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
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
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
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.
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.
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!
Whip- what insulation/windstop combo did you have?
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.
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.
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.
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.
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
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.
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!
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!
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
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 .
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.
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!
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
I've got nothing original to add. I've been through about everything made and mentioned above. Stopping the wind is Job #1 in cold weather. Job #2 is keeping the head, hands and feet toasty. Nothing stops wind better (without being gigantically bulky) for me than Sitka Fanatic. The jacket is a bowhunter-specific garment and works like a dream. I altered mine by removing the rangefinder and grunt tube pockets on the chest. That really streamlined it and cleaned up the front. Sized correctly, Fanatic will allow you to wear whatever you want for base layers x 1,2 or 3. You can top your core (over the Fanatic) with a warm vest in very cold conditions if needed.
Like Kevin D., not much to add, except here in KS we have DEAD quiet times- particular to early AM and late PMs (perfect hunting times). My 30 year old son came to hunt here 2 weeks ago and brought his First Lite Sanctuary, Sitka Incinerator, and FL Woodbury. He found out right away those items are still too noisy in the DEAD quiet woods. The only thing that works for bowhunting was Fleece or wool (Cabelas Wooltimate works too). Even a Primaloft puffy vest buried under two layers of wool sweaters and a Predator Fleece jacket was still too noisy.
When I need to draw a trad bow in the presence of an animal I need DEAD quiet clothes.
My 2 C
Dan in KS
QuoteOriginally posted by 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!
X2, I have been using Hidden/Gray Wolf for over fifteen years.
QuoteOriginally posted by KSdan:
Like Kevin D., not much to add, except here in KS we have DEAD quiet times- particular to early AM and late PMs (perfect hunting times). My 30 year old son came to hunt here 2 weeks ago and brought his First Lite Sanctuary, Sitka Incinerator, and FL Woodbury. He found out right away those items are still too noisy in the DEAD quiet woods. The only thing that works for bowhunting was Fleece or wool (Cabelas Wooltimate works too). Even a Primaloft puffy vest buried under two layers of wool sweaters and a Predator Fleece jacket was still too noisy.
When I need to draw a trad bow in the presence of an animal I need DEAD quiet clothes.
My 2 C
Dan in KS [/QUOTE
Not saying it is not your experience but I find it odd that the you found FL Sanctuary and Woodbury noisy even in the quietest times??? Once they are worn a couple times I have found those items as quite as any of my wool or fleece items I have.
QuoteOriginally posted by KSdan:
Whip- what insulation/windstop combo did you have?
Mine has the wind stopper and 300 grams of thinsulite. The sleeves are thinner with 150 grams to reduce bulk and give full range of motion for shooting.
I know your concern with a fabric being dead silent, and this Wolfskin is exactly that. No matter how cold there is not even a whisper of sound when moving or drawing.
Jesse. I hear you. Love TG as we can have these honest questions/discussions.
Not sure what to tell you. I just know here in KS there are times that it truly is unbelievably DEAD silent. Zero wind. Zero! I have witnessed it in North Country states in late-season/winter as well. I even had a doe freak last year in late season when I put tension on the bow string!
My son loves the new techno gear (big fan really) and has a decent career to afford the stuff. (I also have some FL and other techno gear). He brought it here for our Thanksgiving week hunt. He was amazed the difference in sound once you had those DEAD quiet moments. We talked a lot about it. He even made a point of wondering if guys in the NW/West where FL originates have a different environment(like subtle thermals always present) than what I call DEAD quiet here. He even made a point of mentioning how he noticed the sound of some of his FL (and other) when he was leaning/brushed-against the tree trunk. Whereas the Predator Fleece jacket I got him was absolutely noise-LESS.
I can not comment on Fanatic (and some other stuff), but I do know he tried the stuff I mentioned in my earlier post and it was too noisy for our situation. I know Predator Fleece (even their windstop is amazing- no noise!) is the most awesome quiet gear I have ever worn. However, it just does not have the late cold season warmth by itself. I have a friend who sits all day hunts in below zero weather who uses the Cabelas Stand Hunter Extreme bibs and jacket. That too is dead quiet and over-the-top warm. It is "mapped" like Whip mentioned here about the GW- which makes it work extremely well for bowhunting.
My thoughts and experience is all
Dan in KS
It depends on your walk in. If you are close the the barn, road or truck then get those big coveralls they talk about. In the mts a hike to the stand will make you sweat. I invested in some kuiu gear and use my backpack to carry most of my clothing in. It's ultra light so you can carry pack a lot of it. Wool is way too heavy for that. Suit up in the stand. Pack your body, armpits, shins and calves and groin with hand warmers (hot hands brand, the others suck). Good neck gaitor from Kuiu with some hand warmers packed around it. A high priced sitka beanie with a hand warmer under it.
