Winter is upon us, and hunting seasons are still open. Living next door to what used to be a major Army Post I have been able to get buy with military surplus to stay warm in the cold. Unfortunately most all of the combat training and fighting troops have been replaced with recruiting and office troops who don't spend much time in the field, and the good clothes and equipment are drying up.

Add the fact that I'm older now and don't handle the cold as well as I used to, and stuff I've always worn isn't doing the job now. I'm really understanding the phrase "cotton kills" now, and realize that the natural fabrics like wool, cotton, and down that were the standard when I grew up are no longer sufficient. Of course weight is a factor too. If moving in your clothes is difficult because they're heavy and constricting then problems are going to occur.

I'd like to start a discussion about cold weather clothes for both hunting and working outdoors in the cold, and that's both dry and wet cold weather.

So let me know what you use or recommend. From socks, underwear, boots, thermal layers, pants, shirts, jackets, coats, parkas, etc., or anything else. Brand names, or materials, lets hear about them.

1. Brown bear in Russia with treetop high snow, whiteouts, and ice bridges over frigid rivers;

2. Geese on the Chesapeake Bay with the temperature near zero and a 20 to 30 mph wind; and

3. Deer and geese in other locations with weather too cold and miserable to mention.

I can pass on several suggestions from my own experience:

First, a heavy hunting coat or parka can really restrict your freedom of movement and ability to shoot well.  My solution is an oversize gore-tex parka (with a non-noisy fabric) over a comfortably loose Fiberfill II jacket, with a warm, comfortable shirt.  I like down, but the synthetics are far better when things get wet.

Second, a portable gas heater is a great thing to have  in a goose blind.  I've huddled so close that I've melted the nylon knees on my hunting pants.

I'm sure you will get some really great suggestions from other members of this forum.

 

   

https://www.cabelas.com/product/CARHARTT-SANDSTONE-ACTIVE-JACKET/1836332.uts - https://www.cabelas.com/product/CARHARTT-SANDSTONE-ACTIVE-JACKET/1836332.uts

 

Layers are indeed your friend buddy.

Wool is a great material but a blend is a bit easier to wash and care for.

A breathable outer layer is also a must.

polartec  jacket or vest for a mid layer  if it gets wet it rings out easily dries quickly.

https://www.thenorthface.com/shop/mens-jackets-vests-insulated - https://www.thenorthface.com/shop/mens-jackets-vests-insulated

North Face Jackets  or Carhart coveralls https://www.carhartt.com/products/carhartt-men-big-tall/Extremes-Coverall-Arctic-Quilt-Lined-X06 - https://www.carhartt.com/products/carhartt-men-big-tall/Extremes-Coverall-Arctic-Quilt-Lined-X06

light weight long underwear bottoms mine came from Cabellas but I dont see them Amazon has a selection. The Merino Wool is a good thing it insulates even when wet but dry in the dryer with heat one time and it will shrink.

Note: Captain Stubing Army Ranger just back from Vietnam in 1974 told me put an extra pair of socks in a plastic bag in your gear.  That was good advise.

Turtle Fur or Polartec neck gator  and or balaclava

gloves should be at least 200 gram thinsulate with gortex to waterproof these are PrimaLoft® Gold

https://www.cabelas.com/product/Cabelas-Mens-Pinnacle-Gloves-with-GORE-TEX-reg/2288507.uts?slotId=3 - https://www.cabelas.com/product/Cabelas-Mens-Pinnacle-Gloves-with-GORE-TEX-reg/2288507.uts?slotId=3

 

" Eduardo doesn't get cold.....unless he's up in the Panhandle or in Flagstaff, Arizona! "    

I wear Danner pronghorns.  I have two pair of unisulated a 400 gram pair and an 800 gram pair.  I have only wore the 800 gram pair a few times and boy were my toes toasty.  To much so in most cases.  But if I am sitting and not moving around while hunting they are nice to have. 

As far as clothes.  I have lots of different options.  I have light, mid, and heavy weight thermals.  Occasionally I will double them up.  If it is not wet, Walmart sells the lined Wrangler cargo pants that have fleece lining and they make a big difference.  If it is wet, I have several pairs of water proof insulated pants from Cabela's. 

Downside to waterproof, even though they claim they breath, they don't breath near as good as clothes that are not water proof.  So there is always that risk of getting wet when hiking from sweat. 

Coats, I have multiple weights and water proof ones as well.

One thing I bought a few years ago.  The milwaukee jackets/coats that are heated with the 12 volt tool batteries.  They are awesome.  I bought one that is a lighter fleece jacket that works great for layering under a heavier coat and when it is really cold it keeps me much warmer.  I also have one of their heavier coats as well that I wear without layering and it pretty great.  It even warms the pockets.

Used to wear a Filson upland game coat made of their tin cloth as an outer shell with a down vest inside for warmth. Toughest coat I ever had and was 100% waterproof but didn’t breath and in cold weather the fabric got really stiff. Now wear just a Gortex outer jacket from Cabelas that is roomy enough to accommodate various vests depending on the temp.

https://www.undandy.com/uk/undandy-world/style-guides/blake-vs-goodyear - https://www.undandy.com/uk/undandy-world/style-guides/blake-vs-goodyear

thick wool or synthetic beanie with another wind blocking, insulating and ear covering type over first one. you can always pull one off if you start to over heat. The upper body uses some type of high tech synthetic wicking first layer, second layer  uses the heavy weight merino wool base shirt, third layer will be a heavy weight wool shirt  and last and most important is some type of wind blocking,insulated water proof jacket.Its pretty much the same for lower body. The hands and feet are the hard part.

NOTE TO SELF......pack the hand warmers at the top of the hunting back pack along with the flashlight.

The other curse of my feet is that they are extra wide and it is very difficult to find good boots that fit.  My standard everyday shoe is a new balance 11 4E.  There is boot company called Belleville that makes extra wide boots but their selection is limited.

https://lethato.com/collections/boots - https://lethato.com/collections/boots   

Great shirt, just now, as I understand it is nowhere to be found. I couldn't find how much I searched, except for a second hand

The best way to get me to NOT do something is tell me it is "Mandatory".  I will expend a great deal of energy proving to you that "Mandatory" is a relative term...

SALES LINK REMOVED...

Hey, to you Empire guys. What does the insulated liner for the SAS jacket look like?