BowhuntingMachine

Ok...help me out....I want to stay warm on those cold days of bowhunting....around 40-0 degrees....but I don' t want to be packed with clothing.....What is the minimal amount of clothing I can wear to keep me warm?.....What do you guys wear on cold days?? LMK and help would be great..

tabby

I usually wear thermals, a wool sweater, sweatpants, and insulated coverals. Wool socks and noninsulated rubber boots. I also wear a neckwarmer. I find that without the neckwarmer, I freeze. I have been comfortable sitting for 6 hours in a stand when it was 10 degrees, no wind. And I don' t have much body fat, so I get colder sooner than most. Most guys probably wear less.

KimberRuger

tabby - a neck warmer ?

I' m new to bowhunting (not going out this year, but getting ready for next year) I' ve gun hunted for years and I always freeze. I have an injury to my left hand that almsot causes it to get cold in 50 degrees. My feet freeze too. I figure the more heat that I can keep in me, the better off I am .....

Can you provide a link or other contact info for " neck warmers" ?

Thanks in advance ............


Patrick

BowhuntingMachine

I wear a neckwarmer too!...Mine is made by Remington...

tabby

KimberRuger.

A neckwarmer is pretty much a winter hat with the top cut off. You could also use a scarff. You could find them in sporting goods stores, maybe with ski stuff.

Good luck archery hunting next year. Im sure you will enjoy it. I also get cold hands and feet. Hardly every while archery hunting, but always while gun hunting. I guess I sweat a little while walking, and get cold while standing still.

http://melbay.safeshopper.com/8/38.htm?180

Give you an idea what you are looking for.

JimmyMo32

long socks, long johns, longsleeve shirt, hooded sweatshirt, cabelas windstopper pullover..and gloves.. i stay pretty warm, oh and make sure u are wearing an arm guard or something to keep the clothing out of the road when you shoot!

peashooter

Last weekend I sat all day with highs in the low 20' s with no problem.
Here' s a list of clothing I wore: polypropoline(sp?) socks on my feet, with regular socks over them. I topped my feet off with a good pair of Lacrosse Pac boots. Wear wool socks if your feet get cold easy. My next layer is a pair of thin moisture- wicking long underwear tops and bottoms, covered with a heavier(midweight) insulating pair of long underwear. Then a pair of jeans on my legs. I then add a relatively heavy wool shirt(great in the rain by the way, wool might be heavy, but it stays warm when wet), covered by a fleece shirt(fleece is very warm-and quiet). Over all this I wear an insulated pair of bibs and a hooded jacket/coat. You' ll be surprised what a hood can do for you if it' s windy. I also wear a neck warmer. I think wearing a neck warmer will trap so much heat it will keep you a good 25% warmer than if you didn' t wear one. Top it off with a decent hat and you' ll be set. The only thing that got cold were my fingers, because I don' t like to wear warm, bulky gloves in case I have to take a shot before I have a chance to get my gloves off.

Key points are: stay comfortably cool on the way into the woods. Never get hot and start to sweat. You' ll feel nice and warm on the way in, but once that sweat starts to evaporate you' ll get cold and start shaking. Also wear moisture wicking layers right next to your body. No matter what, you will perspire some. You' ll do that just sitting still, so anything that wicks moisture away is a huge plus. I know I said it before, but get a neck warmer. You might not want to wear it into the woods, because they trap so much heat. But, when you' re on the stand they can' t be beat. Anything that keeps the heat from your body' s core from escaping will keep you much warmer. Another key is to wear good boots. I forget the name, but these boots from Lacrosse are awesome. I think they' re rated somewhere in the neighborhood of 80 below zero, and it' s a very rare day I need to wear wool socks to keep my feet wamr while wearing them.

Another thing that can help keep you warm is keep the blood flowing in your muscles. You don' t have to get up and run around your stand, but work your muscles. Tighten up(flex) one muscle group for say 15 seconds, then do another one(say flex and hold the back muscles, then the chest, then the arms, then the legs, etc.). You might be surprised how much warmer this can keep you.

And last but not least, try to have some good calories in you to burn. Eat a meal based on carbs. before you go out. Load up on things like breads, pastas, cheese, and meats. Food like this can " power" your body throughout the day.

I' m no expert, but I do plenty of hunting and icefishing in Wisconsin to know what keeps you warm and what doesn' t. I think the most important thing I' ve found is to stay " comfortably cool" when you' re physically active. When walking into the woods, strap you extra clothes on your stand or put them in a back pack. Wear only enough to keep yourself from being cold when you walk in. When you get to the stand, put the rest of your clothes on.
Try these things out and you' ll be roasting in the stand on the coldest of days!

peashooter

goalieman32

When it gets cold, I wear this:
A pair of poly socks for wicking moisture away from foot.
A pair of wool socks.
Good boots.
2 pairs of fleece sweatpants.
1 pair of jeans.
my camo pants(non insulated)
long underwear shirt.
t-shirt
fleece sweatshirt
down vest
camo coat(non insulated)
on my head i wear a fleece balaclava that covers my whole head and my neck.
on hands i wear a thin pair of camo gloves.
i just keep my hands in my hand muff thingy.

i dont put on my camo or my down vest until i get to my stand that way i dont sweat which keeps me from getting cold from the inside out.

wool works well too

PABowhntr

Layering is obviously the key. I believe there are three specific layers needed to effectively protect you from the elements and yet still allow you to remain relatively comfortable in terms of sweating, moving around, etc...

An underlayer of good thermal undies. My personal favorite are either polypropylene or fleece. They both serve to trap some heat and yet are very effective and breathing and releasing moisture. A middle layer of insulated material such as a wool sweater, polyester/fleece sweatshirt, etc... An outer layer that both insulates and also is waterproof and breathable. I have a variety of outfits that fit that requirement but my personal favorite is Cabelas Revolution Fleece.

Hope this helps.

comndr45

The neckwarmer is very important. Make sure if you don' t have a coverall type suit that whatever you have stays tucked in and doesn' t let a draft in up your back. If your kidneys get cold, the rest of you is going to get cold. I gave my bro-in-law a X-changer, which is a mask that, as you breathe, heats coils that then heat the incoming air. He says it has been very effective at keeping him warm. If you have the room in your boots, the toasty-toes chemical heat packs are nice. You just have to have room to circulate some air around them to make them work. If your boots are too tight, forget it.