RE: cold weather gear
 

i know what you mean mud dawg when you say its cold . you know its cold out when you try to stand up in your stand after sitting all day and your asz is frozen to the seat. that happened to me last year second season. are the guide series very bulky?

RE: cold weather gear
 

It isn't cheap, but nothing beats wool. I have a cheap camo wool sweater that I picked up on ebay for $10, plus a Columbia wool shirtjac and a complete set of Weatherby wools.

I think the Weatherby performance wool is the best cold weather gear on the market. Double layer wool, outfitter camo, waterproof, fleece type liner, quietand its machine washable. If she definately is going to continue to hunt, it will be moneywell spent.

RE: cold weather gear
 

I hunt in Ohio, and the Michigan UP, not the coldest places in the world but it can be cold. I used to freeze in the stand all the time. I went and bought a browning hyrafleece coat, the outside is a Goretex shell and then there is a zip out lighter insulated part and then a big insulated part. That coat does the job really well, but I didn't like the bulk. So the next year I went out and bought some insulated bibs, and I swear they are the best thing I've ever bought in terms of warmth. I tried on all the different brands at cabela's and it turns out the cheepy Walls brand was the best fitting. Now that I have the bibs I gave up on the browning coat, if it gets real cold I wear the bibs, and a Beyond Custom Fleece jacket, and I never get cold. Oh, and don't forget the chemical toe warmers.

RE: cold weather gear
 

You a Toledo boy Kodiak? Had no idea. Might check into your charter service next year. Got any deals going till the end of this year. Grew up right next to U of T. Made it out to the country about 30 years ago and still I wonder how I got here.

You do guarantee we'll catch our limit in perch and walleye or won't have to pay, won't you?:D:D:D

RE: cold weather gear
 

Most have been mentioned but here's my list (I hunt in northern wisconsin so when I think cold I'm thinking 0-20 degrees or so)

1)Long underwear that wicks away sweat - oddly enough I think silk is a good material for this? I think you're on the right track with the under armour though.

2)Socks - wool, wool, wool. NO COTTON... I use a nylon or silk sock as my first layer, then a lighter wool, then a heavy wool. I'll even use toe warmers withthree pair of socks - no problems with toesgetting cold then. Another piece of advice is to have boots that are big enough to fit all these socks in. Tight fitting boots will make your feet get colder faster. I usually buy a pair that is 2 sizes bigger than my "normal" size.

3)Wool sweater.. best investment I've ever made. Woolrich makes a nice lightweight wool sweater that does great job with not a lot of bulk

4)Bibs of some sort.Heat loss from where the jacket and the pants meet can be an issue.. bibs take care of that.

5)A warm hat or facemask. Keeping your head warm is a must, keeps the heat in. I also like to keep my neck covered with a turtleneck of some sort so the wind can't get on it.

6)Hands - I wear a wool mitten on my bow hand and a lightweight glove on my release hand. I use a hand muffler with chemical handwarmers and usually keep my release hand in there.
Using a bow hanger helps tremendously here also. The bow gets so cold and can make you get cold fast when you hold it. The chemical warmers help tremendously in that case - I'll stick them in my hands to warm them up after holding the bow for a while.

I don't think you need to spend a lot of money on these things.The wool is the biggest factor in my mind.. and the assistance of the chemical warmers, they are a godsend. Stay away from cotton of any sort - socks, sweatshirts, etc. The basics are feet, head, and hands.. keep those warm and you'll have a good start.

ah yes - the most important thing - make sure she gets to see deer! That will make you forget about being cold for quite a while!

RE: cold weather gear
 

Fleece makes a good layering clothing. I use baseslayers with scentlok and climafleece, a fleece over that and a 200 gram thinsulate goretex and microfleece shirt/pants on the coldest days. Three layers that will keep you warm in 5-8* weather and is still pretty thin and easy to move in.

RE: cold weather gear
 

nbadger has it right! I follow the same routine except I have not tried silk...YET. I hunt in NY where it is usually between 0 and 40 during hunting and I use to always get cold. Most of the time it was because I was sweating on the way into the wood and did not wearthe proper clothing. Once you get to your standand start to cooldown,your base layer is wet which causes you to get cold quicker. Make sure you take your time going into the woods. I unzip my coveralls as I'm walking in and do notwear my heavy gloves or hat until I'm in my stand and start to cool down.Whatever you do, do not wear cotton as your base layer!

RE: cold weather gear
 

Get her some REALLY warm boots!
That is the part of me that used to get cold and drive me out of my stand.
I bought some boots from Cabela's a couple years ago after freezing my feetin -4 temps.
They were the best 200.00 I have ever spent on hunting clothes.
I don't remember the brand or model but they have like 3" of insulation under your feet.
It really stops the cold from coming up from the stand platform.
They are big and bulky but worth it if you are stand hunting.
They suck for stalking

Warm feet= Happy hunter:D

RE: cold weather gear
 

PS
Don't forget a warm hat, makes a huge difference
I also use a lot of the chemical body and hand warmers every year and always have several in my pack

RE: cold weather gear
 

the problem i guess im having is mostly being worried about it being to bulky or noisy. which i dont want but i still want thewarmth. am i asking for to much or is this possible to have it all sort of speeking. the layering thing i have down and bought under armour as well as wool long johns and socksbut still worried about getting the right coat for her...:)