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Staying Warm

I'm starting to go through my cold season gear and am realizing a lot of the layers I wear under my coat and pants are old, bulky, and worn out. Any tips or must-have gear for staying warm when the temperature drops without looking like the michelin man in the stand?

What works for me is black ovis wool top and bottoms, if a long walk to stand I carry along UA heavy pants with side zippers, built in suspenders. Top is wool, cabelas shirt, filson wool vest, puffy jacket, then heavier jacket, carried if long walk. Walk in insulated rubber boots and pull insulated booties over them. Also pad on my metal platform is worth 10 degrees. Try a handmuff with heat packs. Pull over face mask with stocking cap makes you good to go.

I always had issues with my feet. I went to the Arctic Shield Boot insulators and they are great. I wear a midweight boot late season to the stand, once in the stand I slide these on. In my research I read to buy the next size bigger so I did and that is a MUST. They work good. Warm feet is the base for staying warm.

As far as clothing, I tried wool and for me the cheaper stuff I bought was no good in the wind. The Cabelas midgrade with wind sheer was better but I have burrs so that was terrible. Now I use a good mid weight long underwear, a heavy fleece long underwear (when temps req) and assuming we are talking winter here, I like insulated bib overalls and a Parka. My stuff came from Natgear. I layer and vary all the types of layers and outerwear by the temps. I used to use so many layers it was crazy so now I do limit that to avoid the Michelin man thing. The Natgear I bought has better insulation which was what I was after when I was at the point you are now. Last two years I have been warm with these two changes (boot covers/Natgear).

I also walk in basically with as few layers as possible on (hunt my own land, ha) nd dress at my stand so I do not get overheated.

Hope that helps! Bill

Wool socks. Wool bibs & vest. (King of Mt.) A hand muff with a set of hand warmers gets thrown into the mix in December. Try not to be “bulky”.

Merino wool everything, good base layers, good boots, and an IWOM. Best bang for the buck out there.

I actually walk about a half mile or so to my stand in the morning with just base layers. Usually still sweating by the time I'm 100 yards from the stand...or more. Once I'm up in the stand and put the IWOM on, I'm good for an all day sit no problems.

Stegar Mukluks will keep your feet warmer than anything....and that seems to be what gets cold first is your feet. Keep your feet warm and the rest will follow. I've also found silk long-johns and socks under wool work quite well.

Its all about the Feet , Hands & head . Keep them warm & the body is happy .

FEET . Most of us put 70 degree boots on a 98 degree feet & wonder why our feet get cold after a few hours . I put 100 degree boots on & I'm good for most of the day .

Hands . Cheap mitts with heat packs .

Head . 1thin cotton skull hat . 1 Thinsolate skull cap over that .

Body-layers. Also, air is best insulator, this is why wool and down are so effective. However, without the ability to "breathe", insulation can be worthless. Having Gortex type underlayer can really help. Me, I pack down vest and put it on after I cool down in stand. I am a down guy.

Feet-you need a way to get rid of perspiration. With boots, this is real hard so unless you have great circulation, heat pads or electric insoles are needed. I have Blue Tooth activated insoles due to circulation issues. Again, Gortex booties can really help with good wool socks.

Hands-Oxygen scavengers...I buy by the truckload. My hands don't produce heat once cold so I have to use them.

Ruger..... maybe I'm over thinking it, but I'm lost by your boot comment. Elaborate?

Jordan , what ever your house temperature is your boots will be the same . I put boot warmers in each boot . I leave the boots right side up so moisture can escape . I also installed a themostate to keep the temp at aboyt 100 degrees .

You'll be shocked at how long your feet stay warm whem you put a 100 degree boot on a 100 degree foot .

As for feet, I use Muck boots most of the season. When it drops to below 30 I out a hand warmer on the top of the boot and slip on Arctic Shield boot covers. In the Mucks in cold weather, I also place an insole made by Yaktraks that have three layers, one being a silver material to reflect heat back to the foot. Makes a big difference in a treestand standing on metal. I can sit dawn to dusk and be comfortable.

I actually broke out my treestand model of the All Day Bucket Heater. It has a camo poncho that you place over it. I have several deer that have fallen to it in weather others stay indoors. My most memorable day was going 1.3 miles in before daylight on a trail a buddy said "after the clearcut, go 200 yards hang left, turn right, walk 23 paces...". Never hunted the area and got lost going in. Started seeing orange sky to east and I sky-lighted a tree over a huge ravine. I set my climbing stand up. It was snow on ground and COLD. Sat all day (only made it because of the heater) only seeing a wolf early...back when wolves started to make a return. Late afternoon a real nice buck walks the ridge right by my tree and I nailed it. That was a one deer day on all day sit. I still break out the All Day Bucket Heater on days like today if I want to sit all day and stay warm. Only need to wear a light jacket to boot!

