Heater Body suit???
11-16-2011, 07:01 PM
#31
Fork Horn
Join Date: Nov 2007
Location: Iowa
Posts: 233
Well it finally got cold enough for me to adequately try out my HBS. I will say trying to put it on in the tree stand takes a little getting used to. Trick is put your right foot in first, this is the non zippered leg, then the left go’s in very easily as the zipper runs to the bottom of that leg. After that I pull it up, throw the suspenders on, and make sure you don’t miss the bottom snap button (keeps the suits zipper from going down to far when you come out to shoot).
Today I went out this morning and the temp was around 29F with a slight NW breeze at 730am. Around 1030a the wind suddenly picked up to 15mph with gusts to 20 mph according to the local airport ½ mile from me. I waited until I was as cold as I could stand to be before I put the suit on. After a few minutes in the suit I started to feel like I was warming back up. I really liked that the suit was breaking the wind and keeping the warmth inside. I was able to stay out from 730a-1230p with not many issues. My feet got wet as I walked in, shouldn’t have walked through the marsh like did and wont next time so my feet were a bit on the cool side but that was my only discomfort. I know that if I hadn’t worn the suit my feet would have been numb within 2 hours of the hunt and would have sent me to the truck. Had my feet stayed dry I think I would have been better off and ill be sure to not make this novice mistake again. (also need better boots)
Around 830a 4 doe’s appeared about 80 yards up wind, figuring a buck was following I quietly and easily unzipped, stood up, and grabbed the bow. The suit naturally fell off my shoulders and I was ready. The deer came to with in 5 yds of my stand, one standing right at the ladder. They stayed for 30 min looking at me and wind checking. Since they were so close I couldn’t make a flinch. This time out of the suit was the coldest I had ever been the whole hunt! Finally the doe’s moved and I was relieved to crawl back in. To my amazement I eventually stopped shivering and warmed back up. Having deer that close and then being able to warm back up was a great feeling. It was then obvious to me that the suit keeps more heat in then it lets out which is the key.
As I sat for the rest of the hunt I was pretty content operating the zipper to bleat, grunt, and use the range finder.
My watch said 1230p when I decided to head out and I really didn’t feel like I had to leave due to being cold. I was more hungry then anything, I remember dreading crawling out of the suit to roll it up and that allowed me to delay my departure a few extra minutes. In the past when I got cold I couldn’t wait to get out of the timber.
I’m sure a sleeping bag of either high or low quality would defiantly help but I would say a lot of body heat would escape out of the top of the bag, (convection) plus not having the wind proofing would have been an issue for me to day. At this point I don’t see how I could leave home with out the HBS.
Always where a safety harness when wearing this!
Today I went out this morning and the temp was around 29F with a slight NW breeze at 730am. Around 1030a the wind suddenly picked up to 15mph with gusts to 20 mph according to the local airport ½ mile from me. I waited until I was as cold as I could stand to be before I put the suit on. After a few minutes in the suit I started to feel like I was warming back up. I really liked that the suit was breaking the wind and keeping the warmth inside. I was able to stay out from 730a-1230p with not many issues. My feet got wet as I walked in, shouldn’t have walked through the marsh like did and wont next time so my feet were a bit on the cool side but that was my only discomfort. I know that if I hadn’t worn the suit my feet would have been numb within 2 hours of the hunt and would have sent me to the truck. Had my feet stayed dry I think I would have been better off and ill be sure to not make this novice mistake again. (also need better boots)
Around 830a 4 doe’s appeared about 80 yards up wind, figuring a buck was following I quietly and easily unzipped, stood up, and grabbed the bow. The suit naturally fell off my shoulders and I was ready. The deer came to with in 5 yds of my stand, one standing right at the ladder. They stayed for 30 min looking at me and wind checking. Since they were so close I couldn’t make a flinch. This time out of the suit was the coldest I had ever been the whole hunt! Finally the doe’s moved and I was relieved to crawl back in. To my amazement I eventually stopped shivering and warmed back up. Having deer that close and then being able to warm back up was a great feeling. It was then obvious to me that the suit keeps more heat in then it lets out which is the key.
As I sat for the rest of the hunt I was pretty content operating the zipper to bleat, grunt, and use the range finder.
My watch said 1230p when I decided to head out and I really didn’t feel like I had to leave due to being cold. I was more hungry then anything, I remember dreading crawling out of the suit to roll it up and that allowed me to delay my departure a few extra minutes. In the past when I got cold I couldn’t wait to get out of the timber.
I’m sure a sleeping bag of either high or low quality would defiantly help but I would say a lot of body heat would escape out of the top of the bag, (convection) plus not having the wind proofing would have been an issue for me to day. At this point I don’t see how I could leave home with out the HBS.
Always where a safety harness when wearing this!
