In recent years, the hunting world has become obsessed with the concept of ultralight gear. The promise of shaving ounces has fueled a race among brands to make everything lighter, sometimes at the cost of what matters most in the backcountry: durability, comfort, and true functionality. As serious hunters, we need to ask: is less always more?
Is less always more?
Standing at 6’3” and around 220 lbs, I don’t consider myself small by any means, but I also don’t feel like I’m carrying around that much weight. I feel I’ve efficiently put on muscle in the places that count in the backcountry. I’ve also never heard of anyone cutting body weight to be as light as possible in the backcountry. I’d call that mountain suicide. When looking towards our technical wear, shouldn’t we approach this the same way?
Where do we draw the line? For those of us who hunt intensively for multiple seasons, it’s fairly common to find that most items in our hunting kit require replacement every two years or so. Truthfully, with the current materials and processes that exist on the market, as we continue to prioritize reducing weight, the less durable and more likely to tear our gear becomes. Flagship hunting pants from leading brands consistently prove to have a difficult time standing up to the ever-present barbed-wire cattle fencing. Crossing over a fence a little too tall and tight, and that leap of faith sometimes ends with a rip down the crotch or the inside seam. I’ve ripped two pairs of pants in this exact scenario just this last season, and had countless buddies do the same. Yes, maybe a little more caution might have helped, but after all, we are hunting. Getting after it in unpredictable, rugged country. Sleep-deprived and thirsty for blood. Shouldn’t our gear be prepared with this in mind?
Here at Gray Light, we’re keeping the hunter in mind by meticulously crafting gear that pushes the elements. Gear that fights back and outlasts the hunt, even in the most demanding of environments. Our goal is to design top-of-the-line outdoor apparel that lives to see multiple seasons and many miles. If this is important to you, you are in the right place.
"Gear that fights back and outlasts the hunt, even in the most demanding of environments"
Let’s explore where these trends have led us, and how Gray Light is forging a different path. But before we get into the nitty-gritty of materials and construction, you should probably understand what’s really happening with today’s ultralight layering systems—and where the tradeoffs start to show.
The standard ratio for your merino layering system is typically as follows: heavyweight merino garments have an average of 85–90% merino-to-nylon ratio, while ultralight options are approximately 70% merino-to-nylon. As the material gets thinner, the percentage of nylon in the garment typically increases to maintain durability.
As a base layer under a jacket, this seems to work well, but often, especially early season around that August–September time frame, many of us prefer to hunt in our merino base layer, as any extra layer proves too hot. That’s where problems arise. Hunting through and around Devil’s Club, Mountain Mahogany, and/or Shrub Oak, just a couple common foliage types in the West, often leaves these lighter garments tattered and torn. On the stalk, you may be fine, moving slow and with precision, but those pack-ins? Sometimes they turn violent, applying brute force to seemingly impenetrable patches of bush. Does this mean we pack in with a different set of clothes than we use to hunt? If that is so, what is this “Race to Ultralight” even about besides a gimmicky catch phrase to push product?
"Gray Light believes that durability and functionality are the foundation of efficient technical outdoor apparel"
Again, we’re not saying that weight doesn’t matter; we’re just wondering at what cost to you. The Hunter. You push into the unknown; you hike into the depths of the wilderness where real danger lies. Is that the place where we can afford to skimp on functionality and durability? Where one torn piece of gear might have you hiking back to your rig, or worse. We don’t believe so.
Gray Light believes that durability and functionality are the foundation of efficient technical outdoor apparel. We cut weight where we can, without sacrificing the integrity of our gear. While designing our first kit, we are exploring the outdoor space as a whole to see where our community is lacking and how we can ultimately make adjustments and additions to better the hunting experience. After all, an unexpected hike out lessens your odds of being victorious in the end.
We also know comfort is essential. Small, nagging edges and poorly fitting garments are only exacerbated during long, grueling hunts deep within the backcountry. If you notice your gear is not optimal before the hunt, it will only become more bothersome in the field. The relentless rub of a zipper’s edge against your jugular or the constant rise of a pant can get to the best of us. These are just a few of the things we’ve noticed within our systems over the years that demand change.
We’re excited about our first kit, featuring innovations that improve comfort and wear. Small, intentional changes to the design that just make sense, especially to outdoorsmen who spend days on end in some of the most beautiful yet extreme environments known to man. Where a 5–10% increase in comfort is undoubtedly felt. We don’t have to recreate the wheel; we just have to look at it from a slightly different lens, grabbing every extra percentage of comfort where we can.
In other industries, and especially those focused on the outdoors and mountaineering, we consistently see innovation and progress in the materials and design of the garments they release each year. Focused on durability and sustainability, Patagonia is a leading brand in the outdoor world, and it is no wonder why. The brand has a strong ethos it has lived by since its birth in 1973. Founder Yvon Chouinard built his brand on a strong foundation and a belief in sustainability and durability that resonates with their tribe of loyal outdoor enthusiasts. He not only ran the brand but lived the life of a complete badass in the outdoors. He didn’t just talk the talk; he walked the walk.
Do we see, and even more so feel, this today within the hunting industry? In an industry so enveloped by the outdoor world, why are these fundamentals unspoken? Where have the leaders gone?
Ultimately, this stagnation and lack of innovation and focus on durability and functionality has opened the door for Gray Light’s founder, Marlon Holden, to create something truly special. The industry needs a brand not only with a capable leader at the helm but also one that undoubtedly lives by the ethos on which the company was founded. Someone who gets it done in the office and on the mountain. A CEO who speaks and leads from over 20+ years of experience chasing and effectively harvesting mature animals across some of the harshest environments North America has to offer. Would you seek financial advice from someone who’s broke? Then why would you follow a brand led by someone who’s likely never been a mile in your boots?
Who knows? Maybe we’re wrong in all of this. Maybe business is business and those who know business know best. We’d just like to think that you, the hunter, would expect more out of the brands you sport around the mountains. In some extreme cases, your life relies on the gear they provide. The mountains are extremely unforgiving, and every year prove consequential to an unlucky few. We’re not talking high fashion here; we’re talking functionality at its demanded finest.
As we continue to push for better solutions and challenge industry conventions, we know this approach isn’t without its critics. But for us, it always comes back to the needs of those who rely on their gear when it matters most. This isn’t just about business—it’s about responsibility, trust, and our commitment to every hunter who steps into the wild.
We do not speak with arrogance but with true belief in ourselves and in Gray Light. Keeping you at the forefront of the conversation and in our minds at all times through the birth and journey of a brand. A brand built off values and real-world experience deep within the heart of the backcountry. Decades of trials and tribulations, failures and triumphs, each time unveiling a little more of what is possible within our ecosystem as we push limits as hunters and outdoorsmen. Because of this, we feel it is our duty here at Gray Light to raise the bar and bring you what is possible, and even more so, what you deserve.
