Hunting clothes have come a LONG WAY in recent years, especially youth hunting clothes. FORLOH is a company that actually has a line for kids and carries some of the best youth hunting clothes on the market. We’ve done some Forloh reviews for adult clothing and wanted to test out some pieces that they have for kids. This review was born from that.
Forloh Youth Hunting Clothing- The Basics
Hunting clothing can be super expensive, and when you’re an adult no longer growing, it can be tough to drop serious change on your camo wardrobe let alone on your kids who will soon outgrow them. Some people have the money to buy top of the line for their kiddos, but for many it can be a stretch. That is why we wanted to do one of our Forloh reviews on the basics for youth hunting clothes.
For this review, we tested three pieces that we felt are really versatile, that your child will wear a bunch, getting your money’s worth. In the future, we hope to test more Forloh youth hunting clothing as they have a great selection for youth. Check out their full youth line here!
100% USA MADE AND SOURCED
One thing you won’t find on the market very much these days are products made 100% in the USA. Forloh not only MAKES their products in America, but every single piece of material they use in their products are also made in the USA. That is a monumental task, but Forloh has done just that.
Now, as with everything made in the USA, it does come at an extra cost, but it is worth it as you can be a patriot knowing that Forloh supports American jobs. It might be easy to gloss over this fact, but it can’t be overstated enough just how difficult it is to source everything in the USA, but Forloh is committed to this mission, and that is impressive.
Forloh Naming Convention – Forloh Camo Clothing Review
When I first started looking at all the offerings from Forloh, I wasn’t quite sure what the differences were between the base layers in the “Deep Space Collection” and the “SolAir Collection.” They also have the “AllClima Collection“, the “Airalite Collection“, and the “Thermoneutral Down Collection.” Here’s how each of them fits together:
FORLOH SOLAIR COLLECTION
The Forloh Solair collection is their warm weather collection that integrates brr Pro technology, which is designed to help keep you cooler. I’ve tested these and can confirm it does in fact work. This collection includes lightweight pants, lightweight pants with Insect Shield, shorts, crew tee shirts, long sleeve shirts, hooded shirts, and a technical full zip hoody.
FORLOH DEEP SPACE COLLECTION
The Forloh Deep Space Collection is your cold weather base layer collection. These are the base layers you want to grab for your cold weather pursuits or any time you want that warm base layer. I even used Deep Space Crew during my early season archery hunt if temperatures were cooler. This collection has a good variety of configurations from long sleeve crew shirts, to 1/2 zip (to layer over the crew), and base layer bottoms.
FORLOH AIRALITE COLLECTION
The Airalite collection is their lightweight rain collection and currently comes in both a lightweight rain jacket and pants.
FORLOH ALLCLIMA 3L COLLECTION
The Forloh Allclima 3L Collection is likely to be most people’s go-to lineup as it includes a durable Allclima 3L rain jacket and 3L rain pants, their super popular Stretch Woven Pants, and the Allclima Soft Shell Jacket,
FORLOH THERMONEUTRAL DOWN COLLECTION
As the name implies, this is your cold weather insulation. The Forloh ThermoNeutral Down Collection is offered in men’s, women’s, and youth options, and comes in a vest, jacket, and pants to keep you warm in the coldest temperatures. These are the pieces you will grab when the temperatures drop and you need insulation.
Forloh Youth Hunting Clothes- Deep Space Youth Base Layer Bottoms
Layers are the best pieces of clothing to start with in our opinion. They’ll get worn the most and are the most critical piece of your layering system. These Forloh Youth Deep Space Bottoms were a go-to-piece for our eleven year old son this past hunting season. He never went on a trip without them.
In September during archery season when the weather wasn’t really cold yet, he brought these with him in his Mystery Ranch Metcalf backpack as they make the perfect, light weight pant to sleep in when in the backwoods. These made perfect PJ bottoms if you will, that were easy to stuff in his pack so he had something to sleep in.
Make sure to check out our other gear reviews and the Backwoods Pursuit YouTube Channel to help you decide what gear will help you stay out in the field longer!
