good thermal wear on a budget?
#1
good thermal wear on a budget?
Hi again everyone!
Now that I have my knife and have saved some extra dollars, I'm looking into thermal wear for this Fall.
I'm the girl that is 'always' cold even in summer, lol, so I am looking for easy and good and not really putting a budget on it cuz i want them to work.
One advantage to being small is I can fit into boy's stuff, so that will help. Color isnt important but fit is warmth are.
Any ideas?
Now that I have my knife and have saved some extra dollars, I'm looking into thermal wear for this Fall.
I'm the girl that is 'always' cold even in summer, lol, so I am looking for easy and good and not really putting a budget on it cuz i want them to work.
One advantage to being small is I can fit into boy's stuff, so that will help. Color isnt important but fit is warmth are.
Any ideas?
#2
Nontypical Buck
Join Date: Nov 2014
Posts: 2,743
layers are your best way of staying warm, and start with a good first layer that wick's away any moisture/sweat!
the biggest key IMO to staying warm in cold temps when sitting still, is being DRY before you STOP moving!
as moisture sweat
is the enemy, after your core drops from any activity that makes it, it then causes your body to work harder to stay warm and your body's battery dies faster on staying warm LOL
so getting to your stand without braking a sweat and wearing as little as needed is one way to help you stay warm
THAT or wear in some gear and REMOVE and replace with fresh DRY gear once on stand!
before actually suggesting any specific type or brand,
if you Kiev us some more info odds are you will bet better answers
like when your trying to stray warm hunting, will you be sitting in a tree stand, a ground blind, on the ground
as the type of actual hunting your going to be doing matters on what gear works better!
the biggest key IMO to staying warm in cold temps when sitting still, is being DRY before you STOP moving!
as moisture sweat
is the enemy, after your core drops from any activity that makes it, it then causes your body to work harder to stay warm and your body's battery dies faster on staying warm LOL
so getting to your stand without braking a sweat and wearing as little as needed is one way to help you stay warm
THAT or wear in some gear and REMOVE and replace with fresh DRY gear once on stand!
before actually suggesting any specific type or brand,
if you Kiev us some more info odds are you will bet better answers
like when your trying to stray warm hunting, will you be sitting in a tree stand, a ground blind, on the ground
as the type of actual hunting your going to be doing matters on what gear works better!
#3
Giant Nontypical
Join Date: Oct 2013
Posts: 9,227
In addition to the previous recommendation for layers I'd like to suggest WOOL. Wool keeps you warm even when it gets wet and most of your synthetics do not. Another factor that many do not take into consideration is that you should avoid anything really tight fitting. You should get things a little loose fitting because your body will warm up the air layer around you. If things fit too tight then you lose that air layer. Get good boots because cold feet make the rest of your body cold and the same can be said for gloves and hats. If it is really cold I use mittens and not gloves because your fingers by themselves can get cold but if they are together it is easier to keep them warm. My mittens have a finger hole in them so I can get the trigger finger out to shoot but to tell the truth I just normally take the whole thing off to fire the shot and then put it back on.
#4
The easiest way to stay warm is to stay dry. No cotton.
Merino wool is my go-to option for a warm base layer. IceBreaker merino in various thicknesses keep me warm, whether I’m hiking backcountry after elk or sitting in the deer blind back home. A down vest mid-layer is my other must-have. I’m also happy with the micro-grid fleece mid-layers to help keep warmth against by body.
Merino wool is my go-to option for a warm base layer. IceBreaker merino in various thicknesses keep me warm, whether I’m hiking backcountry after elk or sitting in the deer blind back home. A down vest mid-layer is my other must-have. I’m also happy with the micro-grid fleece mid-layers to help keep warmth against by body.
#5
HI MrBB!
I will be in Wisconsin in Fall on the ground and walking too.
Thanks everyone. I will start learning about merino wool and read up on it.
I have warm boots and mittens that hold hand warms. I also carry a towel in my hydration pack to sit on.
I will be in Wisconsin in Fall on the ground and walking too.
Thanks everyone. I will start learning about merino wool and read up on it.
I have warm boots and mittens that hold hand warms. I also carry a towel in my hydration pack to sit on.
