keeping warm!!

[whyohe]

I know this has been discussed before but being we are getting colder and hunting season is here i was wondering what you thought was your BEST first layer for keeping warm. I have had some under armor and it works very good to me from the old knit thermals. For some reason the closet monster must have decided he needed it cause i cant find my bottoms?? ;D So since monday is the first day of rifle and it is going to be 24* in the morning i went to go find some more but to no avail. I was at Dicks spoorting goods and saw some Carhart polypropalyne for 15 and 20 bucks so i bought some to try. we will see how they work. Its suppose to get to mid and upper 40s here where i huntso it will be warm later but i sit in a open tree stand and dont move so cold comes on some times fast if there is a wind.

So tell me what you like and why and compared to what!

[wilmsmeyer]

Upper layers: Silk (100%), Heavy cotton tee shirt, Wool sweater, fleece pull over, and light camo zippered hoodie. If it's windy I put a goose down jacket under the last layer.

For legs: Silk long johns, Thinsulate pants, and then normal Army camo pants.

Feet: Silk socks with wool socks over them with UN-insulated LaCrosse button bottom rubber boots.

I was warm as toast all weekend at 30 degrees.

I carry a backpack so that I can add or remove some of these garments.

Also...don't forget your head!!! A spandex face mask and a fuzzy hat...topped off by your hoodie and your head/neck will be toasty.

No fun when your cold.

[pposey]

Anything by Patagonia,,,,,,,,,,,,

[tasaman]

Best underlayer I've found is Dufold. It's poly and wool, warm and comfy and the best thing going. Much better than anything else I've found for a single non bulky layer. If it's colder than I can take with just that I add a silk layer underneath the Dufold. If it's rediculously cold I use a silk type layer as the first layer and then a waffle style poly that the Army issued us in Afghanistan. I was in -7 plus wind in Kansas with that and was doing ok with that and a windproof outer shell.

[stubblejumper]

I live in Canada and I use a brand called Helly Hanson. They are polypropalene as well and I love them. They wick away moisture very well and are much warmer than the under armor stuff I've tried.

Whyohe...the wind chill was -41 here this week!

Dont wear any cotton, it absorbs moisture and will make you cold. There is a great Alberta company called Raven Wear that has a good website with good info on it.

24* is tee shirt weather =)

[whyohe]

stubblejumper,BRRRRRRRRRRRRR! ok now i hunted in weather like that once down here and PRAYED to get some thing fast to get out of that cold. I guess you would be really knowledgeable on how to stay warm!!!

thanks guys! keep the good info comming.
now i never have seen SILK first layer underware. is it expensive? I mean i think Under Armer is expensive but if it keeps me warm it will be worth it. I am going to really do some research on this stuff.

[12ptdroptine]

Poly Prop is good till you sweat in it..Then it is cold also. I have some cheap things from the big C store they are just a moisture wicking layer. And that is the most important layer. I have diabetes and freeze at the thought of winter. these things will wick moisture away to the tune of soaking my clothes and I am dry as a bone under them. I love them and they only cost about $20 a set. Another good idea is to layer up and wear some good quiet rainwear...It stops the wind in its tracks...and saves your heat inside. Or there is the Heater Body suit...something extra to carry but WARM..... I tried some Under Armour and it was to tight for me and restricted my circulation .And that just made it worse.

[Dave W]

First year for Cabelas Polar Expedition-Weight Polartec top and bottom. Warmer than any of the other Cabelas thermals I have tried to this point.

[pposey]

www.patagonia.com/us/product/patagonia-mens-capilene-4-expedition-weight-zip-neck-baselayer?p=43461-0-763

I have one of these tops that I have had for 12 years and it is as good as new,, wear it alot in the winter as a coat, with a matching set of bottoms, a decent mid layer say 300mil polar fleece and a wind shell you will stay pretty darn warm,,,, I had a patagonia coat for 20 years that started to delaminate,, the waterproof layer was coming of on the inside,,, I sent it to them and they sent me a $360 gift card "retail price of the coat 10 years after I bought it" as they no longer made that model. They really stand by their stuff.

