Shooting well And Keeping warm A question of BULK!

[George D. Stout]

Yes....lose the cotton and switch to wool...it doesn't have to be expensive.  Yesterday was cold here; I wore a polyester turtleneck, then a light wool sweater over that a poly hooded sweatshirt and a wool shirt over that.  It was not bulky, even though it was four layers.  I wore wool undies and wool outer pants; wool socks over liners and my Bean boots...since I was walking most of the time.  On my head a cap with a stocking cap pulled over the top....wool of course.  Most times I have to carry the heavy wool shirt around my waist until I stand for awhile.  

It's not how much you wear, it's more what you wear.  Goodwill stores always have those great wool sweaters for layering. I bought one last week...100% lambs wool, for $3.99.

[PrarrieDog]

I have two mad bomber hats I use. One is made of rabbit and I use it until the temps are in the 20's Once it's below freezing I break out the wool bomber and have never had a cold head. Keeps the ears warm too!

[woodchucker]

If it's REALLY cold I normaly wear.....

Heavy weight wool pants

1 pair of good wool socks on my feet

1,2 or sometimes 3 100% wool sweaters

Top it of with my "stupid lookin" Red&Black plaid huntin' hat (with ear flaps)

I never have a problem being cold.....

(BTW, ALL of my wool clothing is worn directly against my skin)  

[BD]

wool or the heatet body suit. Sitka gear is not for cold weather (even the new stuff-celcius line cannot compete with wool or the heater for cold weather).

[john gerrard]

Two little tricks that I have found.
1. Take one of those little hand warmer things and fold it in a bandanna (like the old time bank robbers in a triangle then roll it up) and wrap it around your neck with the handwarmer on the back of you neck.

2. Take another handwarmer and fold it in a bandanna and put it on top of your head and then put your hunting hat on over that.

I use these for when I'm on stand and it's really cold.     Brokenwing

[Walt Francis]

This is what works best for me in Montana:  I tried the Sitka and love it when moving, but prefer my KOM and Gray Wolf (GW) wool when sitting on stand in cold weather.  I wear wool long johns, wool shirts (Filson or Pendleton), and a fleece or wool vest underneath my KOM or GW pants/overalls and coat.  Like Mike mentioned, keeping the head warm is paramount to keeping the body warm, I wear a thin balaclava over my head and under my wool with wind blocker KOM or GW Bomber style hats.  One other thing I learned from Doug Campbell that helps a lot in windy conditions is to use of a silk neck scarf wrapped around my neck to help regulate the heat; Guess there really is a reason all the cowboys have been wearing them since before I was born (I am a slow learner at times).  If it is warmer than zero (F) I cover my face with half a spandoflage head net (I cut the top off and wear it upside down) that covers my nose, face and ears, instead of the balaclava, this allows the moisture to leave and not build up too much, while staying tight to my face.  Most thrift store or army/navy wool works great if you can control the bulk and have some type of wind blocker to go with it, but I have never regretted buying my KOM or GW wool.  
What is on my feet depends on the temperature; Down to 32 irrigation boots with wool socks, from 32-0 Schnees boots that are a size too large, which allows for an extra pair of socks as needed, 0 and below a set of Mickey Mouse boots that I put on when nearing or while in the stand (don’t walk very far in them or your feet will get sweaty and they will be cold for the entire time on stand.).  One other thing that helps keep my feet warm is putting on a set of “bear’s feet” made for stalking critters from the ground.  These go over your boots, have a lot of fluffy stuff like fleece, and about half an inch of foam on the bottom, which insulates your feet from your cold metal tree stand.  With these on, I have found the Mickey Mouse boots are not needed until it gets to -20, at which time I start questioning my sanity but remain on stand anyway.
Like others, the use of hand warmers can really help, if used properly.  I don’t put them in my boots because they make my feet sweat, and then stop working due to lack of fresh air after an hour, then my feet gets extremely cold.  However, I do sometimes put them over my toes, outside my boots, and underneath the “bear’s feet” which keeps the air flowing to them and do not over heat the feet.  If it is less than 20 degrees I keep a hand warmer in each of my jacket pockets for the entire hunt and sometimes put one over my right shoulder to keep it warm and flexible (had shoulder surgery).  Last year they came out with warmers for the lower back that are in an elastic band and they work well at maintaining body heat, if kept outside of your shirts and beneath your jacket.

[doug77]

gota Gray wolf wool pullover and pant's a few year's back with the wind stopper lineing. What a difference good wool clothes make.

doug77

[Stone Knife]

I wear a fleece turtleneck top and bottoms then it's all wool after that including my hat. I normally wear a $2.00 wool sweater and then my Woolrich stag shirt over that, if it's real cold I'll put on a vest. My hat has ear-flaps, it's a Gray wolf bomber hat and it is the best hat I have ever owned, I also have a set of bibs from Gray wolf, bibs are nice because they add an extra layer on your back.

