Hunting clothing for the cold

[Big Bad]

We used to wear dual wool jackets for high activity winter geophysics on snowshoes in Northern Ontario at temperatures from -10 to -40C.

I had two. A regular fitting good quality, button up wool jack shirt as the inner and a larger (sized to wear over the inner wool jacket), double shouldered, good quality, button up wool jack shirt as the outer when needed.

For pants we used those old felted wool German surplus pants with good button suspenders and no belts that restrict circulation.

How I miss those German army wool trousers, damn they were fine. We went in opposite directions though- despite careful care, they unfortunately shrank (seriously) while I grew. I did not then have the habit of buying large fitting clothing but the loss of those Bundeswehr pants are one reason I acquired it (it's also warmer and more mobile).




Edit: 'Heavyweight wool hunting pants' from Big Bill are the next best thing I've found, and that was after a lot of looking. Now sold on Amazon, I see.

 

[LawrenceN]

I'm an old guy (75) and normally hunt on a stand. I'll spend the day so being warm is a big priority for me. I have very warm boots with good wool socks but I have a piece of rigid insulating foam wrapped in plastic that I put my feet on so there's no ground contact. One of the best investments I made was a muff. I used to bring at least 2 pr. of gloves, one on my hands and one pair next to my body and keeps switching them as my hands cooled. Now I have a rechargeable hand warmer in my muff and with that combination I keep my hands very comfy for the whole hunt.

 

[Third Rail]

I'm an old guy (75) and normally hunt on a stand. I'll spend the day so being warm is a big priority for me. I have very warm boots with good wool socks but I have a piece of rigid insulating foam wrapped in plastic that I put my feet on so there's no ground contact. One of the best investments I made was a muff. I used to bring at least 2 pr. of gloves, one on my hands and one pair next to my body and keeps switching them as my hands cooled. Now I have a rechargeable hand warmer in my muff and with that combination I keep my hands very comfy for the whole hunt.

I have my daughter's sleeping bag from when she was a child. It is small enough that it is manageable to step into onto my treestand and comes up to my waist. I can sit for hours and it does not hinder my movement.

I have been using a hand muff for about 7 years now and it is a game changer. Got the electric hand warmer a couple of years ago and I can now say that it is usually sitting too long on my arse that prompts me to leave my stand.

 

[MK2750]

The mistake I was making was wearing too much on my feet. Unless your boots are oversized, an extra pair of socks reduces circulation and does more harm than good, especially if your feet sweat walking into stand. A good quality wool sock with room to breathe and keeping your feet powder dry is key. I put baby powder on my feet in the morning making sure to get between the toes and wear a quality wool sock. In extreme cold I wear an older pair of Cabelas Trans Alaskan pack boots.

I also wouldn't leave home without a neck gaiter. I didn't think they were a big deal but they truly are. I don't put it on until I reach my stand and cool off a bit.

 

[45ACPKING]

i've mentored a few hunters (and ice fishers) over the years and seen the clothing they show up with.
One of the first lessons is layering and that sweat is your enemy.
At one of my deer camps its a steep hike to get up to where my stand is so we layer down until we get to the stand. Once body temperature regulates from taking a rest after the hike, the warm clothes go back on. We also hike slow to not get the heart pumping too fast because fast heart rate means sweat. It makes staying warm and comfortable so much easier sitting in a treestand for hours.
Same thing ice fishing..... dragging a loaded sled a hundred yards or more can be like work sometimes and going slow so you don't sweat is essential to having an enjoyable day out on the ice.
I also use a fleece hand muff with warmer.... essential kit
For clothing I wear a base layer of 200 weight polar fleece and i buy that from a dive shop of all places because i prefer the BARE brand. Exceptional performance as a base layer in fall and winter conditions. Over those I have a thick pair of fleece camo pants as my mid layer. Over those I wear insulated or non insulated waterproof(they used to be LOL) hunting bibs.
Top layer is much the same, topped with a windproof/waterproof jacket with a zip in winter liner.
I wear fleece fingerless gloves, couple with the heated hand muff...... fingers stay warm and flexible.
I can't wear sheeps wool so most of my socks are fleece and i do have some alpaca wool knee highs that i wear over the fleece.
Having an allergy to wool limits how i can use it

 

[apexanimal]

Mittens are NOT impractical for hunting. The trick is to have a thin pair of gloves on underneath, and have your mitts tethered to your jacket via a string (almost all mitts have loops on them for this exact reason). It takes about a second to flick the mitt off and take up your firing position. Extremely practical, id argue much moreso than trying to aim and fire with a thicker glove.