I cannot begin to tell you how wonderful....	November 19, 2009
Reviewer: Nance Ceccarelli

I cannot begin to tell you how wonderful these suits are.

In late Dec and early January, we pheasant hunted in wet weather (sort of snowy - but not very cold). We stayed easily dry and comfortable with just the long underwear, pants, large jacket, and reversible hat with ear flaps.

The real test for me came in February when I judged on horseback two days of dog trials - 7 am - 5 pm - and the high temp never rose above 15 FARENHEIT! It was cold. I wore a silk undershirt, the long underwear tops and bottoms and my jacket and pants. I used the knit cap as a liner under my helmet. (I did not need the second jacket). The only parts that were cold were my toes and fingertips - so, when are you making socks, boots, and gloves!???

Thanks again for the superior clothing.

A complete review	November 19, 2009
Reviewer: Randy Smith

You've probably seen the advertisements in some of your favorite hunting magazines. The ads are fairly straightforward. An ultimate sportsman's package of pants, jacket and nine bonus layering items are offered for $239.95. The so-called bonus layering items include a base layer of long underwear top and bottom, a micro fleece shirt and pants intermediate layer, a fleece jacket, a safety vest, a reversible cap, a fleece hat, and suspenders.

Outhere Smartwear claims that, by eliminating the retail middle man, prices are kept lower and the customer benefits. I imagine it is simpler than that. The clothing is manufactured overseas and by ordering in large lots and selling in volume packages the company can present a competitive price for the customer and still make a nice profit.

More important for you is the question of whether the outfit is worth the price so I'm presenting my experiences here. I succumbed to the temptation and purchased an outfit last summer in the standard dark green. When it arrived I examined it carefully and thought that it looked like good stuff for the price. I stored it away and waited for cold weather hunting season.

I do a lot of predator calling and staying warm has always been a challenge. The older I get the more the challenge. My style of predator calling involves a lot of sets in several locations. I drive to the site, park my truck in a hidden location, quickly move to my calling site, set up, and then call. Depending on the situation I may call for twenty minutes or as long as an hour. Predator calling is always most productive in cold weather. I might add that the colder the better in most situations.

Being raised on a stock farm and with years of outdoor experience, I know that to retain warm and literally stay healthy, dressing in layers is a paramount consideration. I also know that if I get in a situation where I either overheat, get wet, or break a sweat in layered clothing I can be just as, if not more, uncomfortable. The first weakness I've usually noticed about a lot of young hunters is that they have no idea of how to dress properly for cold, wet, conditions. Instead of hunting with a valuable partner, I find myself accompanied by a stomping, fidgeting, shivering, mess. You can't blame them, but I've often found myself lecturing adult men on the proper way of dressing and the value of long underwear and insolated clothing.

Not only do many under-dress but some over-dress as well. They step out of the truck looking like the Michelin Tire icon and spend the day over-heating and shedding clothing. They tire quickly and suffer from literal heat exhaustion. Whenever you see a guy panting with beads of perspiration rolling off his forehead in 20 to 30 degree weather, you know he's overdressed.

Properly dressing for the outdoors in cold weather is a balancing act. You want to be able to move easily in as light weight an outfit as possible. You want to stay dry and avoid any situation where you perspire heavily. You want your fingers, ears and feet adequately protected. Nothing, and I mean nothing, will ruin a hunt quicker than cold ears, fingers, or toes. You want to be able to shed or add layers of clothing as a normal winter day passes. This means near or sub zero temperatures at dawn, the high 40's or low 50's by mid afternoon and then back to the 20's or 30's by sunset where I normally hunt.

The greatest value of the Hycreek Outhere Smartwear outfit is that this layering system is in nearly perfect balance. This outfit would be a perfect gift for a first-time or fairly inexperienced outdoorsman because it will teach a person how to dress. Combine this outfit with a good pair of gloves and some well-designed insulated boots and the novice hunter can enjoy a day in poor weather with a minimum of discomfort.

More experienced outdoorsmen will appreciate this outfit for what it is. While I have lots of outdoor clothes, I've found myself wearing variations of this Hycreek outfit more and more. In fact, I've found so much value in the clothing that I recently ordered two extra pairs of trousers from their closeout section to match with this and other outfits.

You can examine the outfit at the company's website (www.outheresmartwear.com) so you don't need me to repeat their product explanations or sales pitch. What I want to rather do is to give you some insight that isn't necessarily in the web site.

I'm 6'4" tall with a 36" inseam, 36" sleeve length, and a 37" waist. Right now I weigh 227 pounds but I can and do balloon up to 250 if I'm not really careful about diet. Finding outdoor clothing that fits properly without paying a fortune for it has always been tough. Finding correct sleeve length and pants inseam length has always been a challenge. The HyCreek outfit fit me like a glove when it arrived. While the pants are listed in my size as 42.5" the adjustable velco waist straps make them virtually perfect for my build. Movement wearing the complete outfit is non-restrictive. This is very comfortable clothing.

