The good news is that I was invited on an upland hunt. And not just any local hunt. No, this one is in Iowa, and not just Iowa but at the Heritage 1865 Hunting Lodge and Outfitters, an Orvis endorsed hunting grounds.

As upland hunts go, that’s not a bad place to be invited. We’ll be hunting pheasants in what should be prime Iowa hunting weather with temps ranging from mid 30s to high 50s.

Here’s the bad news. Living in Arizona, and coming off a record setting run of 100+ degree days, with many days above 110, the temperature range in Iowa of 30 to 50 degrees is, well, less than ideal.

Why? Because after seven years of living in the moderate ‘hell on earth’ climate of the Phoenix Valley, I have little to no gear suitable for Iowa in November. Make that no gear. I used to have some gear that would make an early morning hunt in Iowa a walk in the park. Unfortunately, in a passing fit of stupidity, I gave all of it away.

This is what you might call a teachable moment. And the lesson learned the hard way is that you never, ever get rid of your gear. If you get rid of the old when you replace it with the new, that’s fine. That’s a fair trade. But when you are among the hunting haves one day and willingly join the hunting have nots the next, you have made a critical mistake.

So, leading up to the hunt I had been scrambling to find gear, everything from boots to clothes, an upland hunting vest to a travel bag suitable to carry it all.

Before you ask why I would need a bag to travel, it’s because for the last seven years I have successfully managed to fly going carry-on only. This minimalist approach works well for trade shows and short trips. It does not work when you have to prepare for cold weather, warm weather and wet weather.

Suddenly, real panic set it, especially as I realized I hadn’t seen an upland hunting magazine or product catalog in years. I used to love the old Dunn’s and Herter’s catalogs, not to mention the L.L. Bean hunting catalog. I flipped through the pages of these catalogs not just to shop but to learn about what gear one needed for dove, upland and waterfowl hunting.

But catalogs have fallen out of favor as the internet took over as everybody’s favorite way to shop. The problem there is that now you need to know what brands to search. Sure, you can go to Amazon but with a huge percentage of their products being Chinese made with brand names you don’t recognize, it becomes a bit dicey trying to make a good selection.

And my regret for not having a subscription to one or more of the upland hunting publications is now overwhelming. I never realized how much I missed seeing ads for gear until I found myself asking ‘who makes good upland hunting pants?’

Once I discovered I couldn’t immediately find a selection of products to choose from via a quick internet search, I defaulted to what normal people do…when they aren’t in a panic. I emailed and texted friends I know that hunt – a lot – and have gear they swear by.

I’ve known Jodi Stemler since she worked at the Congressional Sportsmen Foundation and I was at the National Shooting Sports Foundation, which is about 22 years. She’s dialed in to the conservation community like nobody’s business, and an avid hunter and angler. If anybody would have some expert guidance it would be Jodi.

Being friends with Jodi is a godsend at a moment like this, but it also comes with a healthy dose of humiliation as she openly laughed at my concerns about the Iowa cold, noting that those temperatures make for perfect pheasant hunting. At some point she referred to me a ‘thin blooded’ which is the polite way of saying I had gown soft.

Guilty as charged.

Jodi, however, delivered with two very top-tier recommendations. The first was to get a bag from 5.11. Jodi explained that she has been traveling to hunts for the last couple years with the 5.11 Mission Ready 3.0 90L roller bag and it has held up like an absolute champ.

It’s a great choice, for sure, but I opted for the larger SOMS 3.0 126L. I received the SOMS 3.0 in time to use it on a trial run on my trip up to Gunsite, and, to no one’s surprise, it’s excellent.

The second suggestion Jodi gave was to get an upland vest from Marsupial Gear. I had never heard of the company but another friend of Jodi’s has been using one and loves it.

She also told me their facility is in Arizona and I quickly discovered they are about 30 minutes from my house. I contacted Marsupial Gear and ran through my predicament and they had me come over to their factory and showroom.

I left with their Upland Vest in Blaze Orange. It’s an impressive piece of gear, backed by a killer warrantee/guarantee which probably explains why their products are so popular with western big game hunters. By-the-way, upland hunting is just a small part of their business…at the moment.

Earlier this year I was lucky enough to get my hands on a pair of Irish Setter boots, my first pair from the brand. They are super comfortable but more of a casual boot than a hunting boot. I contacted their agency and explained my sad sack story and was sent a pair of the Wingshooter waterproof leather 7-inch hunting boots.

Going into a hunt with new boots is not a great plan which is why I wore them all through the NASGW Expo, and the week I was at Gunsite, to break them in and get comfortable walking all day. The more I wear them them more comfortable they get, because that’s how good boots are supposed to work.

Among the list of items Heritage 1865 recommends you bring for the hunt is a pair of warm gloves. Yet another thing I don’t own. I contacted Hunt Monkey and requested two pair of gloves. The first is their blaze orange gloves called The Mule. The second, fearing the weather might be a bit colder than planned, is their Wooly half finger wool gloves.

The final major hurdle in the quest for last minute gear is, you know, clothes.

I gave up trying to figure out who made what and put this task all on Chase Cahalan of Media Direct which is organizing the hunt for the shotgun maker hosting the event.

I’ve known Chase since he was in middle school so I had no issues whatsoever in putting this all on him. There may or may not have been some minor threats made, but nothing prosecutable – or so I am told.

The week before leaving I was calling and texting him all but daily, asking with the politest of four-letter words whether or not I was going to be freezing to death in Iowa hunting in shorts and short-sleeves. Oh, how infuriating this younger generation can be.

Finally, and fortunately, through some unknown miracle, Chase found a contact, wrangled a favor, and got me a care package delivered from Pyke Gear.

Pyke who? Never heard of them.

At first I assumed he just made up the name to stop me from bugging him, but then he sent me a website link. I probably owe him an apology – which will never come – because this gear looked fantastic and even better when I got my hands on it.

Pyke Gear was kind enough send me a pair of their Dakota Upland Brush Pants, a Kiowa Ultralight Shirt, the Tongass Nomad Lightweight Jacket, and their Tongass Waterproof Upland Jacket. On top of that, they included a pair of their Dakota Cold Weather Gloves and, in an embarrassment of riches, a Wingman Pro B2 Upland Strap Vest.

Packing for Iowa I pretty much had everything I needed to make it through a couple cold days in Iowa, and do so in style. Of course, after the way I shot that week at Gunsite, my ability to hit any pheasants is seriously in doubt.

But, not really. I’ll down a couple birds, don’t worry.

— Paul Erhardt, Managing Editor, the Outdoor Wire Digital Network