I use a muff with 600 grams of thinsulate when I bow hunt in extreme cold weather. I wear no gloves or thin gloves and put a Zippo hand warmer in the muff. Keeps my hands very warm and works well for up to 12 hours. The muff is comfortable and out of the way of my bow even when at full draw.
I wear some Irish Setter pac boots that have 2000 grams of thinsulate and some kind of gel in the soles that creates a barrier to prevent the cold from ice or a frozen steel tree stand from penetrating into your boots. I use merino wool sock liners with Danner extreme cold weather socks. And the boots are loose-fitting as was previously suggested. Very important.
I alternate between a full face ski mask and a toque with a thick fleece neck gaiter. My cold weather bib style suit has a great hood on the parka. Sometimes I pull the neck gaiter over the ski mask but usually that's too constrictive and I feel like I'm wearing a neck brace. I like the idea about keeping an extra vest in the pack. I literally got up and went in my bedroom and dug up an old fleece vest I got from a machine shop I used to work at and tossed it in a bin with some hunting gear. I'll need to wash it in scent-free laundry soap, but that will work really well. Good tip!
I use polar tech extreme cold weather base layer and I stick the large pad body heaters on my kidneys. When I am in the tree stand and lean back I can feel them warming my back, right over my kidneys so as the blood flows through it gets warmed up and carries the warmth throughout my body. I stick them onto the outside of my base layer shirt rather than my skin and they stay put well that way.
I found the best hunting seat pad ever somewhere and I can't remember where I got it. It's a camo zippered pouch with an inner tube from a wheelbarrow-sized wheel inside. Like a heavy duty hemorrhoid cushion! Sounds funny, but that thing is so comfortable. I never even fidget the slightest bit when I'm sitting on that and it gets your butt up and away from a cold seat. It's one of my number one most important pieces of hunting gear, it is worth its weight in gold. I can sit longer, more comfortably, more still and warmer when I have it.
I always make peanut butter and bacon sandwiches on toast to take hunting. I usually only eat half of one while I'm out sitting all day, but that is a great source of fat and energy your body can use to turn into heat. It's very tasty and filling too.
I think I saw that Sauer rifles offer heated grips. Now that is bougie!
