Cold Weather Gear

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Kjmeyer13

New member
I'm curious as to what ya'll are wearing on these cold winter nights? I'm in south central Nebraska and we have had basically zero snow but man has it been cold. I struggle to find warm gloves that i can still manipulate gear with. Everything I try is either to bulky or my fingers freeze. I have some nice bibs and a great coat but I want to know what you guys are using from head to toe.
 
It has been cold for sure. I double layer the gloves, using a thin liner from Cabela's and a pair of fingered mittens. If that wasn't enough I can stick an adhesive toe warmer in the flip over part. For my feet I discovered the heated insoles and they are fantastic!
 
I’m in ND so I feel you on the cold weather. I wear Sitka mountain pants with a Sitka jet stream jacket as my outer layer. Under that I wear a Kuiu elements down jacket with a thin Sitka hoodie under that (mainly wear it for the hood and face cover). I’ll use under armor cold weather thermals if it’s going to be extra cold and windy. The other week it was so cold and windy that I put on a second down jacket under the Kuiu down and that made me comfortable all night. Seems like a lot but it’s all fairly light weight and low profile. Easy to regulate my temperature too.

For boots, I wear Crispi west River’s with a thermal insulated insert. Darn tough wool socks. Gloves were my biggest issue until I found the Guide Gear Brush Tricot insulated shooting glove/mitts. I’ll either put a latex glove or a slim waterproof glove underneath those and they’re usually wind proof. The finger material is thin enough that it makes shooting and running a call easy. I hate wearing gloves for just about anything shooting or hunting.

Usually just a brown carhart beanie with the base layer Sitka sweater over top of it.

My wife bought me heated base layers but the batteries die quick.
 
204 AR said:
It has been cold for sure. I double layer the gloves, using a thin liner from Cabela's and a pair of fingered mittens. If that wasn't enough I can stick an adhesive toe warmer in the flip over part. For my feet I discovered the heated insoles and they are fantastic!
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I have thought about some liners but stuff just gets too bulky. I have messed up some fingers over the years and man are they sensitive in the cold. I might have to try the fingered mittens though. I love my muck boots and wool socks but my feet never get cold.
 
I wear Whites Elk pacs for boots, when sitting I put a disposable toe warmer above my toes sticking to the inside of the liner. Than I don't feel the warmer while walking. I wear Nomex flight gloves under insulated leather choppers. Shooting is no issue with the flight gloves and I can handle several minutes without the choppers on in well below zero temps.
 
Im in northern MN, one of these days I should weigh all my wool clothing.

Buy wool, any wool, merino wool long underwear, grandpas wool sweater from the thrift shop... Ive never paid more than $10 for a wool sweater. Then something like a Woolrich wool ShirtJac to go over the sweaters finished with any windbreaker. Wool is great at everything except stopping wind, Ive got the army surplus Gortex jacket and pants, goretex gets loud in the cold which sucks but it sure is warm. Most the time I dont use the Goretex, thats for windstorms or -20f. Ive got a nice pair of wool pants my dad gave me, I want more but cant find any, Ive got a lot of Amish nearby and I was going try to find an Amish lady to make me wool pants.

I have found with merino long underwear, tops and bottoms, the high price wool fits better, more form fitting and snug. The cheap merino wool underwear like Merino Tech is a great price but it is very loose and baggy. The warmth and material seems equal quality. The loose and baggy stuff can be a little annoying alone but if you put a loose layer over the tight fitting layer then you will really be warm.

Outdoor Research FireBrand Mitts, these will get you to the poles of the earth comfortably, by far the warmest gloves Ive ever worn but you may as well have boxing gloves on. There are many Firebrand Mitts available MAKE SURE THEY HAVE THE LINERS they are a two part mitten. Liner gloves are great if you have large enough mitts to get them in and out of. Like spotstalkshoot says, Its hard to beat a thin pair of Mechanix or flight gloves inside a large cheap pair of choppers. These guys have great prices and a lot of good cold weather army surplus and other outdoor stuff www.sportsmansguide.com

My most insulated boots are Irish Setter Elk Tracker 1200g thinsulate, theyre warm and decent quality. When it comes to winter boots, buy large, you want your foot moving around in the boot even when you have super thick socks on. Movement inside the boot is friction and creates warmth just walking or wiggling toes and tight boots slow down fresh hot blood circulation. BIG LOOSE BOOTS, you wont be getting blisters in thick wool socks.

