When I was younger I didn't pay much attention to cold weather gear as the cold just didn't bother me that much. I could sit all day in very cold temps. Now that I am getting a little "More mature" lets say, the cold makes me think twice about if I even want to get out there or not. Well I have been reading all I can this year on cold weather gear and putting most of the stock in what our Northern Brothers have posted and shared. I have spent hundreds on some new gear and most is made of wool.
I have come to the realization that most of my on stand heat has been excaping through my head and have found the formula to fix that with a wool Coupes cap from Chuck at Two Tracks.
I was out last night and noticed at dusk I am usually sitting there just shivering not able to sit still and just dying to climb down. Well I was sitting there dead still scanning the woods with just my eyes and warm as I could be. I sat until well after dark as I had two bucks in the field next to me feeding.
(http://i60.tinypic.com/dxz01v.jpg)
What also makes it a great hat is it has a short soft brim for when the sun gets low in the horizon. I was able to keep scanning the woods for those deer that I would usually not see due to the sun in my eyes. All other brimmed hats I would usually turn around as my bow string would hit it on my draw. When you draw with the coupes cap on the string contacts the brim but it is so soft it bends with the string and has no affect on arrow flight or messing up your concentration.
So if you were counting on global warming and that hasn't panning out, you may want to try a new wool hat to keep you toasty and onstand much longer.
Chuck is a TG sponsor so give him a click!
Thanks Chuck from Kentucky!
Hey KentuckyTJ I have that exact same browning wool coat for hunting in cold temperatures. absolutely love it. You are correct about heat escaping from the head, I use a stormy kromer wool hat when the temps really dive. Only problem I have with wool hats is my head absolutely is on fire walking into the woods wearing one but perfect once I get settled in.
Gab, I am looking at those as well. But what I am wondering is does your bow string hit the brim on them?
Looking good there TJ.... been eyeballing me one of them Two Tracks hats as well. Once we changed all our gear to wool a few years back we are never cold now. Had no idea what we were misssing all these years. Said it on here before, " Try as he may man can never duplicate the perfection God made when he made wool ! " Just my humble opinion..... :coffee:
I have the original in fleece,and love it. It is very soft against your head,and you don't even know it's there. I like his scallops also,very easy to put in.
Thanks for the info, TJ! I've been looking at that same hat recently, but was concerned about the brim hitting the string. Thanks for the good news!
Looks like you have a Cabelas neck Gaiter on too. I was concerned if they are long enough to pull up over your face, yet still protect your neck. Which one is that you have on?
Its plenty long Paul. It tucks down into my shirt and stays put real well over your nose.
http://www.cabelas.com/product/Cabelas-Fleece-Neck-Gaiter/1380362.uts?Ntk=AllProducts&searchPath=%2Fcatalog%2Fsearch.cmd%3Fform_state%3DsearchForm%26N%3D0%26fsch%3Dtrue%26Ntk%3DAll Products%26Ntt%3Dneck%2Bgaiter%26WTz_l%3DHeader%253BSearch-All%2BProducts%26x%3D5%26y%3D9&Ntt=neck+gaiter&WTz_l=Header%3BSearch-All+Products (http://www.cabelas.com/product/Cabelas-Fleece-Neck-Gaiter/1380362.uts?Ntk=AllProducts&searchPath=%2Fcatalog%2Fsearch.cmd%3Fform_state%3DsearchForm%26N%3D0%26fsch%3Dtrue%26Ntk%3DAllProducts%26Ntt%3Dneck%2Bgaiter%26WTz_l%3DHeader%253BSearch-All%2BProducts%26x%3D5%26y%3D9&Ntt=neck+gaiter&WTz_l=Header%3BSearch-All+Products)
Thanks again TJ! Looks like you've got a good setup there for your head and neck. Your ears and back of your neck look well protected too.
When it's time to shoot, you can just pull the gaiter down.
Years ago I read somewhere that 80% of your body heat is lost through the top of your head.
I'm diggin' that hat TJ. I'm going to have to look in to getting one
Stormy Kromer hats have a short brim, much shorter than a baseball cap. I shoot my 56-60" bows with my kromer on all the time. They are well made. It doesn't look like the ear flaps would pull down as far as that coups cap though. Be sure if you buy one, to try it on first. The sizing of those kromers can vary a bit in my experience. I have 4 of them, 2 different sizes. Wool hats are the best this time of year, as they say, a frosty head only looks good on beer!
Looking pretty well set there TJ
I do not bow hunt in it but we have seen temperatures of minus 40 (the two scales meet at that point) here this winter...I just ordered one of the hats and will give it a workout in some serious cold...the nice thing with wool is that you can often wear it in rather warm conditions without getting too hot...thanks for posting
DDave
Dave, if it's -40 you need to stay indoors. Only thing you could wear to keep you warm is a sauna.
TJ, is yours a Grey camo or a Brown camo? I'm guessing its Brown camo?
i'm wanting one of those hats in the worst way!!
Looks like your wearing a wool blend coat too, that helps.
I've tried the new fangled, high tech stuff, and I freeze, gone back to all wool.
QuoteOriginally posted by Tall Paul:
TJ, is yours a Grey camo or a Brown camo? I'm guessing its Brown camo?
Paul, correct it is the brown.
Bob yes that's a wool blend coat. Got the bibs also to match. They are both great
I'm bringing this thread back up, because I recently received the "Coups Cap" that I ordered from Two Tracks after TJ started this thread.
I'm really impressed with this hat. I didn't get to try it in a tree stand (my intended purpose), but just wearing it outside shooting, etc., I love it.
Being wool, its warm but it also breaths, so I don't sweat like I would with a polyester one. I just finished shooting my bow out back, and the short brim is perfect.
Thanks for starting this thread TJ!
Been wanting to order one of the hats ,but two tracks web site shows only black in stock.Hope they get some more camo ones in.
I really like the looks of this. I was thinking of the Stormy Kromer but this looks ideal. Thanks for bringing it back up.
Been wanting one of these hats since I first saw them. I have the insoles and string scallops and love them. One of these days I need to go for a ride and check out Chuck's place, seeing how it is only about 40 minutes away.
QuoteOriginally posted by rockkiller:
Been wanting to order one of the hats ,but two tracks web site shows only black in stock.Hope they get some more camo ones in.
I could be wrong, but I think that the wool hats sell so fast that they can't keep 'em on the shelf. When I placed my order, they were about to make a batch of hats. They actually get the wool from their own sheep, so it's kind of an involved process.
Best thing to do is give Chuck a call, and he could tell you how long it will be until they make another batch. In other words, before they even make the hats, they've got orders for all the available wool. Hope this helps.
The wools comes from their own sheep??? Did not know that. That is great.