How to stay warm without wearing bulky clothes... ?

[DanielB89]

I am wondering how you fellas manage to stay warm in the field without wearing so much clothing that it affects your draw.  

I have been practicing lately with my cold weather gear on and i can feel the clothing "pulling" back  while i'm drawing.  

Not that this matters, but I do not own wool, nor do I plan on it(nothing against it, just don't care for that look) and I don't currently own the "top dollar" material.  

My typical cold weather gear is a base layer, a long sleeve, and a jacket(either a thicker zip up one or a wind proof one).

I am just trying to figure out how in the world I can wear enough clothes to stay warm, but also not feel it while drawying..

[wissler]

Finally converted to wool only about 5 years ago. I don't really dig the patterns but there is nothing warmer and as quiet.
I "do" layer. I have an outer layer of a tight weave Fleece by Gamehide that also keeps the wind out and is super quiet as well as stretching without binding. This last weekend it was 14 degrees up north, and I was out 2 sits each day for about 5 hours each sit.

[Ron Vought]

Wool. Merino wool base layers, Wool Pendelton 10 oz.shirts followed by a Silent Predator lined vest and Silent Predator unlined wool/shirt jacket. Great combination that doesn't interfere with the bow arm and also keeps you extremely warm.You can put on and take off based on temperature. What you pay for is what you get in regards to quality hunting clothes.

Ron

[TradBrewSC]

I use the Kuiu layering system down to 32 deg.

This consists of 185 short sleeve, 185 longsleeve, 210 zip, and guide jacket up top. 185 bottoms and guide pants down bottom.

This is not blucky and keeps me warm!

I go to havy wool bibbs and jacket when it is below freezing.

[ChuckC]

A good vest (or two), whether wool or other, keeps your torso warm and keeps your arms bulk free.  Try it , it really works.  Wear a decent hat, put a cloth face mask on, one that covers your neck and keeps the wind out.  If it is windy, make use of golf shirts, the kind that they wear that keeps the wind out, not the short sleeved Izod kind, but wear it under an outer layer to keep noise at bay.

I like wool and wear it a lot, but other materials work fine too, especially if you are hunting down south.
ChuckC

[kadbow]

I prefer function over look.  Wool for me. How cold of temps do you hunt.

[Michael Arnette]

I used to go through the same as you with multiple bulky layers, then I got wool (good fleece can be just as good). Get some good wool or fleece my friend:) red head has some great fleece and king of the mountain or asbell wool is probably the best I've found. It sure beats freezing!
I hunted Tuesday morning at 16F with a wind chill of 6! Two layers (cotton thermals and the amazing king of the mountain wool).
I put a light leavy jacket which I have modified for better string clearance over everything.

[DanielB89]

Originally posted by kadbow:
I prefer function over look.  Wool for me. How cold of temps do you hunt.

Realistically, it wont get down to '0' here, at least i hope not!!.  But it will get down 20 or so, which in the south is FRIGGIN COLD!!!  I am afraid to see how cold this winter is going to be.  It has already been in the 30's and it usually doesn't get that cold before christmas. lol.

[Archer1977]

First Lite merino wool is nice and comes in good patterns as well. Little pricey, but quality.

[Vesty]

I have found that wearing a wool vest or two as well as a nice neck gaiter makes all the difference. The vests reduce bulk in your arm area which usually is the problem when dressed heavily.

[shreffler]

So far we already had temps down to 0 and wind chills -10 here in PA this year...I don't own "top dollar" gear either, but the right stuff will go a long ways.

I wear a long sleeved shirt, a quarter zip rocky long sleeve that I got at a garage sale for a quarter, a quarter zip fleece, an under armour pull over (but a sweatshirt would do the trick), and then a Scentlock jacket I got on sale for $100 on top. Most Scentlock gear is made for bowhunting, so it's really form fitting in the arms and as warm as warm gets. I usually wear a neck gaiter as well.

For my bottoms I wear sweatpants and a pair of Rocky bibs that I got for $100. The bibs were easily the biggest upgrade for me to stay warm. They are worth their weight in gold.  

I sit all day from morning til dark in 10 degree weather and never get cold (except for my feet - but that's a different issue).

A good pair of bibs, a few layers, and a good jacket transform cold weather hunting for sure.

[MnFn]

If you are primarily stand hunting, check out heater body suits.  You can get away with less bulky clothing, especially down south I would guess.
It is kind of like a sleeping bag with legs, but when you need to shoot it easily moves behind you so you can shoot with less bulk.

Or a blind with a Big Buddy propane heater  works well, but is a little noisier.

I have resigned to the fact that if I want to stay comfortable in cold weather I will have to spend some money on something.

