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Haven't seen this talked about and thought I'd ask. I bowhunt and gun hunt whitetail in Wisconsin and its 99% of the time out of a treestand. I have always used just some camo pants but I keep looking at the bin options and wondering if anyone switched from one to the other. Pros and cons of either one? I personally always just thought the bibs looked like something old guys would wear (sorry to the older folks haha) I'm 35 if your wandering.
They will keep you toasty
I hunt with both but am really becoming a bibs guy. More coverage, don't worry about drafts, comfortable....
Well, the trip from 35 to "old" is a short one so I would get some bibs now before prices go up :^)
Bibs are warmer and harder to get out of in a hurry when nature calls.
Bibs are more comfortable. You don’t have to be concerned with daypacks pushing your pants down.
In temps above 35 I wear a base layer and pants. Anything below that I wear my Sitka stratus bibs. A really good system for sitting in stands.
In the north woods.....during the early season tree stand work, I have been wearing bibs forever. When it gets cooler (30's) I'll switch to bib overalls. When it gets cold (20's and below)....it's insulated Predator pants and jacket. I have my old aviation dry suit one-sees I will wear as a base if the temps or winds dictate. Head gear is very important as you can loose up to 75% of your body heat thru your head. I'll double up on that to retain heat.
I prefer insulated bibs. And wear my coat inside them. Keeps my core warmer that way.
Below 45 F I wear bibs, and above I wear pants.
Cabelas outfitter wool bibs for me in cool temps - bibs are my go to with the exception of early season. I find them to be way warmer than pants.
I use bibs up here in manitoba
I had a friend , wearing bibs, that was up a tree stand. He said all of a sudden he had to go #2. He climbed down and couldn't go far he had to go so bad. He did his thing and pulled his bibs back up. that is when he discovered he had pooped in the top of his bibs. So be careful out there. It doesn't get cold enough here to wear bibs and I mainly hunt from a ground blind with a small propane heater. When I was young I could sit up a tree from sun up to sun down but no longer. I have killed many deer, with bow and arrow, when shotgun season opened. As soon as the sun gets up good the guys on the public hunting area start going back to their vehicles or wandering around. They get the deer moving and I was always up a tree in a thick place for the day or until I got my deer.
Up in a tree, I will take bibs every single time. One more layer of insulation over your kidneys, which is a very big deal.
Actually, though, given the choice I will go with a down sleeping bag over the bibs. Toss a couple 1 L Nalgene bottles full of screaming hot water (or coffee, or tea, or hot chocolate) into the foot of the bag, and you are good to go all day long. Biggest problem with a sleeping bag, though, is that it can be hard to shoot standing up.
But a down bag with the drawstring snugged up under your armpits over a down parka is a mighty effective system.
Agree with the above, bibs in cold (under 30) temps, and pants over. If any sort of stalking, the bibs are gone. And I'm 35 too, don't care what anyone thinks about my style as long as I am warm and comfortable.
My threshold is about 40 degrees if it’s not above a 10 mph wind. 45 degrees if it’s windy
Under that and I wear bibs.
Bibs are night and day warmer. No wind up your back. Keep your core warmer.
I’m 39 and I’ve been a bib guy since my late 20s when I could afford them ;)
I should add, I can’t wear bibs for more than about 100 yards when I’m walking. I heat up too fast, and I’m a sweater
Bibs here as well for all of the reasons above. They are just so much more comfortable.
Bibs here as well, for both stand hunting and ground hunting Pros: Bibs cover your mid section, stops drafts from one's shirt or jacket pulling up past the belt line from sitting down or moving. When insulated they are great for stand hunting! And you can tuck your hands in the sides underneath comfortably to keep them toasty warm. Cons: Little harder to manipulate when needing to take a.....well you know! And insulated bibs get to sweaty when walking to and from the stand, so I carry them till I get to the treestand, then put them on.
Pants are good for warmer seasons, although I still like wearing my warm season (UN-insulated) predator bibs for September elk/deer hunts.
Bowman's Link
cute pants and overalls. I like them
Just bought bibs last year, can’t believe how warm they are.
Damn' jacket always rides up; bibs keep the small of my back warm, pants don't. Cold? Bibs!
Bibs, they keep you kidneys and lower back warmer and you don't get drafts. I someone make a light weight form fitting coverall that was super warm I would wear coveralls. Shawn
After you have been on your stand a little while the sun is starting to come up and you feel a little breeze and you have been completely still for a hour or two that slight chill you feel starts to get worse and you feel like you’re getting colder instead of the sun warming you up, that’s where the bibs shine through. Seems if wearing pants the cold air finds a way in around your belt line. If the wind is blowing really hard you can use a heavier bib.
I have a nice pair of NatGear insulated bibs but it is too warm to wear them here during bow season. I wear them on cold windy days while plowing snow on the ATV or ice fishing.
Treestand=bibs, anything else its pants.
Bibs here as well, unless it’s above 40-45 degrees out. Like Bake, I get heated up very easily, so 95% of the time, I wear only my base layers going into my stand, then put the rest of my layers and bibs on once I get to the tree. I’ve got some deep ravines that I oftentimes have to traverse, to get to the stand. If I wore everything going in, I’d be sweating like Mike Tyson at a spelling bee, by the time I got there.
Another trick to help staying warm, is using Thermacare heat wraps around your kidney area. Makes a huge difference in helping to keep your core warm.
Bibs for me no matter what the weather when hunting. I also like to slip into my carhartts when discussing hog futures.
Prefer bibs for hunting from trees.
Definitely bibs below 45 deg. I especially like the freedom of arm movement for archery!
I been wearing bibs treestand hunting when it gets colds for about 9 years since I got old. I am 44 now. ;) You will like them when it gets cold. They can get warm quick when walking. Make sure what you get has long zippers up the side. They will let you cool down and easy to take off or put on with your boots.
The old Carhart bibs were the height of fashion back in my trapping days. And even predator hunting (I had an AR before they were so cool :) )
Bibs for later season treestand hunting, basically when the temps are in the 30s or lower for the duration of the hunt. Pants otherwise. Just a baselayer underneath for the upper temp range of bib use, and baselayer + pants when it's real cold. Lately I've just been wearing my bibs to the stand, but there are times I pack them in. I used to wear coveralls, but the versatility of bibs and layers for your upper body is unmatched imo.
I too used to use pantes in warmer weather but have come to love the bibs so much that I have bought them in light, midweight and heavy weight. I like the pockets, full coverage and built in suspenders. It can be a P.I.A. when nature calls but I think the pros outweigh the cons. Just my personal opinion.
I use Cabelas MT050 pants down to about 25 after that Thiesson or Dayone bibs.When I use the pants I use a day one parka.I use the parka with bibs down to 0 after that its a coverall.One thing that I like about the Thiesson is that the zipper goes all the way to the belt line.
Filson Mackinaw wool bibs over jeans. On the coldest, windy days I'd wear long underwear under the jeans too.
Bibs are just so handy and comfortable. Have always wore them hunting.
^....concur. Plus, what no one wants to admit.....keeps the butt crack from getting cold.