Home Forums Hunting & Shooting General Big Game What is the best lightweight coldweather clothing..

This is a problem I face every year. I hunt public land and walk 1.1 miles to my stand everyday. It doesn't get terribly cold here in Louisiana but when you soaking wet from sweat 30 degrees gets really cold. Most of the mile is thru knee deep water which makes it kind of tough walking. I am looking for some lighter(weight wise) hunting clothes to use. I usually walk in with just underarmour and a longsleeve shirt and pants on. I tote my thick insulated bids and jacket in with me and put them on when I get to the stand. I was looking for some camo that would be lighter to tote and keep me just as warm if not warmer. Let me hear yalls suggestions.

your doing just what i would do, pack in dry warm gear to change into. for sitting still in 30 degree temps im not sure you can go too light weight. Might try some layering but then your carrying more. im interested to see what guys come up with for responses.

for cold I pack.

30 may feel colder to you than me after a week of hunting...

I get by with a pair of wools pants over innerwear at 30ish and pack in bibs for colder weather sits--don't wear camo

maybe add a hooded fleece thing to the top for another layer and lose the bibs

or a canoe

Getting cold really isn't the problem..My feet freeze but other than that I'm pretty comfortable just hate carrying all that weight. Now if anybody has something for keeping feet warm please let me know..May start another thread on that one..

I run into the same issue up here hunting in AK. Alot of sweat to get where you are going and then sit and wait. The only thing I found to work is to pack warm clothes to change in to. I can't help you with boots down your way because what I use is way overkill for you. I have noticed simply putting on clean dry socks after a good hike will do wonders. Something else you might try is using foot of handwarmers. If you use these ensure you place them in the correct areas. For feet they should be on top of the foot where most of the blood passes. For hands depending on what your body fat% is I put mine on my inner bicep where I can get to most of my blood flow.

Try layering clothing that uses Primaloft,which is a synthetic down type insulation with a very soft,light,quiet nylon outer.The stuff compresses nicely into a small stuff sack that can go into your pac;slides easily inside woolen or other outer hunting clothing,and will substantially increase the insulating quality of your outer layer.It is very lightweight and keeps you warm under wet,damp conditions.

Mountain Hardware and REI are two companies that make garments using this insulation. These companies do not make camo,and cater mostly to the rock climbimg crowd;but the stuff is worlds ahead of a lot of the heavy camo clothing peddled to hunters.

To add a bit to what BobinNH said if I'm going to be alternately working hard without overheating AND trying not to freeze when sitting still I crossover a lot of gear from another winter activity of mine...skiing. A good breathable shell for instance should be completely wind and waterproof with almost no weight at all. When really working hard the better ones have taped (waterproof) vents you can unzip to let heat escape. Technical layers underneath can be both warm and light.

I've only done it a couple times but my ski stuff is all black. For camo you just pack some oversized hunting bug-mesh type stuff, which is practically weightless, and wear it over the ski gear.

Granted, if you are hiking to a stand where you really are just going to sit immobile for long periods of time if you're cold natured and it's genuinely frigid you are going to cool off. For extremeties electric or chemical warmers are probably a good idea and make darn sure your neck and head are well insulated.

A change of dry warm underware and shocks. I hike as far as 5 miles uphill on some elk hunts, when is is very cold (in the teens) nothing works except to change into another set of UnderArmor. I also change socks which is as important.

Guy, do you notice that the stuff the mountaineering crowd gets to use is far better,lighter weight,than the dedicated camo hunting stuff,for active hunters?

I am noticing this more and more....except for a wool shirt or two,and a couple jackets I leave in Wyoming, I don't use the camo stuff anymore(stuff like Sitka gear is an exception). I am liking some of the stuff UA is offering....But I have not for example,found a windproof hunting jacket using primaloft insulation...........very strange as someone is missing the boat with this stuff from the hunter's standpoints....

I have done more hunting in Mountain Hardware,Patagonia, and REI mountaineering type stuff the last 2-4 years.

Bobin I have noticed that and frankly I think it's just an example of economy of scale. If you really looked at the world wide clothing market I'd say we're a pretty darn tiny slice of the pie. You mentioned Sitka which seems to indeed be something on an exception (and Cabela's has several items on sale if interested) and I know Browning took a swing at it with their Transitions line though I've got no experience with it.

My "classic" hunting stuff is actually fine for stand hunting but if I'm going to be humping it much then yeah, I'll mostly be layered up like I'm headed for the ski slopes. That stuff (and what you mentioned) is made for active wear in cold weather first and foremost and it's a pretty competitive market.

add retail price point & age demongraphics to that.

if your feet are cold then your head is not warm enough. The old saw "if your feet are cold put on a hat" is correct. Put on a balaclava and a hood if necessary. I walk in with my heavy coat off, my head bare, and overalls unzipped at the top so to speak. Its phenomenal how much heat radiates from your head. I wear a cotton hooded sweatshirt just one layer down and if needed pull that over my head as well, my feet stay warm as toast in 1200 gram thinsulate boots with a pair of merino wool socks down to 14 last year sitting still for 4 hours. Also a pair of those merino wool long underwear are pretty nice as well.

It is all heavy however, I have to look at this mountain stuff.

jimmyp got it! Keep your head warm..also your neck and upper chest. I carry and ware on post a wool scarf. I`ve also found a complete face mask that pulls down over head and neck to do wonders. Wool ofcourse.

Rab Expedition Suit.

Possibly overkill, but you won't get cold, promise.

We are all built different, but at 30 degrees I keep plenty warm with a fleece and a light-weight windstop shell. If you can get your feet warm you'll find that you need less insulation on the rest of you.

I also hunt mostly in Louisiana where it can be 30 or below when you get in the stand and 50 plus when you leave. I bought Sitka gear over two years, a couple pieces at a time, and have been surprised how comfortable it is without the bulk. There are underarm zippers on almost every top that allow you to "vent". The outer layers would certainly be easier to pack in than traditional bibs/coveralls.

Run the airboat to the stand and hop out.....

kinda hard to give input if your not used to hunting the same area.....here if im hiking in 30* weather i usually wear a t-shirt and have a light jacket and long sleeved shirt in my pack if i need them.....hell i dont usually start wearing much of a coat till its below 20*....ive got a down parka that i cant wear till its -20 or its to warm to be comfortable.....however put me someplace with high humidity and ill wear the parka when its above 0.....me and humidity dont get along real well and i hate the upper Midwest and the like because of it summer or winter so i try to avoid the area as much as possible....here i go from -60 to over 100 in 6 months, so long as there isnt humidity it doesnt take much for me to deal with either extream....

+1.

I now use sitka 90% with merino next to the skin. I carry a cheap light (in carry weight) merino wool dress sweater in my backpack (I found a couple on clearance at a mens dress shop in summer for 15$)

The zips under the arms on the sitka stuff works great for the walk.

Schnees has the sitka stuff on sale now for 50%.

Cool thing is I use the same system out west and simply add another thin layer of merino.

I use the military polypropylene underpants and shirt. I have hunted, hiked, sweated & sat sill for 4-5 hours in temps down to 17 degrees and stayed warm. I wear them as an underlayment and put on my Browning four-in-one Parka WITHOUT its down liner which renders it a simple lightweight shell. The military surplus stuff has worked so well I have not looked any further.

Covered head & neck makes for warm feet.