Highcountry winter Equipment

[frogman]

Im planning a winter hunt into Victoria high countryand was starting to look at clothing.Can anyone give me some advice on clothing and where to access it . :?:

[Axe]

Frogman, don't like to send people out of Oz, but I have bought a lot of my stuff from NZ. :) Ross is great to deal with & prices for Swazi, Ridgeline, Huntech are very good. :D Mate don't know your experience, remember cotton is S*&t in cold country, stays wet for a long time etc etc, gotta get polar fleece type gear. anyway plenty of stuff on this site. :) Link below, Second link is Stoney Creek. good gear, but have not dealt with them so I don't know how they are!
Hope this helps!

http://www.outdoorsupplies.co.nz/


http://www.stoneycreekshop.co.nz/

[Sparra]

You are a very knowledgeable man Axe but i think you may have messed up the links....

[Mozza]

I have got a stack of stony creek gear and it is awesome, and axe they are really good to deal with, a mate of mine had a eyelet off his pack starting to come loose, so he sent it back and they not only fixed it, they reinforced all the area around it and sent it back within the week.
only problem is that its a bit pricey but i recon you get what you pay for and it is obviously made by hunters. ( no i dont work for them :lol: )

[Axe]

Sparra, my little Cherub, mucho grazias, I have corrected the problem :oops:

[tracker]

Last winter Hubris and I went hunting one weekend and the weather turned very nasty while we were a long way from the track. It was sunny and about 8 degrees or so when we left but got down to -16 overnight without the windchill. Make sure you remember your thermals matey.

Hypothermia can kill you in a few hours if you are not prepared for just how cold the weather in the mountains can get. It can turn really fast too. I have seen snow on Boxing Day.

But there's nothing like the mountains. :D

Are you going after Sambar?

Mick.

[ds]

Sound advice, leave the cotton for for your northern adventures it has no place in the mountains. Fleece will outlast you so it's money well spent.
ds

[jindydiver]

I love the Kiwi stuff too.

Icebreaker wool t-shirts are the ducks guts mate.
I also have a swazi soft gore-tex rain shell that is just perfect for hunting.

Whatever you buy though, check out how you are going to use it and make sure you know what it can't do. The mountains in winter (or in a ****storm in summer) are not the place to be discovering the limitations of your equipment.

[Warlocke]

I personally like Army clothing over aircell or fleece material.

When it really gets bad, waterproof covering over this and you are as warm as toast.

The not-so-bright snow gear works well under larger sized army pants and shirts as well.

A hood, balaclava, waterproof goretex gloves and waterproof boots with two pair of socks (skin layer of cotton with thick wool or thinsulate over this) are a must.

[adam]

Frogman I've got a bit of gear you can borrow if you like as Im sure you won't need winter stuff when you get back home. I've got a brickwall weather stopper jacket and a little bit more stuff you can borrow aswell. I'd get some good gloves, pants as the grass will be wet and cold most of the day, face protection, good boots and socks, and undergear to stay warm. Any way got jacket hear for you if you want it. Ads

[frogman]

Thanks guys im looking at a Swazi Thar Anarok ,i have thermals and a stoney creek pack and know the service is good.Im not going to skimp on the gear as i have some NZ hunts coming up in near future.Thanks for the imput much appreciated and yes will be hunting Samba.Ps thanks adam will pm.

[ds]

im looking at a Swazi Thar Anarok
This is the best $500+ dollars you will ever spend clothing wise, usefull here in southern Aus though in the mountains of NZ as an outer layer hunting garment it's priceless.
Ours have been used and abused and still going strong.
Just a shame they don't make it in camo anymore.

If you get the chance try purchasing it in NZ, as I have seen them on sale at times.

ds

[frogman]

thanks mate i will try

[nortcom]

frogman-i have the swazi wapiti coat,i went to this instead of the tahr anorak as i found it had alot more shoulder room for me, also use stoney creek , huntec and ridgeline gear as well.stoney creek tend to be up there on the latest and greatest materils and puting them into hunting gear and are generally cheaper than swazi.
DS-the swazi tahar and wapiti coats are now back in camo in this years line up

[frogman]

Thanks nortcom i wont be able to try them on as no one has swazi close to me(Queensland),do you have large shoulders or average? thanks for the links Axe they are great. Any pointers please add.

[HOOD]

Frog NortCom milks cows for a living mate he's got huge shoulders :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol:

Hood 8)

[woody]

Dont forget your orange or red (bullet proof) beanie hat, fleece of course.

I have ridgeline fleece gear, and I took the tops to a tailor and had 3/4 length zips put in them, so that I could let the heat out quick on the steep hills.

Some sturdy gloves for pushing blackberry canes aside is handy too.

Be careful around the camp fire with polar fleece, fireproof it is not :D

[jindydiver]

Be careful around the camp fire with polar fleece, fireproof it is not :D

God I hope you aren't talking from experience :wink:

[woody]

I have a set of Ridgeline pants with a few holes in them from campfire sparks, being synthetic, they just melt like crazy when anything hot comes near.

:D

[ds]

DS-the swazi tahar and wapiti coats are now back in camo in this years line up

Good to hear...Never could explain why Swazi dropped much of the camo from their lineup, considering they are marketing for hunters.

Yep, polyester don't like naked flame nor does it smell great after being worn 24/7 for a week in the mountains.

ds

[nortcom]

frogman -i have the wapati coat in a 2 xl.im a long streak of weasel piss at 6ft 3 100 odd kg and im about 21 inch across the back of the shoulders .when i was trying on the different sizes i had on a polar fleece t shirt and a polar fleece long sleeve shirt on as well and i was comftable.best bet is to try one on here in nz when you are over and haggle for a deal,i did and got my coat for 160 .00 less than retail.it did help that i knew the salesperson :wink:

[ricochet]

im a long streak of weasel piss at 6ft 3 100 odd kg


Yep apt description there NORTCOM,

Rick

[HOOD]

Hahahahahaha :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol:

Stop it NortCom your scaring me agian.

He is a big guy and kind of scary looking to. Especially when I rocked up at his place and here he is in his gumboots, shorts and appren covered in cow s**t from head to toe and thats no exageration either.

Hood 8)

[frogman]

While this thread is still going what about gloves,socks,beanies or belaclava and sleeping bags any info their much appreciated.

[ds]

While this thread is still going what about gloves,socks,beanies or belaclava and sleeping bags any info their much appreciated.

Gloves:Generally we use polly propylene, light and thin, if in NZ East coast glassing Mt game a pair of gortex gloves are a wise decision.

Socks: If 'packing in' we use a pollyprop liner socks then your choice of wool or wool blend outers.

Beanie: fleece is nice.

Sleeping bag: Down filled with a gortex or similar outer shell( helps avoid wet bags due to condensation while being tent bound in a place like Westland where it rains a lot.) As far as bag weights (Goose down) are concerned it depends on the climate though a 750grm mummy bag has been kind to me in the cooler climates. I also have a 650 grm rectangle bag which I use for general purpose around home, other than northern trips where a 'el cheapo' is the go.

Also on the subject of clothing, in cold climates polyester thermals are a good choice opposed to pollyprop which tends to stretch at the bends, pile and generally nowhere as long lasting as polyester.

Hope this helps some what.

ds

[Memo]

I have got gear from the Stoney Creek range, and love it. Pants top and gloves. I also use a headnet when sneakin around after sambar, and even though its very thin, you still get pretty warm with it on.
Honestly I think that all of the brands with a good reputation nowdays have excellent gear.