Hunting Clothes – Choosing Camo

The Latest and Greatest Hunting Clothes

Every these days is always buying up the latest and greatest in camo patterns and supporting all these new camo companies. While I will say that I think it’s great that people are choosing to support new companies in order to have a variety, I can’t help but think about how much we over analyze everything. When I first started hunting my camo consisted of complete hand me down realtree bibs and jacket. This was not cold weather camo, this was typical early 90’s denim camo. This camo had zero ability to keep you warm and was so faded that I might as well have been wearing snow camo. Oddly enough, I still wear that camo during warm weather hunting. Hopefully that is a little bit of an insight as to where I am going with this.

My Hunting Clothes

The clothes that I hunt in most often is some realtree bibs (for cold weather) and a realtree camo multi-layer jacket that comes apart by layer. After just a couple years of hunting in Illinois winters, I had drawn the line in the sand when it came to staying warm. I had had enough of freezing my scrawny butt off while sitting in the stand for hours. I was never cold enough to be the first person to suggest we head back to camp for a food break, but I rarely was the one saying we should stick it out a little longer as well. The point of that story is that I am still using the very same coat that I bought back then to stay warm. Guess what, it still works! Also, that jacket is by far the most expensive piece of camo that I own. All of the camo that I have bought in the last 10 years of hunting has come from walmart. You don’t need expensive camo to kill deer. In fact, some would argue that you don’t need camo at all as long as you aren’t wearing a UV brightened blue outfit. A few others would say that even that wouldn’t matter. The point is, don’t fall for all these new gimmicks saying that a particular type of camo is any better than another. The only exception to that would be scent elimination and magnetic field blocking camo. Both of these types of camo actually have patented features that really do make them unique. That being said, I do not own either type of hunting clothes as of yet. Instead I use the dead down wind field spray to take care of scent elimination.

Choosing Hunting Clothes

What it really boils down to is budget and comfort. If you have an endless supply of money to spend on your hunting clothes then go ahead get the best there is in the scent elimination and magnetic field blocking camo. Though I don’t own those types of camo my self, I would if I had the available funds to do so, and plan on have investing in one of them this winter. The biggest thing to keep in my when looking for hunting clothes is that you want to stay warm and comfortable. Layers are the way to go when it comes to warmth. A little secret is that you can wear anything you want for layers underneath your camo (so long as they remain scent free) because only the outer layer actually needs to be camo. If you are anything like me though, you’ll wear camo for every layer because camo is just awesome. Above all  else, make sure that the camo you choose to buy is comfortable. Just because Realtree or Mossey Oak or Lost Camo came out with a new pattern this year doesn’t mean that it’s any better than the pattern you are already wearing, regardless of what they say. Deer do not have the best eyes. Wearing camo hunting clothes is important because it’s always a smart idea to blend in to your environment but don’t overthink it, your hunting clothes should simply be a tool and small advantage. Good luck and Happy Hunting!