About a mile and a half from my vehicle, near the top of the mountain, I got caught in a downpour wearing the ASIO Midweight Core Warmth Vest. The outside shed the rain, and when I checked inside, it was still dry.
That hunt got my attention. I have now used ASIO gear for more than four seasons, climbing trees, pushing through brush, hunting from the ground, and wearing it through changing weather. That longer use has made ASIO some of my favorite gear because it is no-frills, focused on bowhunters, and built with the quality and durability I expect.
It is not perfect, and the newer pieces changed part of my opinion. The updated Midweight Hoodie is a real improvement, the Midweight Puffy fills a useful role, and the Bomb Pant is one of the toughest mid-season pants I have worn. RAP-X camo also gives hunters a lighter option than the original Raptor pattern. The question is where each piece fits and which tradeoffs matter for your hunt.
The video below covers my original two-season review. The article now includes my four-season update and the newer mid-season gear I tested last season.
Four-Season Update: New ASIO Mid-Season Gear and RAP-X Camo
The original review focused on ASIO’s older Raptor mid-season system. Four seasons of use gave me a better view of its durability, fit, weather protection, and place in a complete clothing system. Last season, I also tested three newer pieces in RAP-X: the updated Midweight Hoodie, the Midweight Puffy Jacket, and the Midweight Bomb Pant.
The specifications below come from ASIO’s current product pages. The rest comes from four seasons of using the gear in the woods.
The video below shows my first look at the newer RAP-X pieces and compares them with the earlier Raptor versions. Some of the Bomb Pant comments in the video were initial observations. The field notes in this article reflect what I learned after using the gear.
Updated ASIO Midweight Hoodie
ASIO lists the current Midweight Hoodie as a 280gsm double-knit scuba fleece made from 92% polyester and 8% spandex. That construction gives the outside more of a softshell feel than the original version I reviewed.
In the field, the new version fit me better, felt slightly warmer, and still had the stretch I want for climbing and drawing a bow. ASIO also fixed one of my complaints about the earlier hoodie by adding zippered chest pockets on both sides. The material upgrade is noticeable. I liked the original hoodie, but the current version feels more complete.
ASIO Midweight Puffy Jacket
ASIO lists the Midweight Puffy Jacket with 80g PrimaLoft Gold insulation, a quiet polyester shell, a reversible design, and a packable pocket. The tapered U-shaped collar is designed to give a bowstring more clearance at full draw.
The earlier Puffy also had a bowhunter collar. The bigger changes I noticed in the newer version were the fit and coverage. In my video first look, the newer Large fit more snugly through my chest and extended lower than the prior model. At 5 feet 8 inches and about 190 pounds, I was on the edge of needing an XL. If you are between sizes or plan to wear thicker layers under it, I would look closely at the larger size.
ASIO Midweight Bomb Pant
The Midweight Bomb Pant uses a thick 400gsm polyester stretch fabric with reinforced knees and seat. ASIO also lists a water-repellent treatment, thigh vents, and a gusseted crotch.
This is an extremely durable, tough pant. It fit me very well after I found the right size, moved well in the woods, and handled the kind of brush that can expose a lighter pant quickly. I normally wear a Medium in ASIO pants, but I could not zip the Medium Bomb Pant and had to exchange it for a Large. My main complaint is the light tan color of the reinforced seat panel. It is often covered when I am sitting against something or wearing a saddle, but while I am walking it can look like a light-colored blob in the woods.
RAP-X Camo vs. Raptor Camo
One of the main reasons I wanted to test the newer ASIO pieces was to spend more time with the lighter RAP-X pattern. After comparing it with the original Raptor pattern, I’ve come to prefer RAP-X for a lot of my mid-season hunting because it gives me more flexibility as the woods begin opening up and the background becomes a mix of changing leaves, gray bark, and filtered sky.
That doesn’t mean RAP-X is better in every situation. Raptor still performs extremely well when I’m hunting against mature bark, deep shade, and darker timber, where its darker overall appearance and vertical breakup fit the background better. RAP-X simply handles lighter and more mixed backgrounds more naturally, whether I’m hunting from the ground or from a tree.
