Layers arent suppose to be loose.. harder to retain heat in loose layers. They should fit you, especially your base layer. The cheap stuff works just as good as the big $$$ clothes. The biggest mistake i see people do is layer up and then crank up the heat in the truck on the way to go hunt. Doing this will draw the heat away from you as your layers cool off.. add layers as you get cool and you will be good.

X2

Now I'm totally lost! Haha!

Yep, I can't wear the coveralls and walk around. It's like a sauna. I keep them rolled up in my backpack till I get where I'm going and then put them on. Never get cold with them on no matter how cold the weather gets.

Advice on layering: https://www.rei.com/learn/expert-advice/layering-basics.html


More -- http://theplanetd.com/layering-tips-for-cold-weather-travel/


If your clothes are too tight it can impede circulation, which obviously is bad in cold weather when you want blood flowing. IMO if they're too loose and billowy when you may also defeat the purpose of trapping and retaining heat. There's kind of a fine line IMO between tight and loose.

The scarf is a good suggestion, if you're not a fan of a neck gaiter that may feel tighter. I prefer the neck gaiter from Sitka along with a wool watchcap when it's really cold and I'm sitting. This one from Janus is one of a couple that I have.

not loose like baggy, but looser than being stretched tight. oh, yeah, and a windproof top garment ...

i have walked to a stand in nothing but long underwear and boots on really cold mornings, toting the rest of my layers in a bag. add layers as cold is felt, once you're on stand; yeah, it's real hard to do in a climber . but i don't climb any more.

At least you don't have Polar Penis

Take a look at one of the body suites. Have two older guys that hunt with us that showed up this weekend with heater body suites. They usually struggle with the cold and try to combat it with more and more clothes. When they came back to camp Saturday around lunch, they were simply wearing thermals (top and bottom) with a single shirt and pants and non-insulated boots. They swore by the body suites...Pack it in, climb up, step into the suite and zip it up. Said that was the warmest cold morning they had had in a long time. This way you continue to use the clothes you have and simply buy one garment that packs in with you...Might be worth looking into.

The Heater Body Suit definitely rocks. Expensive but if you sit in a house or blind and are prone to getting cold, they're worth it. I guess a sleeping bag might do the same if it is windproof.

I guess i am fortunate I retain heat well. I usually just wear a base layer with my fleece pants and top. I also like to wear a thin turtle neck to keep my neck warm. For my feet I wear rocky boots 800g, good gloves and a beanie/boggin or whatever you want to call it. I do have a pair of 10X overalls but I haven't worn those in years, they get very warm.

If you've never worn merino wool it can be shocking how overwhelmingly warm it will make you. Once you put even a thin layer on of 100% merino your body heat ain't going nowhere. I like the minus 33 brand, can get it off of amazon. That stuff really is only meant to be worn when it's really cold.

Coach, if you're walking in and getting a little hot, then you need to pack your stuff in. I started doing this last year and went from feezing to death before sunrise to being able to sit all day and being fairly comfortable. You'll never feel like you're at home in the recliner when it's super cold, but you can at least make it bearable. I've got roughly a mile walk into where I hunt and a dress as lightly as possible and pack in the rest. I'll take the time to change my socks when I get to my stand and then give myself time to cool down. Once i've cooled down then I'll start to layer. I also take hot hands and place them between my layers around my neck area, this really makes a difference.

Walking in:
-Thermal Pants
-Thermal Shirt
-Button up Shirt
-BDU Pants

At Stand:
-Hoodie over shirt
-Wool Overalls over pants and Hoodie
-Jacket over all of that
-Basic gloves/balaclava etc

Wiley and Paulfish mentioned walking in and toting your outer layers. With a base of Merino I'd have to agree, especially on mornings or days when it's in the mid-upper 40s and you have a bit of a walk. If you throw on a hoodie or fleece jacket/top and start walking you're going to sweat. Then you'll get cold, or chilly, later. Wasn't thinking about it and did that a couple of weeks ago.

And, I keep forgetting about Arctic Shield. It's like being in a microwave. Great stuff.

I just bought a pair of Arctic Shield Bibs last week and wore them Saturday morning. I was very impressed.

I made the mistake of trying to walk in wearing an Arctic Shield pullover top. Granted I was more of a fatass at the time, but I had to stop after 30 yards or so and take it off. Heated up very quickly.

I guess I am still sweating from summer. Haven't even broken out my wool socks yet. Duck hunted in 18 deg weather Friday morning, broke a bunch of ice....it felt great.