keeping warm

[Chris Shelton]

#6868

This is often a overlooked topic but for the lateseason bowhunter, it is very important. I know that there are lots of tips and tricks for keeping warm and think it would be great to here some of them. Personally I can not stand to bulk up, so layers and lots of them is the name of the game, I don’t shoot well with heavy coats! So what I like to do is wear one or two base layers, mainly underarmer as the base base, and then long underwear over top that! Then I wear long sleaves, followed by a sweat shirt, then mabye a hoodie or two, with a windbreaker. O and two pairs of pants, found that fleece pants go well under some regular camo pants! This exact set up is very effective down to 10 degrees with a wind chill of 0 round about! Simple, sleek, and easy to shoot in, plus the important part, warm!!!

[Hubertus]

#55846

A very important topic indeed!
I’m one of those guys who can go for a jog in near-freezing temps with shorts & no sleeves. But as soon as I need to be still, I’m in trouble.
I layer-up too. I only use wool/wool blends & polar fleece. This year I’m trying a pair of wool blend bibs (non-camo) and a longhunter shirt (see Ron LeClair’s site). It was the most affordable wool set I could come up with.
My real problem is with hands & feet. I use flip-top mittens. The bowhand stays inside & my release hand has the tab/glove ready to go under an easily removed cover. My feet get a light liner sock, at least 2 pair of wool & winter mukluks to top it off (expremely warm, comfortable & quiet!)

[Clay Hayes]

#55857

Don’t forget your lid.:wink:

[Hubertus]

#56825

My melon’s pretty shiny. So forgetting my lid (wool blend belaclava topped with a wool hood) would be like forgetting my bow.

[Todd Smith]

#56956

I like Morino wool undergarments; socks, bottoms, and tops. Wool hunting pants, but tough wool. I got some English wool pants and they are comfortable, but they’re like felt. I have to stitch up tears in them every time I get home.

I like wool shirts too. I’m fond of the ones Teresa Asbell makes. She has a wool vest that is nice too.

One thing I’ve come to take with me all the time is one of those removable fleece hoods. You can make it a hat, a hood, or pull it down around your neck as a neck warmer. They are really nice.

I wear a wool Stromy Kroemer under the hood if it’s fairly cold. When it gets really cold I have a marten skin hat I made when I lived in the bush that is the warmest hat I’ve ever had. BUT- I hunt often on public ground and I don’t wear it there. I figure I’ll get shot if I do.

I like thin gloves that I have good feeling through and in really cold weather I either keep my hands in my pockets, or I put on oversized mittens. I tie cord to them so I can slip my hands out and still shoot without losing my gloves.

I used to wear a scarf but that hood thing has replaced the scarf.

When it’s cold I normally wear my Sorrel pack boots.

Sometimes I carry hand warmers too if I’m going to be sitting a ling time in the cold.

Oh, and hot tea in a thermos. todd

[SteveMcD]

#57086

I am also a believer in wearing layers. I also like the Longhunter Pullover from Ron LaClairs. Nice fit and bowstring friendly.

I also have a stock of those boot warmer packets in my day pack for late season hunting in single digit weather. That I use in my hunting boots on those extra cold days.

[Mark Turton]

#57331

I was told years ago ‘take something off before you get hot and put something on before you get cold ‘and I always try to do that, it saves building up sweat that only cools you down when you rest.

I’m another fan of Moreno wool and then more wool, I also have a wool pullover that my wife knitted for me before we were married so that’s over 26 years ago it is almost bullet proof but great to get into when things get a wee bit chilly.

I use a shooting glove and over that a wool glove with two fingers cut out, it’s not perfect but works OK adds a bit of insulation and colour but the shooting fingers can get a bit cold latter in the season.

A trick for warming cold hands is plunge them into water a stream or deep puddle and let them air dry, the body senses the sudden drop in temperature to the extremities and sends warm blood from the core, works for me but I had to grit my teeth the first time I did it.

Mark.

[Hiram]

#60217

Good old cotton and wool. I like wool alot. Fred talks about this in his book. Wool retains heat even if its wet. Layer with cotton and wool and remember to take off your hat when you get hot. 45% of your body heat is lost or gained by a good hat or cap, stocking caps. I wear a hat till I get to the stand, then switch to a wool stocking cap from my pack. You must have a good (noise free) pack to carry extra or layers off while hunting in moderate to cold weather.