No sense of complaining about $15 worth of hand warmers ea time out. I'd certainly pay $15 to warm up if I got cold!
Dan, I have Predator heavy weight fleece pants and love them along with the heavy weight fleece vest from predator. Love them both. I have the jacket also, but it's not long enough and the sleeves are too short. I agree it is ultra quiet, the vest is actually my favorite piece of hunting clothing that I own. Tried on the Fanatic jacket this morning, I have to admit it is really nice, the xl may be just a tad snug, and the 2xl a tad large. I would really like to get my hands on a First Lite Sanctuary to try on but I can't find a dealer in this area. Still in the decision mode........
Thanks to all that have replied, there has been thoughtful discussion about the merits of all of the clothing and I can't tell you how much I appreciate your input.
David
david
here is the link to hidden wolf aka gray wolf
http://www.graywolfwoolens.com/store/home.
Can't you order firstlite over the net? I have ordered them that way.
Should have been clearer Jim, should have said to try on. It is of course available through the net.
David
I'm surprised no has mentioned Silent Predator wool,
http://www.silentpredator.ca/company/
lot cheaper than KOM.
Gray Wolf is out of stock on Predator camo wool products so how is anyone ordering anything from them? I'd like to order a insulated Predator camo wool vest if they had them in stock.
Day One makes some good products.
Cabelas fleece and wool is good.
Filson, Woolrich, Pendleton make great products that look great in town or on a hunt in the hills, very pricey but will last and last if properly taken care of.
Mac's Prairie Wing makes good fleece gear. I like there fleece turtle necks and hoodie in Shadow Grass camo for late season.
The Wool Company.com from NZ makes awesome products too.
Raven Wear makes great cold weather gear too.
This is a cool website for those who want to know what our special ops where in cold weather.
http://www.beyondclothing.com/cold-windy-system-builder
Did I miss anything? I'm always looking for the ultimate dead silent cold weather gear too.
Raven Wear is shutting down in January so order quickly!
Helly Hansen merino wool or poly propolyne under King of the Mountain or Raven Wear works when its cold. -20' f plus wind chill qualifies as cold.
None of the light backpacker stuff, you need the thick non trendy stuff when its cold. My Kuiu stuff, Sitka stuff etc is ok when its cool out.
Today was one of those days that Dan talked about in his earlier posts. We got 6 " of powdered snow yesterday, today it was about 28 degrees when I got I. The stand at 1 pm, it dropped to about 22 by the end of the day.
It was ultra quiet and still, so much so that you could hear the silence. I was wearing heavyweight Predator fleece head to toe, and as quiet as that is I'm not sure that I could have successfully drWn on a deer if I had had the chance. All in all it was a great time to be in the woods.
David
Today was one of those days that Dan talked about in his earlier posts. We got 6 " of powdered snow yesterday, today it was about 28 degrees when I got in the stand at 1 pm, it dropped to about 22 by the end of the day.
It was ultra quiet and still, so much so that you could hear the silence. I was wearing heavyweight Predator fleece head to toe, and as quiet as that is I'm not sure that I could have successfully drawn on a deer if I had had the chance. All in all it was a great time to be in the woods.
David
DELETED BY THE AUTHOR
Just hunted tonight for a 4.5 hour sit in 5 degrees and 20 mph winds. Saw 7 deer. Great day in the woods.
Here is what i wore.
cotton boxers, cotton t shirt, 2 pairs of heavy weight rocky thermal tops and bottoms, polyester sweat pants, cheap wool pants. a thick fleece shirt, king of the mountain wool vest, wool shirt, kuiu vest, stocking hat, neck gaiter. 2 pairs of thick socks and baffin titan boots, jersey gloves and a wool handwarmer muff.
I was able to hike the 3/4 of a mile thru 18inches of snow in half those layers and then when at my hunt spot hang my stand in what i wore in. then waited 15 mins for my temps to cool down and added the other layers. comfortable, non sweaty, not cold at all.
Layers are the key! whatever clothing or system you use layers are important. i never belived in the base, mid, outer philosophy. I need more layers than 3! lol.
I also think wind proof layers are important. my kuiu vest and my polyester sweat pants (walmart) are wind resistant. for super windy cold days i will put my rain gear under my outer layer.
I hunt a few days each year that are in the negative temps. bulky stuff wont work. lots of thinner layers work much better. a good face mask and chemical hand warmers are your new best friends.
i have a camo Filsen double mac for that, with wool long johns, wool shirt and wool vest to fit the conditions. I wish I had wool tighty whities, did you read about the guy cross country skiing to the south pole? He reported that he is suffering from a case of frozen penis.
