Staying dry-"er" on multi-day down-pour hunts

[caddisguy]

For the most part, I still hunt or sit. I also sleep in the jeep. Rain can be a bit of a pain sometimes when it's 0-5 degrees and it feels like someone is standing over you with a hose. I feel ok for the most part when my body is working, but if I am still hunting properly or stopping to sit for an hour, the chill starts to come in after some time. Wool helps and a layer that is water resistant (Gor-Tex, etc) helps a tad, but even with that and a "waterproof" cover over my pack, I still end up 100% saturated with water, from the pack to my underwear (I was able to wring out a few hundred mL from my boxers) I need to get into dry stuff before bed (or even going in and out of my "shelter") and prefer not to put on wet clothes the next day, so I usually just leave the wet stuff out and put dry stuff on the next day. I guess my limitation is you can only bring so many dry sets of hunting giddyup. Does anyone put on frosty/soaked stuff the next morning? Long term forecast looks like another wet one this weekend. Obviously there isn't a solution to this, but any tips to keep a little more comfy for a 3 day 3 night solid downpour weekend is appreciated! Hopefully things start to freeze up soon... much prefer -20C than 0-5C!!

Hunt in scuba gear?? :D

[Pinewood]

Wall tent or tipi and wood stove. You can always dry out that way. I can appreciate the enjoyment you get from sleeping in your Jeep, but I prefer a bit more comfort and warmth/dryness than that. I guess you could always run the Jeep for an hour in the am before you get up with the heater cranked to dry that gear.

[caddisguy]

Wall tent or tipi and wood stove. You can always dry out that way. I can appreciate the enjoyment you get from sleeping in your Jeep, but I prefer a bit more comfort and warmth/dryness than that. I guess you could always run the Jeep for an hour in the am before you get up with the heater cranked to dry that gear.

Lol no enjoyment sleeping in a jeep what-so-ever. It's tough on the back and knees. Wall tent just isn't in the budget or practical for 2-3 day solo hunts especially when hunting out of a jeep (space limitations) when sleeping in it or not. Good suggestion though for many and will probably be in the cards for me at some point. I will probably get a truck with a canopy for my next vehicle and maybe consider fewer but longer hunts focusing on the BT rut. A week in a wall tent would be pretty awesome it would justify the setup and tear down efforts.

Running the jeep for a little bit can be nice, but it won't dry anything except maybe a hat or gloves. Keeping warm isn't much of an issue when sleeping as long as I make sure the dry stuff (sleeping bag, blankets, clothes) stays away from the wet gear and that I am careful not to open the door or take gear in and out much when it's pouring out and I'm dripping. From a heat standpoint, it's good until -20C easy if I have warm dry clothes, sleeping bag, blankets a few hand warmers. It's the wet stuff that makes life tricky.

A little off topic, but this weekend I found myself really wanting a 12V kettle, pot or thermos. That way I can fill up a thermos or two with hot soup and tea at night without getting in and out to use the propane stove. Unfortunately, it seems all devices of this nature have absolutely terrible reviews on amazon. There are some 150-250mL ones that seem like they might work for a few weeks/months, but nothing reliable or that holds much fluid. Sounds like there's a market for something good for anyone looking to make a million :D I think 1 liter in 30-40 minutes or so is doable off "most" circuits and a regular/healthy car battery even if the car isn't running the whole time, but I'd install an extra 12V deep cycle if I had to.

[ryanb]

Lol no enjoyment sleeping in a jeep what-so-ever. It's tough on the back and knees. Wall tent just isn't in the budget or practical for 2-3 day solo hunts especially when hunting out of a jeep (space limitations) when sleeping in it or not. Good suggestion though for many and will probably be in the cards for me at some point. I will probably get a truck with a canopy for my next vehicle and maybe consider fewer but longer hunts focusing on the BT rut. A week in a wall tent would be pretty awesome it would justify the setup and tear down efforts.

Running the jeep for a little bit can be nice, but it won't dry anything except maybe a hat or gloves. Keeping warm isn't much of an issue when sleeping as long as I make sure the dry stuff (sleeping bag, blankets, clothes) stays away from the wet gear and that I am careful not to open the door or take gear in and out much when it's pouring out and I'm dripping. From a heat standpoint, it's good until -20C easy if I have warm dry clothes, sleeping bag, blankets a few hand warmers. It's the wet stuff that makes life tricky.