Spotstalkshoot, how do you like those Whites? Irish Setter quality has gone to heck, all boots have gone to heck. My Whites steel toes work boots just showed up, theyre fantastic but in 39years ive never felt the cold creep through a boot so fast. I was driving the other day with the floor heat on, I got out of my car in -20f, by the time I walked 40 yards i literally felt the cold already in the soles. I know their hunting stuff is made differently though.
 
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Long story short, your blood and organs keep your hands and feet warm, not gloves or boots.

I watched a video years ago about the ice climber guys, they train their hands by holding them in ice water all the time. And they ice their hands before climbing ice.

What happens when ive got freezing extremities, say my hands, I work with my hands without gloves on in winter, i dont wear gloves when using the cheap Foxpro remote because I cant feel the buttons. Your hands will freeze and it will suck but once you warm them up from that first discomfort they will start pumping blood. My hands will freeze so I will put them in a pocket for a minute and after that they can take care of themselves. I feeze a lot, I live in a RV trailer in the woods with a woodstove heat only, it takes time but your body gets used to cold.

We just had -29f nights and now its 30f, 30f in February is Tshirst weather, 30f in September is frigid cold. Your body just needs to figure it out, Wim Hoff climbed Mt. Everest in a swimsuit.......,..,. Doctors said he was special and he said "B.S. I will teach others to do this" and he did train others to do the same thing, understanding that changes everything for living in the cold.
 
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I bought 1 of these rechargeable hand warmers, works great to keep in the kangaroo pocket, & switch hands as needed:

 
The best thing I have ever used to keep my hands warm is a hand muff, put a couple of handwarmers in it, I use the larger body warmers, and your hands will be toasty warm.
Of course you can't keep your bare hands in it all the time but using it with a combination of some type of gloves as needed you will wonder why you didn't have one years ago!
 
Merino base layers top/bottom
Sitka Celsius Midi Top
Sitka Fanatic Jacket

Sitka Gradient Pant
Sitka Incinerator Bibs

Darn Tough Heavy Weight Merino Socks
Lacrosse 1600g Rubber boots

Neck Gaiter
Sitka Incinerator Beanie

All Outer layers are wind proof, the Fanatic Jacket has a built in Hand Muffler, with pockets for warmers.
I do need some sort of mittens still…but I’m comfortable in single digit temps

I bought most everything on sale from www.1Shotgear.com
They have sales often, paying full price for Sitka is insane.
Other thinking was the stuff will last me for the rest of my life, and has a warranty…3yrs now and regret nothing. Money well spent.
 
I found warm clothes from working in the oilfields of WY, MT & CO. For my hands I wear a thin glove liner and wool mittens with a trigger finger. My feet I wear thin Cabelas sock liner, at least 80% Merino wool socks & Irish Setter Elk Tracker boots with 1000 grams of thinsulate. Then layer up the body with a variety of clothes depending on temps. and always wear a WOOL shirt. My go to Parkas are Cabelas GorTex, and Cabelas Redhead TruTimber snow camo, the parkas are fantastic. IF things are real serious I'll wear a pair of WOOL bibs.
 
The Whites are my "normal" snow boot, taller upper and easy to put snowshoes on and off(I like leather harnesses they are quieter). Not a great long sit boot, moving and stopping, moving on(hunting) in snow where they shine. Always with when I hit mountains in the fall, encase of snow. Very comfortable in a blind(above zero temps) with less sock as you can move the toes. My next Pac boot will probably be Kenetrek, love my mountain boots both 400T and NI. Firstlite wool base layers for me, and GOOD wool socks.
 
