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Alright deer hunters...what do you cold weather guys wear?

I have lately considered(lighter in weight) clothes, and layer the right way...at the same time, I don't know how well this will stack up to good insulation.

I am in the process of picking up some cold weather gear, as I don't want to be stuck in the cold as I have the past years with old synthetics I have.

What do you guys use?? The layer option? Or do you wear coveralls/bibs and parka?

Help me out...Looking at the new Kryptek stuff, or heavier synthetics.

Thanks for the suggestions,

Matt

It depends on a few variables. Still hunting or Stand hunting, What is cold?

For me the coldest is late season stand sitting in the northern NY, say down to 0F,

here is what I wear on the stand

Body: wool long johns, I use terramar, but any decent long johns would work.

The fleece sweat pants on the bottom and a fleece shirt and down vest on the top

Over that I either wear a cabelas late season coveralls or cabelas insulated whitetail extreme parka and bibs

For the hands I use some wool liner gloves and a muffler with a "hot hands" in it.

For the head I wear mid weight fleece blancava under a wool stocking cap and neck gaiter.

On the feet I wear some mucho thick wool socks in side some Rocky snow stalkers 1200's and toe warmers. Not making things tight on the feet is important so don't lace too tightly or wear to tight of a sock.

If its much of a walk to the stand I will carry the coveralls and some of the head gear and put it on near the stand, so as to perspire as little as possible before sitting.

noKnees,

Thanks for the reply. Most of my hunting is Stand hunting. I can make due if I decide to still hunt throughout the day. Are you refering to the MT050 Cabelas clothes when you say whitetail extreme?

I too, hunt Northern NY, and this year--Canada.

Thanks,

Matt

for stand hunting, i use wool, wool and well, wool. This is in temps down to -10 in Minnesota.

Smartwool socks and Schnees pack boots
Smartwool long underwear, Filson Mackinaws and Columbia wool pants over everything.
Smartwool long underwear top, Smartwool sweater, Cabelas Rag wool sweater, Cabelas or Columbia wool coat, a fleece vest or two and a blaze vest.

I use the hand muffs as well if really cold, otherwise a light pair of gloves and a heater thingy in the pocket.

I also use a camo breath shield. this does a few things. first it breaks up my smiling white face. second it keeps me warmer and thirdly, i believe it keeps some of my human smell from all over the woods. whether or not the scentlok part works is irrelevant...i think it is much less noticable to deer if you are not blowing human breath all over.

I have toyed with the idea of a blaze orange blanket. problem would be seeing a deer, shifting a little and the dumb thing falling off. so maybe a very small velcro spot in a few places? I dunno, still thinking on it.

I sit in a portable and need to keep warm.

One thing to note, is that some synthetics, when it gets really cold, they get noisy.

It depends on the type of hunting for me. If I'm going to be walking alot in -10 to +20 weather, I just wear one layer of polypro US Military underwear, thin pants, thin shirt, thin cotton socks, light jacket, light gloves, 1200gm boots and a tobagon. If I get cold, it's time to start moving again.

If stand hunting in -10 to +20 I wear the same as above, but I put on a pair of waterproof insulated bibs, a Browning Hydrofleece quad parka, neck gaiter, face mask, heavy gloves, hand warmers in pockets, wool socks over thin cotton socks, tobagon, and hood.

loder

Cotton socks? I would encourage you to try some of the new merino wool base layer socks. Cotton does not wick, but absorbs, and with any sweat, your feet will become cold quickly. I avoid cotton like the plague when I am going to be in even moderately cold temperatures. I believe the saying is "Cotton kills" and for good reason.

I'm sticking with cotton, but understand your reasoning.

I've tried base layer socks a few times and they make my feet sweat like crazy. I can't wear Wool straight either, way too much sweating going on. After I started going cotton alone or cotton first, problem solved.

Have a good one,

loder

Yes its the thinsulate/mt 50 gortex set. its about 5 years old now. When its decently cold say below 25F the goretex does nothing for you, you would be as well off in something windproof and warm like the late season line. The goretex does help when you have one of those 30-40F days with rain, sleet or snow.

I think the exact brand or type of outer garment for stand sitting is less important as long as it blocks the wind (and rain if applicable). I think sizing is important. you want it loose enough to get a few layers on underneath. As an example I also have a set of cheapie bibs from Dicks, Field and Stream line. They were around $50 and they are just as warm as the $200 high tech stuff from cabelas. I get about an inch of loft from either and then some from the fleece I wear under them.

I'm wearing about the same as the others in northern MN. One thing I did do was change from mil surplus heavy poly pro to a similar weight one piece polypro. Its more work to take a crap but full coverage in the trunk keeps me warmer. Whatever I wear, I've never been sad because I opened too many disposable hand warmers. If its below freezing I open six and stickem in my pockets in the morning.

What I don't wear while walking to stand seems to be just as important. I like to wear my thin base layer and a blaze vest while walking to stand. Top of my heavy layer unzipped and hanging and my other top layers in the bird bag of the vest.

Every year I swear I'm going to walk more slowly to stand...

Another variable is the length of your exposure. Are you going to a warm place at the end of the day? If you don't have a warm place to sleep you'll need more and better gear.

Yep, warm for me at the end of my day!