[Pointer]

Matty...wool is a better choice imho...In cold weather I use Cabelas MTP mid weight thermal underwear and shirt. Over this is a wool sweater with wind shear lining also from Cabelas and then wool vest. For pants I use either a heavy fleece or light weight wool. I have a real thick wool watch cap that I use on stand. My boots are not insulated but I use a polypro liner sock under a wool/poly/cotton blended heavy sock. If I have a long walk to my stand I wear very little for the walk in and keep the warm stuff in my pack and dress when I get there after I've cooled down a little. I frequently change socks once i get there because no matter how slowly I walk or how cold it is my feet will sweat.
 
Like you I cannot shoot well with bulky clothes on. I find if I am careful not to sweat on the walk in then I can sit a good while with the clothes mentioned above. The body heat generated from the walk in keeps me toasty for several hours.

[hvyhitter]

Stick with wool and polar fleece....dump the under armor for anything but constant movement. I work outside year around and it does very well for that but I froze my tail off the first month I had it using it on stand.

[GingivitisKahn]

This is my kind of thread - great stuff here!  Lol - I have a couple of hand warmers still hot from today and one is in a bandanna around my neck - good call.

If the problem is staying warm while avoiding bulk, when sitting on stand when it's cold enough, I like to wrap in an old wool blanket.  It keeps me much warmer and can be shed quickly and quietly if/when it's time to shoot.

[Sam McMichael]

I agree with all the wool advice - no cotton. And I especially agree with the use of good head cover. Another favorite of mine is to wear the thin silk under garments the skiiers use. I wear it under the heavy thermal under wear. Use good boots with wool socks. I am diabetic which affects my ability to keep my feet warm so I often use pac boots. Looks funny down here in the South but it works.  Wear several light layers instead of just a couple of very heavy ones.  Carry a lot of it to the stand and put it on  AFTER you walk in so you don't sweat.Use hand warmers liberally. A high calorie snack helps replace energy used up generating body heat.

[JSimon]

Another trick with the hand warmers, is to put them in a zip lock sandwich bag after your hunt, if they haven't run out yet. The lack of air will de-activate them and you can re-use them a couple of times.

[ChuckC]

Really look into using vests.  It is a fine way to cover your torso and leave your arms with less bulk.  I hate having too much bulk on my arms and I can get away with only a couple layers if I keep my body covered and warm.  I have never had any luck with hand warmer pouches.  Would like to get a pair of those wooly boogers that Screamig Eagle used to sell.  Bet they would work fine.

High calorie snacks ???  why wait for cold weather ?
ChuckC

[calgarychef]

Whatever layers you wear is up to you. Here's my trick Take a couple warm wool sweaters and cut the left arm off (if you shoot right handed) Wear a couple layers that will cover the left arm a bit and full layers on the rest of your body. Wear a mitt wiht a handwarmer in it on the left hand.  Your left arm will get cold but not as bad as you think as long as the rest of your body is toasty warm the heat will migrate to your arm.  It also helps to keep it tucked close to your body.

I made a heater suit last year and I just love the thing.  I have stayed out to -25C and it was darned cold but I could still hunt.

the chef

[Overspined]

RightTrailWrongTime is right on in my book. I hunt a lot of cold stuff, and wool, wool, wool, silk and make sure the outer layer is windproof. Also, a vest of down is nice! also it won't impede movement. I use KOM wool outer with wind blocker, down vest, heavy Ulfrotte wool with the little thumb holes (nice for tab hand but not bow hand), smartwool top, then silk..good to go.

Just silk and smartwool midweight unders on bottom and then KOM wool pants. Or substitue a fleece with windblocker.

How to cure cold feet: use the stinkin Toastie Toes that you just open and stick on the bottom of your toes after you are settled in your stand. Also, since we use a shooting glove/tab, just use the same little hand warmers inside mittins and then remove when you see deer coming. You can even wear a thin skin tight one on your bow hand and so the bow doesn't chill it immediately. Those little air activated warmers are quite cheap, about 1 or 2$ per sit (4-5 hrs). so is well worth it.
 
My stuff costs some $bling$ but I have been able to continue using my KOM and repairing it if necessary. Some of it is 15 yrs old and I used to hunt almost every day of the season (until gun season...)

By the way!! Fleece and synthetics can easily catch fire and will really get you, wool doesn't have quite the same problem, it won't melt to your skin. All of the wool I use is machine washable and I dry all but the outer KOM stuff.

[Overspined]

PS, I don't even need an armguard...

[NoCams]

Me neither overspined. I tried one of those armguards that is made to compress your coat sleeve and it actually deflected my shots about 6" and was LOUD. I found that if I just shoot with my coat on the string will hit my coat, but no shot deflection and lots less noise than the armguard.

Going to try the smartwool underwear this year and compare to the polypro army surplus we have been using. It works pretty good I guess and at $10-15 per piece it is cheap.

nocams

[**DONOTDELETE**]

I'm thinking of getting a Shrew Longbow Shirt