Home Forums Hunting & Shooting General Big Game Coveralls vs seperate bibs/parka?

After freezing my bottom off sitting in a box stand thanksgiving weekend in way upstate NY, I've decided I need some better late season hunting clothing. My current wool pants and jacket work great while spot and stalk hunting, or stand hunting in above freezing weather. They just lack when the temps drop below.

Looking at Cabela's now, they have most of their late season camo on sale. I'm trying to decide between buying coveralls or bibs/parka set. I'm looking towards ~200gm insulation. The stands I hunt out of require no climbing, and my hikes in are not very long. Anyone have any pros/cons to share for/against either of the proposed set ups?

Dress in layers one of which is wind blocker fabric

I'm planning on upgrading to some better base layer this year. Was wearing plain jane Carhartt thermal long underwear and top this year, topped with a flannel shirt and flannel pajama pants under the wool. The wind definitely cut me right in half with the windows open in the blind.

I have both and prefer bibs and coat by quite a bit. Just gives you more flexibility as temps and your activity levels change.

Me, too.

I have some real good cold-weather coveralls, and use bibs and a parka quite a bit, also.

I find the bibs/parka handier, but the coveralls I have are rated for colder weather, so when it hits the 20s, that's what I'll use.

I kinda wish I had gotten the bibs/parka for the *real cold outside* stuff, but those coveralls are damn snug.

Someone mentioned a wind-proof layer. Absolutely!

Heck my cold weather set up is to just add another layer
My jacket for mid Oct is the same one I wear mid December
If my hands and feet are warm I don't get cold

I find coveralls a bit confining and more difficult to put on. Maybe a bit warmer than the bib/coat combo but I've worn both while working outdoors and like the combo.

Dale

Get a Heater Body Suit.

I've got a large quantity of both left over from my decades in the Arctic. When I go to MN to hunt with friends, I take along an overly large set of down coveralls......I carry em to my tree stand
in an old Duluth Pack and put em on out there.

Little Buddy Heater could be your friend in a box stand.

For just sitting there bibs and parka for me, the double layer over the kidney area seems to make a big difference. Also later when it warms up a little and we're moving the bibs and maybe part of the parka get left in the truck.

And remember down looses its effectiveness in the damp. Wonderful stuff when it gets ten below and lower though.

Me too, for the same reason you stated and to me bibs and a coat are a little more comfortable while bending, kneeling, etc.

I was a coverall kind of guy and switched.

One of the reasons I did so was a safety reason. If you're up in a treestand and get into a problem, the coveralls can be a hindrance. Under some circumstances, they can inhibit upper body movement and you can get trapped. I've been there.

I had an instance after I switched that made it obvious. I was up in a 2 man buddy stand, and I had made the mistake of tying my boots too tight and lost feeling in my feet. I figured this out only when I went to stand up and couldn't. It took close to an hour to get extricated, but I was successful. I got out of my harness, got out of my coat, unzipped my bibs and then was able to unzip the side of each leg. I then got back into my safety harness. Next I was able to pull up the legs of the bibs enough to reach over and get to a boot and untie the bow. For the next little while I used the other boot to knock the laces off, eventually getting the whole boot loosened. That got feeling back in the foot enough for me to stand on one foot and finish the job. I finally threw all the gear down the ladder and climbed down.

What would have happened in coveralls would have been considerably harder. With no feeling in my boots, I could not stand. As a result, I would not have been able to get enough slack to get out of the top part of my coveralls.

I know this all sounds goofy, but after close to 35 years of deer hunting, a lot of it bowhunting out of a self-climber, I can tell you that two pieces can be better than one. If you doubt what I'm saying climb into a pair of coveralls sit on a straight chair and then try to remove them without putting weight on your feet.

Thank you guys for the thoughts. I'm liking the idea of double insulation over the kidneys and liver, as well as the flexibility in layering. Now on the hunt for a set I like.

I hear great things about Sitka Gear Incinerators; 2 piece parka and bibs.

For your box blind.
Get a good med. weight sleeping bag.With a quiet cloth cover.
And a heavy strap.
Pack it in.
Use the strap to cinch the bag up under your arm pits.
Your in a box anyway you pretty much just step in and out of the thing.
Warmer and cheeper than any outfit.

dave

I have the Cabela's Gore-Tex coveralls and like them a lot. I also have their bib/jacket stand hunter which is quite warm and I like the built in hand warmer. This outfit isn't waterproof and doesn't block the wind as well as the coveralls. I like the idea that the coveralls are one piece and the cold can't seep in under the jacket.

The bibs/parka combo has worked very well for me for over 30 years now. It is better for stand rather than still hunting-you'll get WAY too warm with even moderate activity. dave7mm's sleeping bag idea also works nicely,as long as the stand is fairly good sized.

if your in a box blind,get a small heater.