I hessitate to get involved in a dispute about out of staters spending or not their money in Alaska stores and in Sportsmans Warehouse specifically. I'm not only out of state, I'm out of country! A friend has invited me on a week long fishing float trip down some obscure river, then followed by tagging along while they hunt caribou for another week. Now I've been told a lot of horror stories about rain., cold and wind in Alaska. Ans for safety sake I will beleive every one of them. Fact is for such a trip I will need some personal gear that is simply not readily available here in Dwaalboom, which is far from Thabazimbi, which is in turn far from Johannesburg, which many know where it is [There where your nice hunting trip starts! ]. But then even though some ski-shops in Johannesburg may have the right gear, they almost definately will not have sales persons really able to give any sound advice. My question is: If I arrive in Anchorage in jeans and warm jacket, can I expect to be properly fitted out with suitable long underwear, special boots etc. at a reasonable cost in Anchorage? What would such a cost be compared to getting all the same gear from the mail-order firms? Or if the same was bought from a similar store in another state?

Any advice on what to do or how to go about it, or not go about it will be appreciated. Even by private e-mail to andrew@mclarensafaris.com

Thanks a lot.

Verewaaier.

It depends a great deal on what time of year you are going. Yes you would be able to find what you need. Mountian View Sports would have everything you need in one stop. Cost? Depends on what you buy, but I see about $500.00 as being reasonable. More than likely less.

I would get my Alaska gear in Alaska. Just let your buddies take you shopping. I would definately get some wool pants and shirts.

Mountain View Sports would definitely have what you are looking for, but you will pay a premium for it there. Sportsman's Warehouse has some good quality stuff, from what I can see, and they have Alaskan's working behind the counters to help you select what you might need. Barney's Chalet probably has the best gear in all of Anchorage, other than Alaska Mountaineering and Hiking. They are pretty spendy also.



If it were me, I stop by AMH and Barney's first, then go over to Sportsman's Warehouse for competitive pricing. Don't discount Mountain View Sports completely, they do have some really nice stuff, and every once in a while they run some good sales.

You may find some answers from JJHack. He's a PH in SA now, but used to guide in Alaska. If there are any good gear stores in SA that have Alaska type gear, he'd probably now about them.

Everything should be synthetic!

You'll need thin long johns
fleece pants
synthetic shirts
fleece jacket (preferably with 'wind blocker')
breathable rain gear (to be worn over your fleece to block wind as well as rain)
quality boots
hip boots

...there's more, but I gotta run...

My recomended minimum would be two pairs of poly pro long johns, several pairs of socks, fleece top and bottom, rain gear, warm hat and gloves, ankle fit hip waders or chest waders, and good pair of boots. Carry the spare long johns and socks in a ziplock bag.

You could have clear skies, and temps of +20 C, or you could have -5C and a blizzard, you could also see both conditions in the matter of 24 hours.

As mentioned, there are several outfitters that carry that gear in town. I think you'll be hard pressed to get all of it for $500, and definately not if you get any gore-tex gear, which I consider both highly over-rated, and over priced.

The one item you shouldn't get here is the boots, simply because you will want them to be broken in before you get here.

You might want to try MEC, they are a Canadian outdoor supplier that has good prices. The prices in town are generally competitive with mail order houses, though when the mail order houses have specials, they can't be beat.

if u buy your gear ahead of time u will have the security that know that u will have it. but, then u will have to pay the shipping for all of it to your home and then the airline to get it to ak. hmmmmmmmmmmm.

there are many good specialty stores in anchorage for u to get the things that u need if they have your size/color in stock and u have the time to get around to get all of it.

check out, barneys sports chalet, r.e.i., helly hansen, alaska mountaineering and hiking, etc.

there are many fine places to eat check out simon and sieferts, great halibut.

enjoy

cold zero

Another reminder to prepare for the insects - you won't want to go into the bush without a headnet and good bug dope, plus some lightweight gloves and duct tape to seal off openings. Should you forget these items, you may experience the most miserable time when you had hoped for a fun time in Alaska. These items are inexpensive, readily available and easy to pack along. KMule