...from working outside a whole bunch I'm sorta used to it to a point and can stick it out ...but when it gets from the teens to negative temps(coldest has been -21°)...and we get a good amount of snow so that is really the big factor...snow to the knees for month long sstretches before any thaw stinks. I will break out the cc skis or snow shoes if it comes to it.

OUTER:
Baffin Snow Monster boots
OTTE Gear HT jacket
Carhart insulated cargo pants
Manzella finger mittens(throw in hand warmers)

BASE:
Wool socks
Poly LJs
I have a bunch of wind proof fleece pants from cycling/cc skiing
Poly T
Fleece LS turtleneck or a fleece sweatshirt
Sometimes a beanie hat to cover my shaved head.
 
I bought a pair of heated glove liners. Thin enough and three heat settings. Feet are muck boots with the extra thick cabelas socks. Not sure if they are the same now wit bass pro buying them.
 
I wear Bogs for boots. (Way better than mucks) Any wool sock. SW, DT, P6, etc.

I use the thin 32*’s long Johns. Sitka fanatic hoody. The discontinued down jacket from UA, and if there is snow a thin white over coat.

Same 32*’s long John pants, Skre Hard scrabble pants, if it’s extremely cold the same UA down pants. And if there is Snow White pants sometimes.

I always wear a neck gaiter. Either a thin merino one or the white one from kings camo. Beanie is either a black UA or white from kings camo.

I buy the cheapest thinest liner I can find. Usually $15 from any sporting goods store. Then I wear the largest Kinco mittens I can find. About $35.

I’ve hunted down to -60* with windchill, -31* ambient and haven’t had an issue with these clothes.
 
My Firstlite has never caused me to itch and doesn't stink even after several days hunting. Only issue I have ever had with wool items. I tried some Buffalo wool socks, super comfortable and warm even when wet. But I experience some sort of allergy reaction, coughing bad and takes a couple days to stop. No skin irritation/redding. Just terrible coughing. Really weird since I know of nothing else that I have a reaction to. Not even bug bites/stings. And I really liked the socks until I had them on a couple hours.
 
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Merino wool doesn’t itch. I wear the socks year round. Keeps my warm during the winter and cool during the summer.
I have Forloh socks and have a First Light base layer bottom and quarter zip hoodie that are both Merino wool. The cool thing about all of them is I could wear them for a week or more and never have to worry about odor.
 
Duhhh said:
I’m in ND so I feel you on the cold weather. I wear Sitka mountain pants with a Sitka jet stream jacket as my outer layer. Under that I wear a Kuiu elements down jacket with a thin Sitka hoodie under that (mainly wear it for the hood and face cover). I’ll use under armor cold weather thermals if it’s going to be extra cold and windy. The other week it was so cold and windy that I put on a second down jacket under the Kuiu down and that made me comfortable all night. Seems like a lot but it’s all fairly light weight and low profile. Easy to regulate my temperature too.

For boots, I wear Crispi west River’s with a thermal insulated insert. Darn tough wool socks. Gloves were my biggest issue until I found the Guide Gear Brush Tricot insulated shooting glove/mitts. I’ll either put a latex glove or a slim waterproof glove underneath those and they’re usually wind proof. The finger material is thin enough that it makes shooting and running a call easy. I hate wearing gloves for just about anything shooting or hunting.

Usually just a brown carhart beanie with the base layer Sitka sweater over top of it.

My wife bought me heated base layers but the batteries die quick.
Click to expand...
I'm sure it all works well, but all that stuff you just listed costs more than my first truck 🤣
 
Bowhunt said:
I'm sure it all works well, but all that stuff you just listed costs more than my first truck 🤣
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lol about double of what my first truck costed as well. Had a 1978 Chevy short box with a 2 inch lift. Had to spray paint it camo to hide all the rust haha.

I got most of my gear used, discounted, or as gifts. I’d never pay full price on Sitka or Kuiu.
 
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