Staying warm

T

TheFever

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Even on the archery hunt I have trouble staying warm in the mornings and when it cools off at night. I wear layers that I can shed during the day. Just cheap stuff like long johns and long sleeves and such under my jacket.
My question is in reference to the skin tight base layers offered by Under Armour and others. I've been a cheapskate with clothes. But with my staying warm troubles, do those offer any better help than Kmart long johns? I'd assume yes. And with breathability. So, are they with the purchase?
Any other staying warm tips for a slender, bald guy like me? (and yes, I ALWAYS have a beanie for the dome!)

Thanks

>>>---->
For the love of the game
 
Eat lots of meat. Your body will generate alot of heat when it digests meat. Also, base layers that wick moisture away, and an outer layer that blocks the wind. Add your standard beany and some fleece gloves and you should be good.
 
LAST EDITED ON Jul-15-11 AT 10:35PM (MST)[p]The Fever, has trouble staying warm?

All Kidding aside. Add more layers, and under armour and other similar items are great for layering without bulk.
 
Sitka Kelvin or Kuiu Spindrift jacket is the way to go over your base layer.

"We must hang together, gentlemen...else, we shall most assuredly hang separately."
BF
 
More expensive clothing is good for wicking, water proof, lasts longer and is even more comfortable. Unless wet, insulation is trapped air and layers of inexpensive should be quite effective.

EATING is a big deal. As said, eat well, including meat. It will ramp up your thermostat.


Within the shadows, go quietly.
 
Fever

The problem with the area your hunting is you put in loads of miles just getting in. You over heat and sweat! Then when you sit down you get cold.

It amazes me how many people ive seen hiking in wearing their entire wardrobe and are breathing like a jet engine when hiking in.

Layering is the solution but I haven't found the perfect solution for bowhunters.

So what Ive found works the best when it gets cold is to hike in with just a plain under armor shirt on and wool pants. "Im thinking of switching to merino wool for the top instead of under armor and ill explain later." I put my coat and camo top in the pack. I start hiking at around 3 or 4 am. When I get out of the truck its dang cold and im cold especially in November but when you get hiking you warm up but dont build up the sweat and you dont over heat. I always wear a polar fleece beanie hat "also bald" this allows me to take it on and off or partly on to control moisture and heat when hiking in.

Now ive experimented with a lot of clothing over the years and got dooped into "Sitka" brand a couple of years ago. The pluses are they are light easily layered and fit great for hiking. The problems are they are noisy and they stink both problems I found out the hard way $$$ don't go good for bowhunting.

Example I can hike one morning with my sitka gear on and I can seriously smell my own butt when hiking in. Now its nice hiking in the sitka gear because its light so I will use it for scouting. But when it comes to bowhunting I think wool is the best product out for bow hunters. It is quiet warm and I can seriously hike one season without cleaning them and there isn't any human butt smell. "Dont ask how I checked lol"

Wool is quiet when you walk through the scrub oak its has a natural sent eliminating quality to it. Its warm even when it gets wet. The down side is its heavy, camo pattern sucks. So in winter I often cut my load down by not taking heavy tripods, spotting scopes.

avatar_2528.jpg
 
real easy for me...get cold-go uphill...get hot-go downhill..get tired-build fire and take a nap..HEHEHE
 
One of the keys to staying warm is to not get cold in the first place. Don't bust your azz up a ridge to sit at daylight in the cool wind, having just sweated. Instead, give yourself time to no overexert yourself . . . Also, always have a good stocking cap. You loose more your body heat from your head. You loose a fair amount from your neck as well, I'll carry a camo hanky for this purpose, wrap it around like the old time cowboys. Those skin tight garments are no good for staying warm. Wear a fairly loose base layer, as the air pockets will trap warm air from your body. On a cold night, I'll sleep with my long johns on with my clothes inside my bag. Wear your wool socks pulled out a tad to create a warm air pocket around your toes. Also, take enough clothes of the proper kind! Straight up cotton has no place on the mountain! It's hard to be beat wool.
 
+1 on starting your hike cold. Often times I am shivering my ass off the first 20 minutes or so hiking. I warm up though and eventually get to a comfortable level to where I am warm but not sweating. Sometimes I start out in 25 degrees wearing shorts and t-shirt, knowing I have a long steep climb ahead. I have other clothes in my pack for later when I slow down and hunt or actually get cold.

Sweating is the WORST thing for STAYING warm. I would rather be cool or cold versus hot when hiking.

Mntman

"Hunting is where you prove yourself"
 
I remember a few years ago on the Archery hunt it was cold as chit and raining. I came across a couple guys who were sitting under a tree and enjoying a fire. I stopped said hello and chated for a bit, then moved on.
:) :) Thanks again buddy,,,
 
Fever: All the big money gear does the job BUT you can stay warm without busting the bank purchasing all that expensive gear.

#1 you need to get some quality underlayers and get away from Walmart/Kmart quality cloths but you can do it without purchasing UA/big money underlayers.

Cold weather Hunting: We use Gortex outer layer pants and rain jacket something like the Cabela's Revolution Fleece with Dry Plus pants and a jacket all water proof will work. That is the most expensive cloths. Get on-line to someplace like Cabela's or find a store that carries Military grade longjohns. A big portion of heat is lost from the body through the head area think "heat rises" etc. Cabela's has a full mask hood in camo color that in blizzard conditions will help keep the heat inside your body. Pick up one of those hoods...the heat retension is unbelievable... we sleep in them in tents to below zero conditions. A pair of waterproof insulated boots and heavy "Smartwool" socks $17 per pair but worth every penney combo'd with a good down jacket and hood under that gortex type rain jacket and you have all the layers you need to temps below -10F.

