Brian Rimsza's AZ Goulds Turkey Hunt

I went with Brian on his 2011 Goulds Turkey Hunt in Southern Arizona.  We had a great hunt but it did not last very long.  Rimsza used his Elite bow and whacked this beautiful Goulds on opening morning.  Check out the video and pics of our adventure.  It was my first time in the new KUIU gear.  I will be posting more on that soon.  Initial impressions of the gear is WOW. 

Check out where this gobbler strutted the whole road up!

Pictured from L to R, Jay Scott, Brian Rimsza, Randy Spray

My Montbell Bag was dreamy for sleeping under the stars

Down vs. Synthetic Insulation

This is a common topic in the skiing and backpacking industry but not so much for hunters. With today’s technology applied to insulation, both options are lightweight and will keep us much warmer than just piling on layer upon layer of fleece and wool. Hopefully you’re not wearing any cotton while hunting the west. Remember: COTTON KILLS! Why do I say that? Cotton does not dry quickly nor does it insulate, and it is heavy. It might suffice for a two hour glassing session close to the truck, but not in the backcountry when you’re depending on your gear for survival.
On a recent hunt in southern Colorado, we spent hours in the early morning glassing for Mule deer bucks. Usually we would climb a hill/mountain to get a good vantage point and then sit and glass. The hike in the darkness was steep and carrying all those optics and tripods resulted in a nice sweat. Getting soaked by sweat and then sitting for hours is a good way to get a chill. To beat this problem, I started cold, leaving the truck wearing just one merino wool base layer. After five minutes, I warmed up and made it comfortably to the top without overheating and having to remove any layers. One problem I have yet to decipher is that wearing a pack almost always results in a sweaty back. There is no way to get enough airflow between you and the pack to completely stay dry. At this time you decide what to put on next to endure the glassing session. You could pull out 2 or 3 or even four more layers from your pack and start layering. This would work, but carrying all those layers adds weight. One down jacket, weighing less than a pound, and packs just a bit larger than a 1qt. bottle; this is the answer. Down, being a lightweight, breathable material, will let my soaked back dry out, and keep me snug all the way. When it’s time to move locations or give chase to that big buck, I simply stuff my jacket in my pack and I’m off. I use a Mountain Hardwear Phantom down jacket when I need reliable warmth in a small, lightweight package in a cold and dry climate.
In a dry environment down does great. However, down does not do well in a moist climate, but synthetic does. Let me explain. When down gets wet, the down clusters (feathers) get matted together and do not trap air between them. This is called “losing your loft”. The greater the loft, the more heat is trapped, resulting in you staying warmer. No loft=no warmth. Synthetic insulation is hydrophobic, meaning water slides right off of it. When my Mont Bell Eldo jacket gets wet, I can literally shake 90% of the moisture out of it and then let it hang dry. Synthetic insulation maintains its loft when wet, trapping air and heat even when soaked.
Down is lighter with a higher level of loft, but fails if it gets wet. Synthetic insulation is heavier, but works well when wet.
Both insulations have their time and place. For most of my backcountry bow hunts in September, when our temps are still mild, my synthetic Eldo jacket gets the job done. It would be a cold night out with that as my only insulation, but I would survive. When the snow starts to fly and temps are routinely in the single digits in the mornings my Phantom down jacket is always with me. In a worst case scenario, it’s like having half of a sleeping bag, and that goes a long way during a cold night out. Whichever insulation you choose, always carry a lightweight Gore-tex jacket as your first line of defense. This crucial layer stops wind, rain, snow and protects your insulating layer from getting soaked. By choosing the proper insulation and a waterproof jacket, you’ll carry less gear and be able to withstand just about anything Mother Nature can throw at us, leaving you ready to go when the weather clears.

Hunting Season with Montbell Gear

All I can say is WOW!  I am very hard on gear and expect the best from not only myself but my gear.  The products that I used from Montbell this year were: UL Thermawrap Jacket, Merino Wool Top and Leggings, US Alpine Down Vest and the Super Stretch Down Hugger #1 Long (15 degree bag).  I used the gear on five coues deer hunts, one sheep hunt and a mule deer hunt.  Not to mention all of the scouting I did for each hunt.  I was impressed with how the jacket and vest were so lightweight yet so warm.  The only thing that happened was that my arm got a little to close to the lantern and I quickly learned how flamable the material on the Thermawarp jacket was.  Nothing that a little bit of duct tape couldn't solve! I look forward to getting a couple of extra sets of  Merino Wool long underwear tops and bottoms in the off season.  Overall I was super impressed with the Montbell products.  Check out these other posts that I did on Montbell.
http://jayscottoutdoors.blogspot.com/2009/11/montbell-sleeping-bag.html
http://jayscottoutdoors.blogspot.com/2009/11/deer-gear-clothing.html
http://jayscottoutdoors.blogspot.com/2009/10/mont-bell-ul-thermawrap-jacket.html