Pavan,
That TMI made me hurt where I don't want to :eek: :eek: :scared:
I purchased the First Lite merino base layers along with the Sanctuary Bibs and Woodbury Jacket, absolutely awesome stuff. You can hunt a large range of temps in these by differing your layers. I would not hesitate to hunt 0 degrees with those outer layers!
QuoteOriginally posted by South MS Bowhunter:
Pavan,
That TMI made me hurt where I don't want to :eek: :eek: :scared:
:scared: :scared: :scared: :scared: :scared:
He needs a hot cup of :coffee: :biglaugh:
I would recommend this one quiet and warm
http://stjoeriverbows.com/catalog/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=1&products_id=11&zenid=168ea68a458b2591cfd9316f1deb8a66
Dayone fleece Parka, with thinsulate and windliner. Very warm jacket. I have Dayone wool pants, with windliner, and I believe the fleece jacket is warmer.
6 degrees here yesterday morning. I wore a Simms polartec powerdry for a base layer, Sitka Core medium weight, and Sitka Fanatic hoody, with Celcius vest. Put the parka on once I reached my stand. Sat comfortable 4 hours.
Comfortable the whole time, and I am one who gets cold easily.
chris <><
Was lucky today in that we had 20-25 mph wind along with 20 degrees temps, so noise wasn't an issue. Was hunting on the ground, and felt my fanatic was too light in color against the oak leaf floor. Went with a first lite chama, then first light Labrado, Kuiu Kenai, then the Kifaru puffy with Kryptek camo. Was warm enough because I could put two handwarmes in the chest pockets of the kenai. That jacket is an awesome piece for layering.
For me a "one size fits all" approach doesn't work. I've spent the last few years buying Sitka products a little at a time. I have the stratus pants, bibs and jacket. I have the fanatic bibs and jacket and I have the traverse cold weather hoody. I am completely sold on the warmth of all of these products especially the fanatic system.
I do not like the noise of either jacket. I agree completely with what has been said about the difficulty in drawing when it is calm out - especially in thin winter air. I also don't like the way the outer layer grabs to tree bark like Velcro - I hate that!
With that said - the system is the warmest thing I've worn bowhunting in 30 years. Last night it was minus 1 with a 10mph wind when I left the house. I hunted for 3 hours and never came close to getting cold. But, the wind died down and had anything gotten close (say 10 yds or under) I think I would have had issues drawing with the noise from the jacket. All the ice on the stand under my boots didn't help either!
So this is what I have been doing. I have a pretty high tolerance for cold temps which is 10 or 15 degrees with the stratus and under 10 or so with the fanatic line. If the wind is not blowing at all I wear the bibs under an old swandri wool coat. The bibs and the wool coat keep me very warm and I can draw silently. If the wind is blowing good then I ditch the wool for the Sitka jackets.
That is the way I do it. Your mileage may vary. For me, the Sitka products are the real deal for staying warm. I plan to continue to add more of their offerings to my line. But I stay away from the jackets when there is no wind.
I might get the stratus line out for say 25 degree temps and 25 mph winds but really anything above 20 degrees with light wind I just wear wool, flannel or whatever is quiet.
Thanks guys. As I said earlier, I have the Predator heavyweight fleece pants and jacket, they are very warm and pretty quiet, but the arms are too short for my liking. I tried on the Fanatic jacket last week, and while the fit was ok I could still hear the clothes when I simulated a draw. That being said I agree with Jerry and Dan as to how difficult it is to draw on close range animals when it is deathly quiet.
David
I wear wool. I wear mostly Filson wool but I also have King of the Mountain and Gray Wolf Woolens.
I believe layering is the key to most situations. Base, medium or heavy layer under a down jacket in dry cold, or wool in wet and camo over it when necessary. I was amazed at the price on some of the new hi-tech camo. Everyone has a different preference or need.
It was -23 degrees windchill Saturday morning in Nebraska. I wore first lite merino layers under first lite's North Branch soft shell jacket. Also had First Lite uncompahgre vest over the top. Sat on a stump for 4 hours in comfort! I have a grand worth of First Lite gear and I wont wear anything else. I am officially a camo snob, never thought it would be this way lol
QuoteOriginally posted by Jerry Gille:
For me a "one size fits all" approach doesn't work. I've spent the last few years buying Sitka products a little at a time. I have the stratus pants, bibs and jacket. I have the fanatic bibs and jacket and I have the traverse cold weather hoody. I am completely sold on the warmth of all of these products especially the fanatic system.