I still love wool! Grins

Been hunting in northern PA for over 50 years. Once it was wool, now it's lightweight synthetic stuff for the most part, but I still have one wool Woolrich red/black check shirt. Man's gotta maintain some connection to his roots. ;O)

Firearms deer always starts the Monday after Thanksgiving. Temps can be in the 50s, or down in the teens, up next to the NY border that time of year.

Coldest I've ever hunted deer in PA, was 20 below. Warmest was around 58 degrees. Sometimes it rains, other times we have snow, so I lug along to camp whatever might be needed. Head, chest and back FO is required here, so most of my deer hunting jackets are FO camo, or reversible "woodlands" Camo/FO camo.

Current cold weather set up is a good pair of insulated bibs (polyester spun ins.), polyester ins. underduds and three different jackets of varying amounts of insulation. First pair of ins. bibs I owned, didn't have zippers the entire way up the outside of each leg. Cured that mistake with a better pair that does have 'em. Much easier to get in and out of.

Mostly stand hunt these days, with some still hunting, so I dress as warm as the conditions dictate, with the ability to lose a layer if I walk much.

Same for boots. Generally wear 200gr Thinsulate Wolverines. When it gets really cold, wear 800gr Rockies, both with suitable wick dry socks. Ain't had cold feet in many years, nor wet feet.

Generally close enough to the cabin, can get back and change duds if weather conditions take a sudden turn one way or the other.

military polypro top & bottom, smartwool socks (I swear by these), fleece bottoms & Tops (or 2) , wool pants & sweater, wool skull cap & fleece balacava (or 2), muck boots & toe warmers, wool shooting mitts & under armour gloves & Gore-Tex overmitt with had warmers, Cabelas Gore-Tex bibs and parka (the 3 layer one so I can take out the liner for mild days, nice liner by the way).

I still hunt in the upper midwest, the late season gets to -20 while the start of hunting season can be mild. I also like to pack in some of my cloths, sweating is a problem going to my setup.

GrogelD,
I do the same thing....this year for sure, no really, I promise....I am gonna walk slower to my stand. Of course I say that every year. Usually I stop a time or two, but that doesnt seem to help. Plus, hauling my carcass up the tree takes some exertion. When I get there I am sweating. I have gotten smarter and changed hats after wiping the brow though.

the thing that you gotta keep in mind is the wind. 30 degrees and windy is colder than prolly 10 and calm.

Decent long underwear tops and bottoms. Alpaca sox. pumpkin suit bottoms and an orange parka on top. Fur lined bomber hat. toe warmers on top of the sox. 1200 gram boots. Just jersey gloves with hand warmers in slash pockets of the parka.

I usually drape the pumpkin suit bottoms over my shoulders, leg part in front, parka unzipped and shirt open to walk to the stand. If it's cold enough I unzip the bottoms of the pumpkin suit from the knee down and fold them back up above the knee for the walk out. My stand is about a mile walk out. I usually leave it all open to vent and evaporate moisture for the first half hour to hour until I am dry again out in the stand. After closing it up I am good for 3-4 hours depending on the wind.

Jeez, sounds like my mid-winter ice fishing regalia though my bomber hat has disappeared. Suspect one of my cousin's kids grabbed it (which I don't mind really).

I dress as a compromise between not sweating up on the (usually) mile or so walk in and getting cold while sitting. Have it figured so I'm starting to get cold about when it's time to leave.

Upstate is alltogether different as we need clothing to protect from the ever-present wind. But I have gone to a fleece muff with hand warmers when I'm sitting. My hands get cold faster than most and insulated gloves are a damned nuisance. Works better than pockets too.

Temperatures are not too severe here in Va, so I dress in layers, avoiding cotton. Clothes that are windproof are important, especially if stand-hunting. My outer layer will consist of windproof fleece.

I generally dress light and add layers when I have arrived at my stand site, if that is the day's tactic.

Good wool, and dont tighten Your boot laces up to tight, eat a big meal prior to hunt full of good complex carbs and hard proteins.

Gunner

I mainly hunt out of tree stands for Whitetail in Wisconsin and Upper Michigan. My layering regime consists of Dufold long underwear bottom and top, blue jeans and a Wooolrich wool buffalo plaid shirt, Smartwool socks.

I retired my Woolrich coat and Malone pants. Now use Cabela's Goretex/Thinsulate bibs and a camo army M65 field coat with coldweather liner. This is topped with a hunter orange vest. Leather insulated finger/thumb mittens, lightweight facemask and Cabela's hunter orange, Goretex/Thinsulate ball cap with earflaps. Lacrosse Iceman pac's.

I carry reinforcements in a backpack such as a Thinsulate vest and a Gortex rain parka.

Depends on conditions, 0-20*, light wind, in a stand, I"ll wear heavy fleece or merino wool base layer top and bottom, Micro fleece or UA zip up t-neck shirt, a fleece hoodie, wool hat, thin balaclava, liner and wool socks with pack boot, and Cabelas wooltimate jacket and pants with wind stopper. I wear liner gloves with wool or fleece 1/2 finger gloves over and hand warmers, and may add a down vest as well. I"ll carry the jacket and vest for the walk in. Worst thing to deal with is the wind.