m21woody

Hey all! New to the community and really like the site.

I have been hunting in South Dakota for about 5 years and have yet to make a big purchase on some great pants for the cold. I have my bibs but they are too bulky. I am currently looking at Cabela's Dry-Plus® Silent Suede™ Pants. They are at a reasonable price and from what I have read, they are very high quality. Another bonus is they have Zonz Western camo (basically camo for out west) as an option.

I also know ScentBlocker and Under Armour have some high quality pants but I don't know much about them.

I'm looking for something that will stay dry in the snow so I'm afraid a fleece/wool outer is not really an option for me.

Let me know what you guys think!

Valentine

Some people can depend only on the latest iphone. Some people can get by with a plain ole cell phone.
Some people have survived on polypropylene insulated underwear and wool sweaters. Some people still have some and still fit in them.

homers brother

A lot depends on what you're doing in the snow to begin with. The clothing that keeps you warm when you're sitting will cause you to overheat (and sweat, and ultimately get cold) when you're moving.

Because of the way your body works in the cold (pooling blood to the core to protect vital organs, etc.), regulating your core temperature will often do as much to keep your extremities warm as anything. I generally pay a lot more attention to the jacket/coat/parka I'm wearing as a result. And after that, more attention to boots, gaiters and gloves/mittens. "Pants"? Meh. I find that I can get by with everything from old BDUs (not ideal) to milsurp wool (when it's really cold). When I plan on walking most of the day, I EXPECT that I'll be a little chilled when I start out (knowing that I'll warm up). If I need to, I'll shed a layer of jacket/coat/parka so that I'm not TOO warm. If I stop, I'll layer back up, but not so much that I find myself sweating. Though my wife is from one of those "northern" states, she still hasn't quite figured out the layering piece and still insists that she be toasty warm every step of the way. Consequently, she's almost ALWAYS uncomfortable - either too warm or too cold.

Ultimately, you need to be able to adapt to the conditions. What I wear deer hunting in November isn't what I wear coyote hunting in February.

MNDan

Bibs are WAY better at keeping you warm than pants IMHO - I have the Cabelas MT050 Whitetail series bibs and absolutely love them. My only other advice is get some Merino wool long underwear - I use Minus 33 but there are lots of others to choose from. Never stinks & makes all the difference warmth-wise...

Bullcamp82834

If you have been hunting SD for five years and are just now shopping for cold weather pants my hat is off to you. You are one tough hombre.

My best advice is polypropylene long johns under some good stiff canvas pants to cut the wind. Long johns by WalMart. Pants by Carhartt. Not expensive but very effective.

Big Uncle

I have a pair of the Cabela's pants that you mentioned. I almost always wear wool pants, but when it gets really cold I wear the Cabela's pants. I do not like them for backpacking where a fellow does not want to sweat too much. However, they are a pleasure to wear when the temp is low and the wind is strong. They are a bit bulky but they do keep you warm and dry in the more extreme cold and wind. I notice a very slight rustling noise when wearing them. The noise is so slight that it is barely noticed and is not a problem. They are a good product which I would buy again if this pair ever wore out.

Mojotex

We don't get snow to amount to much down this far south, nor do the temperatures drop below 15F often. I have done some hunting up your way in eastern Montana in temps as cold as about -15F. Pretty cool for a SE Alabama dude !!!

Filson makes some fine wool outer wear. Pricey by most folk's budget, but taken good care of, will last dang near forever. I have a Filson coat that was given to me when I was about 30 ---- 35 years ago. It has been hunted in a gazzlion times. Other than a couple places where my wife has repaired where I snagged it, the coat performs like new. I had some matching bibs but somehouw I managed out grow 'em! Too much gumbo I imaginei! Woolrich makes good stuff as well. However, nothing wrong with a tough poly/cotton blend pant or bib. Either will work fine as an outer.

jfarleyx

I second the suggestions to use wool base layers (minus33.com is a good source) and Filson clothing. Filson makes great quality products. They're pricey, but you definitely get what you pay for. There are other great brands out there, too.

I just returned from a wilderness elk hunt in western CO and it was really cold (9 degrees in the morning with highs in the teens; wind chills were somewhere between cold-as-hell and freezing-to-death). We hiked for hours through snow and sat for hours glassing for elk. Proper layering is important for a hunt like this. When you go from hiking to sitting, you quickly go from hot to cold. Using the following gear I was able to stay relatively comfortable in extreme weather:

• Medium or heavy merino wool base layer, top and bottoms (minus33.com)
• Merino wool socks (heavy duty socks, because my boots have only 400 grams of insulation)
• Sitka Core Crew LS shirt (though any brand of shirt like this will work just fine)
• Sitka 90% pants
• Sitka 90% jacket
• Sitka Kelvin jacket for insulation layer while glassing
• Sitka Kelvin pants for insulation layer while glassing
• Sitka Coldfront jacket and pant for rain protection - I alternated between these pants and my 90% pants
• Good gore-tex gloves with merino wool liner (I used Sitka gloves and liner)
• Fleece facemask (got mine from Bass Pro Shops, also have one from Sitka) - this helps in the high winds

With that kit, I was able to stay dry and warm through a 5 day wilderness hunt between 11,000 and 13,000 ft. It's not cheap, but it worked really well and it lasted through some really harsh conditions (rocks, snow, rain, high winds, brush, etc). Here are a few pics from the hunt that showcase some of this gear:

PatriciaSTown

It's best to use camo pants in extreme cold weather. and these are very comfortable too.

Valentine

the newbies are all prepared to spend a lot of money on cold weather gear.
Of course us old guys saw cold winters hunting, and survived, before all that modern winter gear got invented.