#6
Nontypical Buck
Join Date: Feb 2003
Location: west central wi USA
Posts: 2,238
#7
Nontypical Buck
Join Date: Nov 2014
Posts: 2,743
next as for staying warm, again, so much of this matters on how far you walk and how active or not you are going to be in the cold(I have decades of experience in sub zero temps between hunting working and snowmobiling)
the number one thing that gets you cold again in the cold is sweating from walking in, the body works harder while moving and it builds heat, heat makes moisture, and that heat has to have a way OUT< or it ends up being trapped and turns into moisture under your clothing and then as your body temp lowers to a more normal temp after activity's stop
that moisture then LOWERS the body temp , making you get cold and colder as time passes, with little or not real movement of your body, like as in sitting still trying not to move while waiting for a deer to show up!
you can have the most expensive and 20 layers of clothing on, and you will still get cold if the layer next to your skin is damp and lowering your core body temp!
this is Why IMO< its worth the costs to buy a GOOD base layer!
wool is OK< but I prefer more modern things due to they are just better at allowing moisture to get out, and lifted away from your skin, and most tend to also be softer more comfortable and lighter!
don't get me wrong wool works and is good, but I like other things better!
I do really like SMART WOOL branded sock, as a good base layer for your feet!
from there up, I would go with a good moisture wicking base layer
I have lots of this stuff from cabela's
Cabela's® E.C.W.C.S. Base Layer
NOT really cheap, sorry? and not sure if they have female versions or not?
but it does work well and last a long time and is a great first layer!
I won't have any brand to recommend that is for females,a s well, I never wore any of them, but I do know there are some that specialize in female sized base layers (like SHE OUTDOORS , many times they get other company's like cabela's or who makes things for them, to make and they just add there name to things, so, going to a good store that carries a large selection of hunting base layers(like cabela's bass pro shop) and maybe looking closer at materials and looks , would work here for you!
and one of the main keys to a good base layer is fit
you don;t want it too tight or too loose!, if I had to pick I'd go looser before tighter!
from your base layer up, most decent quality made cold weather clothing is fine, I prefer to stick with breathable clothing to again allow moisture to pass and it will dry faster
as an outer layer, IMO< what you really want is something wind proof, but yet again, breathable!
i DON"T care if it is water proof, in all honestly, I rather it not be, as things like Gore tex and other membranes get brittle in super cold temps and get louder in making noise as you move
and from the thousands of $$ I spent on things with it, it doesn't stay water proof all that long, even when brand NEW, if your in severe rains for long periods of time,water will bleed thru it!
(this is why you DON"T see many in the fishing world wearing Gore tex, they wear GOOD rain gear when exposed to water often and long)
if I plan to be in the rain, I carry GOOD simple rain gear! and much if it is way cheaper than any gore tex made clothing and last way longer!
the main thing to remember when in the cold for long periods is, you need to stay dry, if you walk 500+ yards up hill or over difficult terrain, as an example, and build a sweat, you will get cold after you stop moving , unless that sweat has a way to dry FAST and leave your skin and get out from the layers your wearing!
this is why I tell folks when walking into your hunting spot, wear as little as you can, carry the rest
as you walk you will warm up(or us older fatter guys sure do LOL) being young has its advantages!
but even when young, if when you get to your spot your all sweaty, best advice is remove that stuff, and replace with dry base layers, put wet sweaty stuff in a zip lock baggie(2 gallon baggies hold a lot, and they make larger storage baggies) that is if your worried about scent issues!
getting changed in the woods might not be for everyone or pending where your at
but doing so into dry base layers, will keep you a LOT warmer for a LOT longer and way more comfortable the whole time sitting!
so, the name of the game is moisture control, and a good base layer, is where I would spend the money
the better stuff costs
as for again outer wear, try and find something with a wind proof barrier, under something like fleece outerwear, wool would be fine too, but odds are good outer wear made from quality wool, will be far from cheap(I own some made my sleeping Indian company, and NOT Cheap)
also remember things DON"T have to be CAMO or ORANGE, as long as you wear a legal amount of orange if needed, a orange safety vest that can be worn over anything of any color to make you legal and stay safe!
real easy to WANT to look like a hunter more than its really needed to be successful in hunting!
deer see movement way more than color! and there ears pick up sound better than camo will hide you!
#8
Nontypical Buck
Join Date: Jul 2005
Location:
Posts: 1,693
#9
Thanks!
I will look. I like the towel cuz its fits in my small pack. But your right it is not perfect with its damp or wet out.
I might be ably to cut one of my exercise squares to shape. I will see.
warm = happy huntress
I will look. I like the towel cuz its fits in my small pack. But your right it is not perfect with its damp or wet out.
I might be ably to cut one of my exercise squares to shape. I will see.
warm = happy huntress