In colder weather, during our October and November rifle seasons, the Forloh Youth Deep Space Bottoms were the perfect warm layer under his pants so that we didn’t need to necessarily purchase a heavier weight pant for him for those times when the temperatures dropped. Again, kids grow so fast that by next year, an expensive, super warm pant just wouldn’t fit him. That’s why these bottoms are some of the best youth hunting clothes you can purchase.
These Forloh bottoms offer some serious technology as they utilize the Trizar Technology, which is a NASA certified space fabric that redirects heat back to the body, making this layer very warm while also diffusing moisture from sweat. Forloh has a unique combination of fabrics and technologies that you can read about on their website that greatly reduces odor, so the kiddo you brought with you on your hunting trip won’t stink as much. Definitely an added bonus when in the backcountry without a way to shower.
What He Liked:
There was a lot our son liked about the Deep Space Bottoms. They are a great base layer that he used on every trip, as PJs and as a way to stay out in the cold weather without buying specialty pants. They kept him really warm and stink-free.
He loved sleeping in them and said they were super comfortable. They fit snug enough around the ankles that they didn’t ride up on him in his sleeping bag or when he put other pants over the top, which was a bonus. The waist band was pleasant to wear as the material is soft and never rubbed him raw, which has happened with some bottoms he’s tried.
These pants come in 6 different color/pattern options which is fun! Our son chose EXPOSED as his favorite for this review.
What He Didn’t Like:
There isn’t much he didn’t like about the Forloh Deep Space Youth Base Layer Bottom. The only thing we noticed after careful inspection at the end of the season, was that the fabric began to ball up where his backpack would ride on his lower back and there is a lot of friction. If there was a way to reinforce this specific area on the pants, as this will be a problem for most every young hunter, what would be ideal.
Our eleven year old who is fairly tall for his age and wears a size 12/14, wore a size LARGE in these Forloh bottoms, but next year he will definitely have outgrown them, which is unfortunate because Forloh does not carry an X-LARGE that would fit similar to a size 14/16. Going into a men’s size SMALL would be too big for him, especially around the waist, so we’d love to see Forloh youth hunting clothing available in the next size up.
Forloh Youth Hunting Clothes- Deep Space Youth Long Sleeve Top
This Forloh Youth Deep Space Crew Long Sleeve Shirt is the partner to the base layer bottoms described above, with the same amazing technology in its fabric for incredible warmth, moisture repellent and odor block. This Forloh youth long sleeve base layer is a must-have if you have to pick just a few youth hunting clothes to spend some money on for your ever-growing youngster. Like the bottoms, this is a piece that they’ll wear the whole season!
In the colder months, it is a great layer to add serious warmth to any ensemble and can act as something soft to sleep in as well. Though it is long sleeve, our son found himself wearing this shirt in the warmer months during archery as it really does control scent and help with moisture. The cooler mornings and evenings make this piece perfect and when it’s warmer, the long sleeves protect from the sun, bugs and scratchy grasses.
What He Liked:
As mentioned above, this Forloh youth long sleeve base layer has some amazing Trizar Technology in its fabric with some incredible features and is super versatile, which is what you want when spending money on your child who is growing like a weed. Even if it doesn’t fit them in a year, you’ll know they’ll have gotten good use out of it in the fall and winter, making this some of the best youth hunting clothes out there.
Forloh youth hunting clothing is extremely comfortable and this Deep Space Youth Long Sleeve Top is no exception. It is tag-less which helps in this department and also has thumb slits at the wrists which our son really appreciates in a layer. This helps keep your kiddo warm as well as helps the layer stay in place when putting on a jacket or when twisting around in a sleeping bag if being worn as PJs.
This shirt is offered in the same 6 colors/patterns as the bottoms, and again, our boy’s favorite was EXPOSED, which is what is pictured for this review.
What He Didn’t Like:
While this layer does provide added warmth during rifle season when the weather is colder, our son still needed more layers and actually wore a long sleeve Under Armour Cold Gear long sleeve shirt underneath this Forloh layer, with a jacket on top to keep from getting cold.
One thing he noticed is that the stitching around the wrists was fairly dense and was slightly itchy. It drove him a bit nuts and he wished the thread was softer. After inspecting it, I could understand what he meant and agreed it was a little rough, so to someone with more sensitive skin, it might be a problem.
