Dedduc

What do you all wear when its cold out on in the stand?? I wear under armour fleece pants, bibs and im always cold,looking for a new parka and bibs. Whats some of the good stuff to look at??

losthwy

Layer up with wool and fleece with a wind proof outer layer. Tips for staying warm.
1. Make sure your head and neck are well insulated. A high percentage of the body heat you lose comes from the head and neck area.
2. Don't sweat-walk to the stand hat and jacket off if needed. If you sweat on the way to the stand it will be unlikely you can manage to keep warm the rest of the day.

stubblejumper

I start with an underlayer of polypropelene to wick moisture away from the skin.I then layer with polarfleece for warmth without weight.I top it off with a layer of goretex to keep out water and wind.I find this combination warmer,lighter and more waterproof than wool.

missed_another

if you hunt from ground level try one of those pop-up blinds. i think they weight about 6 pounds and they go up in seconds.it's hard to believe how much warmer it is inside one of these. it gets you out of the snow,wind and rain.

kevin1

Another vote for pop-ups , I love mine . They also eliminate the need for camo . You lose an amazing amount of body heat to the wind alone , toss in some rain and pnuemonia will soon follow . My gun blind weighs 8 lbs. , my archery blind weighs 10 lbs. , and for comparison my climber weighs 21 lbs. but feels like 50 after 100 yards .

okcmco

If you can spend the money, nothing beats goose down for warmth. A matching goretex down parka pants set will keep you warm in extreme weather. But they aren't cheap. Expect to pay$100-250 for each. And gore tex is not the quietest material. But the windproof and waterproof preperties of the material is great! Cabela's is always a good place to look.Check with north face and MarmotThere is also a set of down long johns outhere made by someone.
If I am stand hunting (and sittitng still is when I get the coldest) I start with polypropelene long johns, over which is an army suplus layer of wool long johns. Then wool army pants (Swiss, swedish, czech, ets), and a wool army sweater (wooly pully british or US jeep sweater, etc). Next comes a one size larger wool shirt.Then an insslated wool shirt. Over all is a layer of army suplus goretex cammo pants and parka shell. Layers can be removed before the hike to the stand or as the day warms up. IF it is really cold, and I have to sit still for a long time, I will throw a heavey wool army coat over all. I can't really move too well in all of this but for stand hunting that is no big deal. My recipee is wool and polypro. Old world fibers used with hi tech materials.
Next year I may go with the down formula if I rifle hunt and have alot of money next year
okcmco

RedAllison

A few simple things to do is make sure NOTHING cotton is touching your skin. Start with your feet, thermax or similar wicking "liner socks" are THE best thing I can recommend. ESPECIALLY if you wear rubber or neoprene boots. Secondly a good warm pair of socks over those like wool or smartwool. All of my heavily insulated boots are a 1/2 or full size larger than non-insulated ones just to fit me properly with the two pairs of socks. You DONT want tight boots that cut off circulation.

Another trick that I see MANY hunters failing to use is carrying something to put between their feet and a metal or wood floor of a stand. It is a law of physics that a cold, inanimate object like metal or wood will suck heat from an object (in this case your boots/feet). So take a simple piece of carpet, foam or even a bath towel and place it between your boots and the stands floor. You would be AMAZED at the difference. The same holds true for ice/snow. Put something between your feet and the frozen surface.

Another thing I like is a product I have called the "Blanket bag". It is basically a GoreTex "half" sleeping bag. Man that thing keeps you TOASTY. I used it last week while in MO when the weather was in the 30s which isn't cold BUT the wind was out of the northwest at 20+ mph. Everyone was MISERABLE and came out early because that wind was like a razorblade (and the fact that it was 70 the day before!) but I was like a bug ina rug with my Blanket Bag. I also didn't even have to wear anything other than my boots and pants. No bibs, the bag was that warm! Combined with bibs and everything else you would be fine on stand in subzero temps.

The majority of heatloss is around the neck and head. Proper gear is paramount in these regions as well. NOTHING cotton, use wicking materials like Thermax and even good ol wool. And speaking of wool, THE warmest gloves I have found are actually ragwool with a built Thinsulate liner. They are to warm for use over 30 degrees (I have unlined wool gloves for warmer temps) but are not nearly as bulky as Gates goretex type gloves and I think they are MUCH warmer than those over glorified skigloves. You get MUCH better feel with them as well. They are less than half the bulk of the larger gloves. They aren't water proof but wool keeps its warmth when wet and I am talking about sub freezing temps anyway so the water dealt with will be hard!

Take several of the disposable handwarmers as well. One of the larger "pocket sized" warmers placed on the back of your neck, under your collar will do WONDERS as well. Also, check out the new heat packs that stick too your back. Get the unmedicted ones (scentless) and place them on your back after you get in the stand. Keeping your kidneys warm will keep your blood warm which will warm other parts of the body. Another trick is staying dry in the first place. DONT put all this stuff on and then hike 1/2 a mile into your stand. Wear only a layer or two, I like to stay cool while walking in. Carry all your equipment in a sqarebottom decoy bag (like from Avery). That way it is not in your arms, the bag is large enough to carry EVERYTHING in including your normal backpack, all the clothes, seat pads, carpet pieces and even your rifle or bow if you choose.

Hope that helps,
RA

DJanes1

I love my wool. I stay dry and don't have to use to much layering to stay warm. I also love those inserts for your boots that heat up to 98-102 degrees. My feet never get cold. And they don't affect the fit of your boot either. Only problem with wool is that it stinks when it is wet and it does get heavy.

LIAF

If you want to see what i wear when its real cold out then get a back issue of buckmasters oct. 1994 and see what they recommend for hunting when your going to the canadian provinces in late november. i bought about everything listed in the article and hunted saskatchewan in nov. 1995. it was 40 below zero Farenheit on some days when the wind chill factor was present and I felt comfortable with the gear listed. The 3 main things that stand out in my mind is raven wear outer wear, chimo boots and patagonia expedetion weight fleece underwear.

AlaskaMagnum

Living in Alaska, I have found warmth comes in layers. I hunt above the artic circle, and here is what I use.

Base layer - Merino wool or fleece underwear, I prefer the wool, but the fleece works well.

Next layer - light fleece shirt and wool pants (technowool from woolrich)

Next layer - heavy wool shirt, fleece stocking cap, waterproof gloves

This set up will keep me comfortable down to about 10 degrees if I am moving some. If I really expect it to be wet like on an ocean hunt or such, I substitute flleece for the wool. It dries out better, but in my opinion does not cut the wind as well.

If I need more, I will put on a parka and waterproof bibs. That will keep me dry and comfortable well down below zero.