[boarhog]

So far, I'm not all that impressed with the Under Armor, although it does help keep me dry. It is uncomfortably tight, even though they assure me that I have the correct size. We haven't had any very cold weather yet. I think the lowest I've hunted in was 28* so far this year. I layer Duofold Expedition weight over the UA, and sometimes, a set of Carhart overalls, but most of the time I'll just wear a Polartech hoody and a Remington camo coat. I always carry 2-3 blankets with me if I'll be sitting on a stand most of the day. One is a small down comforter/throw I'll use to cover my legs, or wrap around my feet. The others are Red Cross wool blankets a friend gave me. A wool blanket wrapped around my shoulders makes a huge difference when it is very cold and a wind is cutting through like a knife. I've been known to use the 3rd blanket as a wind breaker by clipping it to a stand with some clamps I carry in my pack. The best thing is a small propane "Buddy Heater" I caught on sale at Lowe's. I am very easy to spoil!
Boarhog

[youp50]

I am currently wearing polypro. It stinks, literally. Sweat in them one time and they are re-activated. You can wash them and put them on a clean body, hunt hard for a day and you smell like you have been working a week in a lumber camp.

I am saving for 'Smart Wool' tops and bottoms, now. They are spendy, like 80 or so each.

IMO the very best things I have ever purchased for staying warm was a fleece neck gaiter/hood thing and a pair of heavily insulated boots. If I can keep both ends warm the middle seems okay.

Very hard to beat a pop up type blind and a buddy heater though.

[mountainam]

Stubblejumper, There's a Canadian company that manufactures BLUE JOHNS. I have an old pair but I can't locate any of their new stuff here in the USA. Have you ever used the product?

[rossman40]

The thing is a good base layer that keeps the skin dry. Poly-pros or Underarmour does this well. Silk is about the only natural fiber that does this but do not confuse "silk weight" with real silk. The big killer is "breaking sweat" where you exert yourself and start sweating and as a result your insulating layer gets wet and wet clothing transmits cold about 90% faster. Add a little wind and you could lose heat faster then you can make it. Guys will be dressed in full gear and march to the stand, they "break sweat" and not ventilate or remove a layer so you have a ton of water vapor in your insulation and when you stop it condenses.

The biggest loss of heat is thru your head, hands and feet. I go to the woods with 3 pairs of gloves, from light weight to heavy weight. Three different types of headgear from a lightweight beannie to a pile balaclava. And when it is real cold a handwarmer muff with heatpacks is the berries.

As far as odor sweat is not the big odor producer but skin/body oil is. While most of the sweat goes thru the base layer and is turned to water vapor the skin/body oil hangs in the base layer and is attacked by bacteria which produces most of the odor. The best way to get it out is with a hot wash but synthetics do not survive a hot wash. Dawn dishwashing soap is great to get oil out of clothing with cold or warm washing. The addition of silver kills or at least limits the growth of the bacteria. All my base layer stuff has silver.

[tdillinger]

Getting cold is a terrible experience in the field. I like many have said use Polyester like Under A and i have tried womens nylons with success however humiliated with laughter later. The biggest thing i can say is dont put on your gear until you get to the stand. I carry all my gear in a Eberlesstock gunslinger II pack which holds all my gear; clothing, gun scoped in scarab, extra clothing, radio, compass, gps, fire starter, extra light and batteries for each and a 21 once thermas by Stanley full of hot soup. I wear dress socks walking to stand and switch to socks when at stand as rubber boots do not breath so i use differnt in insert soles as well. No Cotton, just polyester and Gortex. Wool is good and is warm when wet. As far as scent goes well I feel that is a problem, a deer can smell better than humans. I pack all gear in bags sealed, use sprays etc. Keeping warm is easy if you spend just a little bit more on gear. Also physical fitness and using muscles while sitting on stand. You need to flex toes, legs and glutes as your are sitting. Blood in your viens only returns to heart by muscle contraction. so flexing those muscles while sitting still is important. As far as heat loss goes you loose heat wear skin is exposed to the enviroment. extremities get cold because the lack of muscle contraction i explained earlier. The head like any other part of the body will get cold if you dont cover it. Cover the surface area as needed, if walking; thin to no insulation. If sitting for long periods wear some insulating clothing base layers (poly), insulating layer (bulky but thin poly) and then heavy with insulated poly with a breathable water proof fabric such as Gortex or Field and Streams Hydroproof. my .02

[pposey]

Ya I gave a couple guys alot to laugh at Saturday before last,,, I was hiking in hard to get to my hunting area,,, 1 hour hard hike, in only my gray base later bottoms, T shirt, knit hat, boots and gloves,,, but they were all sweaty and dragging, and i was dry and comfy when I started hunting at least a mile past them,,, carry all my insulateds in a backpack

[youp50]

Plus one for carrying your outer wear. When its really cold I will even carry pac boots and dry socks. Although, I do find myself hunting closer to the truck with a heated pop up blind when its zero or below.

