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Cold weather clothes

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BeltFed View Drop Down
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    Posted: December/10/2019 at 08:08
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.
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Peddler Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: December/10/2019 at 12:33
Merino socks, Merino underwear, 3 different weights, lots of different Primaloft insulation and top it off with Gore-Tex!
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote mike650 Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: December/10/2019 at 13:17
Skip!  Thunbs Up

Layering is a great way to go. Merino base (next to skin) - light, medium, or heavy depending on how active you're going to be... a mid-layer or mid/outer combo... and jacket, depending on weather and warmth desired. It could be a soft shell, insulated jacket (like down), waterproof (like Gore-Tex, Toray, etc).
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Longhunter Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: December/10/2019 at 23:40
I hate cold weather.  This from a hunter who has gone after:
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.

 

   
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Son of Ed Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: December/11/2019 at 04:32
Well, for cold weather I just load up on the clothes. I am not very scientific and I don't think that I have used Gore-Tex and all the new products that have come out over the past 50 years....maybe I did and didn't realize it.

If I'm going to be out all day and all night at some drilling rig and it's 25 Below Zero I naturally have on Duofold long johns ( two piece....None of those TRAPDOOR models! Ha! ) Then Levi's ( wool would be better! ), flannel shirt ( wool would be better ) a wool sweater over the shirt, then some kind of bib coverall ( like a canvas and nylon upland style bib..) followed by a down vest or a Carhartt vest....and then an Arctic Carhartt coat for when it really gets nasty after dark...leather work gloves with fuzz inside and one of those fuzzy Russian-looking hats with ear flaps ( I have a Swedish Army wool hat now with ear flaps....kind of looks like a gray wool Elmer Fudd hat..) And of course some kind of insulated work boot. 

I have always been able to move....I wasn't hunting in these clothes but I know I could shoulder a rifle. Actually, I never hunted in weather THAT cold. Zero is about as low as I saw when I was actually hunting. 
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Son of Ed Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: December/11/2019 at 04:55
Image result for army model M1A jacket

The time I was hunting and it was Zero degrees I was wearing one of these Army M1A jackets turned inside out with the orange out...it wasn't warm enough. I wouldn't do it today. I know a Woolrich wool parka would be a lot warmer....I don't even remember if I had a down vest under that jacket that day....but this jacket can't handle REAL Cold! 


Image result for cabelas mens sierra   jacket

For fifteen years I have had one of these Carhartt-style jackets ( mine says Cabela's on the tag..)  that are real heavy....some kind of fuzzy Black quilted lining inside filled with 100% polyester ( the picture is showing something else )....it's extremely warm....but is kind of bulky....but I would wear that if I was out hunting in zero degrees...

....Cabela's calls it the Sierra Hooded jacket...I recommend it. 


....about 20 years ago the dang government made it mandatory that all of us oilfielders had to have FIREPROOF clothing at the rig...and the company bought Carhartt fireproof jackets just like the one I have at home now...I wore it up in Wyoming and it was GOOD. 









 


Edited by Son of Ed - December/11/2019 at 05:10
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Scrumbag Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: December/11/2019 at 10:20
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.

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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Urimaginaryfrnd Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: December/11/2019 at 19:36
Cotton kills - its a plant fiber
Wool is your friend - its animal fur animal fur and goose down are good to go. 

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





Edited by Urimaginaryfrnd - December/10/2022 at 21:18

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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Son of Ed Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: December/11/2019 at 20:43
I have a lot of merino wool pullovers ( most of which I bought at second hand clothes stores ) that I wear for long underwear tops....I don't care if they got a moth hole in them...they can't be beat for two or three dollars!     

I had ( still have...) an Army Surplus wool sweater ( maybe British ) with nylon shoulder patches and elbow patches and epulets that is indestructible. I have been wearing that for twenty-five years when it gets serious cold outside. 

Image result for wool commando sweater




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Image result for black  bear wool hunting  parka

I have one of these ancient Black Bear wool Mackinaw jackets that I got on eBay fifteen years ago.....indestructible!!! Mine is burgundy colored like this one.........





Image result for black  bear wool hunting  parka



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I always wanted to get a Johnson Woolen Mills muted plaid parka.....of course, I am old fashioned.....









 
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Son of Ed Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: December/11/2019 at 21:26
....and I don't like to be cold.....






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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Son of Ed Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: December/11/2019 at 21:33
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I have got two pair of East German wool pants.....Army surplus.....I bought TWO PAIR for $10 years ago!!! These are like $150 pants!! I bought them for hunting but they are so nice I wear them for dress up!  







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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Son of Ed Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: December/11/2019 at 21:42
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote BeltFed Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: December/12/2019 at 08:06
Great info guys. Keep it coming, please. And don't forget boots.
Life's concerns should be about the 120lb pack your trying to get to the top of the mountain, and not the rock in your boot.
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote supertool73 Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: December/12/2019 at 09:39
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.
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote RifleDude Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: December/12/2019 at 12:01
These Texas winters can get mighty blustery to the point I sometimes have to put on 2 long sleeve t-shirts to fend off Jack Frost's frigid breath and turn that "heater" thingy on in my car!
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Dogger Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: December/12/2019 at 16:10
Because our terrain includes swamp areas as well as hardwoods, and temps often dip well below freezing I wear LaCosse Alpha Burly Pro’s. They keep my feet dry and with 800g of Thinsulate my feet are always warm. Bear in mind I am always walking so not sure if they would be warm enough in really cold weather if sitting for long spells. They grip the ankles well and are adjustable around the calf so don’t slip around when navigating rough terrain.

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.
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Son of Ed Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: December/12/2019 at 17:11
Image result for cabelas iron ridge

Last hunting boots I had was Cabela's Iron Ridge 800 gram insulated leathers....




They were good....I didn't get cold in them and I wore them at work in that cemetery in Pennsylvania in the winter when we sometimes had to get down in a flooded grave and toss out the ice and dig out the cave-ins before the funeral party arrived!  ( We didn't want to advertise that lots of graves in the winter will always flood.....Poor Uncle Charlie!!! Bucky )  

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