Garry's Early Season Turkey KitUpdated 15 days ago

Garry's Go To's

Early season turkey hunting is full of highs and lows, and you need the right gear to keep you in the field as long as the birds are gobbling hot — even when the temperatures aren’t. That’s not always easy to dial in. Most turkey hunters are covering ground, hunting multiple states, and dealing with major temperature swings from frosty mornings to mild afternoons. Finding gear that adapts to all of that can be a challenge.

This early season kit is built to handle both the pressure the birds are feeling and the rapid temp swings you are.

To lead things off, we start with the Kiln Zip Off Long Johns. At 250g of Merino wool, the Kiln is our midweight base layer designed to regulate body temperature, retain heat, wick sweat, dry quickly, and resist odor through multiple prolonged uses. Built to perform in temperatures ranging from 20 to 60 degrees, it’s a true workhorse layer for cold early mornings that can still hang when the day warms up.

What truly separates these long johns is the full-length zip-off capability. When temperatures rise — or when a hunt shifts from sitting over decoys to cutting off a gobbler that won’t commit, you can shed this layer in seconds. In under 20 seconds, the Kiln Zip Off Long Johns can be off and in your pack without removing boots or pants, allowing you to downgrade your kit and get back in the hunt immediately.

We’ve all had that scenario: you’re set up before daylight in the cold, waiting on fly-down. The bird pitches down, won’t respond to calling, and suddenly you’re moving fast to reposition and close the distance. When sitting turns into running, the Kiln Zip Off Long Johns are the perfect base layer to keep you adaptable without slowing you down.

To protect those long johns, you want a pant that is durable yet comfortable— especially during turkey season when the underbrush is starting to grow back and you’re running into briars, deadfall, and anything else that wants to grab at your gear. Early season means wet ground, rough timber, and plenty of time sitting against bark. The 308 White Tail Pant is there to get you through it. These pants have been tried and true in the field for multiple years and have quickly become a favorite around the First Lite office for a reason.

Featuring a four-way stretch polyester construction, the 308 pant is built to handle anything that grabs, pulls, or brushes against it. Instead of binding or tearing in thick cover, the fabric flexes and springs back into place, making it ideal for those dense early-season setups where briars and undergrowth are more common than not.

That same four-way stretch really shines when the terrain changes. Whether you’re side-hilling, climbing ridges, or covering ground to cut off that gobbler mentioned previously, the pant works with you and not against you. There’s no binding, no restriction, and no uncomfortable pressure points. Just consistent mobility and comfort through long days of hunting.

The 308 pant also features a built-in belt, so you never have to worry about forgetting one at home. When you’re running and gunning, climbing, or putting miles on your boots, you can quickly dial in the fit without dealing with a separate belt system.

With your lower half protected and mobile, you should start focusing on your upper layers because early season comfort starts at the base.

Just like its lower-half counterpart, the Kiln Zip Off Long Johns, the Kiln Long Sleeve Crew is built from the same 250g merino wool. It regulates temperature, wicks sweat, dries quickly, and resists odor even after prolonged use in the field.

The reason the Kiln Long Sleeve Crew is recommended for early season is simple: it’s our midweight layer. How many times have you gone hunting when the weatherman called for one temperature, only for it to turn out substantially colder — or even warmer? That’s exactly where this piece thrives.

Merino wool performs exceptionally well across temperature swings. When it’s cold, it traps heat and keeps your core warm. As temperatures rise, it helps regulate that warmth by dispersing heat across the shirt, preventing you from overheating. That adaptability makes it ideal for early season hunts when the mornings feel more like winter and afternoons can leave you thinking you’re hunting Osceola’s in Florida.

The Kiln Long Sleeve Crew can serve as your primary base layer under insulation, or it can stand alone as an outer layer when a jacket isn’t necessary.

Now, while the Kiln Long Sleeve Crew is incredibly versatile, it won’t always be enough as a standalone option in that 20°–45° range — and that’s where the Navigator Hoody comes in.

The Navigator Hoody is an extremely lightweight, packable mid layer that can be used in almost any temperature range or situation you find yourself in during early season. It’s one of the most adaptable mid layers we offer.

Designed to function as a static warming mid layer while remaining breathable enough to serve as an active outer layer, the Navigator Hoody fills the gap when mornings are cold but movement is inevitable. It adds warmth without bulk and never feels restrictive under your gear.

The lightweight construction makes it easy to pack down into a backpack — or even a chest rig — and it layers seamlessly under insulation or rain shells. The warmth-to-weight ratio is impressive, giving you meaningful insulation without feeling heavy or bulky.

With its breathable yet durable outer fabric, high-lofted fleece interior, and fitted hood for added heat retention, the Navigator Hoody is the kind of mid layer that adapts with you throughout the hunt.

