jrfrmn

What can I do to stay out longer?

kenified06

Where as many layers of clothing as you can still feel comfortable in. Eat a lot of snacks. Make sure your head is very well covered because that's where you loose most of your heat. Good socks and boots make a world of difference as well. Try not to think about it.

hardwoodhank

layers of clothes are easier to remove than put on! Be sure to have a nice pair of wool hunting socks and boots with at least 800 Gore-Tex, warm gloves, pull over head/face cover, and warm hat. I was in stand today and it was 18 degrees and feet were warm, head was warm, and as it got warmer I took a layer off. Be sure to wiggle your toes as much as possible and ever once in a while stand up and get blood flowing.

I dont know what else to say except if you aren't ready to face the elements, go spend $400 on some overalls, and the whole arctic stuff. I have a backpack I carry, and usually after each hunt I have taken a layer off and packed it away and forgot about it.

Only hunt on days you won't get cold, unfortunately that's when they are moving the most!

flags

1) Layer your clothing. Make sure it isn't tight. You need an air space for insulation.

2) Buy good gloves and a good hat. A Balaclava is good too.

3) Turtle necks seal the area around your throat and hold body heat in.

4) Get good boots and make sure they don't fit so tight they cut off circulation.

5) Wool. Wool. Wool. Did I mention wool? It stays warm even when wet.

6) Eat right. Don't load up on garbage. Complex carbs give long term energy and energy = heat.

7) Don't overdo coffee or alcohol.

8) Take a thermos of hot soup to warm you up inside. Noodles and rice are carbs. See #6.

9) Get sleep and exercise. The more healthy you are, the better your body functions.

10) Take an aspirin 1 hr before you go out and every hr you're in the stand. Aspirin thins the blood and helps it flow to your capillaries in your fingers and toes. More blood flow= heat.

Mojotex

I layer up with high quality clothing. Wool/poly blends for under garments. No cotton against my skin. Properly fitting , quality, insulated boots. A dang warm hat/cap. Wind breaking out gear, even on calm days. And I use those chemical "hand warmer" .... "toasty toes" .... to assist. I take hot cocoa in a small thermos on the really cold days.

d80hunter

Everything posted here is good advice. Also changing your socks and adding your final layers where your set up will keep you sweat free and warm.

MZS

You need a wind block. Otherwise you will freeze when winds are gusting and the temps are below freezing, no matter what you do I think.

If it is not windy, loose fitting and layers is best. No high tech is needed, just lots of layers. Wool is the best low tech, although even cotton in layers will work. And loose fitting ice-man type boots with a small toe warmer in each. And a hand warmer in each glove. On the head, if it is really cold you can have a hood from a sweat shirt, a knit hat, a hood from your coat, and also a neck warmer (I make them from a knit hat with the top cut off) over neck and face. Loose fitting gives you air layers, and air insulates.

FlDeerman

Move to Florida?Naww it still gets cold here just not that below zero crap.A good hat,gloves,boots make a big difference.If you are getting cold sit and flex your muscles,you can do it without hardly moving,just tighten up and relax over and over,it will warm you up.

Murdy

"10) Take an aspirin 1 hr before you go out and every hr you're in the stand. Aspirin thins the blood and helps it flow to your capillaries in your fingers and toes. More blood flow= heat."
I question this one. Isn't this basically the same theory that taking a swig of alcohol keeps you warmer. After your thinned blood gets out to your capillaries, you feel warmer temporarily, but while there, it dissipates that heat, and returns to your core cooler, leading to being cold in the long run? I don't know this for a fact, but that's the criticism of the alcohol-keeps-you-warm theory that I always heard. Seems like aspirin would have a similar effect.

Don't overheat on the way in so you start sweating and get damp. Carry layers in and add them when you get to your stand. Don't use cotton as a base layer (holds moisture). Rather, use a moisture wicking base layer to stay dry (underarmor, merino wool). Also, you can put a cotton layer over a wicking layer to help pull moisture of your body (cotton draws and holds water).
I've heard of people using those icy-hot stick on back patches to stay warm -- never tried it myself though.
If its cold, I usually use underarmor next to my skin, a light wool layer over than, then a cotton t-shirt, and a gortex-shell jacket (wind and water resistant, plus breathable). I carry in a thick polar-fleece top and add it under the jacket when I get to my stand. If its colder and I don't think that's enough, I up the wool layer for more insulation. I typically go a little lighter on the bottoms, but that's probably just personal preference. I have a parka but don't use it unless it's bitter cold, as I tend to get too sweaty, and I think being dry is the most important thing.

flags

Nope. Aspirin and alcohol are not the same in the way they work. When you get cold, your body begins to restrict the blood vessels in the extremities (hand, feet, finger, toes) to keep the blood in the core. Since aspirin acts as a blood thinner, it helps overcome this. This is also why they give heart attack victims aspirin, it helps make it a little easier for the heart to pump blood. Alcohol does not thin the blood it merely gives a warming sensation but by the time it goes through the digestive system it is chemically broken down and has no effect on the blood. That is why alcohol is bad because it gives the sensation without actually giving the benefit.

As to the blood being colder when it returns to the core, that would only be true if you weren't wearing gloves or boots in the first place or if you allowed everything to get cold before taking the aspirin. That is why it is recommended to begin the aspirin an hr before getting in the stand. Remember, blood is flowing so it isn't going to stay in the fingers and toes for more than a second or 2. Aspirin is so effective at this that it is even listed as one of the items recommended for people attempting to climb Mt Everest. Not the following:

Aspirin based medicines help thin blood and are very effective for a high-altitude headache.

http://www.traveladvisortips.com/top...est-gear-list/

Bottom line, the aspirin trick is something the military has used for decades for cold weather operations and training. Every cold weather mission or training evolution I've been on, aspirin has been dispensed. But I'm going to go out on a limb and guess you have never been in the service have you?