Keeping your hands warm on stand
 

I have been going out in the freezing temps here lately. I'm going tomorrow morning before work and with the wind chill it is supposed to feel like 3 degrees. I can layer with enough clothes to keepmy body warm but my hands go numb(even with warm gloves), which is not a good thing when you need to make a shot. I have hand warmers but those don't fit inside of gloves, and I don't like mittens. I have one of those pouches that you wear around your waist that you can put your hands inside of but with the type of release I have I can't fit my right hand inside of it. Just wondering what you guys do to try to keep your hands warm.

RE: Keeping your hands warm on stand
 

handwarmers in my gloves...

RE: Keeping your hands warm on stand
 

I have thought of that but the handwarmer would only warm the palm and not the fingers, whichis the critical part...unless you can fit them in the fingers.

RE: Keeping your hands warm on stand
 

The blood flows though your hand to get to your fingers, and all you have to do is close your hand aorund the warmer. It will keep it warm trust me.

RE: Keeping your hands warm on stand
 

The pouch that goes around your waist works great for me. And if you throw a few handwarmers in there it becomes an oven. Yea, its a little tricky with a release but try just holding the release like you would if you were shooting and your hand should be able to slide right in.

RE: Keeping your hands warm on stand
 

Warm hand I got. They just don't get cold. Most of the time I wear fingerless gloves. Now my left foot is a different animal. I have shrapnel in the leg, have had veins stripped out when they became ropes and my foot freezes in moderate temps. Nothing I do gives me a consistant temp and comfort in that foot. It's a bummer. Hand... they're warm as toast.

RE: Keeping your hands warm on stand
 

My release is bigger and bulky and I just have trouble getting it in the waist pouch. I bought this Tru-Fire Glove 3 years ago and liked it initially but it is bulky and gets in the way. I'm might have to look into getting a new release.

RE: Keeping your hands warm on stand
 

Enter....the muff. If your hand can fit, so can your release.

http://www.bowhunting.com/shopping/Products/Hunter-Safety-System-Muff-Pack__HSS-MUFF.aspx

RE: Keeping your hands warm on stand
 

Have you ever tried the mitten type gloves that fold back away from your fingers when you need to shoot. I have used this style for a few years now and love them I can put a little handwarmer in the hood of the glove and keeps fingers toasty, they also clear out of the way quick and easy for a quick shot.

RE: Keeping your hands warm on stand
 

I wear jersey gloves and use a hand muff. I use the larger body warmer heat packs, they fit in my gloves without problems and last longer. During colder weather I put one pack on the palm side and one on the top of my hand and it usually keeps my fingers warm and I can still work my release. If my fingers do get cold I put a warmer in the muff at the edge and just put my fingers in and hold onto it. One thing I have been wanting to try is to get an elastic wristband and slit it open and stuff a warmer or two in there to see if constant heat to the wrist will keep the fingers warm.

Are you wearing tight gloves? That could be part of the problem as well.

RE: Keeping your hands warm on stand
 

Me too..the only way to go...light cotton gloves so I can shoot. I have no problem getting my release had in and out. What ever is causing the issue on the hand muff release side...fix it where the elastic is too tight(get rid of it) hand muffs are the way.

RE: Keeping your hands warm on stand
 

Exactly! You can't beat this combination.;)

RE: Keeping your hands warm on stand
 

Can you say that on a family website.[&:]

RE: Keeping your hands warm on stand
 

I have had alot of luck with the Glomitts. The ones that I have been using (have seen them as recently as october at gander mountain, but couldn't find them on their website) have a thumb that folds out of the way, a mitten type thing for over your fingers that folds out of the way, and it has a built in glove that covers your fingers.

The parts that fold back are held in place with magnents, and there is a zippered pouch that a handwarmer fits nicely into the fingers cover. I also place a handwarmer in my palm before putting the glove on. To top it all off I use an Underarmer liner glove as an additional layer. This set up was good last year late season for 5 hours on a balmy 5 degree day with 20mph winds.

For my feet, I got a pair of the coldweather muck boots, about 2 sizes to big, then I will throw a hand warmer in the toe, and on the cold days I will use a insole warmer (kinda looks like a schols gel insole, but has an adhesive that will allow you to attach the warmer to your insole) along with a polypropolene sock, a x-static sock and a heavy wool sock. The only draw back to this is my feet will sweat enough that about 4-5 hours into a sit, my feet will have soaked the socks and my feet will get cold then. This is fixable by carrying a couple extra socks, and doing a late mid-morning change of socks.

RE: Keeping your hands warm on stand
 

Thanks for all the suggestions. I am trying to decide between mittens with handwarmers or my muff with handwarmers. I have both and I will make up my mind by 6:30 am tomorrow.

RE: Keeping your hands warm on stand
 

I wear neoprene gloves that are loose fitting. I take my hand warmers and put them inside my fleece vest and they get toasty! I like to keep my bow in my hand, but when your hunting in 20 degree weather, I put that sucker on a bowhanger.

Another follow up question to this thread is...

How do you keep your feet warm?!! I've tried everything! No matter what they turn into popsicles!

Any suggestions?

RE: Keeping your hands warm on stand
 

Combine this with a couple of hand warmers and it's hard to get your hands cold.

RE: Keeping your hands warm on stand
 

For feet I wear 1500gr alpha burlies, wicking base sock with toasty toes stuck under the toe and a pair of wool socks over them. I was frozen off stand too many times to count last year because of cold feet but not once this year. Temp was 12 degrees for my morning sit Sunday. Only time I started to get cold feet was when I had forgotten my seat pad and sat on bare metal, your body will naturally shut down blood flow to your extremities to keep body temperature up.

