Keeping warm without wearing too much

[toehead]

Hand warmers behind the knees, in the arm pits and an icy hot heat wrap on my kidneys, also a hand warmer between two stocking caps on my head and tow warmers in my boots.  I set on stand for 6 hours with temps in the low teens the other day.  I had Longjohns, 1 pair of those columbia wool pants underneath the columbia wool bibs (cheap stuff) on top I had t-shirt, some rocky thermal shirt, carhart longjohn shirt and a cabellas wool sweater.  on my head I had two stocking caps, a neck gator and a face mask.  The warmers make a world of difference.

[**DONOTDELETE**]

The single most important thing is wearing a hat and using a scarf or high neck like a turtle neck.

you are better off with 3 thin layers, with one being wool for arms and legs. i'm a firm believer in vests too....

when it gets below 20 degrees, stay home and read hunting magazines in front of the wood stove... take a nap and dream about that next hunt.  

[chanumpa]

Find merino wool sweaters at thrift shops,and get a good wool hat.People sometimes dont realize how much heat you loose when you dont have a good hat.

[slim_grim]

If your layers are are a little loose but not too bulky an arm guard should be able to save your sleeve. It all boils down to having a little space around your body for the heat and a means to kept it from leaving. Wind resistance is a must. Good hat, boots, and hand warmers go a long way too.

[markliep]

Depends on how much you move - with lots of sweating you need wicking layers & wool & wind protection - without a lot of movement down is the best bet - its the only way the family females venture outdoors; one of them also has a fleece with a built in heating pack that I got her from LL....

[Mike Vines]

Originally posted by elkken:
Hunt in Hawaii .....      

I thought the same thing till I did that.  Woke up the 1st morning to temps in the 40's.  Warmed up to 90 by noon though.

[runningbird]

antiperspirant on your feet,and a good vest.

[killinstuff]

If you are just sitting in a stand you don't need to wear bulky clothes to stay warm.  Sit on a good thermal pad that also has a back and small wool blanket on your lap. You can sit all day this way.

[Orion]

Lots of good advice here to keep you "warmer."  But when it's really cold, if you stay out on stand for any length of time without moving much, you're going to get cold regardless of what you wear.  It's just the nature of the beast. Some people can just handle the cold better than others.  But even they get cold under the right conditions.

[Manitoba Stickflinger]

So many threads on this lately and no-one listens!! Heater body suit all the way. All the warmth with no bulk at the time of the shot.

People that say you'll get cold eventually if it's really cold have not tried a HBS. All day sits at temps well below 0 should attest to it's abilities to stay warm.

[Manitoba Stickflinger]

http://tradgang.com/cgi-bin/ultimatebb.cgi?ubb=get_topic;f=1;t=096770;p=3

Not sure if this will work (I'm not a computer guy) but this link MAY work to see a pic of me in my HBS staying warm in really cold weather.

[Terry Green]

Yes Ryan....never tried one....yeah, at times it seams no one listens....and they do it over and over.


Hand warmers placed in pockets work wonders....have a vest with kidney pockets on the back as well as hand warming pockets on the front....foot warmers in boots....hand warmers in cargo pockets  of wool pants.

Cover neck and head....

Hand warmers are much more than just for warming hands.

[Jeff Strubberg]

If you are cold, put on a hat.  If you are still cold, put on another hat.  Your body will rob blood flow and therefore heat from the rest of you to try and keep your head warm.

And loose layers, always.  If you put on something tight, you are crushing the air out of your layers, which is where the insulation comes from.

[Easykeeper]

I've been lucky to be able to accumulate a lot of good hunting clothes over the years but I have found that no matter what I wear once the temperature gets down into the 'teens or there is s stiff wind, it's only a matter of time until I'm cold no matter what I wear.

The key to staying warm for me is not just sitting there waiting to get cold.  For one thing, I stand almost all the time.  Even though I have had back surgery and am dealing with more degenerated discs, standing uses more muscle than sitting and generates enough body heat to make a   big difference over sitting.  Sitting also compresses your layers where standing allows them to maintain their loft better.  Standing offers much better visibility too, I get surprised a lot less often when standing.

Isometric exercises of the big muscle groups will definitely keep you warm with little if any movement.  Full body clenches, "most muscle" hero clenches, lots of others can be done and there's really no movement at all, but lots of body heat generated.

A very slow partial squat, 6" or so, then hold as long as you can, back up.  Any of these little exercises will help keep you warm on stand.  Best to start them   before you are shivering though.

[Jerry Jeffer]

build a fire.    

[cleopatra]

I took Ryan's advice and using his dimensions and a hell of a lot of material, decided to build my own HBS suit. If I can find the time and figure out how to post pics, I will do a photo build along with details. Let me know what everyone thinks? If there is enough interest I will do it. Rich.

[Orion]

Manitoba:  You are correct.  I've never tried a body suit.  No doubt, body suits are the ultimate defense against the cold.  However, most don't have arms in them. I can't help but think I'd miss some shot opportunities while trying to unzip one and grab my bow. In the thick cover I hunt, I don't see deer a long way off.  A few seconds notice is a lot.

The initial poster asked for suggestions for keeping warm with non-bulky clothing, and I offered my observation in that context.    And any way you cut it, heater body suits are bulky.  They're a big package to carry to the stand.  Sleeves on models that have sleeves add bulk to an already heavily dressed hunter. I'm sure those who use them have figured out ways to open the top half and shoot fairly quickly, but there's also a good chance the extra fabric when open can impede the bow string.

When I referred to cold, I didn't indicate how cold.  To me, that's 10 to 30 degrees below zero.  A body suit might make hunting in that kind of weather bearable, but I seriously doubt one will be all toasty inside.

[ChuckC]

Layers, including one that will cut the wind ( a golfing wind shirt and even pants are secret ingredients here).

Bowhunters should consider getting more into using vests, including big ol heavy wool with stuffing vests, with lighter shirts beneath.  You don't need near as much covering your arms as you think.  That sure makes it easier to shoot.

Cover your head and part of your face.  You lose a lot of heat via your head.

ChuckC

[Manitoba Stickflinger]

Yeah, undoing the HBS is one extra thing to do before grabbing your bow. I've got it down to an art.....as I stand up I undo the suit in one motion and grab my bow. Anyone who holds their bow in cold weather will not be there for long. Anyone who doesn't know what I'm talking about hasn't hunted in extreme cold.

I've never had an issue with the suit getting in the way as it is behind you when you shoot. That said, the reality of it is there is more material which at some point will interfere with mobility. I'd rather have that issue than not be able to sit all day. My home brew suit goes in a stuff sack which I wrap my safety belt around and wear like a haversack on the way in. Lightly dressed on the walk allows my body temperature to stay down which later aids in staying warm.

The temps you referred to is just the weather I have used my HBS for and down to -40. Although I only attempted 6 hours at -40, I've done all day sits at -27. With hand warmers inside the suit and my fur hat on I've been toasty the whole time. I'm not sharing this info trying to seem like a know it all but rather have discovered something that I should have been using for years.

I kind of sit here and chuckle to myself knowing that many guys here will think back once they try a suit and say to themselves..."Man....that punk kid from Canada was right"!

Again...the last thing I want to say is "I told you so" and sound like a know it all. I have so much to learn about  Trad archery and hunting and love the info that people here share that makes me better at what I love. One thing that you NEED to know during the Manitoba rut is how to stay warm. That's one of the few things I've got nailed down. Stay warm...Ryan

[BUCKY]

Jerry I disagree. Just what me and Manitoba said,Heater Body Suit!