I don't do a lot of plugs like this..............but I've just got to plug Jeff and his company Gray Wolf Woolens. It's rare to call a company where you don't know the people all that well, and get the type of service that I get from Jeff. Sure, I get that type of service from Justin and Todd right here at bh.com, but I know those guys through other venues other than this website, and I've met them both on several occasions. They have to like me and treat me well. :D:p Jeff at GWW doesn't know me from any other guy that calls in. I called Jeff today, had him do a bunch of stuff to measure sizes of some of the new Predator fleece, he did it all without question. Even pulled my stuff out of the packaging so that he could fit it in a smaller box to make my overnight shipping cheaper. This is the second time I've worked with Jeff, last summer I ordered a couple of his Wolfskin suits, and a my LW climber as well.......and I've got to say he just does it right every time you talk with him. When you talk to him, it feels like your talking with an old buddy that you have known for years. Just thought I'd share. If your looking for top notch custom hunting clothes that will last you a lifetime, give Jeff a shot at your business. He's the kind of guy that you want to do business with, and he will go the extra mile every time to make sure your happy.
Funny you made this post today... I was sitting in my LW hand climber this morning when I got chilled and so I put on my wool vest with Comformax lining inside... I was thinking about how that vest is the nicest clothing garment I own, hands down. Sat there thinking to myself that I was going to send Jeff an e-mail today thanking him again for his quality work...
I'll third your comments Greg! Quality service any products. Jeff always does his best to answeer any questions or accommodate his customers. I think I'm going to invest in a lined suit this year or a vest.
No doubt, Jeff is a good dude who makes a good product. I did get rid of my GWW Scent-Lok lined suit this year in favor of some other light season gear. Nothing to do with Gray Wolf, the Scent-Lok lining was just too warm and made the garment too heavy for early season. I still have my Wolfskin Comfortmax lined bibs and pullover though. I was just thinking the other day how I wish it would get cold enough for me to bust it out. LOVE that suit. Been using it three years now and it's like brand new. Fits like a glove too.
I keep saying I'm going to get some, but never do. Luckily I didn't have to sit in the cold this year, but I still get cold very easily. Regardless of price, if it kept me warm, it would be worth it.
It can vary drastically Tony, based on what options you want, linings, material, etc. My suits are unlined Wolfskin made custom out of his Outfitters Series with a handful of options and I think I paid roughly $500 for each complete outfit (pants and jacket). Add in scent lok, other linings, hoods, and/or other options.........and your going to spend more than that. You can hop on his website and check things out though. Jeff custom makes all the garments in the Outfitters line based on options you want and your exact measurements. Expect a roughly 3-6 month wait. When your turn is up, and he begins on your stuff, he will likely call to clarify how you want it to fit, what you intend to wear as underlayers, etc. Only advice I can make is that I recommend the Wolfskin over wool if your ordering a single outfit, but that's MHO.......unlined Wolfskin can be used in all but the warmest weather if you have the proper layers and a good vest. Also if your patient, you can find some really good deals at times listed under his returned items, specials & closeouts, and Jeff's Rummage Sale sections.
So it was roughly $500 for unlined? So add in the layering costs as well (assuming you don't have good layers), what makes the material worth $500 if the insulating factor is out the window? I was under the impression that would be roughly the cost for the insulated garments. I upgraded a lot of my layers this season, and I was never able to fully test it out in cold weather, but I still don't think I have the right combination for keep warm, but if I'm paying $500 for just the outerwear, I'm not sure I could justify it. However, do NOT take this as a bash. I'm inquiring. I'm pretty ignorant of wolfskin other than everyone loving it. If any of you guys want to break it down for me (advantages), you can PM if this isn't the place, because again, I don't want this to sound like I'm bashing the company. In fact, I'm still very interested. Sounds like a great company to deal with.
