Gear from a Swedish adventure…..
My recent trip to Sweden for hunting allowed my wife and I to use a lot of outdoor gear and clothing. Before purchasing this gear for ourselves we spent a lot of time researching and looking at comments from others. In no particular order…..
Kuiu products
Guide Pants
I’ll start this gear review with KUIU products. These Guide pants had pockets. Pockets everywhere. The zipper closures are easy one hand opening and closing and silent to use. Worn with a base insulating layer of polypropylene for mildly cold or a fleece base layer they were great pants. Water, wind, and abrasion resistant they are appropriate for a variety of conditions. Simply varying your base or insulating layer allows comfort in many different climates. I wore these pants when I misstepped in a marsh and went hip-deep in water. I remained dry and comfortable for the rest of the day. Sherry is more susceptible to getting cold than I am so wore her pair twice as many days as I did mine and loves them. We will be looking to pick up a second pair for each of us.
Guide Jacket
KUIU Guide jacket. I bought this first and loved it so much I bought the pants. The level of comfort afforded by the jacket was amazing. As lightweight as it is, it really is warm by itself over a sweater or sweatshirt. I wore it last year in single-digit temps with 15-20 mph winds and never felt cold. Just like the pants, varying your base layers allowed comfort in a wide range of conditions. My wife got the hooded jacket and loves the feature when misty rain needs to be kept off eyewear. We bought ours a size bigger than needed and like the room provided for extra insulation if required. It’s got plenty of pockets for stuff. I think we would have trouble deciding which of us likes this jacket better.
145 Neck Gaiter
KUIU Merino 145 Neck gaiter is one of three products I purchased as a surprise for my wife to use on our trip. The gaiter proved useful, effective, and thoroughly enjoyed. At 90% wool and 10% nylon, it provided effective insulation at the neck to almost eliminate the need for an extra body layer. Small enough to keep zipped up in a pocket until needed. The quick-drying feature was useful considering how wet we got.
Gila Pro Boonie Hat
KUIU Gila Pro air mesh boonie hat is the second of the three products for my wife. I am a big supporter of full-brimmed hats for outdoor gear use and UV protection. She has a full head of long hair and wears it rolled up high on her head. This causes issues with wearing hats, but this hat did not create any issues. It kept the nearly constant rain off eyewear and we used it in conjunction with a pocket mosquito head net. The brim allowed the head net to be kept away from the face. At one point in a light rain, I wore it because I forgot my hat and she donned her hood from the Guide jacket. It was lightweight and comfortable for me. So lightweight I forgot I had it on.
145 Wool Beanie
KUIU’s Merino 145 Wool beanie hat. This was another product purchased specifically for my wife. She wore it a few times but it kept sliding off her head. It was too small and just squeezed itself off her head. So this item didn’t get used much by her. Luckily conditions were not as frigid as we had planned so needing it never really occurred. Despite ordering L/XL I think the tight-fitting style is what caused the hat to slide up her head. Just like the neck gaiter it comes at 90% wool, and 10% nylon.
Base Camp Shirt
KUIU, Base Camp shirt, Sherry wore this as another insulating layer under her Guide jacket. She wore it as a mid-layer by itself and in combination with other layers. When worn with other mid layers she never felt confined and maintained full range of movement. She purchased this for the sole purpose of wearing it as a mid-layer under her jacket. I don’t think the designers intended that use but it proved effective for the purpose. She would ultimately like another one to alternate use, especially when unable to wash for a couple of days.
Travel Safe Head Net
Travel Safe pocket mosquito head net. This was a last-minute purchase we made in Sweden as we traveled north. The warmer-than-normal weather had the mosquitoes out in droves. We were unable to bring our Thermacells due to the fuel containers. We decided head nets would be an effective alternative. I didn’t realize we could have bought Thermacell fuel containers in Sweden.
The head net was effective provided you could keep it away and off your face. However, trying to use binoculars or aim through any optic proved frustrating. Trying to walk and use my peripheral vision for foot placement was also impeded. So while they were a handy piece of outdoor gear and effective for casual use, for hunting purposes I’d recommend them only as a last resort.
Danner Elk Hunter Boots
Probably the most important piece of outdoor gear is footwear. DANNER Elk hunter boots. My previous hunting Danners were Pronghorns, but I didn’t care for the inability to rebuild if needed. This is my first pair of Elk Hunters, they came waterproof from the factory but I added two more coats of Snow Seal waterproofing. Even when standing in the marshy waters my feet never got wet. The level of comfort and support afforded by the boots for hunting was excellent.
They also provided good service for city walking during our tourist visit to Copenhagen. Combined with the Kenetrek gaiters they provided excellent protection during wet walking conditions. The fact that they provided excellent support for my ankles proved I’d made a good choice.
