Why hunting clothes stay warm!

Keeping you warm and dry in every hunt: Windproof and Waterproof Films

There are two different types of wind proofing and waterproofing. One is on the exterior of the garment and one is on the inside. One that is on the inside is far superior to one that's on the exterior because it makes the jacket, vest, pants or bibs significantly quieter. So of course, you don't want every piece of your hunting arsenal to have a windproof and waterproof film - they do not allow the ease of breathability and wicking that you get in a non-windproof waterproof garment. Garments that are not windproof/waterproof, and do not have an exterior or interior film, are much more packable. They’re much more lightweight but they’re not going to cut it when the temperature drops. The Elkins jacket has a soft brushed fleece exterior we call In-Velvet but on the inside, it is bonded to that windproof film and then on the interior of the jacket it does have the waffle grid fleece for lightweight warmth. The importance of wind proofing and particularly with an interior film like the Elkins allows this garment to be breathable, lightweight, and yet still extend you into the colder temperatures with proper layering underneath.

An exterior film is more readily available to repel winds and shed moisture being the first line of exterior defense against the elements, but its biggest downside is noise. Think PVC raincoats and heavily treated casual windbreakers: great for stopping the wind and rain, but very loud and “plasticky” sounding when moving. Less than ideal for the hunting woods.

Since the Elkins jackets, pants, bibs, and vest use an interior windproof membrane, you do not have to pack it full of insulation in order to stay warm. The cold air literally bounces off the outside of the jacket. That allows us to have an incredibly tapered sleeves and legs which make the Elkins lineup very useful for the entirety of bow season.

Where windproof and waterproof films really shine is when you start adding extra insulation on the inside that's higher than your midweight garment. The Saskatoon jacket, pants, and vest use our Heat Boost graphene Sherpa fleece on the inside: a much warmer and higher pile fleece than the Elkina. Also on the exterior of the jacket this is a soft shell construction instead of a fleece construction, which allows that membrane in conjunction with the soft shell to repel water even more. It’s not waterproof - we will get to that later - and why you can't call this waterproof even though it's using a verisimilar film. The Saskatoon vest, jacket, and pants offer that wind proofing on the inside. The Heat Boost graphene Sherpa is also in there, so it traps in more heat, more warm air, and keeps the cold air out.

The heaviest windproof and fully waterproof garment that Huntworth makes is the Matterhorn line. Offered in a jacket and bibs, they are going to prepare you for any type of inclement weather you have down to about -1° F. Still boasting a windproof film on the inside, but now we can call it waterproof. The main reason why is when the Matterhorn is assembled, all of the seams – the sleeves, shoulders, armpits, etc - are then taped and glued. This means you have a completely waterproof construction from top to bottom. so now you've coupled the exterior soft shell with that windproof and now waterproof membrane because the seams are taped. You still have the Heat Boost Sherpa on the inside that we saw with the Saskatoon, and then we've added polyfill as well. Polyfill is an excellent heat retention system being able to trap warm air, but since we have the Heat Boost Sherpa on the inside and that windproof/waterproof film, we can still have a tapered sleeve. Even though this makes this our warmest and heaviest jacket, you can still use it for bowhunting.

The importance of a windproof and waterproof membrane in your hunting clothing arsenal cannot be overstated enough. If you want to check out all of our Huntworth gear that has a windproof or waterproof membrane and anything else that does not in our lightweight garments, you can always check it out at huntworthgear.com or if you’re interested in shopping for an entire kit, you can always Shop By Season right on our website.