I will look into the cabelas stuff. But...I've had discussions with Cabelas on the definition of "lifetime" there's is different than mine. I actually wore out sweatshirt that was lifetime guaranteed. But... they came through in the end.
Lots of suggestion bout Cabelas stuff. May have to make a drive down there after Christmas.
I have the cabelas Berber and it's warm and quiet, but super bulky.
Is the sitka stuff quiet? Like super quiet it just kind of? I don't have one but my dad wears a heated vest. It eliminates the bulk in the arms and keeps your core warm. Then just a mid weight jacket over it.
For northern MN I wear cabelas heavy weight fleece base layers. They are on sale for half off right now. Cabelas also makes merino wool which is lighter than fleece. I haven’t tried cabelas merino. All my merino is First Lite which I wear as a base layer in TX.
The cabelas wooltimate or Berber fleece line can be an outer layer in TX or a mid layer in single digits. It is warm and quiet. “Puffy” insulation jackets are also warm but not as quiet. Flannel lined pants from cabelas or Eddie Bauer or wool pants from woolrich make good mid layer pants and are often on sale
For extreme cold outer layer I like cabelas MT050 parka and bibs
Also there is nothing wrong with wearing casual brands like Columbia, north face, Patagonia, Eddie Bauer etc for hunting. They all make great quality fleece and quiet winter clothing in earth tone colors that can be bought on sale a lot cheaper than quality “hunting” clothes
I froze out last Friday evening bowhunting. Milwaukee sells a heated jacket and I have wondered how it would work. The jacket uses their 12v rechargeable batteries.
This is what I use. Have the vest and jacket and wore them both last Saturday when it was mid 20's. Never turned them on and my core stayed warm.
Not sure if they are in the budget but if I could only get one it would be the vest.
Cabelas had their berber fleece stuff on sale just last month. Not sure if it’s still on sale, but I bought a jacket and pants and they are really warm. They also have a wind block layer built in. Since it’s fleece it’s also quiet.
Cotton sucks for keeping you warm. It holds moisture and gets cold. I hunted last weekend in that weather and never was cold. Here's what I had on:
UnderArmour Heat Gear knock off turtle neck under layer from Walmart (not super tight, just snug). Light weight merino wool shirt over that. Then a Cabela's Berber Fleece with Windshear jacket. That's good down into the 20s, as long as the wind isn't strong. If it's colder than that, I'll add a Patagonia Nano Puff under the Berber Fleece. It's thin and really light weight, but very warm. The Berber Fleece is super quiet too.
It's important to wear gloves, neck/face gaiter, and a warm hat. I like a regular cap with a toboggan on top to cover my ears.
Bottom layers were merino socks, merino long johns, and camo hunting pants. If it's super cold and I'll be sitting still, I'll add a fleece under pant to the mix. I just wore my snake boots. Never got cold. If it's in the teens or single digits, I'll wear 600 gram Thinsulate and Gore-tex boots.
A big key for everything is to not wear anything that is too tight. You don't want to hinder circulation. You don't need baggy and bulky, but don't go too tight.
Bottom layers were merino socks, merino long johns, and camo hunting pants. If it's super cold and I'll be sitting still, I'll add a fleece under pant to the mix. I just wore my snake boots. Never got cold. If it's in the teens or single digits, I'll wear 600 gram Thinsulate and Gore-tex boots.
Shane when you say add a fleece under pant to the mix do you wear those over your camo hunting pants, or under? And are you talking about something along the lines of these Cabela's Outfitter Series Men's Wooltimate™ Pants with 4MOST WINDSHEAR?
I have messed up two shots when I've worn heavier jackets - string popped the sleaves.
I layer up, but when it is real cold, I take my old Army surplus down sleeping bag and get into it with it resting up on my shoulders. I stay really toasty and I can easily/quietly slip it off my shoulders for a shot.
Shane when you say add a fleece under pant to the mix do you wear those over your camo hunting pants, or under? And are you talking about something along the lines of these Cabela's Outfitter Series Men's Wooltimate™ Pants with 4MOST WINDSHEAR?
Thermacare low back belt. They last about 8 hours place it over your kidneys and you will be plenty warm. When I had my Harley i would use them on very cold days and they worked like a charm.
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