There’s a certain irony to hiking through Montana with a guy who has spent decades developing technical hunting apparel: You might expect him to tell you that you need more gear.

John Barklow’s answer is almost the opposite.

During a hike through Montana’s Absaroka Mountains, Barklow, SITKA’s senior product manager (and experienced outdoorsman), explained why hunters shouldn’t think about clothing as a collection of individual pieces. The goal isn’t to own a closet full of jackets, pants, and insulating layers. It’s to understand how those pieces work together as a system.

And according to Barklow, that system can be surprisingly simple.

SITKA’s current eight-piece framework includes a base layer top, base layer bottom, softshell pant, active-insulated midlayer, windproof jacket, static puffy jacket, rain jacket, and rain pant.…