Late Season Cold Weather Jacket

[Huntrdfk]

Looking for a cold weather bowhunting specific jacket. When I say cold weather I am talking about below 20 degrees. Am looking at First Lite, Kuiu and Sitka products. If you have a cold weather jacket from one of these manufacturers, please let me know your thoughts. I am concerned with it being ultra quiet, warm, and not so bulky that it inhibits the drawing of a bow.

Thanks,
David

[oldrubline]

I stick with wool and use Asbell.  Its designed by a living bowhunting Legend. I like the larger pull over types that I can use lots of merino layers under.  The sleeves on their jackets are perfect for shooting- not bulky but enough to get layers under.  I put extra vests under it all to retain core heat.  The nice thing about this set up for me is that I walk up to several miles over the hills to where I hunt and can get hot.  So, you can add the layers to this rig once you get to your blind.  I love Asbell wool!   I bet the stuff living Legend La Clair sells is super for this too.  I mean to get me some of his nice products too.   Wool layers...that's my suggestion. I know its not one of the products you listed above, but would satisfy the 'ultra quiet, warm, and not so bulky' parameters you've mentioned.

Dan

[buckeyebowhunter]

This might sound ridiculous but go on the auction site an buy a walls blizzard pruf jacket for 25-30 bucks. With a couple layers underneath you're good to go. They're quiet and warm and have sweet old school camo patterns. Now you're probly not going to be able to sit all day in 20 degree weather with one but i believe the only thing you could sit in 20 degrees all day is a heater body suit. Good luck

[longbow fanatic 1]

I have the First Lite Sanctuary jacket and bids. Recently, I spent all day hunting for a couple days in low 30 degree temps, with howling winds of 30-40 mph. The wind chills were in the teens. Here is what I wore underneath the jacket a bibs: one light marino wool Llano and the lightest polypropylene long underwear top. For pants, I had the 230g Firstlite Allegheny long underwear and light weight Kanab pants.

I was able to stay warm and actually enjoy hunting in the Sanctuary gear. Needless to say that if it were zero or below, I would add a few more layer (maybe wool pants and wool top below the jacket & bibs) but I believe thats all I would need. First lite's Sanctuary gear is very good cold weather apparel. The outer fabric is very quiet, though with the bibs on I can hear a little swishing when I walk. Not a big deal and I've had no noise while on stand from their garments. The sleeves of this garment have the "shooters cut" so the sleeves are conforming to your forearm and upper arm. The freedom of movement throughout the shoulder areas of this jacket are exceptional, and the hood is my favorite component. I spent some time in the wind and once I began to chill initially, I pulled the hood up, synched down the back and two side adjustments and I was toasty the entire day.

I'm sold on the sanctuary gear from FL. That said, I also have the Woodbury jacket and I wore it for the first time during this excursion. It has 40% less insulation in the jacket than the sanctuary and I could feel it. I noticed it especially in the sleeves. For the temperatures you're interested in hunting, I would recommend the sanctuary.

[KSdan]

Cabelas Stand Hunter Extreme.  Bibs and Parka.  Wooltimate is dead quiet.  And the mapped insulation is unbelievable.  You pretty much need to put this on when you arrive at the stand.  Far too warm.   Designed for extreme cold like -30 to 20.  Have friends who sit all day in negative temps wearing this stuff.  Works great for bowhunting.

[Whip]

Not one of the brands you mentioned,  but don't overlook Gray Wolf products.  I just spent the last 3 nights hunting blIzard conditions in ND. Their Wolfskin jacket and bibs are the absolute warmest, quietest and well made garments I've ever used.  We had Temps in single digits with extreme high wind. I wore just a merino top with a heavy vest under the jacket and literally could not feel any wind come through.  I was impressed!

[KSdan]

Whip- what insulation/windstop combo did you have?

[babs]

I have the sitka incinerator jacket and bibs warmest clothing I own, pricey but worth it. Its not as quiet as my cabelas wooltimate but alot warmer. I hear once you wash it a few times its softens it up and quiets it down. The sitka fanatic series is really nice and quiet thats my next purchase, good quality stuff a little spendy but buy once cry once.

[pdk25]

I Was just hunting tonight, temps upper 20's. First lite chama and Labrador, kuiu kenai, the sitka fanatic.  Very warm, and I get cold easy.

[Steve O]

If you are right handed, the Sitka Fanatic is about as good as it gets. The cross zipper allows a hand warmer pocket and that cuts a lot of bulk. Very warm and quiet. Great camo for the trees and late season as well.

