What's your best tip for staying warm?


Illinois59

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"If You Squeeze- You Freeze"

An Axiom my Father shared with me about selecting the right Boot Size(always go 2 sizes bigger to wear warmer socks).

I learned the hard way he was telling me the truth one year by wearing my "Jump Boots" I had in the Air Force while hunting in Florida.

...that's right Florida!

Temps were only in the upper 30's(which for down there is actually fairly cold) and I had on a pair of boots that were tight. I mean ankle constricting tight and right at my normal shoe size. Of course I added warmer socks to hunt in that temperature.

I basically shut down alot of the circulation of blood(the body's natural anti-freeze) into my feet.

"If You Squeeze - You Freeze"

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FACEMASK! I get at least an extra hour on stand with a face mask. When you wear one you are breathing in warmer air. When you leave your face exposed, you breath in cold air and that will chill your insides quicker.

As for my clothes, I wear several layers of fleece with a layer of UA Cold Gear underneath.

Plus be sure to wear your Realtree. It will give you a nice warm feeling inside knowing that the deer cannot see you. :D

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Take up knitting by a roaring fire while sipping hot cocoa.

OR...do what the other guys have said. My personal tip is the wool balaclava I got from army surplus that comes down over the upper chest and shoulders...love it! GWS is right about the boots- wear them loose, don't tie them at all, etc.

I know, Swampy-Florida...brrrr. ;)

HB

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get some under armor cold gear. then on top of that, get the insulated jeans from cabelas. you can get them with flannel or fleece lining and even with gore-tex. they work great if your gunna be up in a stand for the whole day or the early morning. i just ordered a pair and my dad has had them for the past two years and has yet to get cold.

i cant get the link but there by cabelas and there called roughneck relaxed fit denim jeans-flannel (or if its fleece itll say)

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I agree with layers. KEEP THEM DRY!!:cool::cool: If you need to wear few layers as you walk into your stand and then layer up when you get there. This prevents you from generating too much body heat and starting a sweat. If that base layer gets wet from sweat it makes it more difficult. I don't care what type of wicking fabric you have. I work as a US Army instructor for 5 years and served for a total of 15years before starting a career in law enforcement. Worked many a long day in VERY cold weather. Wool is your friend unless it gets wet.

Fuzz:)

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Get in good shape. Muscle will burn calories and keep you warmer than fat. Good circulation will help too. Make you you eat some fatty foods. They are easily converted to heat. I like Under Armor and Arctic Shield myself. Thorlo merino wool socks and Schnee's 10 inch Hunters on my feet. A Pendelton wool hat with ear flaps. You know, the Elmer Fudd type!

Mark

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Might be some repeat but:

- Pack in the extra layers. Dress cold for a long walk. You'll warm up on the way and can hold that heat in by adding the extra layers when you get to the stand.

- Polyproplyene liner socks. Then wool socks. Makes a huge difference.

- Thinsulate Hand warmers - the tube shaped kind. With activable hand warmers going, one for each hand. You can get away with lighter gloves that way.

- And the most important - A thermos with hot coffee!

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I learned this a while back and it does work. Keep your core warm and your circulation will be great. When your core gets cold the body instictively hordes the blood, thus making it harder to keep your extremities (feet & hands) warm. I get the 12 hour body warmers, like the hand/toe warmers, and put one on my base layer, chest area, if my feet start to get cold. Sounds crazy, but it has worked for me.

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I'll add another tip I've learned the hard way.

If you have a walk to the stand more than a couple hundred yards you will likely sweat regardless of how cold it is. You can walk real slow to minimize the sweating, but if you're anything like me I can't wait, I'm always in a hurry to get on stand before daylight, or whatever reason I can come up with.

What I do now is take an extra pair of socks and t-shirt with me and keep my heavy clothes in my pack until I get to the stand. Then I change my wet socks and put my warmer layers on. Wet socks means cold feet. I also change t-shirts (primarily due to sweaty arm pits). I place the wet clothes in a plastic bag in my zipped pack to keep the scent down.

This is only when it is 45 or below. Anything above 45 and the moisture wicking socks are good enough and I don't need real warm outer layers.

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Ya'll stop bustin on my man from Flawda:D

Heck fire it got down right chilly thar when i took my first Bow deer in early season one year...when i shot it the temp was 84 degrees..when i got it to the truck it was a frigid 93:D

Another tip I forgot to mention is an adaptation I did to my Fanny Pack. I quit wearing a backpack while walking to the stand because it made my back sweat so much and started using a large capacity Fanny Pack. Well as the season wears on and it gets much colder up here in the north I carry less gear in the Fanny Pack. So I end up wearing it while on stand instead of taking it off.

I found that it had a thick mesh lining on the back of it facing my body and had an idea....

I cut a slit, just in the top of it, since it's not attached to the fabric underneath and slide in a few 12 hour body warmers. They end up keeping my lower back toasty warm;)

LOL...I call it my Kidney Cooker:D

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