Ice Suit Question

Question about Ice Suits? I tried on the Ice Armor grey suit tonight with the intention of buying one. However it was way to bulky. I can’t speak to warmness. I’m sure they are plenty warm if not overly warm.

How about the blue suit? What are your impressions about that. How would you compare them to the Carhartt Insulated Bibs? The only reason I really want to get a pair fishing bibs is for the water proofing outer layer. Otherwise the Carhartts are exactly what I want as far as bulkiness and warmth.

Same question applies to Frabill. I would like a full suit however I would honestly prefer a jacket that is lighter than the bibs.

That’s why I like wool. Warmth without that bulky “michelin man feel/look”.

Any thoughts would be appreciated.

Hi Wade, I have the blue suit and I like it. It is not insulated but does a great job at keeping out the wind and cold. I have never been warmer on the ice. I have worn carhartts for years in construction and I believe in them also. I have worn mine on the ice but I do not feel that they were as warm as my ice armour. As with anything you will get alot of varying opinions, I do not know what suits are better and I got mine at the begining of them becoming popular. I think you can’t go wrong with any of them and when the time comes for replacement I will be looking at all the brands again. Good Luck.

I have had the sno suit by frabill for a couple of years now, it is AMAZING to say the least the best thing i have ever bought, I bought it for winter fishing in the boat on the river, great for ice fishing as well, simply irreplaceable. Well worth the price if it falls within the budget. Good luck.

I totally agree w/the SnoSuit. Me and my buddys fish Winnebago, and the SnoSuit is invaluable. We stay as mobile as possible, meaning “bucket sitting”. I can can be out there there all day, while my buddy (wearing Carhartss) is cold by the end of the day. If it’s within you’re budget-DEFINITELY SnoSuit!

X3

While the Snosuits are certainly bulkier than a simple shell or a Carhart, the fit of the Snosuit is going to be so much better. This should never “fight” you when you move in any way. I have tried so many high end types winter apparel and have found only 2 brands that really fit like they should. Helly Hansen and Snosuit.

The key is really to buy one that fits perfectly by only wearing minimal THIN layers underneath. They are meant to move with your body so if you wear something like jeans under the bibs, you’ll find yourself restricted.

Wade-
The SNOsuit is by far the best suit out there, hands down. If you are looking for something that you would like to layer under, check out the new “Frabill Suit”. This suit was designed for guys that want to layer. It is not going to be as durable as the SNOsuit, but you won’t be throwing out as many dollars for it either. The same ideas that went into the SNOsuit went into the Frabill suit, just with different materials.

If you have questions about any of the Frabill suits, swing by the Frabill booth this weekend at the Ice Show and I would be happy to talk to you about them.

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X3

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X4 FOR SNOSUIT

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Wade-
The SNOsuit is by far the best suit out there, hands down. If you are looking for something that you would like to layer under, check out the new “Frabill Suit”. This suit was designed for guys that want to layer. It is not going to be as durable as the SNOsuit, but you won’t be throwing out as many dollars for it either. The same ideas that went into the SNOsuit went into the Frabill suit, just with different materials.

If you have questions about any of the Frabill suits, swing by the Frabill booth this weekend at the Ice Show and I would be happy to talk to you about them.

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Are you a Frabill rep or a prostaff? Just curious…

Snosuit X12 or wherever we’re at. Might want to take a peek at that Ice Suit from Frabill if I’m hearing your correctly Wade. Not going to be as warm as the Snosuit, but might be precisely what your looking for.

Good information Loren. Nice to have you here.

Im in the same boat as you. I’ve been looking at purchasing an ice suit for a few years now but i just cant stomach the idea of spending 300+ dollars on it. I wear carhart bibs and like you say they are great except for the fact that when you kneel down on the ice your knees absorb water. What i have done is went to the local goodwill and bought a pair of snow pants (the kind we wore when we were kids sledding) and now i wear those. They are not waterproof but they are much more water resistant than carhart bibs. Cost me $7. I also thought about cutting some pieces off of a tarp or a similar material and sowing those onto my carhart bibs around the knees. I still daydream about buying the suit cause they are nice but unless i find one on a deep discount i think i’ll stick with the kids snow pants and the carhart jacket.

my two cents

crappiehunter

FYI– As far as the SnoSuit, I haven’t found any mobility problems. Jacket off- good for a few barley pop’s on the way home, too! IMO. Pricey-but last time you’ll have to invest in such clothing.

