When the temperature drops and hunting season is upon us, choosing the right clothing is just as important as your rifle, shotgun or bow setup.
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When the temperature drops and hunting season is upon us, choosing the right clothing is just as important as your rifle, shotgun or bow setup. Ideally, a complete hunting outfit has three main components: your base layer, your mid-layer and your top layer or “shell.” The base helps absorb sweat, the mid-layer retains heat and the outer layer keeps the elements off you. Going out without one of these layers can result in a day cut short, or at worst, the potential for hypothermia. While there are countless choices for completing your hunting outfit, Under Armour – a name we’re all familiar with, has produced the Ridge Reaper line of apparel to fit the needs of your big game hunting expeditions.
Under Armour Ridge Reaper Wool Base Legging
The first thing you need to consider when building your outfit is the base layer. Your outermost layer of clothing is important, but perhaps even more essential for an extended period of time in the cold is the base layer. Wearing heavy winter clothing with no base layer simply isn’t a good idea. Base layers aren’t exactly meant to keep you warm, they’re meant to keep you from getting cold, and yes – there is a difference. They provide an extra layer between your skin and your outer layers, basically an additional layer of skin. To better explain how they work, let’s first look at some of the ways the body loses heat: Radiation and Evaporation. Radiation is – what else – the heat radiating from your body, and insulation is required to keep the heat inside your outfit. Evaporation is the heat lost from your body’s sweat turning into vapor. Base layers mitigate the heat loss caused by these factors by helping to wick away sweat from the body as well as providing extra space for the heat radiating from your body to be trapped. By providing these two essential functions, the base layer keeps your body from getting cold and allows your outer layers to keep you warm.
For the bottom half of your base layer, look no further than Under Armor’s Ridge Reaper Wool Base leggings. These leggings do everything a base layer requires and more. Their skintight design allows the wearer a full range of movement while simultaneously wicking away sweat and trapping the heat radiating off the body. They’re made out of an ultra-soft wool blend, which is perfect for regulating body temperature.
Under Armour Ridge Reaper Reversible Wool Base Crew Shirt
These leggings are paired perfectly with Under Armor’s Ridge Reaper Reversible Wool Base Crew Shirt. This base layer has a next-to-skin design but doesn’t have the squeezing effect that other base layers do. In addition to keeping the sweat off your body, the Ridge Reaper Base Crew Shirt and Legging both feature anti-odor technology. By inhibiting the growth of odor causing bacteria, the chance of your quarry detecting your scent is minimal.
With a good base layer established, you might be tempted to go right for the parka and hit the trail. But only having a thin base layer between you and out outer layer still isn’t going to cut it. Remember: the base layer isn’t supposed to keep you warm, it’s meant to keep you from getting cold. What keeps you warm is your mid-layer. This equally important layer is what actually traps the heat inside your outfit. Typically the mid-layer should have some sort of puffy material on the inside, think cotton, fleece or goose down filled insulation. The mid layer should also be loose cut to provide more space for heat to be trapped as well as being breathable to help vent off your evaporating perspiration.
Under Armour Ridge Reaper Alpine Ops Pant
Under Armor’s Ridge Reaper Alpine Ops Pants are lightweight and stretchable to allow full range of movement and features 800-fill power goose down Insulation. The tapered legs and adjustable snap cuffs allows the wearer to create a seal between the pant cuffs and their boots. The sides of the pants feature full length zips, allowing you to easily put them on or take them off over muddy boots, a feature you’ll appreciate after a long day’s hike.
For the top mid-layer, Under Armour’s Ridge Reaper Down Hoodie is the obvious choice. It’s made of the same material and sports the same camouflage color scheme. The interior knitted cuffs have integrated thumbhole loops to better seal the cuffs on your sleeve and helps fit them into gloves. It’s also loose fit, providing plenty of space for trapping heat and breathable to help disperse evaporating sweat. Alternatively, another great choice for a mid-layer top is the Ridge Reaper Base Hybrid Jacket from Under Armour. This full zip jacket has the same camo as the last two, but fits slightly closer to the body. It features Scent Control technology to keep you undetected by wildlife and anti-odor technology to prevent the growth of odor causing microbes.
Under Armour Ridge Reaper Base Hybrid Jacket
Should the temperature and weather permit, your base and mid-layers could be sufficient for a hunt. But as we’ve all probably experienced, the weather man (or your weather app) sometimes isn’t that accurate. A sudden shift in temperature followed by a downpour of sleet and rain will not only cut your hunt short, but can also be dangerous. Even at a mere 50 degrees, a soaking wet outfit puts you at risk of hypothermia. Add in gusts of cold wind and you’ll be shivering before you can get back to your vehicle. That’s why your outer-layer or “shell” is necessary. The outer-layer doesn’t have to be particularly warm or insulated (although it doesn’t hurt if it is), as your base and mid layers provide much of the insulation. What an outer layer does need is waterproof and windproof qualities. Even the best base and mid layers are completely useless if they get wet, and strong gusts of wind will blow the heat right out of them. Under Armour’s Ridge Reaper Gore Pro Shell Jacket and Gore Pro Shell Pant provide the perfect cherry-on-top for your outfit.
Under Armour Ridge Reaper Gore Pro Shell Pant
They both feature three layers of Gore-Tex protection so waterproofing and windproofing is no longer an issue. Both the pants and jacket are loose fit with plenty of room for wearing your multiple layers underneath. The Gore Pro Shell jacket itself features a shaped drop hood with a one handed adjuster for complete body protection and has three zippered, completely waterproof pockets for storing additional ammunition, binoculars and gear. The Gore Pro Pants on the other hand, feature full length leg zippers for easily putting them on and off over your base layers. They also have front and side pockets for stowing even more hunting essentials.
With your base, mid and top layers in order, the only thing left to do is pack up and hit the trail. Just because the weather doesn’t seem too bad when you head out, doesn’t mean it won’t change on a dime. Remember, you can always take layers off, and the Under Armour Ridge Reaper line of apparel is highly packable.