You can get it for less than $500 if you don't get the options I did. I chose to add double knees, double butt, cargo pockets, elastic sleeve adjustors, license tag holder, extra elastic draw strings, etc. Those all added up to a LOT of extra money but it was worth it to me. I'll wear these for a LONG time. Patterns available. I honestly feel that Predator Brown and Predator Gray are the best patterns available for bowhunting deer when the leaves are off, and Predator Green is the best for spring turkeys and bowhunting whitetails before the leaves drop. I also feel that Predator Brown will work in any situation you wear it in from spring to winter, from turkeys to coyotes to deer. It's neutral enough to work anywhere. GWW is the only place I know of to get these patterns in Wolfskin. Wolfskin is BY FAR the best all around material for hunting clothes that I've seen. I've listed several reasons below that outline why I feel this way. Wolfskin is HIGHLY water resistant. I haven't found anything this water resistant that is this quiet. It is as quiet as fleece. It also takes additional applications of a DWR (search my previous post) very well if it wears off from excessive washing. Unless it's a straight downpour I wear my wolfskin and stay dry. I've literally only worn my rain specific gear 1x time since I've gotten Wolfskin. I an wacky about how often I wash my hunting clothes. Wolfskin is THE MOST color fast material I've ever seen. The color today is exactly the same as it was when it was new........probably 25+ washes ago. My cotton Predator Silent Weave from Cabelas is highly faded, and has been worn and washed significantly less times. My predator fleece vest is faded. Every other material of hunting clothing that I own is noticably faded after only one season. I can see this Wolfskin material honestly holding up to 10+ years of my OCD washing habits. Wolfskin is the most durable hunting material I've seen next to brush specific cotton duck. I've worn them hiking miles and miles through nasty spring brush while after turkeys, and for miles and miles of mountain hunting during rifle season. No rips, no tears, nothing. I believe this material was originally designed for furniture upholstery before someone decided to try and use it for hunting clothes. Think about how many years a good couch cushion will last before becoming thread bare. Now think about how long a pair of cotton jeans will last when sitting on that couch cushion. These clothes fit me like a glove. They were tailored for me. I'm more comfortable in them than anything I own. I stay in the woods longer and enjoy my hunts more when I'm comfortable. I'd MUCH rather drop $$$ on quality layers and then only have to buy 2-3 sets of quality outer garments. You can buy several sets of quality base layers, a couple of pull over layering fleeces and fleece base layers, etc for a couple hundred bucks. Add in a quality vest, and I can use my unlined Wolfskin outer layer with these layers in any weather from 60ish degrees all the way down to the single digits. I've got maybe $300 into layering garments and have enough to wear a new set of layers under my Wolfskin almost every day for an entire week long hunt. To be honest I wouldn't even consider spending $$$ on their insulated clothes, what it you have a warm week in November? What do you do then? Last and most important..........purely my perception but I cannot think of many other things that I'd rather drop $500 on that will directly affect my enjoyment of the woods. It's a better pattern and better material, and that increases my enjoyment in the woods every second I'm out there. It's pretty common to see guys dropping $1k+ every year on a new bow, but does that really affect your enjoyment of the woods as drastically as top end garments? These garments are expensive, but I've honestly never had another set of hunting clothes that lasted more than 3x years. I bet I get 10+ out of my GWW. I bet I save $$$ in the long run this way, and enjoy my hunts much more in the process. Hope this helps! :D
Matt summed it up very well, and of course I've been preaching the same message for years now; we were texting each other back and forth while I was in my stand this afternoon and I told him I'm going to pick up a couple more pants/shirt combos and I truly feel that after that I may not have to buy any more camo for the rest of my life. As far as price goes, 99% of the time I wear unlined wolfskin pants and an unlined wolfskin shirt. The camp shirt which I wear is $64.95, and the pants are $149.95... so you're looking at a bit over $200 for what I wear practically all the time. When the temps drop into the 40s and below, I wear Scentblocker's merino wool under the wolfskin, which keeps me toasty down into the 20s easily. Once you put on a pair of wolfskin pants and sink your hands into the fleece pockets, you'll never want to wear anything else hunting again. Love that one too, but the Liteloft makes it just a tad bulkier and not as slim-fitting... It's got its place too, though.
Do you think it's possible to do a quick review of that vest? I'm planning on ordering one for the winter season here.
Finally ordered my Predator camo today. Wish that I could afford to go with Grey Wolf but can't afford the high cost right now being unemployed. But looking forward to getting them on monday!