I am not really worried about a deer smelling me, its part of the game. I do not like smelling me after the hunt!

Rossman,

I have noticed the silver/poly stuff for a while. I have been reluctant for this reason. Silver is one of the very best conductors of heat and electricity. It seems counter productive to insulate with a conductor.

[rossman40]

The thing to watch is the amount of silver. It doesn't have to look like a space suit. Silver inhibits the growth of bacteria and fungi and thus when added to clothing, such as base layers and socks, it can reduce odor and the risk of bacterial and fungal infection. It will actually kill athlete's foot, warts, planter's warts, toe fungus and prevent yeast infections and jock itch. The US and British Armies are jumping on it big time and NASA has used it for years. It supposedly will wick heat at above 55° and below reflect it back towards you. There is also some theory that it kills static electricity that can actually make you more tired as static electricity makes your muscles twitch minutely so as a result you have more energy and your tired muscles recover faster. Lance Armstrong is helping in research for sports applications. There is a new washer on the market that has a silver anode so a minute amount of silver is in the wash water to help combat odors.

Plus since it kills the bacteria that causes body odor you can wear it for days. It is also permanent so it never wears out or has to be recharged. Look at some of the Medalist stuff as they were involved with the Army.

[rsbhunter]

www.cdsportswear.com/wf_style1.htm

i have been looking at this for when hunting in the mountains...supposed to be great, anyone know anyting about it? rsbhunter

[rossman40]

Rsb,, I like the style and features but a bit pricy, but then again how much is staying warm in the worst of conditions in the middle of nowhere where your life can be on the line. The thumbloops and foot stirrups are very nice. I have wore out a couple of Helly Hanson Lumberjack fleece pullovers which had the thumbloops and was extra long in the rear, great workwear. I like a one-piece which really prevents that draft when you bend over but has the limitation of being a pain when try to take a dump. The material that is used is Polartec fleece which is very good stuff. But while the 100% synthetic fiber reduces the growth of bacteria it doesn't totally stop it like what would happen with silver added.

Myself I like a silk weight base layer and then use different weights of pile or fleece depending on temp just like the outer layer. I can juggle my combinations to cover a wide range of temps.

[warrior]

Justin Charles - Merino Wool ... Your going to pay for it but when you kill that "Monster" because you were able to stay out in the cold.... Well worth it ........

When it's real cold I use the base layer under the expedition wear and then top it off with my Raven Wear (Sweater/Jacket/Bibs). Stayed out in below Zero conditions for most of the Late season without any problems. You won't be disappointed.

[thelefthand]

Honestly, I never have had a problem keeping my core warm. Jeans and a T shirt, followed by a flannel shirt, a pair of cargo style hunting pants, Thinsulate bibs, and an Artic Shield H2 coat is what I wore this morning. It was 7 degrees when I left the house, and I stayed toasty warm except for my toes That's only because I forgot to bring the hand warmers that I generally drop in the bottom of my boot covers. I wear 400 gram Thinsulate boots, with Artic Shield boot covers and just about any kind of hat. A neck gator or baklava (sp?) helps a ton. I wear one anytime I'm out below 40 degrees. As for gloves, I'm going to write another post recomending Cabela's Big Game Fleece Glomitts. They have 150 gr Thinsulate and they are VERY warm. I was out for 4 hours this morning, and most of the time I held my aluminum shooting stick in my hands and they never did get cold. Never bothered sticking them in my pockets or anything. I got them last year, but this is the first time I've had a chance to use them in cold weather. They are by far the best gloves I've ever used aside from the gigantic snowmobile gloves that come half way up your arm.

I've used a lot of things to keep my core warm over the years, and they all work. Insulated coveralls or a snow suit is about the best, but there are a lot of ways to skin that cat. Feet and hands are the tricky part.

Just my 2 bits,
Mark

[Dave1]

How do you like the Artic Shield boot covers?

