First of all, thank you to all my Trad Gang pals.....we have shipped a pretty good pile of Anoraks this fall, and the feedback has been awesome.
A question I get very often is "How warm is it?"
That's hard for me to answer....the Anorak is new, even to me. I did have one (the final prototype) last season, but my fall and winter was so flippin' cold I sorta lost all perspective. I went from late October to April in so many wool layers..dang what a winter.
So this morning, our first cool day of bow season here in Michigan, was a pretty good learning curve. When I got out of my truck at 6:00 a.m., my thermometer read 29. No wind at all. The gate to the farm was covered in an icy frost. Chilly, but not brutal.
I wore extremely thin long johns. Very thin wool socks. Moleskin pants. A thin wool stocking cap. I hiked out to my spot dressed just like that....carrying a sweater and an Anorak. From truck to blind is almost exactly 9/10ths of a mile. I went slowly so as not to sweat. When I got to my spot I settled down, and pulled on the sweater I brought along.
A few words about this sweater. First of all, it's barely a sweater. I bought it from The Wool Lady at Compton this year, it was brand new in the package, and priced at the huge sum of $4. The packaging had some kind of Russian or Czek writing on it. I almost didn't buy it, because it was so thin. Truly, it is so thin it is almost see-thru. But as a thin wool layering piece, it has proved to be perfect. No bulk at all.
I then pulled on my Anorak, Olive Drab, blanket weight. And I was as warm as I care to be. I sat there at 29+ degrees....it warmed up fairly quickly....and was completely comfortable. I pulled it off for the hike out.
So right now, my estimation is that ensemble would have kept me comfortable down to about 20 degrees. And although I believe the pullover design is slightly warmer, I think that temperature range would hold true for any of the Blanket Weight Asbell Wool products. Less than 20, either a thicker sweater or add a vest....and use the hood. Also...I was hunting on the ground which always feels warmer to me than a tree. I hope this helps, I will keep messing around with different combinations and keep you informed. Thanks again!!