River Hill

I am in the need of some new cold weather camo. I need a new set of bibs, jacket/parka and boots. I was thinking about the new MT050 bibs and jacket from Cabela's and a pair of Rocky BearClaw boots. What are your thoughts. I hate being cold and I hunt in WV, PA and NY.

I need some suggest on underlayer wear and socks.

SCRIDER1

Hey, River Hill... I've learned over the years that the most important cold weather items are boots, gloves and head cover. If your budget is limited, I recommend you devote the lion's share of it to those items. Get good stuff. Especially the boots and gloves. Pay attention to the ratings system used to rate the boots...know the temperature ranges you expect to hunt in..some boots are for keeping you warm during mild activity (like walking) but will do you NO good while sitting still in a stand. My hunting comfort improved 1000% once I figured this out. I also bought good, insulated coveralls that are a size too large. In mild weather I can wear just the coverall...when its cold, I have room to wear it over layers of non-camo clothing. That way I dont have to invest tons of money into big piles of camo I only need a few times per year. When I get warm, all I have to do is take off the coveralls, shed some layers, and put the coveralls back on. I also keep a few of the chemical Hot Hands in my pockets for emergencies. We dont have extended periods of cold here like you do up north, but we have "cold snaps" for a few days here and there. I hunted all day out in 17 degree temps a couple of seasons ago and I was plenty comfortable.
Good luck

whiskeyscout

I think mickey mouse boots are the best for your money, go to dirtcheap.com, awesome deal. TO add to your question, How does everyone keep their hands warm, any particular gloves that will do the job in 20 degree weather. I use the handwarmer routine, but curious if there is some miracle glove out there.

SCRIDER1

whiskeyscout... without a doubt, the best gloves are the mitten style gloves (NOT gloves with separate fingers). There are some really good hunting mittens with a flap that you can yank open to expose your trigger finger when its time to shoot.
SC

kevin1

I've found that a hand muffler with or without a heat pack will really beat the cold . I still wear convertible mitten/gloves though , I'm a real pansy when it comes to cold hands and feet . [&o] My boots are Cordura with 1,000 grams of Thinsulate , worn with synthetic socks . I'm probably gonna add Arctic Shield boot blankets soon .

PaJack

I love my Cabelas Super-Slam...

whiskeyscout

Well actually I have the artic shield boot covers, gloves, and hand muffler. I couldn't think of the name of them and didn't know how to describe them otherwise.

THe hand muffler I bought this summer for dirt cheap,18$, haven't used it yet. The gloves were good for two seasons and then they just wore out? Wierd,but used them this year bow hunting 41 degrees and my hands were cold!! When new I hunted in 25 degrees and was chilly, but you just put your hands in your pocket for a few minutes and they recharge. You look at these golves, they don't look like much, they are very functional. Hopeing that the hand muffler with standard gloves and hand warmers will be the ticket. The artic shield technology, uses reflective material and intensify your body heat, hand warmers and the muffler should be fantastic.
THe boot covers are good, though we had a mild winter last year, and my boots aren't real great, so not sure if I can sit all day or not, if in the low 20's. The worst part about the boot covers is that they are velcroe, and they are loud if you put them on in the field. But if you walk in them you will tear them up. SO, you have to wedge them in your bibs so they remain wide open keeping the valcroe undone, then you can slide them on once at your stand. If you have layers on you may have to sit down to put over your boots. I have hunted where my feet were actually cold by the time i got in my stand, bu them warmed up once putting the boot covers on. I don' t think, you need to velcroe the boot covers for them to work, though I am not sure. If I do I usually walk in as though I am stalking, you are then able to keep them on. A normal pace will tear them up quick though.

fillae

I just bought a pair of camo bibs and a parka at Sam's Club. The bibs were $53 and the parka was $87 (if my memory serves me correctly). They are insulated and waterproof. I couldn't believe the price. Compare that to $350 for the pair from Cabela's. We'll see what the quality is like, but the construction looks solid. The parka has a zip out liner, so you really have three coats in one. Not sure if this is a regional thing, but check out Sam's if you're a member.

I have a pair of Rocky's with 800 grams. I slip in a pair of Toastie Toe's and I can sit in the stand all day. After years of my fingers freezing and being extremely uncomfortable, I made the switch to mittens. My fingers have never been cold since. I'll never go back. I have a cheap Wal-mart pair that has a liner with fingers and you can just pull the mitten back for exposure when you're ready to shoot.

annieoakley

Check out the sportsmans guide. They have some really good sales. Here is their link www.sportsmanguide.com

John Deer

Check this out, it will tell you everything you need to know about the Arctic Shield products and where you can purchase them if your interested. www.arcticshield.com