Pockets, pockets, pockets! I love the convenience of outdoor clothing with well designed and numerous pockets. The pockets in the coat and pants are perfectly placed, of the proper depth, or of rugged internal construction. There are zippered enclosures for keeping car keys and valuables, and roomy well-protected outside pockets for calls, knives, and other valuables.

The material of the coat and pants is rugged, quiet, and easily maintained. I've had the coat and pants covered with blood and soil. I wash the clothing in cold water (I use scent free liquid soap) and throw them in the dryer on low-cool permanent press cycles (the company recommends line drying). There is some fading of color but the clothing comes out of the dryer ready to wear again.

Rugged construction is always important. I consider this outfit to be of top quality material with good snaps and zippers, strong Velcro supports, and reinforced stress points. So far it has held up extremely well. I also purchased a pair of briar proof bibs that have gotten a fine workout during frosty, wet mornings of upland game hunting and sitting in the snow for predator calling. The clothing is wind proof and highly water resistant with little bulk.

A lot of the outfit matches up very well with other clothing such as my blaze orange coats for deer hunting, camo clothing, and upland game jackets and pants. While you may not feel that you need all of the items in the outfit, you can plan on using every item in one way or another. I certainly didn't need another cap but this one is so versatile that I keep it in the truck for emergencies.

So, is the outfit worth the price? Yes, and much more. This is a perfect purchase for someone wanting to give an outdoorsman a nice gift. It is a fine choice for the novice and experienced hunter. The experienced man appreciates it and the novice learns the proper way to dress. It would be an excellent purchase for a suburban or city dweller who wants to go on an expensive elk, deer or bear hunt and does not have a good selection of outdoor wear. Finally, any experienced trapper, hunter or even a stockman will appreciate what this outfit has to offer. I give the Hycreek outfit a five star recommendation.

The most efficient cold weather layering system..	November 19, 2009
Reviewer: Marty Kovarik from Michigan

Hycreek (by Outhere Smartwear) is the most thoughtfully designed and efficient cold weather layering system I have ever worn. Hycreek Sportswear is something for the northern hunter and ice angler to get excited about.

Over the past week I have examined and worn the product in various weather conditions and levels of activity. Weather encountered was 7 degrees below zero, 30 below zero wind chills, heavy winds and near whiteout snow, calm and sunny, and 34 degrees and raining. This test included over 30 hours on frozen Portage Lake near its entry to Lake Superior.

By using the various pieces of clothing and design features to enhance the versatility of the clothing, I was never overheated, cold, or wet. The venting features and the breathability of SMART-TEX technology proved themselves during periods of high activity and time spent in a heated ice shanty. While experiencing extreme wind-chills, the outer jacket and pant proved completely windproof, and during rain and while kneeling in slushy snow the fabric proved waterproof.

Attention to detail and quality workmanship are evident throughout the clothing. Heavy-duty zippers are used and double stitching strengthens major stress points.

Every detail to make the Hycreek system user friendly and functional has been thought of.

Warmth and versatility start with the lightweight fleece shirt and pants. This first layer is ultra comfortable and the sufficiently long shirt can be zipped half way down to let heat escape during active periods and zipped all the way high around the neck to lock in warmth when needed. The fleece inner flap to seal the heat and keep the cold zipper off the skin is one example of the thoughtful design found throughout the system. In addition, the zippered fleece shirt is suitable for wear anywhere. The inner layer is so comfortable I never wanted to take it off.

The reversible fleece jacket works double time as a liner in the layering system and a hunting/town jacket. The extra-large handwarmer pockets are lined for comfort and large enough for cargo, and the chest pockets are big enough for cell phones, GPS units and small cameras. As the second layer used to lock in body heat, the jacket zips all the way to the chin and is long enough to trap heat well below the waist. The draw cord at the bottom ensures a tight seal when needed. The thumbholes in the sleeves not only keep the inner jacket from riding up while putting on the outer jacket, but also can be used during cold weather to keep more of the hand covered.

The outer jacket completes the weather barrier and seals in heat from half way up the face to below the waist. Draw cords above and below the waist can be adjusted as weather and activity demand and underarm vents add even greater versatility. As in the jacket, the lined handwarmer pockets are generous, as are the chest pockets. As another example of attention to detail, the ample cargo pockets have a brass lined drain hole at the bottom.

The pants are the final example of quality design. Outfitted with both suspender buttons and belt loops, the waist of the pant is high in the center of the back for extra warmth on the kidney area. The most impressive design feature of the pants is the extra large adjustable cuffs. During 30 hours on Lake Superior ice they kept warmth in and water, slush and snow out of the boot and the bootlaces.

To put a layering system like this together an outdoor person could expect to pay substantially. To see clothing with this quality of design, function and style at this price is unheard of. Hycreek by would be a great deal at twice the price.