[William Warren]

#9707

I also believe in layers. Although I’m from below the Mason Dixon Line after late November a good wool shirt and trousers over polypropylene underwear usually works for me with a heavy zip hoodie over that or a wool coat and watch cap if it is going to be freezing all day. On days that start off cold and warm up I wear wool whipchord trousers and Cabelas Worsterlon shirts (those shirts are 10 years old and still look like new) with a lighter pair of polypropylene undies and a lighter weight cap. For footwear, early season, plain 8″ Bean Hunting boots or Proline knee high rubber boots with polypropylene Thorlo socks. For cold weather I go to my Rocky pac boots thinsulate lined with a good wool sock. For all day trips take extra socks and change them. Wool Army glove liners are my favorite all around glove and in really cold weather wool shooters mits. This works well in NC where I am from but on a trip to Il a few years ago I found out the daytime high could be 5 degrees in Nov with snow flurries. I like to have froze to death as they say around here and I had on all my woolies!

[Jarrod Feiner]

#16384

Spot and stalk hunting offers its own set of challanges when it comes to staying warm. The act of walking/hiking keeps the blood moving and subsequently keeps you a bit warmer. However, there comes the time when one needs to sit and wait; this can cause a problem. Depending on how much hiking was involved, even in the cold, one can work up a sweat, and this sweat can really give you an unwelcomed chill.

I discovered synthetic underwear which wisks away sweat from the body; I swear by this stuff…though it probably is “stinky” to a deer’s nose. This synthetic layer plus layers of wool–preferably glorious, glorious merino–can keep me pretty comfortable.

As a California boy, I’m not well acclimated to cold temps and I always seem to underestimate how much cloting it takes to keep me warm–especially up in a tree in the east (as my good friend Eric will tell you). I have updated my cold weather gear to include one of those “hand muffs” that you see quarterbacks wearing in Greenbay. For myself, it’s been well worth the price.

For what my opinion is worth…..

[rburpo]

#42914

After many years of fine tuning, this is what I do now and seems to work well for me.

1. Smart wool or under armour base layers
2. mid weight fleece leggings on bottom, light weight fleece north face top
3. heavy wool pants or bibs for bottom, wool windstopper top
4. fleece wind stopper vest
5. heavy smart wool socks go in my pack, military mickey mouse boots strapped to my pack with hand warmers opened and put inside to pre-warm.

If I have a long enough walk I’ll also pack my wool pants and top. When I get to my stand I dress and swap boots and socks after I dry everything off including my feet.

Light weight under armour cold gear gloves work best for me with a hand muff and hand warmer inside.
Fleece neck warmer is also mandatory as well as my filson wool hat.

I have stayed warm in temps colder than -20 for over 4 hours with this set up and I can still move fairly well.

[Chris Shelton]

#43445

just out of curiousity(it goes with the tread)!
What gram of insulation boots do you guys have, I have a unknown pair that is great untill freezing, then I have a beastly 1000 that is good till about 0, that is about as cold as it gets here in MD. I know they make 2000 grams, I couldnt even imagine that.

Anyway, good posts, I like what I see. Alot of similarities. I dont have underarmor leggings, is that worth it. I have the shirt, and that is a miricle compared to the wool underwear. Dont diss that though, I have had to strip down to nothing but that in 0 degrees to hike up a mountain, I was caught out in the open with it(running late) and a group of deer were standing there watching me. I froze my butt off, waiting for them to move past, all were does(buck only season) but I didnt want them to blow everything else out that morning. and it was worth it, I later had a opportunity at a very modest 8 point, missed him though. Nailed the sapling in front of his front shoulder. That was a hard trip to dress warm for. I could only imagine what you fellows in colorado have to go through!!! best of luck this season
chris

[Patrick]

#43690

I don’t wear insulated boots anymore while sitting. I have a pair of boot blankets that I use, and they work great. You just have to get used to lifting your feet a little more than normal when shifting your feet to prevent noise.

[Author]

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