Level 5 Jacket – Sitka

Level 5 Pants – Sitka

Level 7 Jacket – Stone Glacier

Level 7 Vest – Sitka

Level 7 Pants – Stone Glacier

Men’s TRU-SPEC Gen-III ECWCS Level-1 Top

This piece of the Extreme Cold Weather Clothing System, is the top is part of a collection of apparel inspired by the United States Army’s equipment.

Functional and Budget-Friendly

Level 1 Top – Tactical Gear

Level 1 Bottom – Tactical Gear

Level 2 Top – Tactical Gear

Level 2 Bottom – Tactical Gear

Level 3 Top – Tactical Gear

Level 5 Jacket – McGuire Army Navy

Level 5 Pants – Fort Bragg Surplus

Level 7 Jacket – ECWCS

Level 7 Vest – LL Bean

Level 7 Pants – McGuire Army Navy

Don’t get fooled by some clothing manufacturers that tell you that they’re products will keep you dry all the time. The perfect outer layer is properly balanced between breathability and the ability to dry out quickly. Essentially, sweat is wicked off the skin and dispersed to the outside layer where natural elements like wind and sun eventually take it away. When you are way out in the mountains, your clothing is your shelter. Stay warm, stay comfortable, enjoy the hunt.