Last weekend I sat all day with highs in the low 20' s with no problem.
Here' s a list of clothing I wore: polypropoline(sp?) socks on my feet, with regular socks over them. I topped my feet off with a good pair of Lacrosse Pac boots. Wear wool socks if your feet get cold easy. My next layer is a pair of thin moisture- wicking long underwear tops and bottoms, covered with a heavier(midweight) insulating pair of long underwear. Then a pair of jeans on my legs. I then add a relatively heavy wool shirt(great in the rain by the way, wool might be heavy, but it stays warm when wet), covered by a fleece shirt(fleece is very warm-and quiet). Over all this I wear an insulated pair of bibs and a hooded jacket/coat. You' ll be surprised what a hood can do for you if it' s windy. I also wear a neck warmer. I think wearing a neck warmer will trap so much heat it will keep you a good 25% warmer than if you didn' t wear one. Top it off with a decent hat and you' ll be set. The only thing that got cold were my fingers, because I don' t like to wear warm, bulky gloves in case I have to take a shot before I have a chance to get my gloves off.

Key points are: stay comfortably cool on the way into the woods. Never get hot and start to sweat. You' ll feel nice and warm on the way in, but once that sweat starts to evaporate you' ll get cold and start shaking. Also wear moisture wicking layers right next to your body. No matter what, you will perspire some. You' ll do that just sitting still, so anything that wicks moisture away is a huge plus. I know I said it before, but get a neck warmer. You might not want to wear it into the woods, because they trap so much heat. But, when you' re on the stand they can' t be beat. Anything that keeps the heat from your body' s core from escaping will keep you much warmer. Another key is to wear good boots. I forget the name, but these boots from Lacrosse are awesome. I think they' re rated somewhere in the neighborhood of 80 below zero, and it' s a very rare day I need to wear wool socks to keep my feet wamr while wearing them.

Another thing that can help keep you warm is keep the blood flowing in your muscles. You don' t have to get up and run around your stand, but work your muscles. Tighten up(flex) one muscle group for say 15 seconds, then do another one(say flex and hold the back muscles, then the chest, then the arms, then the legs, etc.). You might be surprised how much warmer this can keep you.

And last but not least, try to have some good calories in you to burn. Eat a meal based on carbs. before you go out. Load up on things like breads, pastas, cheese, and meats. Food like this can " power" your body throughout the day.

I' m no expert, but I do plenty of hunting and icefishing in Wisconsin to know what keeps you warm and what doesn' t. I think the most important thing I' ve found is to stay " comfortably cool" when you' re physically active. When walking into the woods, strap you extra clothes on your stand or put them in a back pack. Wear only enough to keep yourself from being cold when you walk in. When you get to the stand, put the rest of your clothes on.
Try these things out and you' ll be roasting in the stand on the coldest of days!

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