Staying warm in a tree stand
 

What can I do to stay out longer?

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.

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!

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

"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.

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?

Aspirin works very well. I used it working on the flightline during the winters in my USAF days. This is a little off topic but aspirin has a lot of benefits. I have read it can also reduce your risk of cancer by as much as 40%.

Never take one full aspirin an hour. This is dangerous and could lead to further complications if you get hurt. Ask any doctor and see what he says. The aspiron you take for a heart attack is once and the ones you take dailey are low doss. NEVER TAKE ANY EXCESIVE DOSES OF OVER THE COUNTER MEDS. If you have your blood thinned out that much and you cut yourself you could be in big trouble fast..

I assumed flags is talking about low dose aspirin...not the full dose. That is what I would use and recommend.

"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?"

Actually, I was Army Infantry for 4 years. Stationed in Fort Bragg and Germany -- about 20 years ago. Didn't do much cold weather training in North Carolina, but some in Germany. I don't recall the aspirin trick. Not saying its wrong, just looking for more info. I did a little more reading, and I see that there is some disagreement on whether alcohol is a blood thinner, but I also come across info that its a vasodilator, which would result in a similar effect to thinning the blood (i.e., dilated capillaries equal more blood being brought to the surface of the skin -- http://www.theregister.co.uk/2006/10...lcohol_warmth/ ). So even if the mechanism (thin blood vs dilate blood vessels) is different, the net effect would be the same (or similar).

Set you up a box stand!

Walk in extremely light, and change before getting in stand. Layers of polypropelyne { sic } and wool. Outside layer needs to be a decent wind block. Couple of old hunting socks stuffed with handwarmers around your waist and neck.

Wool, man, wool.

Many thin layers of wool.

Does the trick for me.

google holly's hot sock
RR

Yep. Just didn't put it in the post. Baby aspirin works really well for this.

Not quite, if you are trying to stay warm, you don't want the blood vessels close to the surface since that is the source of the cold. You want them deeper which is why aspirin is preferred. Besides, are you really trying to say that alcohol use in a tree stand to stay warm is good? Anyone advocating that alcohol is proper while in the field is pretty irresponsible. Is that waht you're saying?

Of course not, and I do not see how anyone could take my post in that way, particularly since the link I provided clearly states: "Alcohol only gives a false sense of warmth. . . . You may feel warmer, but your blood will actually be cooled."

I thought it was pretty obvious that I was questioning your advice about using aspirin to thwart the cold. Now you say that "you don't want the blood vessels close to the surface since that is the source of the cold. You want them deeper which is why aspirin is preferred," which I read as saying aspirin does not cause more blood to reach the surface of the skin. Earlier, you stated, "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." I read this as stating that aspiring counteracts the effect of the body trying to keep blood in its core, which would result in more blood to the surface of the skin. This appears contradictory to me, perhaps you could clarify this?
To me, it seems 1) you don't want to be counteracting your body's natural response to a potentially dangerous situation (i.e., the process our bodies were designed or evolved (take your pick) to use to enhance survival, and 2) since aspirin and alcohol both result in more blood going to the surface of the skin (not sure if you agree with this regarding aspirin though, as explained above), neither would be a good idea.

(It could be that aspirin counteracts the body's tendency to thicken the blood in cold weather, allowing better circulation and oxygen transfer, which would allow better performance of strenuous tasks, which might be why the military would encourage aspirin use in cold weather. But that's a different issue than staying warm, and not really relevant to sitting in a tree stand. This last thought is mere speculation on my part.)

With this statement you have made my point. Alcohol gives a false sense of warmth without actually giving the benefit. This contradicts your earlier observation: Isn't this basically the same theory that taking a swig of alcohol keeps you warmer. The aspirin isn't just a theory. It has been proven to help and that is the point, it helps but admittedly, it isn't a magic bullet.

I need to point out that I never said an aspirin alone would do the trick. Maybe you didn't notice that I listed a total of 10 points and none of them by itself will completely do the trick. Using all or most of them have proven helpful to me and would therefore most likely help others. You're slitting hairs by only focusing on one of the ten. Remember the originator asked for things that will help. The only single magic bullet to not getting cold in the stand is to not go to the stand in the first place. Everything else is simply methods to lessen the cold and the way different people handle it.

Bottom line, if you don't want to try the aspirin trick or have a hard time believing it, then don't try it. It doesn't matter to me one way or the other if you are cold or not. Only you care about your personal level of discomfort, nobody else.

"Alcohol gives a false sense of warmth without actually giving the benefit. This contradicts your earlier observation: Isn't this basically the same theory that taking a swig of alcohol keeps you warmer."
Since that statement was immediately followed by a criticisms of the theory (in context: "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 see how anyone could seriously believe that I was taking the position that alcohol actually keeps you warmer -- or how that earlier statement was contradictory with alcohol giving a false sense of security, that's what I was saying both times).
You never answer my main question: If aspirin (as your first post suggests) and alcohol both cause blood to come to the surface of the skin (albeit through different mechanisms -- blood thinner vs vasodilator), and alcohol causes long-term heat loss because it allows heat to dissipate, why doesn't aspirin do the same thing?
My bottom line. This isn't about whether I want to take aspirin for the cold, it's about information. You posted a factual statement. It seems counterintuitive to me, and I have a serious question about it.

