Quiet Layering System

[YosemiteSam]

I need to improve my clothing setup.  Weather and temps vary a lot out here.  I'm often cold & shivering in the mornings, sweating in the afternoon & comfortable in the evenings.  A brisk walk can warm me up pretty fast but it's hard to do that while hunting & I cool off again in a few minutes of sitting or standing still.  Most of my hunting is anywhere from 1-8 miles from the truck so "going back to the truck" for something warmer isn't an option.  When I'm out, I'm out all day -- coming and going by headlamp with a pack full of food for the day.

I like using BDU pants since they're durable, cheap and resistant to burrs (wool or other fuzzy outer pants would get thrashed).  But am open to other ideas.  My standard thermals aren't warm enough.  A double layer of thermals had me still shivering last weekend when the snow rolled in.  I considered the quilted BDU liners but the nylon fabric seems like it would be too noisy.  If you use these, I'd be interested in your experience.

For the upper half, I'm open to whatever works.  

Light weight is a requirement since I'm packing in or even just carrying it around in my pack for half the day.  Wool tends to be heavier than poly fleece so I've leaned away from wool.  But I'm open to it if there are some lighter options.

Bibs - anybody use these?  Any brands you'd recommend?

[TomMcDonald]

Swazi.co.nz

[kennyb]

John-
I still think wool is your best option and there are different weights of wool that would work for you. Merino wool long johns would be a good first start. You can also check the local Salvation Army for used wools shirts etc. Just keep experimenting until you get it right! Hope this helps! PM me if you want further advise!

Kenny

[kadbow]

An alpaca wool sweater adds a lot of warmth yet breathes well if you warm up. Always have one in my pack elk hunting.

[wingnut]

FirstLite gear is really hard to beat.
 https://www.facebook.com/groups/1751547405059711/

This a place for used gear that is 50+% off.

Mike

[Rough Run]

This will probably draw laughs, because I'm sure there is much more improved gear now but, I have always been well served by fishnet longjohns topped with silk longjohns, and layer thermals or wool over them as the temps & exertions dictate.  Light, breathable, creates an air space - I'm sure my get-up looks like a photo shoot from a 1982 Bean's catalog, but it has worked well for me!

[Snow Crow]

If you're wondering about the old military surplus quilted liners, they are quiet once broken in, plus they're covered by your outer layer.

When combined with a windproof outer layer or worn directly against your skin, they are nuclear warm: walking in them will have you sweating pronto.   Best for sitting a stand or true still hunting well below freezing.

[Schmidty3]

I've been using a combo of one or more of the following... a wool long sleeve shirt (first lite), an asbell windblocker fleece vest, an asbell wool top if its not too cool, a cabelas wooltimate top with windshear (its good by itself to about 40).

With those I can mix and match, layer up and be comfy from 15-70 degrees

I don't really like feeling like a Michelin man. So I like garments that jave "layers" built in. I love the cabelas wooltimate.


Now that's all for stationary hunting. A lot of the backcountry guys like the first lite stuff and instead of warmth of clothing they rely on the warmth of movement! When it gets cooler they throw on a package puffy jacket. I've got one coming but have never played with them.

[Stumpkiller]

I can recommend Terramar poly long underwear, a set of wool or quilted poly bibs (legs unzip for cooling), a polyfleece vest, and then a fleece or wool sweater or thin polyfleece jacket liner.

Outer layer I usually wear a Microfleece jacket.  When it's truly cold I switch to wool bibs and a pullover Mackinaw with a thick wool sweater between.  

This year I have been wearing a pair of poly/cotton mix pants and a similar shirt under the jacket without the longjohns.  Its been warm midday.  Like 30 degrees F more than "normal".  It was 72F when I got my deer out of the woods last Sunday!

The polyfleece vest makes a big difference and is easy to shed and stuff in my daypack.

Best system I have come up with is Under Armor cold gear  long johns, with layers of First Lite merino wool on top of that. I live in Texas, so I don’t have to try to stay warm in brutal cold, but my system works pretty well, even when it gets down below freezing.