I have tried winter socks with liners and such but my my feet still hurt bad when it gets cold and I was thinking about ordering some kind of boot covers to see if that would help when sitting in stand during cold weather. The AS boot covers don't seem to cover up much of the boot and appears they would be less warm than one that covers the entire lower boot area.

Bass Pro had them on sale for $23 but I didn't know about it.

Dave

[nic58]

I bought a pair of Arctic Shield boot covers a couple of years ago at BPS. They work really well when you put a Hot Hands foot warmer pack in them right on top of the toe area. My feet never get cold with them on and my toes used to be the first thing to run me out of the treestand when it got cold.

[Flatland Hunter]

I have started using The Warm Bag... I no longer use bulky insulated out wear. I wear UA cold gear base layers, jeans and chamois shirt. I have worn this in 20-30 degree weather in total comfort. Below twenty I will put on a layer of polypro bottoms and waffle longjohn tops. If it is a windy (wind is very cutting here in central IL) or rainy day I will put on some Cabela's thin rain bib bottoms and dimension fleece with Windstopper upper if windy or a rain jacket top if rainy.

I have worn this in minus 14 wind chill weather and been comfortable. Just remain sipped up in the bag until you see the deer you wish to take. Unzip and shoot! I have taken 2 deer this year while wearing it, bow and gun. I took 2 in the early season where it was not needed.

The only disadvantage of the WarmBag is that it is a standhunt system. If you have to move around it hinders movement. I took stand in a tree that required you to stand on a 2 x 6 board and lean around the large tree trunk... I did wear the insulated outers there but sorely missed the non bulky nature of the WarmBag. I did take 2 deer from that stand that morning but sweated on the way out and was colder than I would have been with the Bag. The other time I hunted without it this year was in a large box on the edge of a cornfield, the box is about 6 x 6 and required you to move back and forth to cover the fields properly, out of this one I took that deer at 213 yds and a yote at 190. I again sweated on the way out.

On my feet I wear 1500 gram boots below 30, 800 gram below 50, uninsulated at temps above 50. Silk baselayer socks and merino wool boot socks with all boots.

They have a special running on the WarmBag right now... $199.00 it is worth it!

www.thewarmbag.com/

If you get it let Joe know that you heard about it from Robbie Larson. I don't get anything but Joe and I hunt the same piece of property in IL and have been friendly since I first bought my WarmBag and we realized that we hunt the same property. Him for bow me for firearm. So we have been friendly since. That and I like to help out hunters who bring a good idea to market.

[whyohe]

I am a stand hunter so i dont move much. so i took what you guys suggested and got some thing that worked for me. it is alot what like flatland does but i do use insulated bibs and coat. I put on cold gear under armor ant then some knit/poly blend thermos over that then my jeans and a T-shirt then my insulated bibs and coat. But like said i do get hot walking to stand. but i leave bibs unzipped along with my coat and it helps. but i have to take my time to my stand so i dont get too hot. but once i get to stand and sit for a bit im still warm!

[petev]

whyohe, you mentioned jeans. You might try army surplus wool pants such as from Sportsmans Guide. They are warm, even when wet, breathe real well, and are silent in the woods. The Knit/poly blend thermos might be replaced with a wool shirt or sweater, unless you got some microfleece that works real well.

[rick59]

Here is another Bag type I have been thinking of buying for myself: www.heaterbodysuit.com/

[ozark]

If you are serious and want to stay toasty warm when others can't dress warm enough to stand it. Order a set of RefrigiWear rated at fifty below zero. My wife and I used to ride fourwheelers and loved doing so in snow and cold weather after we found refrigiWear coveralls. We wore Army artic boots. We used them for several years and gave them to our Son and Daughter In Law who loves to sit snug and watch football when the temp is way down. You can lay down on the snow and go to sleep comfortably. Now here is the catch. If I recall correctly each suit cost us around $350.00. Even so, being able to stay warm all day sitting in the cold is worth it. Warmest thing I ever put this old body in. I am not sure but I believe they were made for people working in refrigerator where meat is frozen. I know this will keep you warm if that is the goal. I just looked them up. With hood (You will want it) $188.00, Ben

[petev]

For super comfortable Merino wool and underarmour or icearmour Thorne Bros. online, an icefishing supplier runs great sales, ships fast, and the stuff is good. Also good prices on iceaugers etc.