[Roy from Pa]

For sitting in extreme cold weather, I've found that wearing a thin light weight rain coat as a middle layer of cloths works wonders. It keeps the body heat in and the cold air out. I've already had to unzip the outer jacket and the rain coat to cool down a bit. And when walking, I would have to have the outer coat and rain coat unzipped or I would get all sweated up.

[J. Cook]

The single warmest piece of clothing I've ever owned was a pair of Walls Blizzard Proof coveralls...the Walls was mentioned before.  They were cheap and were unbelievable.   I live in NC now, but grew up in (and still do 90% of my hunting in) Northern WV.  Not the coldest - but lots of stand sits in 20 degrees and the teens through my years.  I also think the Bass Pro Tundrasuede product is VERY warm.  Won't break the bank and sheds water and us windproof.

I'm not going to spend $500 + on a set of clothes.  I wear the Tundrasuede or my Cabelas Outfitter Berber with windstopper lining in the coldest temperatures I hunt. I still think the key is good headwear, good first layer and adequate layering.  I use the large size chemical handwarmers.  I rarely get cold on stand in cold temperatures.  I get cold in the moderate temps when I think its warmer than it is.  
LOL

[toddster]

Layers is the way to go period.  When the temp. gets down to 10 or lower, I will usually have on either first lite wool or uffrotte wool, then a layer of modern synthetic long underwear, my wool bibs from grey wolf woolens, a pair of polyester socks, and one or two pair of wool socks, glove liner then gloves, same on torso with the light layers of insulation, then wool pull over.  A first lite wool baclava, over my poly facemask from Predator, Topped with my wool bucket hat.  One thing I found years ago, was on the windy days, a windstop pullover (golfers wear), under my outter torso garmet.  For the feet I learned long time ago, in Cold weather training, that Mickey Mouse boots are the best, and essential for stand hunting when below zero.

[Kyle Lancaster]

Check Day One or Gray Wolf. You can get both wind stopper and insulated in wool, fleece and the newer quieter Saddle Cloth.  I spent alot of money on EARLY Sitka and sold it all. I haven't tried the new Sitka as I have a budget. Foolishly I sold my Day One. I did get a Gray Wolf insulated coverall that I carry to the stand. Both Day One and Gray Wolf are very well constructed. My cold weather clothing quest is now over. Good luck!

[Kyle Lancaster]

One more thing to add that I learned. Perhaps others already knew. I threw away all of my cotton boxers a couple of years ago. In walking to my stand even with merino or poly base layers I work up a sweat. If you're wearing cotton underwear it will hold that sweat/moisture and you will stay wet and get cold. I only wear the newer poly now and the sweat is wicked away and I stay nice and dry.

Good luck!

[Michael Arnette]

I have KOM wool and it is amazing! I'm not sure of the other wool varieties in comparison but I love my wool jacket

[Tim Finley]

I bought a Kuiu jacket for my son and myself I ordered him a 2x and myself a 3x hes wearing the 3x and hes not that big the 2x went back. It is too noisy for drawing a bow on a deer. Gander Mountain had a parka that is really warm and windproof,fairly quite . I,ve shot a bunch of deer while wearing mine. I also found another jacket with a hood that is the warmest coat I own it was on sale in GM and then marked down again. I ended up getting it for $22.00 and it makes no noise when I draw my bow . In ND we can experience some extreme cold and wind we just had a blizzard with 52 mph  winds the snow drifs are up to 10 feet high in some places, we dress for cold and wind or stay home, like tonight it will be -25 too cold to hunt, too dangerous, but when I was young we hunted in -35 weather . I will second the Graywolf woolens like whip I have some and it is warm, most wools are no good below 25 degrees then you need thinsilate or primaloft in a parka with fleece layers .

[Yooper-traveler]

I also use the First Lite sanctuary jacket and bibs. I find them very warm and quite.  The sleeves are also non-bulky.  This time of year (I had 3 degrees this AM) I wear a "puffy" layer under the parka with merino base layers.

[jonsimoneau]

The Sitka Fanatic is the best thing I've ever used for stand hunting in cold weather. I'm thinking about buying another one just in case they stop making it!

[Huntrdfk]

Thanks everyone for the info. I currently use a Cabela's Wooltimate pullover, it's ok for short sits, but anything over 2-3 hours in really cold weather gets tough. I will be looking at a lot of the pieces suggested here.
It's down now to the Sitka Fanatic, First Lite Sanctuary and a couple of pieces from Day One and Gray Wool.
I understand nothing mentioned is cheap, but I believe you get what you pay for, and I think when you figure the cost over the years the investment can be well worth it. (I have a Day One Pullover that gets used an awful lot that I received as a gift in 2001.....extrapolate that cost out and it figures to about $8.00 pet year, a pretty good deal I'd say.)

David