What stands out to me most about RAP-X is its balance. It gives me strong macro breakup without becoming too dark at normal hunting distances, which makes it a better fit for the transition period when the woods can change dramatically from one setup to the next.
If I were choosing between the two specifically for mid-season hunting, I’d lean toward RAP-X for mixed or lighter backgrounds and Raptor for dark, bark-heavy timber. They solve different concealment problems, and that’s really the most useful way to look at them.
Scent Control
In all of Asio Gear’s product descriptions for the gear that I tested, they say that the product is “Antimicrobial for scent control.” I thought this was fairly vague, so I emailed them and asked them specifically about what this meant.
Joe Miles, the owner of Asio Gear, actually replied to me himself and said, “We use an ActiveX antimicrobial on all of our fabric from our early season to all the fabrics on the late season garments – this treatment is done to the fabric before it is sewn into a finished garment. The treatment is good for the life of the product and re-releases as the garments are washed.
That’s some pretty high-speed stuff.
Asio Early Season to Mid-Season Gear Test
I broke down the mid-season gear I tested in two phases. The first phase was the gear that I thought worked well transitioning from the early season into the mid-season where temperatures range from 40-60 degrees. I tested the Asio Midweight Hoody, the Midweight Pants, and the Core Warmth Vest.
This combination worked well in the 40-60 degree range and I really liked it. It was pretty quiet, flexible, durable, and warm, and it shed light rain very well. I climbed some serious mountains and busted quite a bit of brush. I was comfortable climbing trees with my climbing sticks and had no complaints when hunting in my saddle or hang-on treestand.
I am not a big guy. I am 5’8″ and weigh 185 pounds. I wear a large in all Asio Gear tops and a medium in all pants (bottoms).
READ: Asio Gear Review: Lightweight Pants & Hoodie for Bow Hunting
Here are the reviews and pros and cons of each item I tested.
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Asio Midweight Hoodie Review
The Midweight Hoodie is extremely light. It is very comfortable against the skin or when used as a layering piece. The material with its 4-way stretch is very flexible and I had no issues climbing trees or drawing my bow. I liked the built-in mask and the hoodie itself was very comfortable and allowed for ease of movement in the tree. The half-zip front is great for air ventilation when hiking to your stand and it dries quickly after sweating in it. The material is very quiet.
There is only one thing I didn’t like about the hoodie. It has a zippered rangefinder pocket that sits on your chest on the right side. It did not have a zippered pocket for a phone or any other items you may carry on the left side where a lot of garments like this normally have pockets.
It is a small pet peeve and not a big deal in the big scheme of things. It does have a big kangaroo pocket where hoodies normally have them and this is a really nice feature.
This hoodie is very lightweight and can be used as a layering option as temperatures dip down into the lower 40s. This is a comparable option to the Sitka Fanatic Hoody.
I highly recommend it.
Asio Midweight Pants Review
The original Raptor Midweight Pant appears to have been discontinued. That is a shame because it became one of my favorite ASIO pants. It had more stretch than the newer Bomb Pant, held up extremely well in brush, and became remarkably quiet after repeated wear and washing. The Bomb Pant now fills a similar mid-season role in ASIO’s lineup, but it is a thicker, more reinforced pant—not a direct substitute for the original.
The Midweight Pants with 4-way stretch are made of 90% Polyester and 10% Spandex. If you know anything about 4-way stretch, this material combination is almost a perfect combination of durability and flexibility. The durability is evident right away as the pants have a much tougher feel than the hoodie. I was able to go through a ton of thick brush and green briar without any issues.
The pants are very comfortable and I had no issues hiking, climbing trees, or moving around in the stand. The mesh zip vents were great for ventilation on long hikes into my stands and the taped seams and excellent zippers on all the pockets and zip vents set these pants apart from the competition. I was very impressed with the way the water just ran off these pants when it rained too. These pants will turn you into a pants snob (haha).
