Finland Holiday/Hungary hunting trip clothing reccomendations

colc08

Well-Known Member
So in the first week of Febuary I'm off to Finland with the Mrs where temperatures will be as low as -20. Nice! I'm then home for 2 days before heading out to Hungary with some friends on for a weeks Boar hunting, where It will also be bloody cold.

I need to get kitted out with some warm gear for each of my trips but ideally don't want to have to buy two lots of stuiff. Can anyone advise on any clothing that would be suitable for both trips.

So in Finland we'll be husky sledging, snow mobil-ing, cross country skiing etc and in Hungary will be mostly shooting from towers as far as I am aware.

I really don't know where to start looking to be honest. I mean i can get skii gear from anywhere but was hoping I could get some hunting gear that could cater for both jobs.

The last thing the Mrs said to me on the subject was '' Your not tripping around Finland in bloody realtweed!'' :lol:
 
Northern Outfitters is what you need. I use it running huskies in Sweden, excellent kit.

I have some boots I may sell if your interested.

PM me if interested.

cheers

P
 
Different layers are probably the best. Look at the Wild Boar Fever Dvd's and you will see they are not over dressed. You must be able to move easy in order to mount the rifle and shoot.
A friend has the Rusky jacket from Deerhunter and this seems O.K. for very cold weather.
Forum members living in Scandinavia might be able to advise you.
 
Humble suggestion from someone living and hunting in the Dolomites (we easily reach -18°C in the valley bottom, and colder at higher levels).
Dress yourself in layers, here we say like an onion.
Above the waist:
-a microfiber tee shirt, like the German Laksen. They absorb the sweat and are great even in cool summer days.
-a light turtlenck pullover
-a shirt (better microfiber than flannel)
-a pullover (better in microfiber pile than knitted wool)
-a sleveless padded vest
-a medium shooting jacket
Below the waist:
-your usual underwear
-long johns (possibly the same make and material as the tee shirt)
-sporting or skiing trousers (not in corduroy)
On your feet:
-normal light socks on the skin
-medium woolen socks, knee high
-medium woolen socks, ankle high
-good stalking-walking boots
Be sure you can "gesticulate Hello" with your toes with all footgear on.
On your head
-a silken ski mask (type used by bank robbers)
-balaclava hat or a padded hat
On your hands:
-silken gloves on the skin
-ski gloves on top of them
If you remove the heavy gloves put the in a warm place (under the pullover and under the armpits, or other suitable body parts) to prevent them to cool down. The silken gloves will protect your fingers from cold metal (e.g.: rifle, binocs a.s.o.)
Please let us know how it was in both countries.
Good luck!
 
I went wolf hunting in Kazakhstan earlier this year in -25C by day and -37C by night. My local host supplied me with Canadian snow mobile jacket and bib pants, and rubber insulated boots rated to -100C. I can't remember the brands but I felt and looked like the Michelin man but was toasty warm and we were outside for 10 - 11 hours each day but mostly on the back of snow mobiles searching for tracks. Not very comfortable shooting with all the bulk on. Interesting the locals all wear adult diapers to catch moisture (not other outputs) and it proved very sensible. The gear was essential fit for purpose but not very athletic. I have also been husky dog sleding in northern Norway starting from/returning to Karasok - the tour company supplied similar snow mobile big pants and boots but had wool and skin tops which weighed a tonne.

As indicated above layering is key - if I were to spend cash for more functional and mutli-purpose gear I would consider Sitka Gear. They are owned by Gore and it is digital camo - not everyone's cup of tea and certainly not cheap - but might do the trick as a site to build a whole/outer wear outfit for your purposes. See link below.

http://www.sitkagear.com/system/big-game-systems/extreme-extended

The equivalent base layers you can be sourced all over the place these days or you may already have them. But the vests, jackets, pants and gloves are cleverly specified and cut. It would even cut it as ski gear! ;)

You might also find these snow goggles with integrated camera worthy of consideration:

http://www.liquidimageco.com/

Trying to hold on and take photos can be tricky. My KZ hosts shot video of our hunts once we actually found and chased down the wolves - was a great momento. I had a GoPro mounted on a ski helmet but it vibrated off without me realising....

Hope this helps and have great trips!

PS the other things that was incredibly useful was a proper cold temperature balakva - some thing like this (see link below) would be excellent. Was supplied with something similar for the long snow-mobile rides at up to ~45-50km/h - in those temperatures it and wind chill it makes a huge difference

http://shop.coldavenger.com/balaclava-face-masks/
 
Last edited:
Loads of Great tips already, so not a huge amount to add.

We would definitely recommend layering your clothing. As we sell the majority of Scandinavian clothing in the store, we use this principle learnt from our suppliers and also customers and staff feedback.
Some baselayers will protect down to -50, so there are many options and not all are made buy hunting clothing manufactures, Brubeck and Blaklader also make top quality technical baselayer, so shop around.

It's is great that you are planning now, as the majority of Hunting clothing is still available, but is starting to run out of stock at the suppliers for the 2014/2015 season.

If you would prefer to try before you buy and get instore advise on what is available, our store is not that far from you and are open 7 days a week.

It sounds also like the Performance Range from Harkila wiould be perfect, or the Advantage range from Seeland, mixed with baselayer from Blakalder, but without knowing exactly how active what the hunt in Finland and Hungary will be it is hard to pinpoint particular products. We have a good customer in Sofia in Bulgaria who loves Boar hunting and hunts both on the ground and also on Tree Seats. Both require different clothing layers, so it might be worth finding out more about the itinary or if you know, let us know here, so we can give some more detailed advise.

Ofbiro's post is really useful for a great guide.

If you want to call the store to have a chat our number is 01525 211488. Or if you want to visit us our postcode is LU7 9LS. Ask for Brendan

We are on the A5 just south of Milton Keynes. Our core brands are Harkila, Seeland, Blaklader etc. All Swedish and Danish.

Sound like a great trip, I think everyone here would like to hear about it when you get back

Andrew
Carhartt, Blaklader, Harkila, Seeland, Workwear & Country Store
 
Last edited:
Good advice given. As Rugged and tough said plenty of good cold weather clothing out there. One tip, When sitting out for boar make sure your clothing,trousers ect are not tight over your thighs as happens when you sit down. After a couple of hours at minus temps sitting out it will feel as if your feet have fallen off. I make sure i pull the legs of my trousers up a little so they lay loose over my thighs and i also have a fleece plaid that i fold and lay over my thighs. This keeps your legs and more importantly your feet warm. Plus you can put your hands under said plaid and they stay warm as well. A fleece plaid cost a couple of quid and money well spent.
 
Thanks for all the advise guys. I took it all on board and was toasty warm!

I had a wonderful time in Finland with the other half cramming in as many activities as possible. We did Husky sledging, Reindeer sledging, Snowmobiling amongst other stuff. I'd highly recommend it for the sheer beauty of the place but it is a bit on the expensive side.

Having gotten back from Finland on the Friday I then flew out to Hungary on the Monday with five friends for a few days stalking Boar, Hinds and Doe's. What a great experience it ways and I cannot wait to go back. Again, thanks to you guys I was toasty warm right through :)
 
Back
Top