If not stand hunting and constantly moving a lot of materials will work. I am fine til I am sitting for more than an hour or so.

Of course, I am hunting in North Dakota and Northern Minnesota. It gets a little cool up here in November, December.  After that I am done.

[DanielB89]

Originally posted by Alex Shreffler:
So far we already had temps down to 0 and wind chills -10 here in PA this year...I don't own "top dollar" gear either, but the right stuff will go a long ways.

I wear a long sleeved shirt, a quarter zip rocky long sleeve that I got at a garage sale for a quarter, a quarter zip fleece, an under armour pull over (but a sweatshirt would do the trick), and then a Scentlock jacket I got on sale for $100 on top. Most Scentlock gear is made for bowhunting, so it's really form fitting in the arms and as warm as warm gets. I usually wear a neck gaiter as well.

For my bottoms I wear sweatpants and a pair of Rocky bibs that I got for $100. The bibs were easily the biggest upgrade for me to stay warm. They are worth their weight in gold.  

I sit all day from morning til dark in 10 degree weather and never get cold (except for my feet - but that's a different issue).

A good pair of bibs, a few layers, and a good jacket transform cold weather hunting for sure.

Alex, thank you for the reply.  I have some stuff for the bottom. I have some Red Head bibs that always take care of me.  lol.


I am more concerned with the top of my body, but i think I may have found a good piece of clothing..

anyone have any experience with this:
http://www.basspro.com/RedHead-1856-Fleece-Windproof-Lined-Camo-Jacket-for-Men/product/103640/?cmCat=CROSSSELL_PRODUCT

I prefer the red head line up bc I get a good discount on it.

[Whip]

That looks like a nice jacket and would probably help a lot.  The only concern I would have would be whether or not it is quiet when you draw.  Most winstopper fabrics that I have found tend to make significant noise when you try to draw, even if you wear something else over the top of it.  It's not much of an issue when the wind is blowing since that helps a lot to cover the noise, but if it is fairly calm it can be a problem.  Cold temperatures make them even noiser.  I had one top that sounding like I was crinkling plastic when it got below freezing.

Start at the top - a good balacalava for your face and the warmest hat you can find is the first line of defense.

The previous suggestions are good.  Whether you like the looks or not, it is hard to beat good wool.  Fleece is good too, but doesn't do much to stop wind unless it has windstopper fabric.  And a vest, or even two of them, is great for keeping the core warm.

[ron w]

You need to learn to love wool.......period! And really......do you think anybody cares how you look when hunting!

[hickstick]

well there is one suggestion that may not work well for you...get used to the cold.  lol.   our bodies do adjust, but since you're in the deep south, I don't know how well that would work since you won't have much opportunity before a cold snap hits.

up here in MA, we're routinely in the teens/twenties at day break in Nov/Dec.   late Dec/early Jan single digits.

I do the smart wool base, fleece mids (4way strech fleece is a miracle fabric) and wool bibs and wool asbell jacket.  a good hat, a neck cover is an absolute must, and in really cold (single digits for me) I have fleece balaclava/hood that I pull over my hat.

the thing that gets me is the wind.  this year I found a nice columbia windproof jacket on clearance at a sporting goods store.  it works perfect under my aspell wool without adding too much bulk.  doesn't hinder my draw, and no noise at all. I actually wore my aspell into the store, put the jacket on and the aspell over it and moved quite a bit to test it out.  now I just need to find something similar for my legs.

IMO I don't care what I look like, I just care what the deer think I look like, and whether I'm comfortable.  

[DanielB89]

Originally posted by ron w:
You need to learn to love wool.......period! And really......do you think anybody cares how you look when hunting!

yeah, i do.  Plus i can't see paying $75 for a hat.  No offense to wool people, I understand everything has a process to being made and some times they are very timely and require a lot of work.  But for me, I wont spend that much on ANY item of clothing.. Unless my wife wants it of coarse..

[randy grider]

what Ron said. I go for comfort and function, its not a fashion statement. In my experience, all the latest, greatest hi tech camo patterns look impressive, then you take you're fingers and rake across it and it sounds like you are crumpling cellophane, which is useless for bowhunting. Deer may not see you, but they will surely hear you. Easier to fool their eyes than their nose. Fleece is good, wool is better.

[randy grider]

You only have to buy it once. If I had all the money I spent on cheap gear I would have 3 sets of the best now, and maybe a couple of custom bows too. If you're carefull you can find good stuff used, as military surplus, goodwill , or classifieds on these sites.

[Longbow917]

Cabelas late season coveralls with polypro long johns and sweats underneath!  Guaranteed warmth at 20 degrees and price is very reasonable.  I own snow camo and a regular camo pair.  Couldnt sit without them....gets dang cold here in Iowa!!