A little off topic, but this weekend I found myself really wanting a 12V kettle, pot or thermos. That way I can fill up a thermos or two with hot soup and tea at night without getting in and out to use the propane stove. Unfortunately, it seems all devices of this nature have absolutely terrible reviews on amazon. There are some 150-250mL ones that seem like they might work for a few weeks/months, but nothing reliable or that holds much fluid. Sounds like there's a market for something good for anyone looking to make a million :D I think 1 liter in 30-40 minutes or so is doable off "most" circuits and a regular/healthy car battery even if the car isn't running the whole time, but I'd install an extra 12V deep cycle if I had to.

Crack the windows and use a jetboil, you'll probably survive.

[caddisguy]

Crack the windows and use a jetboil, you'll probably survive.

That does seem pretty viable.... doesn't take up much room so I could just giver the old reach-around to put it on the hood to be 100% safe as long as it won't slide off or mess up the paint... nice and portable to carry in the pack too.

[boxhitch]

Hunt in scuba gear?? :DNot so crazy. There was a group of climbers, doing multi day pitches, that wear neoprene suits under light nylon/poly clothes. 2 or 3 mm. surf or ski type, not heavy scuba.

[caddisguy]

Not so crazy. There was a group of climbers, doing multi day pitches, that wear neoprene suits under light nylon/poly clothes. 2 or 3 mm. surf or ski type, not heavy scuba.

I do have a neoprene suit that I haven't used in years. I forget how easy it is to move around in that suit but it might be worth testing out. If it works I imagine I just need to find some hunting boots a size bigger and move slowly enough that I don't have the opposite problem and overheat

[adriaticum]

I got soaked on saturday morning to the bone below the waste. But my top was try. Used Bare wading jacket

[HarryToolips]

If the above suggestions aren't practical for you, then set up a good tarp to stay dry under, have a good fire a rippin, and create a hanging apparatus for your clothes and gear...you can get em dry pretty quick...and draping your clothes over your vehicle seats and having your heater rippin is another option, though not as effective..I use my old army poncho when in the wet weather, keeps things dry for the most part, even my rifle, you can get them at army surplus, what do you use?

[Stormy]

Get a tarp - set up a ridge line - build small fire and dry wet stuff under tarp - putting on wet gear is "ok" if your in the military and don't have any other options - but not great if your out there for fun.

Saving up and investing in good wet weather gear is a "no brainer" out here on the wet coast, the stuff on the market these days works well.

[RiverRunner]

Yes a wall tent for a weekend is not viable for weekend warrioring...

but a tipi and stove are! Seriously considering one.

https://youtu.be/EaJpgFvhIbc

[PressurePoint]

Spend the cash and get some good water proof gear. KUIU Yukon or Kryptec posidian is good stuff. I have the kryptec stuff and am very pleased with it. I have done some amazingly wet moose hunts and I am
always dry.

Being dry unfortunately costs money.

[RiverOtter]

Merino and real rain gear. Dress as light as you possibly can under some HH Impertech and try to control your heat output as much as you can to limit condensation. Thin base layer will dry with body heat, especially with the assistance of your Jeep heater. Rain gear flipped inside out will dry pretty fast as well. A tarp rigged out the back of your jeep with an adjustable pole or two and a bit of rope will let you gear up or down out of the elements.

[Mulehahn]

I am not sure how it well it works personally, but a friend of mine who hunts a lot in wet conditions chasing moose alone uses a Ice fishing tent. He has enough room to sleep and hang is stuff to dry. I believe he uses a little buddy heater. It all fits in his tracker so believe it would fit in your jeep

[Pinewood]

Just an FYi, my buddies 12'X14' wall tent goes up in under a half hour. But for solo missions I think a tipi and stove would be far more practical.

[RiverOtter]

I am not sure how it well it works personally, but a friend of mine who hunts a lot in wet conditions chasing moose alone uses a Ice fishing tent. He has enough room to sleep and hang is stuff to dry. I believe he uses a little buddy heater. It all fits in his tracker so believe it would fit in your jeep
Have used a 10x10 First-Up from Walmart, with a wall kit before, they are fast and easy and could be outfitted with a small stove or propane heater. Add a cot and you'd have a poor mans wall tent.

