Huntworth Early Season Gear: Gadsden & Durham Review

Finding early-season bow hunting clothes that are comfortable and wick sweat away in warm weather, are durable, and quiet can be a challenge if you are on a tight budget. That’s why I picked the Huntworth Gadsden Pullover and Durham Lightweight Pants to review.

I review a lot of hunting clothes and this past season was no different. I reviewed Sitka, Asio, and Forloh early season options alongside this Huntworth combo to see how they compared to the competition and if they were a good buy for bow hunters.

I hunted in this pullover and pants combination approximately 5-6 times and feel like I conducted a very thorough test through some very harsh conditions. The review below details what I found.

*For your reference, I am 5′ 8″ tall and 190 lbs. I wore the pullover in a large and the pants in a medium. These are my normal sizes.

Review Criteria

As I’ve said in all of my other early-season gear reviews, my criteria for clothing are pretty specific when it comes to bow hunting. I look for garments that are lightweight and breathable, to handle the warmer temperatures.

They need to offer effective moisture management to deal with sweat. Insect protection is a plus to keep ticks and bugs at bay. Deer vision defeating camo is a high priority. And of course, scent control is crucial for getting close to the game. You can read more about my criteria here.

Huntworth Gadsden Lightweight Hunting 1/4 Zip Pullover

The Huntworth Gadsden Pullover is a lightweight hunting quarter-zip that is designed for comfort and flexibility during hunting activities. It features a high-stand collar and a quarter-zip design that allows for easy ventilation when needed.

The pullover is made from a blend of polyester and spandex, providing a comfortable fit that moves with you. It also features a DWR finish that helps to repel water and keep you dry in light rain or mist. The pullover is available in the Disruption® digital camo pattern, which is designed to help you blend into your surroundings.

Huntworth Durham Lightweight Hunting Pants

The Huntworth Durham Lightweight Hunting Pants are designed for comfort, durability, and flexibility. They are made from a stretch-woven polyester and spandex blend, which provides a good range of motion and is also abrasion-resistant.

The pants feature a DWR finish that sheds light moisture and snow, keeping you dry in damp conditions. They are unlined, making them suitable for warmer weather or for layering in colder conditions. The pants have six pockets, providing ample storage for your hunting accessories. The waistband has five belt loops for a secure fit.

Review

Huntworth Gadsden 1/4 Zip Pullover Review

Price: $39.99

The Huntworth Gadsden Pullover, despite feeling slightly heavy in your hand, wears surprisingly light. It’s comfortable, quick-drying, and extremely quiet – a crucial feature when you’re trying to remain quiet. The quarter-zip design is a nice touch, allowing you to open it up while hiking to your stand. While it doesn’t quite match the cooling capabilities of some other early-season hoodies I’ve tested, it’s a solid option for those 60-70 degree days.

A chest pocket is a welcome feature, providing some much-needed utility that not all early-season clothing provides. The Gadsden is almost a crossover item. You can wear it in the early season and open the 1/4 zip to cool off and then you can zip up and wear it without layering when the weather starts cooling off. Not bad for a $40 shirt.

Huntworth’s Fallon Lightweight Hunting Long Sleeve Shirt is also an option for hot weather hunting, but it is a no-frills long sleeve without many additional options. I probably will test it next season (if I get a chance).

*NOTE: The pullover isn’t treated with Durable Water Repellent (DWR) protection due to the open knit pattern of the garment.

Pros

• Comfortable and lightweight, making it ideal for early-season hunts.
• Quick-drying properties keep you comfortable even when you sweat.
• Impressively quiet, a crucial feature for remaining undetected in the field.
• The quarter-zip design offers versatility in temperature regulation.
• Features a useful chest pocket for added utility.
• Has some scent control built in, but the exact type is not provided.
• Comes in the effective Disruption camouflage pattern.
• Very budget-friendly at just $39.99.

Cons

• Could be cooler for those really hot days.
• Lacks a hood, which some hunters might prefer for added concealment.
• No insect protection.

Huntworth Durham Lightweight Pants Review

Price: $119.99

The Durham lightweight pants, on the other hand, are a robust pair of hunting pants that can handle a variety of conditions. They’re slightly tight in the waist for a medium, but the fit elsewhere is spot on. The reinforced knees and backside are a bit noisy when moving through thick brush, but they offer valuable brush and waterproof protection and are quiet enough once you’re in your stand or saddle. The pants also dry quickly after sweating, a feature that’s much appreciated during those early-season hunts.

Pros

• Offer robust protection, ideal for moving through rough terrain.
• Quick-drying capabilities are a much-appreciated feature during early-season hunts.
• Reinforced knees and backside add to the durability and offer valuable waterproof protection.
• DWR water-resistant protection was added to shed light rain.
• Effective Disruption camouflage pattern aids in blending with the environment.

Cons

• Slightly tight in the waist for a medium size.
• Can be noisy when moving through thick brush.
• Could benefit from zip vents for better temperature regulation.
• Additional zippered pockets, especially on the backside, would enhance utility.
• No scent control features.

Huntworth Disruption Camouflage: A Closer Look

One of the standout features of Huntworth’s early season combo is the Disruption camouflage pattern I wore when testing. As a big fan of disruption-style camo, I was intrigued by Huntworth’s take on this design. The Disruption pattern effectively uses both micro and macro dispersion to beat deer vision, making it an excellent choice for bow hunters looking to blend seamlessly into their environment.

Interestingly, Huntworth’s Disruption camouflage bears a striking resemblance to some of Sitka’s popular camo patterns. It’s almost as if Huntworth’s Disruption is a cross between Sitka’s Optifade Subalpine and Optifade Elevated II designs. This isn’t necessarily a bad thing – Sitka’s patterns are well-regarded for their effectiveness, and Disruption seems to offer similar benefits.

In addition to Disruption, Huntworth also offers a darker disruption-style camouflage option called Tarnen. Like Disruption, Tarnen is designed with deer vision in mind and utilizes the same principles of micro and macro dispersion. This makes Tarnen another excellent choice for hunters, particularly those who prefer a darker camouflage pattern.

In the end, whether you choose Disruption or Tarnen for the Gadsden pullover or Durham pants, you’re getting a high-quality, deer vision-optimized camouflage pattern that can help give you an edge in the field.

Conclusion

In this Huntworth Durham Lightweight Hunting Pants and the Gadsden Lightweight Hunting 1/4 Zip pullover review, I found they offer a compelling blend of comfort, durability, and functionality. While they may not boast all the high-end features of some other brands, they excel in the areas that matter most to the early-season bow hunter.

The Gadsden pullover, with its comfort, quietness, and quick-drying properties, is a reliable companion for those variable early-season temperatures. The Durham pants, despite being slightly tight in the waist and a bit noisy when moving through thick brush, offer robust protection and quick-drying capabilities that are much appreciated during those early-season hunts.

One of the standout features of this combo is the effective Disruption camouflage pattern, which I’ve found to be quite effective in the field. The pullover’s useful chest pocket and the pants’ reinforced knees and backside add to the overall utility and durability of the set.

While there are areas for improvement, such as the pullover’s cooling capabilities for really hot days and the addition of zip vents and more zippered pockets on the pants, these are minor compared to the overall performance of the combo.

For the early-season bow hunter looking for a solid, cost-effective gear value option, this Huntworth combo is certainly worth considering. It provides a budget-friendly alternative without compromising on the essential features needed for a successful hunt.