Kenetrek Boot Gaiters
Another piece of important outdoor gear dealing with footwear. KENETREK, boot gaiters, Having broken my ankle twice I was reluctant to trust the support given by ill-fitting rubber boots. Walking in the boggy and rough conditions of moose country however required knee-high protection. The gaiters not only protect the lower legs from brush and tall wet grasses. They did a good job of sealing out water from the occasional step into deep holes holding water.
My only complaint is about the hook used to keep the front attached and cinched down to the laces. It came unhooked enough times I just quit rehooking it. The strap around the boot bottom did a sufficient job of keeping everything in place. The performance of the gaiter seemed unaffected by the loss of attachment.
Burris LRF Binos
BURRIS, 10x LRF binos. The glass in these binos is great, I had no eye fatigue or issues after hours of use. I never had an occurrence where a reading gave a non-result. Once I was comfortable with the perceived coarseness of the aiming circle, confidence in the readings came quickly. Utilizing the binoculars with prescription eyewear was not an issue. Keeping the manual in the bino case is a good idea until you are thoroughly familiar with the features and modes. They are smaller and have better clarity than the LRF bino I used previously. My full and proper gear review is already available on Hunt365.
Eddie Bauer Women’s Guide Pro Pants
EDDIE BAUER, Women’s Guide pro lined pants. “Oh my gosh!! They were wonderful, soft, comfortable, and warm.” Are the first words from Sherry about the pants. She wore them as knock-around pants during the trip as well as a mid-layer under her Kuiu Guide pants, when conditions got cold. Fleece lined, zippered pockets, not confining in movement, overall very useful and appreciated pants.
Duluth AKHG Boars Nest Base Layers
DULUTH AKHG boars nest base layer pants/shirts. Sherry wore these and the warmth provided without excess bulk was welcomed. They are great for layering and sized for women which is a treat since much of the outdoor gear that’s out there is geared towards men. The odor-mitigating and wicking qualities helped greatly since washing after each use was not possible. Pricing was what you would expect for the quality and performance. Available in only two colors, Black and Dusty rose, a few more selections would be the only improvement she would like.
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Vermont Darn Tough Wool Socks
VERMONT DARN TOUGH, wool boot/hunting sox. A sock with a lifetime guarantee!!! Darn Tough promises if you damage or wear out the socks they will be replaced, no questions asked. Available in light, medium, and heavy-duty styles and bootie, low crew, medium crew, and calf heights. They will make you rethink your preconceived ideas that all wool socks are heavy warm winter wear type. My feet have never been more comfortable after a day of long miles on foot. Plus comfortable for standing for hours on a cold or wet hunting stand. The lightweight wool makes for perfect warm-weather wear in Texas. The medium weight did great duty in the cooler and wet Scandinavian weather. They are a permanent part of my outdoor gear.
READ MORE: Dressing to Stay Warm and Dry While Waterfowl Hunting
Harkila Scandinavian Pants
HARKILA Scandinavian pants, well made and comfortable for mild weather. The stretch fabric used around the knees allows easy bending and squatting. The magnetic closure on the thigh pockets made for silent and easy retrieval of items stowed there. However small items like spare rounds could easily escape if not careful. The water resistance proved more than adequate for use against saltwater spray from the boats. The ankle cinch combined with the water resistance provides good protection from the occasional step into high water. Overall performance was good and if it weren’t for the hand washing requirement for the pants, which I missed upon purchasing, I’d buy them again.
EASYHUNT App
EASYHUNT app. Used by the Abborrträsk hunt group, this is an interesting app that is part of the Garmin family. It allows you to keep track of your progress and direction in a hunt area. As well as marking locations for stand sites to allow unfamiliar hunters to locate them unassisted by others. It allows everyone to keep track of where everybody is, a useful piece of outdoor gear. That includes the dogs if remote telemetry is used. It lets each member know how far away they are from camp, stand site, or closest hunter. The app also allows members to post notes and pictures to each other to share successes or problems. A very useful tool provided you have signal to your phone.
FLADEN Flotation/Immersion Suit
The FLADEN Flotation/Immersion suit. I’ve never even considered needing a set of insulated waterproof coveralls. I borrowed a pair during a boat ride in rough seas with a wet cold front blowing in. The wife suggested we might need a set of these for winter hunting trips in Montana or Alaska. Insulated, waterproof, hooded, flotation, and immersion device, what else would you need in frigid weather? Regardless of whether it’s a duck blind, goose pit, boat ride, snowmobile ride, horseback, or just doing some hard water fishing. This suit makes for an excellent outer layer.
Conclusion On This Outdoor Clothing and Gear
These are products and gear that we purchased or had the opportunity to use while in Sweden. The “reviews” are short and apply to our short-use time constraints. However, if you’re in the market for one of them hopefully our comments will give you some insight you didn’t already have. Happy hunting and enjoy our outdoors safely.
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