[twoSevenO]

if you're getting soaked, your gear is obviously not waterproof. Simple as that. If your jacket is Gore-tex, then its obviously either very old or has leaks in it.
While it is possible to sweat inside the jacket to a point where you might assume the jacket is leaking, that doesn't seem to be the case with you, as you said you mostly still hunt.


I fish a lot and everyone knows just how wet it can get in the lower mainland. Never been wet.


If you want to continue to hunt such foul weather, you need to invest in better gear, or newer gear. Like i said before, its possible that your gore-tex was high quality at one point, but everything has a life span.

[itsy bitsy xj]

Have used a 10x10 First-Up from Walmart, with a wall kit before, they are fast and easy and could be outfitted with a small stove or propane heater. Add a cot and you'd have a poor mans wall tent.

Thats what I was going to say. I have a couple and use one just outside the door of my truck camper. I can hang wet stuff under it and let it hand and drip dry or have a heat source (wood fire or propane to dry my stuff.
you could set one up just outside of your Jeep like a front porch.

[North Star]

Does your jeep have a roof rack? I sleep under the canopy of my truck and tie off a tarp to cover the canopy and a bit extra on one side and over the back. That way I have a dry place to change, get in/out, cook with my small stove and storage for stuff, etc. It also keeps the rain out as I like the windows open on the canopy when I am sleeping in there to keep condensation down.

Places like value village and salvation army for wool sweaters. I've bought many thick and quality sweaters there for just a few bucks each. Buy a few in your size and a few a size or two larger then layer them when you're sitting. Only down beats wool for warmth but only wool keeps working when wet.

Other than wool layers everything else should be synthetic. Soft shell pants work for me, breathable, water resistant, durable. When it's really raining gortex shell pants over top. Synthetic underwear. Anything made of cotton is absolutely out.

2-4 pairs of foot wear. When you're back at camp boots are off and runners or sandals etc are on.

Mec has a number of dry sacks. https://www.mec.ca/en/products/gear/packs-and-bags/dry-bags%2c-waterproof-cases-and-portage-bags/c/1357

[.264winmag]

Portable pop up blind and a catalytic heater? Might make a good dry room, and the blind comes in handy sitting for game!

[Salty]

First off leave your cotton at home. Light weight merino wool shirt and long johns. I haven't sprung for merino boxers yet but that's on the list too.

Cover that up with a mid layer that is waterproof. I usually go with a HH neoprene style hoody. Bottoms I don't use a mid layer go straight to pants usually Cabelas dry plus ulta suede or whatever they call it. There's better choices but these do ok for me.

Loose the gortex. I was a big fan of this stuff back in my skiing days but moving to the north island 20 years ago I soon gave up on it. It isn't waterproof imo not in sustained even moderate rain walking through soaked understory. Maybe there's gortex out there that is but I've never tried it. I usually go with a River's West waterproof jacket that breathes well but just by low tech design the fabric is actually waterproof. Its fairly baggy and there's zippers at the arm pits there's your 'breathability'.

Layers, layers layers. If the RW jacket leaks a bit because its not tight enough around your neck don't mattah, just rolls off the waterproof mid layer. Get too hot humping it through the bush, take off the mid layer hoody and stick it the pack.

Did I say gortex sucks?

edit- forgot to say there's also the trusy ol wool stainfields on top of the merino T shirt most of the time

[MB_Boy]

If you want to continue to hunt such foul weather, you need to invest in better gear, or newer gear. Like i said before, its possible that your gore-tex was high quality at one point, but everything has a life span.

One thing to try for your Gore-Tex is wash it in washing machine and tumble dry it. It is recommended to help with keeping the Gore's integrity. I didn't know this until I read the care instructions of my Simms offshore gear I use fishing out on the chuck.

[twoSevenO]

Loose the gortex. I was a big fan of this stuff back in my skiing days but moving to the north island 20 years ago I soon gave up on it. It isn't waterproof imo not in sustained even moderate rain walking through soaked understory. Maybe there's gortex out there that is but I've never tried it.


Youve just been buying shit*y gore tex

[boxhitch]

I also sleep in the jeep. Why why why? There are so many options for shelters. With some pretty basic bushcraft you can build something as basic as a lean-to or as elaborate as a wigwam. And thats just with the products nature provides. Through in a tarp and things can get luxurious. Shelter-making is a good craft to have a handle on.