I think in this type discussion it's good to learn more about how the original poster hunted, what temps are we talking, how far do you walk into the stand, etc...

We have all known for decades to wear layers, don't work up a sweat, keep you head and feet warm...To someone less experienced, this might do the trick...But, if he is talking about -20 degrees then you have to take it to the next level...

I have found that wearing my duck hunting rain pants while in a stand does a very good job of blocking the wind. While having a light hooded zippered jacket(with multiple light layers inside this) inside another light jacket does very well for my upper body. I wear light socks to the stand and put on my warm one when on stand. So I don't have to wear heavy sweaty socks inside sweat soaked boots.

Highly recommend hand and body warmers. I should own stock in them with how many I use a season. Lol

I highly recommend a warm bag, or heater body suit. I got my wife a warm bag a couple years ago and she hasn't been cold since. I used it twice this year, both times I left my "warm layers" home, went in dressed as I would for a 40-50 degree day.

- first day was 20 degrees and 20 mph wind. Sat for hours and was toasty warm. Actually thought the weather guys were wrong on temperature, until I got out of it and walked 15 minutes back to truck and froze solid.

- this past weekend, when I left home at 5:15, it was 7 degrees. High for the day was supposed to be around 20. I sat from just before light to 10 AM, about 4 hours. It was COLD. but I was not. I won't say I was warm, but I was comfortable.

Allows you to layer lightly for the walk in, and then get in the warm bag. Now add to this that I don't actually fit in my wifes warm bag, it comes up to my arm pits, so I put my jacket on, but didn't zip it. Had a WARM hat on that covered my neck. I was VERY comfy on a day I normally would have been frozen solid depsite layers.

I second the hand warmers! I also use the foot warmers that are shaped like and in-sole. I was hunting in 4 degree weather last weekend and my feet were toasty warm.

I also use a sleeping blanket in the stand when it's super cold.

In the mornings I carry a 2 quart thermos of black tea laced with 8 table spoons of honey. The tea gets me warmed up quick and the honey prolongs the heat.
In the afternoon I take 2 quarts of hot chicken broth to the stand. getting out of the wind does more to staying warm that just about any thing I have encountered.

:D Al

i saw a sleeping bag that was military use that had armholes in it for sale on sportsmansguide for like $40. I was thinking of getting one of those and using it as a poor mans heatersuit

this is sort of what I was thinking. An old sleeping bag would help and you can get them for peanuts at old junk shops.

It would work well I think - it will give you that extra wind block and layer of air. Still, if you are in a tree with howling winds, no wind block, and temps at 10F, you will freeze within 4 hours (rather than 1 or 2).

I, too, want to know the answer to this. I'm failing to see the difference between the two. To me it seems both, not just alcohol, would be harmful to long-term warmth.

I think tree stands...
 

were designed for archers in warmer weather.

A bridge is one of the coldest spots in winter.

Lots of excellent ideas thus far. I've thought about those heater body suits, but I am on the fence about feeling comfy up in a treestand with my arms zipped inside and the safety aspect (yes, also using a safety strap). I always carry my top layers, both top & bottom, to the stand location adding them after the walk, which always keeps me warm. I've noticed that my worst areas are my feet & hands and use heater pads on both to help. I never wear the same hat as the one I walked in wearing, putting on a dry and scent-free one I carry inside my pack. Recently the use of a neck gaitor also added at the stand location has proved to help as well. I have also used an insulated muff with hand warmers inside as a great way to keep my hands warm, it's warmer and more convenient than using jacket pockets for me.

Something else I've found that works really well for me is the use of boot blankets, insulated "booties" that simply slide on over your boots. If your feet are setting on a metal platform, the temperature they are exposed to is much lower in very cold weather than what they would be exposed to on the ground. The boot blankets ensure that the bottom of your boots are not exposed to those very low temps ( a piece of carpet can help there too). These work way better than toe warmers for me in really cold weather because there's less chance of overheating your feet getting to your stand if there are no toe warmers in for the walk. I'd be interested in trying the newer heated innersoles by thermacell, but no so interested in their cost. :rolleye0011:

I did some subsequent research and came up with this:

"symptomatic hypothermia pathologic reduction of body temperature as a result of decreased heat production or increased heat loss. Hypothyroidism, severe blood loss with circulatory failure, and damage to the heat-producing cells of the hypothalamus can lead to decreased heat production. Prolonged exposure to cold, overdosage of antipyretic drugs, such as aspirin, and profuse sweating (diaphoresis) are some causes of increased heat loss and resultant hypothermia.
Miller-Keane Encyclopedia and Dictionary of Medicine, Nursing, and Allied Health, Seventh Edition. © 2003 by Saunders, an imprint of Elsevier, Inc. All rights reserved."

http://medical-dictionary.thefreedic...om/Hypothermia

I can't vouch for the reliability of the source, but at least is it's something.

I can see how aspirin would counteract the bodies' thickening of the blood, which may be a benefit to engaging in strenuous activities in cold weather by allowing better oxygen circulation, but I can't see how it would keep you warm, and it could be dangerous if hypothermia was an issue. This is just my opinion/speculation, I'm no expert.

under amour

With the frigid weather there are three places ...
 

not to hunt without moving.

l. on a bridge
2. in a open field
3. on a tree stand, that's suspended up in the wind, and is like a mini bridge.