Being a photographer in the hunting space means I am lucky enough to hunt all over the world in a wide array of different environments and weather. I spend approximately 100+ days in the bush every year, and the bulk of that hunting is done in the backcountry of British Columbia during the fall and winter. On these hunts I’m either backpacking, horseback riding, or taking a boat to my destination, and the pursuits are split across stone sheep, moose, mountain goat, and deer.

The fall and winter in B.C. is when the struggle gets real—the weather gets nasty and your gear is the difference between cowering in your tent or pushing on with your hunt. It’s these exact conditions that we’ll be exploring in this Backcountry System Review.

It’s inevitable I’ll experience some sort of precip on these hunts and I always plan my system around these various wet conditions. Some days I need to be able to sit in inclement weather for hours at a time looking for a mature bull moose. Where as other days I might be packing out quarters or portaging gear all day in the rain and can’t afford to be sweating. It's crucial to be able to thermo-regulate in these different extremes and a layering mindset is essential.

Most of my hunts are in the 7-12 day range and very remote so I prioritize merino base layers where possible to minimize odor. On active days I will pair a light, moisture wicking base layer like the Merino 330 with the Dew Point Pro, using the side vents when I can to dump heat and keep the sweat away. On days when we are sitting in rough weather for 9+ hours, every piece of gear gets tapped to play. Pieces like the Dew Point Pro and the Hyper Down setup truly shine, allowing me to be wearing 2-3 layers under these pieces while keeping my mobility under all those layers.

With that in mind, here is a breakdown of my go to system for these hunts:

These supply an incredible amount of insulation when paired with other pieces but as mentioned above, I will also run these directly under my Dew Point Pro when I am active in cold environments. This isn’t the merino of yesteryear, you can regularly wash this stuff and it holds its shape great.

Great all-around late-season pant with the ability to dump heat through the vents. It’s very rugged and the knee pads keep you comfortable when scrambling over mountains.

I do not leave the house without these pieces, regardless of where I am hunting. They provide safety and warmth with the Primaloft Gold and down blend, plus they also make for a fantastic pillow stuff sack filler.

Extremely durable rain gear that fits just right for late seasons when you are layered up.

This is the quiet workhorse of my system. I use it as an active piece in cold weather because even when slightly wet it still keeps me warm for short glassing or snacking breaks, and it saves me from having to constantly layer up and down when hiking and stopping. The insulation it provides far exceeds expectations and it also makes for a great stationary mid-layer.

These are some serious cold-weather gloves but something that I think is overlooked is the ability to “layer” these gloves depending on your situation. On cold hunts when I am actively moving through country, I will often pair the shell of this glove with the 330 Merino gloves. This keeps my hands from being exposed to the weather, keeps the chill off but wont have me sweating. A killer piece of the system for late-season hunts.