Another long underwear post - Wear what??

[KSdan]

OK.  I posted a ?? on Ulfrotte earlier. . .

Larger question I am trying to learn. . .
At 51 and growing up in the north woods (Northern MI) since I can remember (3-4 yrs old), I am still trying to figure out this underwear thing.  Help educate me. . .

For example- I just learned today that merino wool is a base layer (never knew that)- as the tech fabrics do eventually dry, but not necessarily right away.  I also see these newer hi-tech fabrics like UnderArmor- but I have a hard time spending $60 on a piece of underwear.

So- what do you guys wear at varied ranges (0- 40 degrees); without breaking the bank and typical hunting here in the midwest;  a bit of walking but mostly on stand.  Wind is always blowing. . .  

Thanks-
Dan (with a filled buck tag in KS)

[Hill Hunter]

Its hard to spend the money on the UA but when you do you won't regret it.

[bdgr]

my underarmour has lasted 10 years. money well spent.  I layer in wool and for my feet my wife made some overbooties out of felt and thinsulate that slip over my rubber boots.  shove handwarmers in them.  I may get bored but I dont get cold anymore.  cabelas will have occasional sales on underarmour late winter.  you wont have your choice of color but who cares its under everything else

[jcar315]

I wear my Under Armour every where I go!!

Originally posted by Hill Hunter:
Its hard to spend the money on the UA but when you do you won't regret it.

I got rid of all my regular "long johns" once I found Under Armor Cold Gear. That stuff is expensive but flat out works.

Bisch

[bentpole]

High Tech under garments such as Smart Wool, Duofold ,and under armour are worth every penny. Just think your on stand for 3 hours warm as toast and the Buck of a life time comes in. WACK you get him. Or after 3 hours your shivering ,miserable, jumpy trying to stay warm. Here he comes while your climbing down to go back to get warm. SNORT see ya.

[lpcjon2]

What I wear is simple Polypropelene(spelling)long underwear(helps wick away sweat, Then polar tech fleece top and bottom(cabelas) they have a high neck and the shirt is long to cover your kidneys, the pants have 6" of elastic at the bottom to keep your socks up and pant legs in the boots. then whatever outer garment you want I use a longhunter shirt from Ron La claire(made from blanket wool.And socks are either silk first or polypro and then wool overthem. I dont care for underarmor, personaly dont beleive in it.

  The key to keeping warm is to alow moisture to wick away from the skin, and to have air space so your body will warm that space up and keep you warm.NEVER wear cotton its the fabric of life just not hunting life. And goose down is an awesome insulating material. Wind will also rob you of body heat,the fleece and wool does a great job of stopping the wind.I was in a cold weather battalion in the Corps and went to some cold as heck places and this method keeps you warm. JMHO based on experience.

[KHALVERSON]

ive been thinking about the ua myself and need to spend the money one of these days
but so far the mil surplus polypropelene has served me quiet well

[njloco]

Fleece or merino smart wool then the outer garments.Fro my feet, if I am on a stand, I'll use 2nd. world war Mickey boots, can't beat them !, just make sure you have a good inner sole to keep the moister away from your feet.

[EastTexasRedneck]

You can get silk longjohns at Academy or Cabelas. They are not real expensive, are very lightweight, and they are warm. The silk wicks moisture away. On colder days just layer regular cold weather clothing over the silk.

[Outwest]

Woolies. Grey ones when its cold. Black ones when its really cold.

John

[doug77]

Mernio wool. I got some UA cold gear and I HATE it. The UA is not made for sitting on stand. IMHO

doug77

[sweeney3]

I just wear whatever the Army issues me.  It isn't always great, but it's free and if you pile on enough of it and top it off with wool, it works.

[KSdan]

Thanks guys.  Problem with silk is it takes a longer time to dry however!  I have heard that UA also takes time to dry. . .