[twoSevenO]

Why why why? There are so many options for shelters. With some pretty basic bushcraft you can build something as basic as a lean-to or as elaborate as a wigwam. And thats just with the products nature provides. Through in a tarp and things can get luxurious. Shelter-making is a good craft to have a handle on.

I've driven to the trailhead after work and gotten there at 10pm and slept in the jeep till 6am when i can get started on my hike. Best sleep, no. Good enough to avoid having to set up a tent at 10pm on the side of the road, yes :)

[markomoose]

Move to a drier climate???I did and it was cheaper than living in the lower wetland and dealing with all that traffic??As well as all those humans??Hunting and Fishing is way better inland.

[caddisguy]

Why why why? There are so many options for shelters. With some pretty basic bushcraft you can build something as basic as a lean-to or as elaborate as a wigwam. And thats just with the products nature provides. Through in a tarp and things can get luxurious. Shelter-making is a good craft to have a handle on.

Main reasons for sleeping in the jeep is that there is really no set-up involved. I can leave work downtown at 5pm, head back to my place in Langley, load up the jeep and be where I want to be by 10pm or so, get good night sleep (well, as good as it gets) and not have to worry about setting things up the first night or tearing things down the last day. I can be fairly nomadic as well if I need/want to change camps for whatever reason. The weekend warrior aspect plays a huge role. More complexity often just means less time hunting, at least this time of year. I'm all on board with the bushcraft thing and have built my share of lean to / a-frame / wiki shelters. Made a ton of bow drills but dosing a bunch of wet unprepped wood with kerosene gets my vote every time unless I am just doing it for fun, which sometimes is the case but not on a 2 night BT hunt (95% of the time I don't have any sort of fire or even eat warm food... soup or tea if I am feeling ritzy more so in the later season when there's a lot of dark time)

I have been interested in building some shelters like you mention, not for sleeping but rather just very comortable/sheltered places to sit along my still hunting route that could double as blinds. Reason we haven't done that yet is that though we have invested 4 years into learning our little mountain, we're not sure it is a "great" or even "good" place for hunting BT's. It is "decent" for sure and has given the opportunity to learn and apply knowledge and develop ourselves. We will shoot a buck out of there to end the chapter, but after that it is likely we will use the knowledge we have gained to pick out a much better mountain in a different valley and make it ours. That is when a couple lean tos might pop up!! :) Chapter 2 is going to be wicked, but first we have to finish this one.

I used to use the roofracks for a tarp like North Star mentioned to create a porch and might to back to doing that for a place to store wet gear and maybe use the stove later in the season. For now my focus is mainly on the clothing element. I will experiment and maybe even try the neoprines to see if they could get me through a nasty storm. With rain gear in general though I think I am often guilty of user-error and doing things like taking off the hood or slightly unzipping to ventilate when I am generating too much heat going uphill. After that, the under layers just act like a wick and after an hour or so, it's a done deal.

[northernbc]

I think you could do a tarp off the back, have a 20lb propane bottle feeding light and stove with a fold up cot set up in under 10 min you will be way happier in the end with hot food and a good sleep

[frankthedog]

Big ass tarp and a fire

[wiggy]

Best rain gear and survival clothes I own are breathable waders and jackets
For extreme wet Mtn hunting
I just cut the socks off the sims so they go outside my boots. Fit tight
not as quiet as I like but when it's just plain wet everything it's what I use

[ajr5406]

I think you just need a new vehicle. Maybe get a mini van that you can put a bed in the back of? Perhaps a big SUV that can be made into a more comfy bed in the back? Even better, a pick up with a camper on top?

i totally get the sleeping in the car thing - it's so easy and convenient

[Squamch]

Trade in the jeep for a Toyota pickup with a canopy, tarp off the back of the canopy, use a fire at the edge of the tarp to dry your gear, and if it's really pissing...layer down and wear real, rubber rain gear.

[Salty]

Trade in the jeep for a Toyota pickup with a canopy, tarp off the back of the canopy, use a fire at the edge of the tarp to dry your gear, and if it's really pissing...layer down and wear real, rubber rain gear.

Hey! You been following me? lol