I do have some minor things I did not like. There are double pockets on each pant leg that are not cargo pockets. They sit directly on top of your thighs. The pockets themselves and the rain flap that sits over them are excellent, but I don’t like having something bounce on the top of my leg while I walk and it can be uncomfortable to have something in one of those pockets pulled tight against the top of your leg when you are sitting.
I would highly recommend that Asio move these pockets to the side, but I think that the side zip vents would get in the way (and that’s why they are in this specific location). I also think that the Midweight Pants fit a little tighter in the waist than the Sherpa-lined Pants that I’ll talk about below, so if you wear an in-between size as I do (33-34 waist), you might want to adjust the size you select.
UPDATE: After wearing these through two seasons now, I can say these pants are some of the best bow-hunting pants on the market. I compare these to any of the higher-end pants from Sitka, Kuiu, and First Lite.
I highly recommend them.
Asio Core Warmth Vest Review
The Core Warmth Vest turned out to be one of my favorite pieces of gear. I never have used a vest for bow hunting before and now I don’t know if I can ever hunt the mid-season without one. It just gives you the added warmth you need to take the chill off on days when you don’t think you’ll need a jacket and it is thin enough to layer with when it gets colder. I used this vest throughout the entire season and even used it on a 35-degree day that warmed up to 48 degrees in the late season.
It is 100% windproof and when I got caught 1.5 miles from my car at the top of the mountain in a downpour, it shed the rain very well and was completely dry inside when I got to my car. The quality zippers and taped seams make this a high-quality vest.
It is not as quiet as the Midweight Hoody, but it is very quiet considering it has built-in windproofing. It has a safety harness port on it and it has the same rangefinder pocket as the hoody. I was able to draw and use my bow without any issues. Great piece.
The only thing I did not like about the Core Warmth Vest is that it did not have the left breast pocket that I complained about with the hoodie. It did have two normal coat pockets, but even these had high-quality zippers with taped seams. Not much to complain about for sure.
UPDATE: I still wear the heck out of this vest. It is one of the best options for mid-season flexibility when paired with the midweight hoodie above. It will keep your arms free to do what you need to do during your hunt.
Asio Mid-Season to Late-Season Gear Test
In Asio’s Mid-Season lineup, I felt that the gear I talked about above could work down to temperatures under 40 degrees, but additional baselayers are required. The Core Warmth Vest is an item you can and will use for both. The name speaks for itself, but the hunting clothes that bridge the gap into the 30-degree and lower temperature range were the items I tested next.
I tested the Windproof Sherpa-lined Jacket, the Windproof Sherpa-lined Pants, and the Sherpa-lined Windproof Beanie. I did not test the Windproof Sherpa-lined Bibs, but based on my review of the pants, they are a solid buy if you like bibs. I am just not a bib guy.
I wore everything including the Midweight Hoodie, Vest, Sherpa-lined Jacket, and Sherpa-lined Pants on multiple hunts in temperatures that went down into the mid-20s. This setup bridges the gap between mid-season and late-season hunts and it wasn’t as bulky as other layering combinations I’ve used in the past. The rain ran right off of my outer layers with this and it was a great overall combo.
Here are the Pros and Cons of each item I tested.
Asio Windproof Sherpa-lined Jacket Review
My first impression when putting on the Windproof Sherpa-lined Jacket was that it was too thin to be warm. After using it I can say that is definitely not true. It is extremely warm.
It can be used with the recommended Asio layering system down to the mid 20s with a solid base layer. I wore it over the Midweight Hoodie and Core Warmth Vest and that proved to be really warm and comfortable.
I liked how well it fit together and allowed for a lot less bulk in the tree. I saddle-hunted with it on without any issues. I carried this jacket with me on my long hikes to my stands as it was way to warm to wear hiking in. With the windproofing, you will sweat badly if you wear it when being very active.
The jacket has taped seams and high-quality zippers and it has the one thing I have complained about that the hoodie and vest do not; it has the zippered left breast pocket for your phone and it has the rangefinder pocket as well. I really like that.
It has the safety harness port on the back just like the vest too. One of the things I love is the sherpa-lined pockets for your hands. These are very warm. I used hand warmers in the pockets on two different occasions and it was about perfect.