Now, I’m going to suggest a second mid layer — and there’s a reason for it. That piece is the Furnace Hoody.

If you’ve shopped with First Lite before, you already know our reputation when it comes to merino wool. If this is your first time, here’s a little background. First Lite built its foundation on merino wool base layers, and at the time, we were the only company in the hunting industry offering them. That commitment to merino performance is what first put us on the map.

Now, nearly 20 years later, merino wool is still the backbone of our organization. It’s what we’re known for — and while we might be a little biased, we believe it’s still the best in the industry.

The Furnace Hoody takes that same merino foundation and turns it up a notch. Built with heavyweight 350g merino, it’s designed for those true cold early-season mornings when lighter layers just won’t cut it.

Through personal experience, I’ve found that pairing the Navigator Hoody as your first mid layer with the Furnace Hoody layered over top is sleeper light weight system. I’ve personally worn that setup in 25° temperatures with a bird gobbling at 30 yards and stayed warm and comfortable the entire time! While some of that warmth may have came from the adrenaline, I did try that set up during elk season when nothing was happening and it did confirm to me both the Furnace and Navigator paired together is a deadly combination.

Then, when the hunt shifted and I had to get up and make a move, I was able to shed the Furnace Hoody quickly. The Navigator transitioned into an outer layer over my Kiln Long Sleeve Crew, and I was able to chase that bird down and get the job done without overheating. The Furnace hoody adds warmth but doesn’t lock you into a system that can not adapt with the continuously changing situations that come with chasing gobblers.

To round out the upper layering system, attention has to be paid to the core. It’s one of the most overlooked areas when building a kit, yet it plays a major role in overall temperature regulation. When your core stays warm, the rest of your body follows.

That’s where a vest becomes a game changer.

The Primer Puffy Vest is truly a do-it-all piece. Featuring a silent outer shell, a windproof membrane, and 80 grams of PrimaLoft Gold insulation, it’s built to perform across a wide range of scenarios and hunts. It adds meaningful warmth to your core without restricting arm movement, making it ideal for calling, drawing, or shouldering a shotgun without added bulk.

Best utilized in that 30° to 55° range, the Primer Puffy Vest shines. If temperatures don’t call for the full warmth of a Furnace Hoody but you still need added insulation through your core, the Primer Puffy Vest can be layered over the Navigator Hoody or directly over the Kiln base layer to fine-tune your setup without overheating.

To finish off the coverage for your upper half, and probably the most important piece in the set up: The Phantom Leafy Top. If you want to go full bush, this Phantom Leafy top will get you there. Designed to go over mid layers and outer layers, the Phantom Leafy Suit top brings your set up to life with 3D leaf pattern to allow you to blend seamlessly into your surroundings. As we all know, turkey can see colors and if they had a sense of smell, they'd be almost unkillable. The Phantom Leafy Suit top changes the odds in your favor. Turning into a tree has never been easier.

Last but not least, we round out the kit with gloves, socks, and a face covering. One of the trickiest parts of early season turkey hunting is finding a glove that provides enough coverage to keep your hands comfortable while still giving you the dexterity needed to safely and effectively operate your shotgun.

That’s where the Trigger Gloves come in.

Designed specifically with dexterity in mind, the Trigger Gloves provide the hand coverage you need for those colder early mornings without sacrificing the ability to call, handle gear, or get a clean shot off when the moment comes.

To keep your feet comfortable throughout the hunt, the All Season Socks are a great option for early season conditions. Built with a merino blend, they help regulate temperature, manage moisture, and keep your feet comfortable whether you're sitting at daylight or covering ground to reposition on a gobbler.

Finally, a Midweight Merino Neck Gaiter helps finish off the system by providing both concealment and warmth. It protects exposed skin from cool morning air while also helping break up your outline when birds get in close.

There are so many options available today that building the right turkey kit can feel overwhelming. While this setup may not be the perfect system for every hunter or every region, it provides a solid starting point for early season turkey hunting.

All of the pieces suggested here have been used personally throughout turkey hunts ranging from the mountains of Idaho to the swamps of Florida, and that experience didn’t come without plenty of trial and error along the way. The goal of this system is to provide reliable coverage and layering options that allow you to adapt to changing temperatures and environments while staying comfortable in the field.

While no kit can cover every possible scenario, this one is designed to give you a strong foundation that you can mix and match depending on the conditions you expect to face.

If you have any questions about this setup, or if you’d like help dialing in a system that’s even more tailored to your specific hunt, don’t hesitate to reach out. Myself or one of our other Customer Service representatives would be more than happy to help make sure you’re properly set up for whatever hunt you have planned.

-Garry C.

First Lite Customer Support and Gear Expert

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