Wade I know not many on this site mention Arctic Armor but I just got mine this past summer for this years ice season.Last year I talked to alot of guys on the ice that had them and got great feedback from everyone. From what they all told me you don’t have to wear much under them. And the plus is of course if you do go in they are bouyont!! I think if I ever went thru the ice and made it out I’d probably sell all my stuff !!! I’ll let everyone know how this suit works out. It will get a real test the end of January up there with Chris.

I bought the Blue Ice Armor suit two years ago for much the same reason you mentioned, versatility. Although it doesn’t offer the warmth of some of the others it does have the padded/waterproof knees and seat and it has lots of pockets. There are days I’m envious of guys wearing the Snosuit when it’s really cold – the older I get the warmer I like to stay. I don’t think Ice Armor has quite the insulation of the insulated Carharts gut it has worked great for multi-season wear in the boat. Although I haven’t been in an absolute downpour in it yet but have been in rain and it kept me dry.

SnoSuit bibs are amazing you can kneel in slush all day long and never soaks thru.Another bonus is I find they keep my legs warm to a little hot.After reconstruction of one knee have had trouble with a cold foot.With the blood warm in my legs down to my feet.No more problem.I actually were less bulky boots now.The jacket feels like it was built on you.Arms have a curve built in so you aren’t bending stove pipes.The pockets are everywere you need one.I fish farther south than most and see a lot of upper teens and twenties for temps.The jacket is a little overkill on those days .But when it gets down low teens and below it feel like setting in the livingroom by the fire.Have yet to fish in a wind that it couldn’t keep out.

Anyone outgrow their current snosuit? I am looking for the bibs and maybe the jacket. The website shows $650.. ouch.

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Anyone outgrow their current snosuit? I am looking for the bibs and maybe the jacket. The website shows $650.. ouch.

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You can get an entire new suit delivered for under $500 on eBay.

I have had my snosuit for a few years now and was lucky enough to get on the band wagon at cross lakes sales and got the full suit for $300 (unfortunately i don’t believe that is available anymore for that pricing).

I am a huge fan of my snosuit and it is one of those few items that was truly built to handle the conditions it is used in. With that being said, the only time I wish i had a second suit is late season when it is getting warm and wet, i wouldn’t mind having just a “shell” suit for those days, but I think they account for about 2% of my outings so I’m not ready to throw money at that just yet.

I converted from Carhart to a Snosuit last year and I am never going back.

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Anyone outgrow their current snosuit? I am looking for the bibs and maybe the jacket. The website shows $650.. ouch.

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You can get an entire new suit delivered for under $500 on eBay.

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Or you can buy the entire suit for $358 this weekend at the ice show!

Jacket and bibs are $179 each at the Marine General booth. They even have 1 all black jacket in size XL. I think that’s last years. The jacket is too short for my liking, so I only picked up the bibs.

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Anyone outgrow their current snosuit? I am looking for the bibs and maybe the jacket. The website shows $650.. ouch.

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You can get an entire new suit delivered for under $500 on eBay.

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Or you can buy the entire suit for $358 this weekend at the ice show!

Jacket and bibs are $179 each at the Marine General booth. They even have 1 all black jacket in size XL. I think that’s last years. The jacket is too short for my liking, so I only picked up the bibs.

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Dang. Can’t beat that price.

I believe I have at one time used all the suits on the market today.

The Artic Armor suit is wonderful. I use it in the boat both spring and fall and some on the early ice due to it’s flotation option.

Now, when we are talking the cold of the winter and fishing days wehen one should more than likely not be out, then we have to look at the Sno Suit.

This suit was warmer the first time I put it on than I ever expected it too be. When I first picked up the suit I thought boy, this suit is heavy. But, after suiting up it was not that bad at all. Pleanty of pockets and the suits fits very nice.

If I had to go down from the 5 suits I have to one suit, I would say the Sno Suit would win with the Artic Armor running 2nd. I use my camo AA suit for archery hunting, fishing and about everything else.

Another very nice suit is the Ice Armor gray 3 piece suit, the one with the bibs and the 2 jackets. This suit is very warm but I do not know if it is still made.

The durabillity on all the suits I own has been very good.

If you are in need of a pair of finger gloves or mitts to keep your hands warm on those cold days, check out the Sno Suit gloves. They are the warmest gloves hands down of all the ones these suit companies offer. Very nice and the mitts seem to be a bit warmer than the finger gloves.