I do not like the noise of either jacket. I agree completely with what has been said about the difficulty in drawing when it is calm out - especially in thin winter air. I also don't like the way the outer layer grabs to tree bark like Velcro - I hate that!
With that said - the system is the warmest thing I've worn bowhunting in 30 years. Last night it was minus 1 with a 10mph wind when I left the house. I hunted for 3 hours and never came close to getting cold. But, the wind died down and had anything gotten close (say 10 yds or under) I think I would have had issues drawing with the noise from the jacket. All the ice on the stand under my boots didn't help either!
So this is what I have been doing. I have a pretty high tolerance for cold temps which is 10 or 15 degrees with the stratus and under 10 or so with the fanatic line. If the wind is not blowing at all I wear the bibs under an old swandri wool coat. The bibs and the wool coat keep me very warm and I can draw silently. If the wind is blowing good then I ditch the wool for the Sitka jackets.
That is the way I do it. Your mileage may vary. For me, the Sitka products are the real deal for staying warm. I plan to continue to add more of their offerings to my line. But I stay away from the jackets when there is no wind.
I might get the stratus line out for say 25 degree temps and 25 mph winds but really anything above 20 degrees with light wind I just wear wool, flannel or whatever is quiet.
That's interesting Jerry. Lately I got the Sitka fever and scooped up some nice used zipT's, Celcius jacket, and yesterday the Fanatic Forest (prior yr) came in. I had a new $$ Stratus jacket that I tried out couple of weeks ago, but I returned it for a full refund. Seemed like way too much money for a kinda lightweight jacket.
I'll be trying the jackets out if we ever get a winter going down here. We're just coming off an 80deg Christmas jeez. I really wanted that Fanatic kangaroo pouch front pocket. I love the way all the jackets are cut, just perfect for bowhunters. For a long time I had an original Hidden Wolf wool jacket with comfortmax and wind barrier. It was absolutely quiet in all weather, so I'll be checking this Sitka for same.
The Sitka Celsius is not windproof, but it is absolutely silent. I'm wearing one over a merino top and under a Windstopper pullover: very comfortable at air temps well below zero, and neither the deer nor I can hear me move.
Got my eye on that down kuiu outer layer. I think I have most of the other pcs.
I got to try my Sitka Fanatic Forest jacket out this weekend, it was about 28 with a 10mph north wind. I wore it over base layers along with a light Sitka Dakota vest, then the Fanatic. It sure was nice and comfy. Very satisfied.
The jacket and ZipT both have thumbholes that allow the sleeves and liners to pull almost to your knuckles and cover the top of hand. Finger gloves are optional at that point. I really like this feature too.
Sitka finatic berber fleece or cabelas Berber. I have worn both from Alberta to home here in Ohio. They cut wind and are stealth quiet. I tried the KOM and was not impressed.
I've started on the route that Jerry G has taken. I have a lot of wool and wear KOM for most cold weather. I have an Autumnwood wool coat that is a more heavily felted wool that blocks the wind better, and that has been my ultra cold, windy day outerwear. But even it doesn't block a stiff wind, and a really cold, windy day can be downright unpleasant.
Just picked up a Sitka Gear Incinerator coat a couple weeks ago. It is rainproof, windproof and insulated. A bit bulkier than the Fanatic. Not bulkier than my wool outerwear, and not as quiet as my wool, but I can live with that. Haven't hunted with it, but have been spending a lot of time outside with it, and it's been very cold and windy around here. I'm impressed. Wind simply does not get through it and it's as warm as all get out.
My plan is to continue wearing wool when it's not windy or bitterly cold, but I'll switch to the Sitka Gear if I have to go out in a strong wind. The elevated II fabric/pattern does make some noise, but not a lot, and I can cut that in half just by moving/drawing slowly. In my neck of the woods this fall, the wind often didn't die toward the end of the day. Under those conditions, the garment doesn't make enough noise for a deer to pick up, IMO. Too, when it's below freezing, deer make a crunching noise as they walk in leaves or snow, which reduces their ability to pick up clothing noise under dead calm conditions. Doesn't eliminate it, but gives one a chance, I think.
Looking forward to giving it a thorough test next fall.
I currently have the gray wolf woolens insulated bibs,you will not get cold with these on. They are dead quiet as the temps drop the woods become a different kind of quiet. I tried the first lite sanctuary jacket which I thought was going to be my answer for lite weight warmth. The body of the jacket is quiet but the inside of the sleeves are too noisy to draw on a deer so I sent mine back. I would go with the wolfskin lined jacket but I have never tried the Sitka's warmest jacket