Montbell Sleeping Bag

I recently used my Montbell Super Stretch Down Hugger #1 Long while scouting for sheep in Western Arizona.  I got the bag to use on backpack trips.  As you can see from my setup above I was far from backpacking but it was still a good opportunity to test the comfort of the bag.  The temperature when I got in my bag was about 55 degrees and was 39 degrees when I woke up the next morning.  I started with the bag completely zipped open and about 2am I zipped it all the way up.  All I can say is wow!  The bag is not confining like most backpacking bags.  It stretches in all directions and was very warm and comfortable.  The bag is a 15 degree bag and should be great for future deer hunting/sheep hunting backpacking trips.  I am 6'2" and the long bag is perfect for me.  The bag comes with a tunnel hood, neck adjuster, neck baffle, and auto lock zipper.  This bag only weighs 2.7lbs and comes with a stuff sack and cotton storage sack.  The construction of this bag is made of ballistic airlight fiber nylon and 800 fill power down.  The dimensions in the stuff sack are 7 X 13.8 inches.  I look forward to using this bag on my upcoming hunts!

Mont Bell Gear

I have been attempting to lighten my whole gear setup and have found some great stuff from Mont Bell. I love the Thermawrap Jacket, Alpine Down Vest, the Merino Wool Highneck shirt and leggings. I used this on my recent mule deer hunt in Colorado. The temps in the morning was in the low teens and warmed up into the high 50's during the day.  These garments worked great and were incredibly lightweight and very warm.  My layers of clothing for the hunt were Mont Bell Merino Wool shirt and tights, Cabelas Hunt Tech shirt, Montbell Thermawrap Jacket and Montbell Alpine Down Vest.  I can't believe how light yet warm these garments are.  Can you believe that the vest and the jacket combined in their stuff sacks only weigh 1.4 lbs or 22.6 ounces!!

Janis Putelis (L) and Jay Scott (R) pictured wearing Mont Bell gear.

MONT BELL US ALPINE DOWN VEST

High quality 800 fill power hypoallergenic goose down
30-denier Ballistic rip-stop nylon shell
30-denier Ballistic nylon taffeta lining
Compresses :φ6.1" x 8.2" (stuff sack included)
I have it in the color black
Weight (size large) 11.9 oz in the included stuff sack
Fill Weight:3.8 oz.
Box Construction eliminates cold spots, while encouraging the down to loft
Standard DWR treatment
Zippered hand warmer pockets
Micro-fleece lined collar
Internal zippered mesh pocket
Stuff sack included

Here I am wearing the Mont Bell Alpine Down Vest.  It only weighs 11.9 oz!

MONT BELL HIGHNECK SHIRT AND TIGHTS
Sorry no picture of me in tights!

100% SUPER MERINO Wool
High thermal performance
Supreme comfort
Natural antibacterial properties
Static electricity resistant
Simple to care for
The color I have is black in size large
Weight (size med):7.4 oz.

MONT BELL U.L. THERMAWRAP JACKET

Pictured in Size Large Thermawrap Jacket.  It only weighs 10.7 oz!

I love my Thermawrap Jacket!
15-denier Ballistic Airlight calendered nylon shell & lining
Exceloft synthetic insulation, 50g/m2
Micro-fleece lined collar
Hand warmer pockets
Weight (size large):10.7 oz in the included stuff sack

Mont Bell U.L. Thermawrap Jacket

Mont Bell U.L. Thermawrap Jacket

I used the U.L. Thermawrap Jacket by Mont Bell on our most recent Coues deer hunt. I found the jacket to be extremely comfortable to wear and it is extremely lightweight. The specs on the Mont Bell website say 8.8 oz for a medium but I was wearing a size large. The color of the jacket I have is gun metal. The temperatures were in the low 50’s in the mornings and I would put the jacket on once I got to my desired glassing point. The jacket did seem to really block the wind and keep me warm. I will get some more use of this jacket and pants next week on my Colorado Mule Deer hunt so I will keep you informed. My initial impression was amazing comfort and warmth for such a lightweight piece. It also comes with a handy little stuff sack that is roughly 10X4 inches (see photo).  This jacket retails for $145.00.
Features of the jacket:

• 15-denier Ballistic Airlight calendered nylon shell and lining
• Exceloft synthetic insulation, 50g/m2
• Hand Warmer Pockets
• 
  
  Micro-fleece lined collar
  
  
  
• Hand warmer pockets
• Weight (size med):8.8 oz

 Link to U.L.Thermawrap jacket page 

About Ballistic airlight