Try this List: Military grade longjohns, a water proof outerlayer that breaths and wicks away moisture like Gortex or Dry Plus fabrics, Full head hood, insulated boots with SmartWool socks. You will find that with better quality garments you will stay much warmer but you can upgrade based on you budjet without buying all those high priced name brand garments on the market.

))))......>
 
Under Armour is a joke! 100.00 a set? I buy the Military Fleece long johns at Sportsmans for 40.00 a set. Warmer and wicking is nearly as good as Under Armour and. Most guys can't buy one set of Under Armour let alone sevral to have fresh ones.
 
SW, Scott, thanks for the valuable info! Good luck on the butt smell! haha!

Good luck to you this season. tick tock, tick tock....can't wait.

Thanks guys for your feedback. This year will be better for me than last!

>>>---->
For the love of the game
 
Rug! That was a cold and miserable opening morning!! Was good to meet you guys and have a chance to bring in some homeless hunters! :) My weak attempt at staying warm by fire and tarp on a slushy opening day is open to fellow hunters anytime!

>>>---->
For the love of the game
 
Himtnhntr, love the sock tip at night for keeping the toes warmer! I need to go get me some wool for sure. Seems to be the consensus of the smart hunters, not the trendy ones!

>>>---->
For the love of the game
 
LAST EDITED ON Jul-17-11 AT 11:11AM (MST)[p]Some great advice here. The only thing I will add is that my fingers get cold now that I'm older and I have purchased a hand warmer tube that buckles around your waist over your current gear (adjustable waist belt & about $10-$20). I open a couple of them cheap hand warmers when I first wake up and by the time I'm in my special hunting spot they are toasty warm and last all day.

Hands get cold I slide them in and they are toasty. Plus I don't need to wear gloves in general, a big plus.

I have found that if I can keep my hands warm I'm a happy hunter. Good luck hunting and stay warm.
 
Bargain cave kinda guy here. Make a serious effort to buy it when ya see it cheap some where and build up on your gear. Before ya know it in a couple of years you will have some top notch gear that might be a couple years old model or so but quality gear that's functional and ya paid half the price.

"Courage is being scared to death but saddling
up anyway."
 
This is all true. I used to be on the cheap gear band wagon also. Then I found Camofire.com and figured out that I can get good gear at less then half price of what I would spend at Cabelas. Go out to the web site it's free and each day they have 1 to 6 offers on sale. start collecting some good gear and I promise after the first hunt with good layers you will not be shopping at Kmart for your gear again. Remember when you are up on the mountain freezing your butt off it is not the time to find out that your gear failed you. Layering up properly is also helpful. I hope this help for you and happy hunting.
 
I hike uphill in workout shorts and t shirt. When i get near where i want to hunt i use wool layers. I sweat a lot so its good to get dry warm clothes to spend the day in.

respect my authorita
 
Cotton will collect sweat and feel cold. Cotton can be downright dangerous in the mountains if you get soaked. Wicking fabrics -- such as those used by UnderAmour -- feel warm when wet and also wick away moisture from your body. In fact, this is why they are used by atheletes. Having said that, UnderArmour did not invent wicking fabrics, and there are other alternatives that cost less. Look for any polypropylene gear. On top of this consider wearing wool. Wool can be expensive if bought new, but you can find less expensive wool on-line used. Look for M-51 wool army surplus pants in your size. I have about three pairs that I use for elk hunting -- about $20/pair. Great stuff for high mountain outdoor work. It is comfortable when it is warm -- 70 degrees -- also comfortable when it is cold about 20 degrees or so. Likewise, you can find Pendleton wool shirts for about $20 on-line. Check out eBay. On top of the wool shirt, wear a wool vest. I bought a Filson 24 oz wool vest that is very warm for $105. This is not cheap. Maybe you can find something like this on-line used for cheaper? But the critical thing is to have fabrics that do not make you cold -- as cotton does. You work in your clothes -- hiking, climbing to your hunting spot -- and then you sit still and cool off. If the sweat is held by your clothes (cotton fabric) this is going to make you very cold.
 
LAST EDITED ON Jul-22-11 AT 07:49AM (MST)[p]I didn't read all the replies, but this is what I do in Colorado or Wyoming. i buy the cheaper compression long sleeve shirts from walmart or kmart... I usually purchase white.
I wear a jacket to the trail head then it goes into the back pack. i usually have on the compression shirt and a long sleeve camo shirt, of the NON 100% cotton variety. and i hike in that. we are usually moving at a good clip and I have stripped down to just the compression shirt. I hardly ever wear long johns or the compression bottoms ( called base layers from sports authority)only time i wear them is in mid to late october and later. I sweat too much.I don't wear insulated boots either until mid to late october. the bottom line is not to sweat too much and soak your cloths. get rid of the 100% cotton gear. strip off layers as you get hot. Don't wait till you start sweating.

I am not a heavy person, 5'9" and 170, I used to have the same problem, not any more. the gear is where it is at. invest in some good stuff and it should last for some years.
 
Nobody has really mentioned what I feel are the three most important items. Most of your body heat is lost through your head, hands and feet. Get a good hat. I carry 2-3 hats for different weather in my day pack. I usually have a sweatshirt or jacket with a hood; hoods are good. Carry 2 pairs of gloves. One heavy, one light. Use no gloves, light gloves or heavy gloves depending upon your needs.

And get really good footwear. Good socks are REALLY important. I carry at least 2 pairs of them so I can take of the cold, sweaty ones and put on dry, fresh(er) ones.

I'd say these items are more important than all the other clothes. Head, hands and feet.
 

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