RE: Keeping your hands warm on stand
 

I wear 800gr. Lacrosse Alpha's, wicking socks, then another pair of thin socks with toasty toes on the tip of the insert....still get cold....I usually put my everything on when I get to my parking location. I think my feet sweet to much before I go out and the moisture then freezes....I'll just wear it.

RE: Keeping your hands warm on stand
 

I only do it during gun season when wind doesnt matter as much, but i get cans of sterno heat cans for for my permanent stand, $3 for two that last 3 hours a piece.

RE: Keeping your hands warm on stand
 

I dont wear gloves. I wrap my fingers around my thumb and keep my hands in my coat pocket. I have not been cold yet.

RE: Keeping your hands warm on stand
 

If you walk very far you solved your own problem...Just pack in the sock combo you have listed, and wear plain cotton socks on the walk in to sweat up...swap em out at the stand sight and put the sweaty socks in the pack. Dry feet= warm feet. Luckily, I dont have any walks requiring that, so I am safe.

My feet must be relatively warm blooded, because I wear uninsulated boots year round, with one basic pair of wool socks. My hands get cold fast on the other hand. I prefer a muff with a chemical handwarmer pack or two, and I am set.

RE: Keeping your hands warm on stand
 

Thanks TEmbry, I'll try that! Never crossed my mind...

RE: Keeping your hands warm on stand
 

Ice Breaker muff with two handwarmers in it.My hands have never been cold using this.

RE: Keeping your hands warm on stand
 

cumberbun and hand warmers

RE: Keeping your hands warm on stand
 

Yep thats what i was going to say :D

RE: Keeping your hands warm on stand
 

Put some chem packs over your kidneys.

RE: Keeping your hands warm on stand
 

Your gonna want to wear just enough glove to keep the wind off your fingers aren't going to freeze contrary to what your thinking until you start to sweat then they will freeze keep that in mind.

Ryan.

RE: Keeping your hands warm on stand
 

I just wear thin gloves, that breath, no cotton. My hands sweat, so I can't trap that moisture in there. Keep my hands in the fleece pockets of my parka, and I'm good to go down to about 15-20 degrees. I'll wear a pair of Mechanix gloves walking to my tree, and for climbing, then switch while on stand.

Take care of the core of your body. Keep your chest, back and head warm, and the rest of your body will take care of itself. If your core gets cold, it will pull blood from your fingers and toes to warm itself.

RE: Keeping your hands warm on stand
 

OK here goes.

I live in Manitoba. by November we have freezing temps. You want to sit all day. Layer your body. I wear insulated bib pants and fleece pants under. I wear a fleece shirt and a jacket over. My hands...... I wear the same gloves from the beginning of the season to the end. I simply put hand warmers in my pockets and use them when needed. Feet. This is the tricky part. I wear BIG boots. Rated to -100 with moderate activity. Now with that being said if you sit in a treestand with a metal platform........ the metal sucks the heat out. I put the adhesive type foot warmers in my boots. One for toe and one for heal. Don't shake them....... they will heat up on the walk to your stand so your feet don't over heat. Another VERY important thing is to bring your boots in and DRY them out after every trip. That way moisture isn't present to get your feet damp when you put them on.
When I walk to my stand I have my jacket and bibs open. My bibs have zippers down the legs and I open those too. Don't get sweat up b4 a long sit. Heck I don't even wear a hat. I have my insulated mask in my pocket and a touque in another. First I just wear the mask and if I get cold I put the touque on over the mask.
Kidneys/back get cold....... sew pockets in your jacket and put handwarmers in them.



Works for me. I can sit dawn till dusk.

RE: Keeping your hands warm on stand
 

Can't beat handwarmers in a muff. Not sure what kind of release you could be using to not allow you to fit that hand inside the muff (easy davidmil dont' take that the wrong way)[:-]. I wear a pair of Under Armour gloves with my hands stuck inside a muff with a hand warmer. Worked for me as cold as -28 degree temps.

RE: Keeping your hands warm on stand
 

I have a pair of mid temp cheap gloves that I wear. My heavy coat has pockets that are situated just right for me to put my hands in them. I jst load up on the handwarmers, and leave my hands in there. But I still have not figured out how to keep them from freezing when you have to pick up the bow.

RE: Keeping your hands warm on stand
 

I put handwarmers in my gloves but on the backside of my hands...

RE: Keeping your hands warm on stand
 

Hand warmers inside of handwarming pouch. Release attached to loop at all times, and hand in pouch holding hand warmer.. (bow sits on my lap)

RE: Keeping your hands warm on stand
 

This is what killed me for years. I started to carry one of those treestand mats with me and stand on it. Or I'll stand on a therma seat if ground hunting.The only bad thing about the mats is if you get frozen snow on your boots or the mat. Gotta try to keep it clean the best you can. But sure keeps the feet warmer.

RE: Keeping your hands warm on stand
 

Thanks for all the advice fellas. I took my muff out yesterday morning and loaded it with handwarmers. My muff felt like an oven! Hands stayed nice and toasty. My release was a little bulky to get in and out of the muff but I got it in there. The only problem was that the velcrow on it wanted to catch on the muff. Would not have been good if a buck walked out and I went to pull my hand out only to spook the deer with the velcrow sound. I think I'm gonna get a different release with a buckle instead of velcrow.

RE: Keeping your hands warm on stand
 

Hands dont get very cold, even in 20 degree temps. I wear thin gloves withthe trigger finger cut off.. Its the feet that get cold first for me.