Just like the Forloh Youth Deep Space Bottoms the largest size is a LARGE, and it left us wishing they made this shirt in an X-LARGE which would be similar to a size 14/16, for next year when he’s outgrown these youth hunting clothes.
Forloh Youth Hunting Clothes- ThermoNeutral Down Vest
The best youth hunting clothes always include a good layering system like described above, but in addition to that, we believe another important basic clothing staple is a good down vest or jacket. This Youth ThermoNeutral Down Vest, while pricey considering it’s for a kid who’s growing, is honestly a good investment if you can fork out the change. One could even argue it’s a better investment than the ThermoNeutral Down Jacket given that it’ll be more forgiving in the fit without the challenge of sleeve length.
The durability and technology of this vest makes it some of the best youth hunting clothes on the market. If you have a couple of kids who like to pursue the backwoods when the weather gets colder, whether boy or girl, this is definitely a piece you can hand down that all of your kids can eventually wear.
Being a vest, your little outdoor enthusiast won’t outgrow it quite as quickly as a long sleeve shirt or pair of pants because you don’t have to worry about sleeve length. We’d recommend going with a size larger and your kiddo can definitely get a few seasons out it.
Down vests are great especially when active, and particularly when bow hunting or fishing, as you don’t have a bunch of bulky fabric around your arms constricting your movement, but can keep your core extremely warm where it counts.
This Forloh ThermoNeutral Down Vest is made of DWR treated 650 fill duck down so it’s super light weight and incredibly warm. Believe it or not, Forloh treats each individual feather with something called Activ-Dri™ Down which helps keep the vest dry, not absorbing sweat like many down products do. The feathers stay lofted and the down is actually fairly breathable because of this great technology incorporated into this vest.
Additionally, the Thermoneutral Down collection all feature their “Perf-Weld” technology which “ensures exceptional breathability through micro-perforations in the Sonic Weld construction” (Forloh’s website). In our experience, the Perf-Welds seemed to do exactly that. In fact, if you hold this piece up to the light, you can see where that extra breathability comes from.
What He Liked:
This Thermoneutral Down Vest is so lightweight and can compress down to nearly nothing, it makes it a fantastic piece to take along for extra warmth, particularly if you’re backpacking and every ounce counts.
It features a higher collar than similar vests on the market which is a great bonus when it’s cold and windy outside. The fabric is extremely durable, made from 100% military spec quantum 40D rip-stop Nylon. Though the fabric feels silky smooth and seems like it could easily snag, that is not the case. Our son wore this during many hunting trips in September, October and November, walking through thorny brush that could have snagged it, yet didn’t.
The zippered pockets are amazing and you can tell by how they feel and function that they are very high quality. Our son loved how he could quickly zip and unzip the pockets with one hand and not have any fabric bunch up and get caught in the zipper. He also really liked the small pocket on the chest which is perfect for an elk call, chapstick, etc.
What He Didn’t Like:
There wasn’t anything our son didn’t like about this Forloh Themoneutral Down Vest. It’s pretty incredible. The price tag is up there, particularly for a piece of youth hunting clothing. You are, however, getting a great piece for your mini outdoor enthusiast, and if you plan it right and get this vest in a size larger and then pass it down to your other kiddos, you’ll get your money’s worth out of this go-to-piece.
Again, we wish Forloh youth hunting clothing came in an X-LARGE, but like the base layers that Forloh offers for youth, they only offer sizes XS to LARGE (Comparable to sizes 6-12).
forloh Youth Hunting Clothing: CONCLUSION
After having our son try out these basic, go-to pieces, we definitely want to do more Forloh reviews in the future on some of their other youth hunting clothes. This was our son’s first experience wearing anything from Forloh outdoor clothing, and it did not disappoint! We would definitely recommend starting with these three pieces for your little outdoor adventurer.
You’re getting great quality and best of all, Forloh’s clothes are all MADE IN THE USA which we are always super stoked about. If you’re going to spend money on clothes and gear, might as well support companies who love America and keeping jobs at home.
Pick up some of Forloh’s clothes for your kiddo today. You’ll be glad you did.
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