The new 2.0 jacket is very quiet. I started with the original and now that I’ve tested the 2.0 version in this and the late season jacket, I am very impressed by how quiet it is. I honestly have not tested a quieter wind blocking mid-season jacket and I’ve tested a lot.
The only negative I can even think of is this does not have pit zip vents. That would help you wear it during long hikes without overheating. Worn by itself, you will say this is definitely a mid-season jacket. It’s not nearly as warm as the Asio Late Season Jacket. But it is perfect for most of the archery season, especially if you hunt in the south.
Great jacket overall. I highly recommend it.
Asio Windproof Sherpa-lined Pants Review
The Windproof Sherpa-lined Pants are very warm. I have never worn lined pants before wearing these and have always relied on thick pants with a very thick base layer. I wore these in ranges from 25-40 degrees. In the higher temp range, I didn’t wear a base layer and they were excellent. The mesh zip vents on the sides were great for long hikes and the pants went through thick brush without any issues.
I have a few small jagger holes in the pants now after two years of use, but that is it. They are durable and the zippers are excellent (which is what you will find on all Asio gear). Taped seams and all.
The best thing was that they fit me well (size medium) and I was able to layer under without any issues. I thought the fit was better with these pants versus the Midweight Pants (which were slightly tighter in a medium for me).
The Sherpa-lined pants are excellent. They are not as quiet as some of the other items, but when you add in the windproofing and durability aspects, you have to expect that a little. If you want something warmer, the Asio Late Season Bibs are a choice I highly recommend. They are excellent….and I’m not a bib guy.
Overall I can’t complain, these are great pants. I highly recommend them.
Asio Sherpa-lined Windproof Beanie Review
The Sherpa-lined Beanie is windproof and was a nice addition to the lineup here. That being said, I don’t know if I would buy it again. I have the One Size Fits All size and it fits very snugly to my head. I don’t have a big head and wear a small 7 1/8 – 7 1/4 size ball cap.
You can feel the windproofing around where it sits on your ears and it hindered my hearing. I am a disabled veteran and wear hearing aids. This didn’t help my situation at all.
That being said, the beanie is warm and it blocks the wind. If you want to get it I suggest sizing up unless your head is smaller than mine.
The Beanie works great, it just wasn’t my favorite item.
Conclusion
After more than four seasons, ASIO remains some of my favorite bowhunting clothing. The gear is no-frills, bowhunter focused, and built with quality and durability. More important, the pieces can be combined around activity level, wind, temperature, and how long I expect to sit.
That does not make every piece perfect. I still notice small pocket-layout issues in some of the older gear, and I do not like how the light tan seat panel on the Bomb Pant stands out while I am moving. Those are real weaknesses, but they do not erase the fit, toughness, stretch, and bowhunting details that keep the clothing in my rotation.
The updated Midweight Hoodie is a clear improvement over the original. The Midweight Puffy adds packable insulation with a bowhunter-focused cut, and the Bomb Pant gives hunters a much tougher mid-season option if the fit works for them. For hunters deciding between RAP-X and Raptor, I would choose the pattern around the background: RAP-X for more varied or lighter cover and Raptor when I expect to stay tight to darker trees and timber.
If you have used either pattern or any of these pieces, leave a comment with the terrain, weather, and hunting setup. That kind of detail helps other bowhunters decide where the gear fits.
CONTINUE THE CLOTHING SYSTEM
Your Next Steps
BUILD
LOCKThese pieces span BUILD and LOCK: they add warmth and help protect that warmth from cold, wind, or changing weather.
Use this review to decide what job the piece should perform, then build the rest of the system around it.
1. Build Adaptable Warmth
Start with the BUILD layers that add warmth without unnecessary bulk.
2. Protect the System
Use LOCK pieces to defend the layers beneath them from wind and weather.
3. Compare Cold-Weather Systems
See how complete outerwear systems performed under the same testing process.
Part of the Everyday Bow Hunter System
Want to see exactly what I’m carrying this season? Check out my Personal Bowhunting Gear List for 2026