I have always been about keeping my core area warm. Years ago I started putting hand warmers (remember Jon-E?) in a little bag and pinning it to my shirt between the shoulder blades. Once I broke 68, I decided these weren't working for me anymore as I get cold easily. Bought a Milwaukee Tool heater jacket. Not cheap, but neither is down and wool. I am very happy with it. Now it feels like I am wearing a dozen handwarmers on my back and torso. So far, on 4 hour sits the battery has lasted on the medium setting.

I worked with a guy that would put heat patches, the ones for aches and pains, on his lower back and swore by them. Haven’t tried it personally.

Sat yesterday morning and evening. 20 degrees w/20 mph winds and higher gusts. My Day One ASAT insulated wool high waist pants and parka kept me warm. I only wore UA long underwear underneath and one fleece shirt. The UA is the extreme cold that's fleece on the inside and sheer on outside. The inside is textured with squares, I suppose to create air pockets. I only bring the insulated wool out when it gets below 30 because it's too warm otherwise. But I'm a big guy and I generate a lot of heat. I've never had to wear more than 2 layers on my upper half with that parka. I also wore my Steger Kamuks with Ice Armor lining and Smartwool socks. When it gets down in teens or single digits I'll wear full moose hide Mukluks. What seperartes these boots from all others is they're lightweight and they don't have a thick rubber sole that gets cold and cools down the bottom of your feet on long sits. Now if I can find the right mittens or gloves. It's one thing to keep your hands warm in pockets when there's no action, but it's another when deer are close and you're holding your cold bow for long periods.

I have had a set of wool camo but couldn't wear it in Columbia County due to the berry bushes & thousands of burrs. I think it has a wider comfort zone than my other gear. I also have one of the camo Milwaukee jackets & now a Black Milwaukee vest that I can wear under or in the blind. They both take the same battery so I can take a spare & even plug my phone in. Not that I ever have. My hands rarely get cold but if it is real cold I wear one thin brown glove on my left hand. Legs don't get cold. Feet, I have numerous kinds of boot & sock combinations & I make sure my boots are dry. If they get cold I throw some toe warmers on top & bottom but don't wait till they are too cold.

I find that I really enjoy a layer of a Carhartt hoodie sweatshirt. They make different weights, and there is definitely a difference between each weight. I personally think they have a strong bulk to heat ratio and don't limit movement, and make no noise. I tend not to want to wear a hood, but when the winds start cutting the skin on the back of my neck a few minutes of blocking it goes a long way... I love to wear neck gators for wind blocking also. There are few things that if I forget them, I will turn the car around and go back for, and the neck gaiter is one of them. I have been playing with a blanket on the lower half depending on the stand and sit. Not very practical for bouncing around, the bulk is obvious, but I have a few stands where it works out. The bulk is off the shooting half of the body and easily dropped for a shot (which does take some preplanning on how that is going to go down without drawing attention).

Having a neck gaiter is like having another layer on, it stops those shiver producing chills on the back of your neck. It also camos your chin and neck.

I'm with ya Tomas...amazing how much heat sneaks out around the collar area...a gaiter prevents that!

I have to laugh, my Wife bought me these down coats a few years ago. They were not the down coats I was used to, they were only about an inch thick, not the 2-3" ones from years ago. She liked them so I did not say anything. But, I found they are really nice for an under layer. I have that under my coat/outer layer and stay pretty warm. I would like to get a pair of pants just like them.

Agree with Live2hunt. A down layer does wonders and also like having a turtle neck or neck gaiter. You lose lots of heat thru your neck since the carotid are right near the surface. I have a ShiverShield suit made of aerogel. Amazing stuff but a little stiff. Very low volume and easy to walk in. Good thread.

I know this sounds goofy, but I wear insulated chest waders I bought for an Alaska trip. Don't need much underneath to stay warm.

Absolutely yes to the neck gaiters! Also, for many years I was using the hand/foot warmers wrong in my boots. When under your toes they get compressed and wet with sweat and don't work very well. A boot with a larger toe box and hand warmer on top of the toes works most of the day when sitting

Totally agree with the down underlayer. I also wear a pair of windproof cross country ski pants under my thick fleece camo pants. Best $25 I ever spent.

I wear a pair of arctic long underwear, turtleneck, jeans with my bowhunting camo over those. A hoodie and orange jacket. I use a muff with warmers and also use the stick on body warmers, one on each kidney and one on each leg above the knee. My feet are the biggest problem, I have a pair of Iceman's with a foot warmer in each. Oops, almost forgot the neck gaiter.

I have a really nice Muff (Focus Boys) that I bought for bow hunting that I can never use because my kid decided he really liked it. They also like to make me tromp around in the thick nasty to kick deer to them. Kids are mean.

Been using a Heater Body Suit. I am amazed at how it has worked in this cold snap. I should have bought one years ago.

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