Vere: Everything depends on what obscure river you will be on and when. It can snow year round on some rivers. But. The responses to your question here have been great and on the mark. I agree with PH's recommendations. I have not seen anyone mention Helley Hanson and you will need a set of those (pants/bibs and jacket). I personally rely on Gore-Tex but I also know it needs to be dried out when it is really wet. And if you cannot dry it out, well, it will be wet. And terrible. Horrible in fact. And so would anything else you might be wearing (like Levi's). So what you have to hope for is for it to cold (below 25 degrees F) and dry or just wet and miserable (somewhere above 25 degrees F). If you are wet and miserable, there is always hope that you can dry out some how, or at least your cloths will not freeze when you take them off (or don't take off cloths that might freeze on their own).

I would recommend that you get your equipment in Alaska. Mountian View is the first place I would go for gear, Barney's Sports Chalet is also good for gear but is smaller and more specialized. You should get the best sleeping bag you can afford and do not buy a bag with feathers in it unless you are climbing mountains (rated at -15 or below). Then you need a good parka that will come apart in layers and that your Helley Hanson rubber rain gear will fit over when you are fully layered up. Then you need WATER PROOF BOOTS, not water resistant and not Gore-Tex and not leather. There are new boots on the market that are warm, compfortable, and WATER PROOF. I like LaCrosse Alpha Series. You can pull these things off your feet in camp easily! Once you have this stuff, you will need a good tent, or make sure you know somebody with a good tent. Everything else, except your rifle and food and boat, is optional. Not counting the tent or food, this equipment will cost plenty: $1000 will get you started. Be careful.

I'm overwhelmed by the fantastic response and obvious good advice. If Alaska is anything like the people, I'm going to really enjoy the trip. And will take note of the advice given here. My American friends and hosts for the trip are comming here for a visit and some hunting in a few weeks' time. I will then print the response on AR forum, and the many private e-mails with stirling and friendly advice. We'll go through the posts on a one-by-one basis then.

Thanks a million. I really appreciate it. Just hope I see similar questions by people coming to South Africa, and that I can then return the kindness shown to me by all [mostly located in Alaska] on this forum. Although I'm a Hunting Outfitter, and would naturally want to market my own, I promise to try to be honest and fair if someone wants advise even after he had finalised booking with some other Outfitter.

There are now some confusion about some statements made obout some clothing items, but I'll wait to see if someone else pick up and clear the issue before I ask.

Thanks again.

Verewaaier.

There have been some good responses here. I will say that getting Alaskans to agree on gear and clothing will not be easy. We all have our very strong opinions on what is needed. Alaska is so large (I like to think of it as a sub-continent) and we all come from different parts of it so our advice is going to vary quite a bit. The more specific you can be about destination and time of year the more we can offer specific advice. Even then, the weather can change so quickly that our advice may seem confusing or overwhelm you. I suggest getting all the advice you can and then sorting through it yourself. You will find a balance point that you can live with and afford.

The one thing I've found in inclement weather is, you cannot expect to stay dry. You either get wet from the precipitation, or from prespiration. The key is to have clothing that will keep your warm while wet. I greatly prefer real rain gear to keep the precipitation out, end rely on the synthetics to wick away the prespiration.

As mentioned, gear preference is depencdant on location, and the wether varies tremendously around the state. I took the presumption that you'll be hunting and traveling somewhere through the interior of the state, possible up into the actic, or certainly sub-arctic. Time of year is also a good thing to know, August and September have big differences in weather. August is typically much warmer, but also lots of bugs. Septmeber is when snow starts to fall in the Arctic.

There is no typical weahter though, and the last decade has been much warmet than in the past, but don't count on that continuing.

Both Paul H and Yukon Delta have presented reasoned and responsible answers to your questions...you should have a great trip. Alaska can be, and is more often than not, a rough place even at the best of times. But it is a wonderful place and lives up to its reputation. You will love it.