Bisch

[PrestonTaylor]

Hey Yosemite. It's pretty tough to beat fleece for a warmth-ligthweight ratio. I carry a pair of fleece pants in my pack and can put them on under my regular/non-insulated pants if it gets colder or I am sitting. I also like synthetic insulated jackets; they are usually lightweight, windproof, and since it is synthetic doesn't matter if it gets wet. I assume you got stuck in that storm last week? We were packed in for it as well. The snow here on the northcoast mountains is always so wet and heavy. Then, after the front moves out the sun comes back and everything starts melting. It's always a wet affair when out in the snow here.

[Sam McMichael]

I don't know about the fishnet part, but a layer of silk ski underwear topped by wool long johns is quite effective. Also, carry along a wool sweater for the extra layer you need.  Go to a thrift store and get one very cheap. Down here, it doesn't usually get cold enough to need this extra warmth, but it very effective on those extra cold days. Just carry it in until you reach the stand, then put in on. This way you don't work up a sweat walking in.  I have bought wool sweaters for $3 or $4.

[Bow man]

Check out the G2 whitetail series stuff we carry from Predator Camo.  

 www.stjoeriverbows.com

[YosemiteSam]

Originally posted by PrestonTaylor:
Hey Yosemite. It's pretty tough to beat fleece for a warmth-ligthweight ratio. I carry a pair of fleece pants in my pack and can put them on under my regular/non-insulated pants if it gets colder or I am sitting. I also like synthetic insulated jackets; they are usually lightweight, windproof, and since it is synthetic doesn't matter if it gets wet. I assume you got stuck in that storm last week? We were packed in for it as well. The snow here on the northcoast mountains is always so wet and heavy. Then, after the front moves out the sun comes back and everything starts melting. It's always a wet affair when out in the snow here.

Yep!  I was out for just a quick 24-hour trip, though.  But with the possibility of weather, I opted to take the seats out of our minivan & slept in there instead of the back of the pickup.  It wasn't too bad overnight -- clear & about 34-37.  But when I got up at 4, the snow began & dropped a few inches on the ground by 7.  By 10, it was, as you said, a sunny but wet day.  But the trails were as clear as ever as the deer seemed intent on losing some elevation rather than nap all day.  I knew I was too cold to make a shot if one even presented itself so I was walking back to the trailhead when I saw a fresh set of tracks.  I opted to learn more about the deer travel routes & followed them all day until sunset.  Learned a ton.  In retrospect, I should have walked out & setup somewhere a thousand feet lower.  But now I at least know a couple good places to do that... next year.

I've been thinking about a simple set of fleece pants, as you said.  It's hard to know from online shopping how thick anything is -- whether it's thin microfleece or something more like a sweater, which is what I'm thinking about.  Any brands or places you'd recommend finding some?

[YosemiteSam]

Originally posted by Schmidty3:


I don't really like feeling like a Michelin man. So I like garments that jave "layers" built in. I love the cabelas wooltimate.

 

I don't like the Michelin feeling either.  But I'm willing to compromise to avoid being so darned cold.  Last weekend, I layered with a tee shirt, thermal top, synthetic chamois shirt, fleece sweater and wool jacket and was still cold once I sat down.  Bald & skinny doesn't help.

[YosemiteSam]

Delete

[PrestonTaylor]

That's great you got out and followed some tracks! Were you following a buck? We saw some bucks moving during the day of that storm too. Saw them up and out of their beds both as the front was pushing into the mountains and after it had quit snowing/raining the next day.

I've had a pair of Polartec fleece pants for over a decade, they are thick, would be called a "wool sweater" thickness.Then I have a pair of Sherpa fleece pants, these are thinner, for when it's not going to rain and be in the 40's coldest at night, I can wear them under regular pants easy.

[Tedd]

Kuiu (my spell check keep changing the word to kudu) is hard to beat for hiking, sitting, hold, cold, wet, dry conditions. Their synthetic line. Especially for the light weight if you are going to carry a lot of clothing. I wore wool for 40 years. But not any more. I don't even wear wool to dop around the camp anymore!

[tecum-tha]

What kind of temperature are we talking about?
Morning, afternoon, evenings? Do you sit in treestands or on the ground?
If it is snowy/wet, you need to stay dry.
MT50 rainjacket and pants are a must. Good, silent bowhunting gaitors.
A polarfleece jacket with arms that unzip. Can be vest or jacket depending on temps.
Merino underwear in 2 weights depending on temperature encountered. A lightweight and cheap fleece blanket for sitting and one of those seat foam pieces to not get your butt wet and cold.

[johnnyk71]

merino wool. period.