Although we field tested the product late last winter and were extremely satisfied at the time, I threw the Whiteout series in the truck for a recent Wyoming antelope and deer hunt due to severe weather warnings. The first two days left the super heavy duty jacket and pants back at camp due to high temperatures in the thirties, but days four, five, and six brought in a whole different form of weather. With Forty mile-per-hour winds and the mercury only registering in the low teens during the warmest part of the day, I knew that the Whiteout would get the ultimate test.
Test it we did. We spotted a good buck for my hunting partner on the fifth day, which would require a good mile of ground work in foot deep snow. I already had layers 1, 2, and 3 on to beat the cold and quickly found that the L5 Whiteout was way too warm to wear while covering the ground to the deer. I was actually forced to take off the jacket and pants as we closed the distance for a shot and got into position. Once we were within two hundred yards, we knew that it would be a waiting game. We were stuck out in the open with sixty mile-per-hour gusts hitting us square in the face and forty mile-per-hour continuous wind. The wind chill was well below zero and I was able to get the Whiteout Jacket and pants off of my pack without being seen by the buck. I was able to sit the two hours it required for the nice four point to stand and watch my good friend make a great shot to secure the buck. He wasn’t as fortunate to have the Russell Outdoors layering system and he was cold to the core when he made the shot. We were fortunate enough for the buck to stand when he did because I don’t think Steve could have endured sitting in the cold, windy, conditions much longer.
The pants have full-length heavy duty leg zippers which insure easy on and off access over any size of boots. This was a great feature during our deer hunt or in any situation where you might want to get mobile and remove the pants. This system is just too warm to use during any sort of active type of hunting. I would highly recommend that you remove the garments when you are going to and from your stand, blind, or lookout and then put them on for a long glassing or sitting session. There are buttons around the cuffs and around the waist to make sure you have a secure fit, which doesn’t allow for any heat loss. The extra high waist allows for good overlap from the jacket and pants to insure no heat loss as well.
The jacket has the same heavy-duty zippers that are employed with the pants and a flap underneath providing a good overlap when zipped. This insures no unwanted heat loss during those extremely cold situations where you will be using this garment. There is a hood that rolls up and tucks into the collar if you don’t want it flapping in the wind. Using the hood with the wind to your back was great for deflecting wind and keeping you warm. The elastic cuffs keep the sleeves tight around your gloves and eliminate heat loss as well. The generously long cut on the jacket provides for good overlap even when sitting down.
Both of the jacket and pant along with the entire APXg2™ system are developed in Mossy Oak® Treestand® pattern, which has plenty of light colors and blends very well in the western surroundings.
As I’m sure you already aware, we are raving fans of the entire system developed by Russell Outdoors. They revolutionized the hunting world with APX, but the next generation in APXg2™ at such an affordable price has set a new standard for quality hunting gear. The entire system is available at your nearest Sportsman’s Warehouse store. So, stop by and try on a set for your 2009 hunting season.
