What is the best top of the line cold weather clothing

[ando_31]

I mostly hunt in ND. It can get real cold and real windy here. Its not uncommon for -20 ambient temps with -40+ windchills. Typically its my hands and feet that get cold to the point where I can't hardly stand it. So what is the best clothing lineup from head to toes...hats, socks, boots, gloves, pants, underwear, coat, pants, ect ect (emphasis on hands and feet). I would prefer to have clothing that allows for both stand hunting as well as spot and stalking. I am leaning towards getting a clothing setup that is mostly wool if not all wool, where applicable. I'm looking for the real deal stuff that will last a lifetime if taken care of.

Thanks in advance.

 

[wolftalonID]

-20? Thats insane. God I love archery hunting in September. Why on earth would you even consider hunting that temp sane?

 

[ando_31]

I hate ending my season early.

 

[Grantbvfd]

Kryptek extreme cold weather with a good layering system.

Sent from my SCH-I535 using Tapatalk

 

[Work2hunt]

-20? Thats insane. God I love archery hunting in September. Why on earth would you even consider hunting that temp sane?

Heck growing up in northern MN I wouldn't have hunted a few of my first years back in the early 90s. If I was sane or scared of the cold. I remember waking up for opening day of deer season a couple years in a row when temps were. -10 to -25. Now I live in wonderful Ohio where it rarely gets below 0.

I feel for you Ando.....but you can keep it!

 

[ando_31]

Heck growing up in northern MN I wouldn't have hunted a few of my first years back in the early 90s. If I was sane or scared of the cold. I remember waking up for opening day of deer season a couple years in a row when temps were. -10 to -25. Now I live in wonderful Ohio where it rarely gets below 0.

I feel for you Ando.....but you can keep it!

I will keep it. There is less people hunting in those temps and the deer have to move and feed if they want to live. I just wish I could keep myself more comfortable. I hate that feeling when you're getting close to frostbite and then you get somewhere warm for 15-30 minutes...that is when the real pain sets in on the fingers and toes.

 

[CrimsonArrow]

You're either going to have to dress for stand hunting or still hunting. You don't have to spend a ton of money to stay warm. I have worn Cabelas Predator pac boots for over 12 hour sits in -10 to -5 weather and stayed comfortable. Use a handwarmer in a muff, along with thin, insulated gloves, and your hands will only get cold if you have to hold your bow for a long time. Inexpensive wool undergarments layered under windstopper fabric and fleece, and you should be good to go. Another secret weapon is to use the adhesive body warmers on your kidney areas. I love bowhunting below zero.

 

[Musket Man]

I would look into Cabelas dry plus. I think the heaviest/warmest one is called whitetail extreme. I have the next lighter one and it has kept me warm in temps down to 0. Its to warm alot of times but on a few hunts I have been on when it was real cold I really liked it and its amazing how well it will dissipate moisture if you get sweating in it.

 

[Montana]

Consider some options outside of the hunting line for those temps. I run Patagonia everything on top, from the R level base layers to the Fitz Roy/ Das parka on top. My outer layer pants are made by Mountain Hardware, can't remember the name but they are a puff pant too. Gloves are a thinner liner inside mittens. Boots/feet are a struggle for me still. I've almost come to think there's nothing you can do about that. I tried some 1600 gram boot and it was awful.. feet were on fire.. when hiking.

This is all assuming you are talking about rifle where a camo pattern is not necessary.

 

[Fink]

If you're stand hunting, I think it's impossible to beat carhartts, layer with a really nice wool base layer, and then add some loft. Bass Pro's lifetime socks seem to keep me the warmest. Buy a pair of 1,000 gram thinsulate boots, and some of the boot blankets for when you're sitting still, and you should be good down to pretty darn cold. Not sure what to offer on the gloves, I usually just stick my hands in my pockets, sometimes I'll wear a light pair of UA gloves, if its down into the teens/low 20's.

 

[clacklin009]

I have seen that Columbia has some electric gloves, that could be an idea for your hands.

 

[mnhoundman]

If you're stand hunting, I think it's impossible to beat carhartts, layer with a really nice wool base layer, and then add some loft. Bass Pro's lifetime socks seem to keep me the warmest. Buy a pair of 1,000 gram thinsulate boots, and some of the boot blankets for when you're sitting still, and you should be good down to pretty darn cold. Not sure what to offer on the gloves, I usually just stick my hands in my pockets, sometimes I'll wear a light pair of UA gloves, if its down into the teens/low 20's.

I second the carhartts. Or polar king I have both, when you have a-40 wind chill I haven't found anything warmer for the price anyways.

 

[az.mountain runner]

Thermal cell electric insoles may be the way to go. when you are on the move you can turn them off and have them on when sitting, I'm a big fan of u/a gloves with a hand muff and three or four hand warmers going, and laying with wool and goose down.and light weight rain gear as wind breakers.also don't forget wool neck gaiter.

 

[ando_31]

Thanks for the help so far. I'm hearing some brand names and ideas to do some research on.

 

[mnhoundman]

You have to make sure you have big enough boots for the thermal cell insoles, I got my wife a pair for Christmas and they make the boots way to tight. I tried them in my boots and could barely get them on. If you have pac boots that are really big they may work.

 

[Musket Man]

When its really cold I wear mittens with gloves for liners. The mittens keep my hands warmer then any gloves I have found and I still have the glove on if I have to take the mitten off.

 

[hoshour]

Take a look at Mont*Bell for high-quality down parkas. If you really want warm, their Permafrost parka has 9 ounces of 800 fill-power goose down! For more all-around use, their Alpine Light Down parka is great, which is what I have, or for a little more down, look at the Mirage.

Another super-cold weather website to look at is Duluth Trading Co.

 

[buckbull]

Mittens are warmer than gloves. The pair i have has a liner built in and a slit that allows the portion that covers my fingers to slip out. Good pack boots and wool are hard to beat. I've hunted cold weather for years in carharts. The most important is your headwear because thats where you loose most of your heat. I typically wear a ballcap and then pull a stocking hat over the top. The brim of the ballcap keeps the stocking hat from falling down over by eyes.

 

[JMSZ]

Make sure you keep your core warm, your body will open up more blood flow to your extremities, which will keep them warmer.

As several have mentioned, some type of rain gear - Goretex, Frogg Toggs, etc, keeps the wind off of you and forms an outer barrier. Insulation requires that the air in it isn't moving to work, so rain gear keeps the wind from circulating air through the insulation.

And, as others have mentioned, a pair of mittens that you can put over your gloves when you're sitting.

Another option is a handwarmer, tactical gear companies are starting to sell them (for Afghanistan), they hang around your neck or attach to a vest and are insulated, so you can stick your hands in them when need to.

Sierra Trading Post is good for picking up inexpensive gear, I picked up a bunch of merino wool (socks, long under, etc.) for dirt cheap. Sign up for their mailing list and you can get 70 and 80% off coupon codes for certain items and save some serious money.

The downside is that it's like a Ross for sporting goods (seconds, overstocks and oddball sizes), so it's hit miss finding things and once something is gone, it's gone.