Here is the issue:  I hunt rather stealthy.  I walk into a stand, or check new areas during the rut.  I rarely hunt the same spot twice.  I put up a stand and take it down at every sit- the process takes less than ten minutes on each end.  So- I need to be ready to sit a stand all day in the cold- yet need the ability to be mobile.

I am really thinking of merino as a base layer instead of tech fabs.- at least for my upper body.  I have wore some earlier version tech fabs (Like Patagonia or Cabelas)  with an outer layer of wool and fleece- but the tech fabs take a while to dry and they do not insulate while damp!

Still listening to you all. . .    

Dan

[lpcjon2]

Just wear layers and remove the outer stuff while exerting yourself(walking in and setting up) and add layers as you get ready to sit.

[Tutanka]

another one for wool without a doubt.  I elk hunted in Under Armour two years ago for 12 straight days, my brother and my dad told me that I stunk like an outhouse, I haven't bothered with it since, plus I did not like how it felt against my skin either.  I find that wool stays "stink" free better than any other fabric I have tried.

As far as brands of wool take a look at Justin Charles, Ibex, Smartwool, KUIU, Firstlite or even Filson.  If wool makes your skin itch I would not recommend the Filson, if you are looking for a soft itch free next to skin wool then I would try the Justin Charles, Firstlite, KUIU or Smartwool.  As far as insulation goes I always start with a "base layer", most of the above companies make a base layer and will tell you this is the layer that you should wear next to your skin, this is typically the thinnest layer that they offer which helps wicking moisture away while staying dry.  After that comes the more "thick" layers.  For early season elk I typically wear a base layer over a camo shirt.  I typically do not need another insulating layer of wool until later in the year when the temps start to drop.  

The only down side of wool is that it is not wind protecting, and if not properly cared for will typically have a short life.  

The fact of the matter is that mountaineers are still wearing wool on Everst, this should account for something.

[Lost Arra]

Minus 33 Expedition weight with a light wt merino short sleeve t-shirt underneath. Works in a wide range of temps. Minus 33 is best bang for the buck. I've got Smartwool, Ulfrotte too.

Guru had a post about base layer-insulating layer and wind block layer that was the best at summing things up. I'll look for it.

Here it is:

 http://tradgang.com/noncgi/ultimatebb.php?ubb=get_topic;f=1;t=110437;p=3#000032

[Steve Kendrot]

I have converted to merino wool for all my hunting, warm and cold weather. It wicks, cools when it's warm out and warms when it's cool out. I find the tech fabrics are cold and clammy when they get sweaty. They actually wick so fast they chill you. Worse yet the tech fabrics stink to high heaven once youve worn them a day. Merino, on the other hand, does not smell when it gets sweaty. I've worn them for days on end and the stuff just doesn't stink. So, unless you like doing laundry daily, you've got to buy several sets of tech clothing to get through a weeks worth of hunting. A couple pairs of merino is all you need. Merino isn't cheap but you can get by with fewer pairs. Duluth tradin company carries merino long john's. Also check out Minus 33 (Hanks Clothing a good source), First Lite (they have camo), Kuiu, Smartwool, Icebreaker.

I wear the 170 or 200 gram weight as base layer when cold or outer layer when warm.  400 Gram over that when it's cold. Regular wool top over that when it's windy or wet.   Try it, You won't regret it.

[Tree Rat]

Minus 33 ALL THE WAY!!!!

Costs less than Ulfrotte, thinner, tighter weave, softest thing I have ever worn.

I tried silk, it works, but it's fairly expensive and not durable at all.

My woolies ROCK!

[KSdan]

As usual- great input!      

lpcjon- I for sure do that, but you can't carry the kitchen sink with you!    

Steve K- exactly my experience with tech- cold, clammy, and smelly. (Besides expensive)    

I always thought (and have read) that base layer had to be some tech wicking layer.  But I am realizing that many wear merino wool AS THE BASE!  I am thinking that is what I am going to try.